ASH8

Honda Accord Euro!

Finalists..

Honda Accord Euro, Audi A4, Volkswagen Tiguan, and Mazda 6.




.

Cromax

Yuck!

They must have their heads up their *****!

Black-8

I beg to differ. Honda Accord Euro is a very fine piece of car, glad it's finally recognised.

matt13b

They only seem to be awarding cars with good fuel economy these days so I think the RX8 has had its day as car of the year...

timbo

Actually, I don't think the new Accord Euro is as sweet as the model it replaced. It just grew -- a bit too much -- in every direction

However, it is by far the better car to the "other" Accord that Drive named as their car of the year

ASH8

Huh?...The SII RX-8 Does not qualify for WHEELS COTY (face-lifts never do),
RX8 won WHEELS Coty in 03/04.

For memory I don't have the Wheels copy yet (though they are in the shops?) the Mazda 6 Wagon as a finalist.

enforcer

I think the COTH Award is a very subjective process. You have a panel of so called 'experts' putting their own spin and bias into the scores. People will still buys cars with their own preferences without having to be influenced by others....

Black-8

This I agree, the first gen accord euro is sweeter than the new one. the power increase is not enough to counter the increase in weight. But, it is still a very fine car. Plus, the slight increase in size might appeal to broader market.

ASH8

Forgot to add...

The front page of WHEELS also headlines "Why The FALCON did Not win"

I have yet to read the story.

matt13b

I don't think the series 2 RX8 qualifies as it doesn't bring "new technologies" or "new design". That is how I read it from the way Wheels explains how it works out what are new models and what are updates or facelifts..

ASH8

Other finalists..

Audi A4, Volkswagen Tiguan, and Mazda 6.

Cromax

You wouldn't call the new Euro a facelift?

Cromax

Neither does the Honda Accord Euro from what I've seen.

ASH8

The new Euro is all new like the 6, it's not a facelift

Black-8

New euro is not a face lift. revised engine, different chassis

matt13b

The RX8 won in 03/04(obviously I know that) but I don't think it would come close to winning if it was a new car this year purely because it uses way too much fuel. Back when it won that wasn't such an issue but is a huge one now..

Revolver

The new 6 has also grown a bit from what I can see.

Both look a little bloated compared to the models they replace.

As for the RX8, it won based on factors other than fuel economy...like novel packaging, etc.

Anyway, not worth getting in a knot about. They have to give it to something (well, they've withheld it in the past but I bet they wouldn't now) and the Accord seems like a good thing if you're in that niche of the market (which itself says all you need to know about the utility of such awards)...

takahashi

Wheel car of the year is subjective. I often think it is how much you pay the magazine for advertising, but I am sure they subjectively rank them professionally

If I had a say in Wheels COTY, none of the Holden or Ford will get into the final.

thisllub

They didn't.
This time.

takahashi

LOL. I am having similar conversation about the COTY and the BMW people cannot tell the difference between Accord V6 and Accord Euro

thisllub

The thing about the Holdens and Fords is that the base models are terrible.

If Ford had spent another $20 on better plastic the G6E turbo wouldn't be a bad car but the plastic is so bad it is a shame. I think they use the same cheap plastic as the base model Camry and $2 shop toys.

Black-8

Yeah, the name is confusing. Don't know what Honda was thinking when they choose to use that name. Not to mention the so called Accord V6 came in inline 4 as well

DrGonzo

Wasn't the Euro named 'Euro' because it was designed for the European markets?

Thisllub, I agree if they improved the feel and overall fit and finish of their interiors they would be so much better cars. I used to own an XR6T and after about a week of ownership and the excitement of owning the car started to wear off, I realised that it was no more than a taxi with a turbo engine and some extra trim. The thing is, the Aussie public don't seem to care about things like that. They are rep mobiles and family haulers, or appeal to the V8 bogans who know nothing about motoring except that Ford are better than Holden and vice versa, and that's good enough for the majority.

Taka, what BMW forum are you on?

Black-8

true, it's named euro because in europe, that's the model that's called Accord. but it is also marketed in US as well under Acura flag (called TSX). So theoretically, Honda can call its name something else. But, I guess Accord name is popular, so they choose to use it to attract market.

thisllub

I read the article in Coles yesterday. (Ok call me cheap). Interesting that Wheels' reason for "NOT the Falcon" was exactly as I quoted above.

Careful with the V8 bogan thing, I still own a V8 Holden
A 99 Caprice with a Gen3. Even after 2 years with the RX-8 I still think it is a great car.
Uses about the same fuel as the 8 and accelerates just as hard. Fits 4 adults in luxury and one more comfortably.
If I didn't have something like it I wouldn't be able to have the Mazda.
I drove it 16 hours from here to the other side of Canberra with 3 people a PA and instruments and we drove it straight back after our New Year's Eve gig the next night.
In nearly 10 years it has cost me about $2000 in parts.

If Ford made the XR6 the base model and charged the difference in production costs more than the XT they would be on a winner.
After all look at all the special editions that come out with all the parts tacked on at no extra cost anyway.
At around $32k it would be a good car.