1.6i DTEC EX 4WD Auto 5dr SUV

Capable, reliable, capacious car with useful bells and whistles

What follows must be set against the 2.2 DTEC Honda Accord Tourer that was traded in for it.
Broadly, it is a very good car with two niggling problems and whose build quality/build materials are not as good as the Accord which preceded it.
This is a top of the range car with the cream leather trim which transforms the somewhat funereal look of the all black trimmed cars. It has all the bells and whistles you might want as well others which are a bit gimmicky.
In the 21000 miles that the car has covered it has been totally reliable and has returned and average of 40 - 44 mpg. It is as powerful as I think most folks would need in this country and is capable of cruising at high speed - 9th gear on the auto box only tends to engage at illegal motorway speeds!
It is very easy to drive.
However! There are two major niggles with this car.
First, as with most Hondas there is a lot of wind noise and tyre roar - in this respect it is no different from the Accord, but it is verging on the unacceptable in a car of this price and quality.
Second the AWD system. Honda sell this as a safety system telling us that the system seamlessly takes over in varying conditions to give you the very best grip on the road. It may well do. But as the Swedes have found out put the car on a snowy slope and the front wheels thrash about uselessly whilst the back wheels go on a holiday. Honda will not acknowledge this as a problem and I would not advise anyone to buy the AWD equipped cars as they suffer marginally with mpg and are more expensive. In short the AWD is a bit of a gimmick for the marketeers.

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