Tourer made for comfortable family cruising

The Honda Accord Tourer is rather under-rated. The question is: Why?

Sadly, station wagons are regarded by more and more buyers as old-fashioned barges, good only for hauling antique dealer cabinets, garden refuse and taking Rover on a beach outing, yet they offer much more space and are much more practical for hauling people, luggage and goods than most sedans and smaller SUV's.

What's more, long gone are the boat-like handling, wishy-washy steering, sea-sick suspension, and lazy engines of the older generation station wagons. Today they not only look good; they handle like sports sedans and deliver stonking performance.

Want a good bang for your buck?

Even the tags of station wagon, and the later version, estate car, have fallen by the wayside. Audi calls their wagons Avant, BMW and Honda prefer Tourer and Mercedes-Benz brags with Shooting Brake.

The interior finish is quality, and there is plenty of space as well.

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When it comes to station wagons, Honda's family-dogs-camping gear hauler has be one of the best bang for your bucks options on the market. The Honda Accord Tourer came to South Africa back in 2008 and other than a nip and tuck and a bit of cosmetics the six-model range has remained the same in looks and performance.

There are three petrol 2.4i-VTEC options with a choice between a six-speed manual or a five-speed automatic transmission and three 2.2i-DTEC diesel options with the same transmission choices. All Tourers offer the choice of either Exclusive or Executive specification levels and their prices range from R404,400 to R450,300.

Under-rated... but WHY?!

We recently spent a few days in the company of the R435,600 2.4 Exclusive manual and it's hard to believe that it remains one of the most under-rated vehicles on the local market. It is kitted out wall to wall with smart goodies that include leather seats, electric heated seats, hands-free Bluetooth, multi-info display screen, a good sound system with MP3/WMA compatibility, between 6 and 10 speakers, USB iPod connection, paddle shifts on the auto versions, dual zone aircon, cruise control, electric windows and mirrors, fully adjustable steering wheel and even headlamp washers.

On the road the Tourer feels its size, yet it is also surprisingly confident and stable.

Also on the driver aids and safety fronts the Tourer brags with a full-house -- from ABS brakes with EBD, brake assist, vehicle stability control to trailer stability assist, speed adaptive steering, fog lights, auto headlights and rain sensing wipers, plus airbags, active head restraints and ISOFIX child seat anchors.

The cabin is so spacious you can be forgiven for mistaking it for a lounge. The finish is smart and of the level of excellent quality finish for which Honda is renowned. Nothing flashy and everything in the living quarters, from dials and gauges, to switches, buttons and knobs, is logically positioned and easy to find. The onboard systems are also straightforward and a doddle to navigate.

Bags of space - and comfortable too

The seats are exceptionally comfortable with enough leg, bum, head and elbow room to accommodate five large grown-ups with ease. Luggage space is also generous and I reckon if you flop the back sets down, two can sleep quite comfortably back there...

On the road the Tourer feels its size, yet it is also surprisingly confident and stable, even when you whip it and push fairly hard through the corners. Like all Hondas, the Tourer's engine also thrives on revs with maximum 148kW's requiring a full dose of 7,000rpm. To get the maximum torque benefit of 234Nm you also need to wind the engine up to 4,300rpm.

The onboard systems are also straightforward and a doddle to navigate.

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But the returns are impressive. In spite of its bulky appearance the Tourer will happily gallop from 0-100km/h in 8.5 seconds and only start getting short of steam at about 222km/h.

The electric power-assisted steering is sharpish but like the car's suspension set-up, its geared more for ease and comfort than enthusiastic driving.

The Tourer is big and it feels big, but even in a crowded car park it is not too difficult to squeeze in and out of tight spaces. Although it is one of the best-priced wagons on the market the price tag is still quite steep, but other than that there is very little that doesn't please about the Tourer.

When it comes to long-distance family cruising few can beat it and owners will also sleep well, knowing that the price includes a three-year/100,000km warranty and a five-year/90,000km service plan.

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