2005 Honda Accord 2.2 i-CTDI Exec review from UK and Ireland

Bass rattle in left door.

It’s got a great engine, especially when you feed it good diesel (BP ultimate or the like makes a surprisingly large difference). Overtaking is a doddle, and you can easily break the limit without noticing. The cruise control is going to be a licence saver.

It is nowhere near as efficient as I was expecting – I get about 40 mpg, which is good considering the performance, but very bad considering the claimed combined figures.

It does use some oil – I’ve got used to just checking my oil after I’ve gone in and paid when refuelling. It’s used 2 litres in 6k miles so far.

It handles astoundingly well for such a large car, is massively comfortable while not sacrificing fun on twisty roads. You only notice the size when you look in the mirror at the distant rear window.

The electric boot is surprisingly useful.

It has a great stereo (on Ex spec), but no input for mp3 player.

It’s massive, and the single fold seats are very useful. I got a double mattress in there without folding it.

I’ve got the optional 17” alloys, but haven’t found that they mess up the ride too much, but they do tram-line sometimes, not enough to be annoying though.

It’s not as quiet as I would have liked, but this is very road surface dependant and I think it's probably due to the 17" wheels.

Overall I'm delighted, with only the fuel and oil consumption niggling. From other drivers, I have good grounds to believe that both will improve markedly over the next 10k miles.