You will have seen the advert for the new Honda Accord. Dubbed “Cog” by its makers, it features 85 separate Accord components, each rolling, turning and running into the next in a chain reaction around the studio. The ad took a week and several hundred takes to shoot but, says Honda, involved no trick photography. It really happened as shown, in all respects other than that it was filmed in halves, the studio being too small for it to be done in one shot.

It’s a neat, interesting, attractive and impressive piece of engineering: can the car boast the same values? The Accord saloon is an excellent newcomer, albeit one caught between wishing to avoid association with the mass-market Mondeo mob and not quite having the kudos to cut it in the more exalted and aspirational company of Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. However, the Accord Tourer — estate — is a quite different proposition.

When some car manufacturers convert their saloons into estates they simply put a glassy box on the back and have done with it. Not Honda: the Accord Tourer is not only bigger at the rear, it’s built on a wheelbase that’s 2in longer. In addition it has different rear suspension, designed not only to cope with the extra weight but also to intrude less into the load area, thereby helping to create a larger, more useable space.

Moreover, the Accord Tourer is alone in its class in offering a power-operated remote control tailgate and unique in enabling its owner to fold both the rear seat bottom and the backrest in a single one-handed movement.

But there’s more. Hitherto those shopping for a £20,000 estate have been forced to choose between the style desert that is the chosen habitat of effective load carriers such as the Ford Mondeo or Volkswagen Passat, or driving a BMW 3-series or similar and accepting a pathetically small boot. Well, to these eyes the Accord is as good looking as any of them yet, with the rear seats in place, it has the biggest boot in the class.

The car I drove was the 2.4 Type S, retailing for £20,095. It comes complete with a six-speed gearbox, and 187bhp engine that snarls when you want it to and is almost silent when you don’t. It will take you to almost 140mph yet return very close to 30mpg with a lightish foot (a good but not exceptional performance by standards of the class).

These impressive talents are matched by a chassis that provides a canny blend of ride that remains composed when you load the car with people and luggage and handling that perhaps falls short of thrilling but is invigorating nonetheless.

It is also a car of cut-above quality. The materials used may not yet be to Audi’s benchmark but, on the inside in particular, the Accord sets a classy tone and one that places it distinctly ahead of its more humdrum mass-market opposition. And, as it’s a Honda, you know it’s been engineered to last for ever.

If there is a catch with this car, I couldn’t see it. It’s great to look at, satisfying to sit in and rewarding to drive. I’d feel just fine waking up on a Monday morning knowing that the Honda was going to take me to work and I’ve never felt that about any estate that wasn’t wearing a German badge.

Moreover, such is its style, space and practicality, those looking to spend this kind of money on either a mid-sized MPV or off-roader should give it some thought. Your kids may not thank you for removing their lofty viewpoint but they’ll get used to it and, meanwhile, you’ll be having a ball behind the wheel.

So should those thousands of Brits waiting for their BMW 320i SE Touring — currently the best car in this class — be ripping up their order forms and heading to their nearest Honda dealer? It’s a surprisingly close call. In all dynamic areas, be it performance, economy, emissions, ride or handling, the BMW is slightly ahead, cumulatively enough to justify to many the extra £3,645 asked for it. Then again, if you need real boot space neither it nor the Audi A4 Avant or Mercedes C-class estate will do.

But the Accord will. I know there is a certain sort of estate buyer who’d rather drive with his knees around his ears than give up a BMW for a Honda, but for those needing a genuinely practical estate while still wanting to look good and drive hard the answer is in front of you.

Vital statistics
Model Honda Accord Tourer 2.4 Type S
Engine type Four cylinders, 2354cc
Power/Torque 187bhp at 6800rpm / 164 lb ft at 4500rpm
Transmission Six-speed manual
Suspension (front) double wishbones, coil springs, anti-roll bar; (rear) multi-link, coil springs, anti-roll bar
Fuel/CO2 29.1mpg (combined) / 230g/km
Acceleration 0 to 62mph: 8.4sec
Top speed 138mph
Price £20,095
Verdict Style and practicality in equal measure, the best all-rounder in its class

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