Honda Accord diesel launched

20 January 2004: Honda has launched the diesel version of the Accord in Ireland. The engine is Honda's first diesel completely built by themselves and the car sells for €39,835.

The launch is against the background of an almost 50 per cent penetration of the car market across Europe by diesel engines, and in some countries like France and Italy diesel preference has reached 80 per cent.

Honda chief engineer Kenichi Nagahiro headed a two-and-a-half-year development programme, and the result is a 2.2-litre all-aluminium engine with a power output of 140bhp and torque of 340Nm at 2,000rpm.

The fuel consumption is in excess of 52mpg and the car can accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 9.3 seconds.

In Ireland the Accord diesel comes only in the top specification available to the car, which includes leather seats and trim and full climate control.

It also has a special heating system which provides heat in the car from the air-conditioning system, an idea that overcomes a typical diesel car problem of a long wait before enough heat is available to warm the car fully.

Honda Ireland's Frank Kennedy said yesterday that while the overall diesel preference in the Irish market is just 18 per cent, in the Accord's D segment positioning it is 32 per cent. He said the new version is aimed directly at BMW's 320d and Audi's A4 diesel.

Of the 730 Accords expected to be sold in 2004, some 130 will be diesel.

©2004 irishcar.com