Autoblog

click above for more high-res images of the 2009 Honda Accord for Europe

Not long after Honda showed off a single image of the new 2009 Acura TSX for the U.S. market, its doppelgänger was unveiled today as the 2009 Honda Accord and Accord Touring (wagon) for Europe. Set to debut at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show in early March, the new Euro Accord and its sporty wagon variant look much like our new TSX, save for a cleaner face with a traditional grille in place of the shield treatment given to Acura's new sport sedan. We particularly like the character line that bisects each door handle and meets the flared out front fender. Out back we see a new rear end that should be identical to the hind quarters of the new TSX.

The Euro Accord will be offered with three high-tech engines, all of which are compliant with stricter Euro 5 emissions regulations. The first is the second-gen i-DTEC diesel producing around 148 horsepower and 258 pound feet of torque at just 2,000 rpm. This will be the same motor that Honda introduces as its first diesel for the U.S. market in the Acura TSX, and we can't wait. Europeans also get their choice of a 2.0L i-VTEC producing 154 horsepower and a 2.4L four-cylinder producing nearly 200 hp and 172 foot pounds of torque. All three engines can be mated to a 6-speed manual, while the gas engines get optional 5-speed automatics, as well.

The interior is also all new and combines the elegant design and expensive materials that we expect in a Honda with the button overload of more expensive luxury cars. The gauges are now of the "floating" backlit variety and flank an addition LCD screen that augments the deeply recessed nav system atop the center console.

The new European Accord looks sharp, is filled with new technology and will go on sale in Europe before we get the new 2009 Acura TSX.

[Source: Honda]