- Doors and Seats
4 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
2.4i, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
140kW, 223Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (95) 9.2L/100KM
- Manufacturer
FWD
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
3 Yr, 100000 KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
2003-2008 Honda Accord Euro used car review
Rarely does a car hit a target as hard and as sweetly as the original Honda Accord Euro of 2003.
Regarded as a brand that has lost its way in recent years, the Accord Euro was proof that Honda still had some mojo and wasn't afraid to use it.
Yet, at the same time as the Euro was a sporty sedan with pretty sleek looks, it also managed to be a classy thing to drive with a level of fit and finish that still holds up well in 2017. And provided you find one with reasonable miles showing and a history of proper maintenance and caring owners, you could well be on a real winner at a bargain price.
Because not only will you be buying one of the best mid-sized cars ever sold here, you'll also be driving a car that absolutely does not look as old as it really is.
There was even a degree of pragmatism in the Euro's make-up and while the non-Euro version (designed primarily for the North-American market) was powered by a V6 engine, the Euro got by with a four-cylinder engine.
But what a four-cylinder!
At 2.4-litres it was a bit bigger than you might expect these days, but with Honda's clever V-Tec variable valve timing and lift, it made plenty of performance – 140kW, in fact – and enough torque to be convincing even with the five-speed automatic. Five gears seems at least one short in 2017, but trust us, back in 2003, it was cutting edge stuff.
And anyway, the engine produced its power and torque in a relaxed, yet very refined way, reminding us of those sparkling little Honda engines of decades ago that set the pace for all four-cylinder technology.
The even better news was that Honda understood that drivers would like this car and made the effort of engineering a six-speed manual gearbox. While the manual wasn't a huge seller, you'll find that roughly a third of Accord Euros on the second-hand market are, indeed, fitted with the six-speed manual, something that makes them even more appealing to a particular type of buyer, especially since finding, say, a Toyota Camry from the same era is closer to a one-in-ten proposition.
The manual won't be as gridlock-friendly – obviously – but when the road opens up, a manual Accord Euro is a pretty rewarding thing to drive within the context of a family sedan.
So, having established the car's credentials, what do you need to know about a second-hand example?
The first thing to realise is that these things are anything but brand-new cars in 2017. In fact, the youngest of them will be almost a decade old, so try to find one with as few kilometres as possible.
The Honda four-cylinder was pretty rugged, but we'd still be keener on a car with 150,000km showing than one with 200,000km on board.
It's also critical to have a service history with any used Accord Euro.
While acknowledging that the engines are pretty durable, it's also important to understand that all those V-Tec gubbins were made from small, potentially delicate, intricate parts and that the engine liked to rev. So a service record showing that clean oil and filters were a regular part of the car's previous life is an important document to have.
The V-Tec mechanism was hydraulic (oil) driven, so dirty, sludgy engine oil will soon clag it up with predictable results.
The point is that finding a car with a full service history shouldn't be impossible as the Accord Euro was priced so that it appealed to private buyers, not fleet operators who are, historically, sometimes harder on their machinery.
When test driving an automatic Accord Euro, listen for a faint whining sound from the transmission. Many owners have reported this, but it doesn't seem to have got any worse with the passing years and neither does it seem to correlate with gearboxes that fail prematurely. You may just have to learn to live with it.
On the bodywork side, Honda's metallic paints could be tricky to match accurately, particularly silvers and pearl whites. So make sure you study the car closely in strong sunlight to gain an idea of whether the car is all one colour or not. You may notice some colour mis-match between the metal and painted plastic parts (like the bumpers) and this is pretty common in many cars, not just Hondas.
However, any mis-match beyond that suggests a car that has been crashed and repaired poorly.
Probably the biggest mechanical glitch to watch out for is a brake pedal that feels spongy or seems to go a long way towards the floor before the actual braking starts. In most cars, this could simply be air in the brake lines which needs to be bled out, but in the Accord's case, it could also be a dud unit that controls the stability control. And in some cases, that module will need to be replaced.
The Euro was available in both standard and Luxury forms with the latter gaining plenty of standard equipment. But even the base-model was pretty well stacked, so it's worth spending a few minutes making sure every switch and button does what it should, when it should.
Try the cruise control out on the freeway and make sure the air-conditioning blows icy cold.
We've heard of a few instances where the air-con has gone on the blink; sometimes it's a simple re-gas and away it goes again, other times the compressor fails and needs replacement. The latter is not cheap, especially if you use genuine Honda parts.
Our rating: 4/5
Nuts and bolts
Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol
Transmissions: Five-speed auto/six-speed manual
Fuel economy (combined): 9.2 litres per 100km
Safety rating (courtesy of www.howsafeisyourcar.com.au): 4 stars
Likes:
- Showed the competition up dynamically.
- Lovely engine.
- Availability of a manual gearbox.
- Quality product.
Dislikes:
- Requires premium ULP.
- Not big enough for some families.
- A station-wagon would have been even better.
- Some are getting weary.
Competitors:
Subaru Liberty – All-wheel-drive of Subaru makes for a great snow-weekend vehicle but pushes up fuel economy slightly for the other 51 weeks of the year. Solid motors and dependable, but need their servicing. 3.5/5
Toyota Camry – The default setting for this market and a car that promises low running costs and few hassles. But it's not a pretty car, nor is it especially rewarding to drive. Plenty out there. 3/5
Mazda 6 – The car that most convincingly ran the ball back up the field to the Accord Euro. Lacked a bit in the engine department and could be thirsty. But dynamically adept and good looking. 3.5/5
What to pay (courtesy of Glass's Guide):
Model Year New Now
Euro 2003 $36,250 $4600
Luxury 2003 $42,800 $6400
Euro 2004 $36,250 $5100
Luxury 2004 $42,800 $6600
Euro 2005 $36,250 $5800
Luxury 2005 $42,800 $7200
Euro 2006 $35,990 $6500
Luxury 2006 $42,990 $8200
Euro 2007 $35,990 $6900
Luxury 2007 $42,990 $8800
Euro 2008 $35,990 $7100
Luxury 2008 $42,990 $9300