The car pictured above represents some of my favorite features in a main-stream car: it's a wagon and it's a diesel. I'm also fully aware that I am in a distinct minority on both counts among drivers in the U.S. market. This is the new European-market Honda Accord Tourer Type-S. We get the sedan version in the U.S., badged as the Acura TSX. Personally, I prefer the wagon version because it retains the overall size and dynamic characteristics of a sedan while adding a huge dollop of utility when needed. It's also quite a handsome car. Rumor has it we'll see this body style appear as a new Honda CUV in the states this fall with the high-riding Outback treatment.

The wagon is not new to Europe but the new Type-S (also available as a sedan) is. The Type-S Accord gets a 178 hp version of Honda's new iDTEC 2.2L diesel four cylinder with a stiff 280 lb-ft of torque. The Type-S gets larger 18" wheels and bumper and sill extensions for a more aggressive look. Unfortunately, this is very likely the car we were supposed to get as a TSX this year. However, market conditions have forced Honda to indefinitely cancel those plans. What a shame.


Photos Copyright ©2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

If Autocar is right, Honda will be launching its first high-performance diesel model in the shape of a new Accord Type S. The new S is expected to be shown at the Geneva Motor Show next month. The Euro Accord, which we get here as the Acura TSX, will get propulsion from an upgraded version of the i-DTEC 2.2L four cylinder that boosts power from 148 to 177 hp and torque from 258 to 280 lb-ft. The turbo and cylinder are revised and the intercooler is increased in size to achieve the extra output. Lucky Europeans will even have the option of getting the Type-S diesel in the Europe-only wagon body style. Unfortunately, the weak overall market and sustained high diesel prices have meant that Acura has canceled plans to bring the diesel to the U.S.-market TSX this year.

[Source: Autocar]

We've sampled several of the European spec diesel models from the Bosch demonstration fleet over the last year and have some more cool tests coming soon. One example that we haven't tried out is the 2007 Honda Accord. The Accord in question is the European model which is smaller than the American market car. This car is available in the U.S. badged as the Acura TSX. However, to date no TSX has been offered with a diesel engine. That will probably change early in 2009 when the TSX is expected to become home to a new 2.2L diesel that Acura displayed at the Detroit Auto Show last January.

The New York Times did get to spend some time with the Bosch Accord and came away quite pleased. They managed to achieve 34mpg driving the Accord around town and a phenomenal 53mpg driving on the highway. Even hard driving still yielded 40mpg. Hopefully we'll get a look at the new U.S.-market Acura diesel before the end of this year.

[Source: New York Times, thanks to Joseph for the tip!]

You've probably heard the stories of thieves who steal ATM's full of cash by chaining them to a car and driving away, right? While it is no doubt a bad idea to attempt this crime in the first place, doing so with a weak-engined car is an even worse idea. The Honda Accord that two thieves from Kingsport, Tennessee chose for the ATM heist did not have the required power to dislodge the ATM from its resting place inside a Walgreens pharmacy. The four-cylinder Accord is just too virtuous for this type of duty I guess. One of the criminals confessed to a separate burglary which had taken place earlier in the month. Sheesh, if the first attempt went so well, maybe he should have considered buying a better car!

[Source: Asbury Park Press]

There is a cycle in the automotive industry of enlarging cars with each and every redesign. The latest casualty is the Honda Accord, once known as a more sensible choice in the face of ever-larger sedans from the American automakers. Back in the early eighties, American companies were still building large rear-wheel drive cars while companies like Volkswagen, Honda and Toyota were just beginning to roll out their smaller front-wheel drive designs. As it became apparent that consumers in America were increasingly choosing the smaller imports instead of the Detroit land barges, the big three started to change their designs, mimicking the designs from Japan. Today, things are starting to reverse, with cars like the Chrysler triplets, the 300, Charger and Magnum, as well as the new rear wheel drive GM's like the upcoming Pontiac G8 and Impala. Japan has noticed this trend as well, and their cars are becoming larger in an effort to be size-competitive. The aforementioned Accord has grown to the point that it is classified as a large car. So is the Crown Victoria.

We are not suggesting that the masses in general purchase microcars, but we are suggesting that the ever-increasing sizes are not entirely necessary. Keep the Accord an Accord, please. Wanna bet that the next Camry will try and one-up the Accord in size? The Civic of today is larger than the Accord from the '80s, and that's just wrong. Now, the Fit has taken up the place in Honda's line as the small car of choice, proving that the market for a vehicle that size is still alive and well - and that the automakers are capable of building a good, small car. Comments, questions and snide-remarks are welcome in the comments, as always.

In an announcement that is shocking to nobody, Honda again was chosen (for the third year in a row) to pace the IndyCar series for 2007. The model chosen was the Accord Hybrid, which makes sense, as the Accord, and especially the hybrid version, is largely considered Honda's top of the line model, and the highest-performing version of the Accord. For those unaware, the Accord hybrid uses Honda's third generation IMA, or Integrated Motor Assist, which combines an electric motor with the 3.0 liter gasoline V6 engine used in other Accord models.

Additionally, Honda will be supplying trucks and support vehicles for the series again this year. Again, this is not surprising, as Honda is the sole engine supplier for IndyCar, and prepares and maintains the engines under their Honda Performance Development (HPD) subsidiary. The IndyCar Series will run on 100 percent ethanol fuel this year.

Changes to the vehicle are few, consisting mainly of safety requirements such as a roll-cage and high performance wheels and tires. Johnny Rutherford, the pace car driver for the year and past Indy 500 winner, says that no other changes are needed, "The available power and torque were both greater than I expected. The Hybrid is capable of performing everything that I ask of it on race weekends, and more."

Related:

• President Bush checks out IRL car that runs on ethanol

[Source: Paddock Talk]

The Honda Accord is thirty years old this year. If this is the kind of anniversary that tingles your lobes, then Honda has got a promotional history website for you. The Accord history page tells the history of the model from idea ("a compact car that is easy to use and has a stylish, sporty look") to modern vehicle ("it is a car that inspires a state of harmony between the driver and the surrounding world"). Note how the Accord's (and Civic's) low fuel use history is certainly emphasized in the corporate write-up. If only all automakers were so proud of their efficient history.

[Source: Honda]

Seven vehicles produced by Honda Motor Company have achieved certification from the U.S. government that they're fit for tax credits, the Internal Revenue Service reported on Thursday. In a roundabout way that would be tedious to explain here, the perk generally cuts off after Honda has sold its 60,000th hybrid vehicle. Vehicles in question include the 2005 and 2006 Civic, Accord and Insight models. Tax breaks range from $650 to $3,400, according to the release, which you'll find after the jump.

[Source: Internal Revenue Service]