When Honda introduced the eighth generation of the Accord in Europe, it didn’t know that it won’t last for too long, so it built it right.
If it wasn’t for the world financial crisis, maybe Honda could have kept the Accord and the Accord Tourer on the European market. But it couldn’t. The lack of engine range and some other sophisticated features led to slow sales and, eventually, to drop out of the market just three years later.

Honda already made a European-spec Accord and tuned it for the local roads. Its look was also on par with other carmakers. Its mix o sharp angles and curved surfaces were a lesson well-learned about the new-edge design trend. Its headlights, angular and swept-back on the sides, the shield-like shape of the grille, and the sporty-looking front apron were right on the money for the European customers. On its sides, the eighth Accord Tourer finally found its proper shape, with a hatchback-style tailgate.

Its interior was vast and comfortable. It could fit five adults without any problem. In the back, the split-folding bench was there to expand the trunk from 459 liters (16.2 cu-ft) to a better 1,183 liters (41.8 cu-ft). There were compact station wagons that could do better than that.

Honda’s biggest problem was with the engines. While all of them were Euro 5 compliant, there were only three of them and only one turbo-diesel unit. Moreover, even if it was an awarded engine, that turbo-diesel exceeded the 2.0-liter tax class, while Ford, Opel/Vauxhall, Renault, and Volkswagen featured under 2.0-liter engines with similar power.