Honda has sprung a major surprise with the launch of a wagon to partner the sedan in the Accord Euro line-up.
The wagon - called the Tourer - will be offered as an auto-only model in the higher L and N steps in the range.
Its arrival comes as part of this month's rollout of an all-new Accord Euro, and completes a freshening of the Accord range that started when a new iteration of the larger, softer V6 was introduced earlier in the year.
While the Euro remains substantially smaller than the V6, the new model is a little larger than its predecessor.
Wheelbase extends by 35mm and overall length is up by 50mm for the sedan (the wagon is 14mm longer again).
There has also been a width expansion of 8mm.
Around the bigger underlying platform, Honda's stylists have shaped a sharper, more solid look for the sedan, in which the car's wider track is matched by prominently flared wheel arches.
The firmly-planted stance is further emphasised by a strong, almost blunt nose, and by a slight reduction of 5mm in overall height.
While 30mm taller, the wagon also has an assertively rakish look.
The wider track and height reduction have helped achieve a lower centre of gravity for the saloon.
Along with the benefits of a more rigid body structure, an all-new double-wishbone front suspension, and a redesigned multi-link rear suspension, this gives Honda grounds to claim the new Euro handles even better than the previous model.
Mechanical changes, though, are incremental: the previous Euro's 2.4-litre i-VTEC engine has been re-fettled to deliver peak outputs of 147kW and 233Nm, up from 140kW and 223Nm.
The choice of five-speed automatic (with paddle shifts on the steering column) and six-speed manual also remain, with the latter available only on the base model S sedan.
While it demands a diet of premium unleaded, the new Euro sedan is more economical than its predecessor, with a gain of 4% to 8.8l/100km for the manual and of 9% to 8.6l/100km for the automatic.
The wagon, meantime, consumes 0.3l/100km more than the auto sedan.
The previous Euro was a four-star performer for occupant protection in the European NCAP crash test regime, and Honda will be targeting the maximum five-star rating with the new model.
To help achieve this, it incorporates the Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body structure system than has featured in all new Hondas since 2004.
Front, side and curtain airbags are also standard across the range.
Electronic stability programming is fitted on every variant, and the new Euro introduces a new motion-adaptive power steering system.
This provides steering feedback during the understeer or oversteer situations that prompts the driver to steer in the correct direction to compensate.
Pricing for the new Accord Euro opens at $36,000 for the base-model S-manual sedan, up by $1000 on the opening point for the previous model, and the automatic is $1500 more.
Those opting for the base-model Accord will find it equipped with dual-zone climate control, a chilled glove box and centre bin, cruise control, a trip computer, power windows and mirrors, and a six-disk 10-speaker sound system with iPod jack.
The step up to auto-only L specification is accompanied by a $43,500 tag for the sedan and $45,500 for the Tourer.
Extra features at this level include leather trim, powered front seats, a sunroof, rain-sensing wipers, and automatic xenon headlights.
Costing a further $3000, the N gains a reversing camera, satellite navigation, and GPS-linked climate control.
A bolder, more assertive look is also available on any variant as part of $3300 sports upgrade.
My plan to preview the new Accord Euro with an extended drive in the upper South Island was thwarted when fog disrupted early flights out of Dunedin at the start of last week.
By way of partial compensation, I managed a short drive around Dunedin in one of the first new Accord Euro sedans to arrive here.
Initial impressions were that the cabin feels much larger than that of the old model, and the higher nose (designed for improved pedestrian impact protection) contributes to the car feeling bigger.
Within the cabin, the front seats are heavily bolstered for driver support, and fingertip controls for the cruise control, trip computer and sound system are located on the rake- and reach-adjustable steering wheel.
The rear of the cabin is decently roomy, and access to the 418-litre boot is much improved, thanks to a lower load lip.
Honda can be well pleased with the additional refinement of its new machine: road rumble on coarse chip surface aside, it is a very quiet highway and byway cruiser.
It rides nicely and - on a limited first acquaintance - seems a competent and fuss-free handler as well.
Not surprisingly, the car I sampled still felt a little tight mechanically, but the five-speed automatic worked well with the revised engine, delivering smooth shifts and acceleration to match.
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