1999 Honda Accord Euro 2.0 VTS 2.0 VTEC SOHC

Summary:

Good balance of performance and comfort

Faults:

Right side Xenon bulb stopped working, and had to replace the bulb at 92,000km.

Squeaks from the sun visors fitted on the doors, most probably the gum was starting to peal off.

General Comments:

The car is the Japanese built version of the European Accord, with engines from the Japanese range, in this case the F20B SOHC VTEC engine. The particular version was well equipped on technical terms (ABS, EBD, front strut bar, 3-level EPS, etc).

The interior is pleasant though lacking flair due to the monotonous gray plastics. However the quality of plastics are very good, and the dashboard is made of a very soft form. The seats are decent clones of the Recaro, but don't seem to handle wear and tear well over a long period (some of the cushioning inside starting to crumble), though overall the quality is good.

The rear legroom is a tad less for a car of this size, but the fronts seats are good, though not for people who are taller than 6 feet.

The odd bit storage pockets are not many with the cubby, and a side pocket each on the door, the cup holder (cum storage space), a small storage box in the handrest, and another small storage in the mid console.

The performance of the car is acceptable, though nothing to rave about, as the power really kicks in at the higher revs, and the car can be challenges by smaller 1500cc sedans at lower revs. The economy though is quite decent, and it returns 8kmpl in tight stop and go traffic, with 11-12kmpl on the more open roads (note there are no real highways in my country!). However compared to some of the Toyota's that compete, the economy and straight line performance is poor.

The car was a used car imported from Japan, and had clocked 65K when entering the country, and the first owner had used it until 89K when I got it. The maintenance was standard, and the car has been very reliable, even at 116K on the clock, with no signs of any serious wear and tear.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 1st June, 2008