Honda's top of the range Accord Tourer or estate is a big car. More recently, it has been upgraded with more power, more comfort and more space. This is a big and spacious car with new styling and a quality feel to it. And it's thrifty with its improved Honda 2.2 litre turbo-diesel engine as the power source.

That's what I felt about the new Accord Tourer, which I drove recently; this was a car with all the features built-in such as an impressive sat-nav and six-speed gearbox, virtually everything that you could ask for in a modern car. The kit included electrically adjustable leather seating and electrical remote operation of the estate boot; virtually everything that you could dream of in terms of creature comforts.

If you need to carry a load either for business, for the family or for outdoor pursuit reasons, then the Accord Tourer has the volumes you need. The styling of the new Accord is modern. The feeling is bigger than the older model and the running costs are marginally better.

The 2.2 litre turbo-diesel engine is the extra bonus for this big quality estate car. The car delivers in terms of power, torque and economy. And the engine smoothness is legendary. Honda has finely tuned it to give marginally more power. You have to drive it to appreciate what Honda has done with its first diesel entry to the market. Once comfortable with the seating and the controls it was easy to get started. The Accord diesel engine start up is smooth, allowing the car to reach its maximum 150bhp at a relatively low 4000 rpm. The high engine torque of 350Nm kicks in at half this rev rate to allow for a steady acceleration.

The six-speed gearbox is smooth to use. The engine delivers power on demand so that driving is relatively easy once you appreciate the size of the car. This estate car is over 150kg heavier than the basic 2.0 litre petrol entry saloon model. Despite this there is little to separate them in terms of acceleration.

The acceleration pace of 9.6 seconds in a 0 to 100km/hr start off is impressive for what is a big car. In performance terms it strides a line between the likes of the D segment Ford Mondeo and the more luxury bigger models such as the Audi A6.

The 2.2 litre turbo-diesel engine is also impressive in terms of what it delivers and I mean more than just power. Compare it with the 2.0 litre petrol version, also available in the Accord both saloon and estate and you'll find it to be over 20% more fuel efficient. The diesel version has a lower CO2 rating down at 157g/km versus 177 for the petrol version. That means an annual road tax saving of €183 at the lower D rate of €447 for the diesel model. It matches the more luxury offerings in terms of space, but not in performance. From the other side, it exceeds the space, comfort and luxury of the D segment models, with equivalent performance and economy, but at a slightly higher price.

There is a solid build feel to the car that you only appreciate when driving it for a while. That's part of the Honda value and by that I mean re-sale value, which in today's terms is difficult enough to calculate for any car.

What impressed me most of all about the Accord Tourer was its comfort. Having criss-crossed the country in testing road conditions, I found that it could handle the roads with ease. It was agile enough to dodge the potholes on the minor roads, while delivering smoothness and comfort on better roads.

This new Honda Accord has good safety credentials. It received a 5 star adult protection and 4 star child protection rating in its recent test. The Accord was the first car to get a three star pedestrian rating in the large family class from the Euro NCAP independent testing organisation.

The new safety features for this Accord include active head restraints, an advanced body structure to the car and a motion adaptable electronic stability programme (ESP). The more obvious safety features include dual stage front airbags, driver and front passenger side airbags, front seatbelt pre-tensioners and load limiters, full length curtain airbags and ISOFIX fittings and tether anchor points.

My test car was fitted with what I found to be an impressive and easy to use satellite navigation system. The large central screen that it uses doubles as a TV for reversing with a boot mounted colour camera. This is a significant help in parking the big Accord into a tight spot in the supermarket car park.

And I found that the Bluetooth system for the telephone is relatively easy to set up. It takes a little longer than some of the competition and once set up is very clear in operation with the facility to store numbers etc.

Most of all you'll be impressed with the space and comfort in the new look Honda Accord Tourer. But its not cheap. The entry price for the diesel powered version is €39,795 before delivery charges. This is at the top end of the D segment of the market, while being more competitive than some of the more luxury brand competitors many of which don't match the Accord Tourer in terms of space.

The Honda feel and reputation for reliability and quality build shines through in this big estate. Accord drivers keep coming back for more, and with cars like the Accord Tourer and its impressive package, which includes an excellent diesel engine, they keep getting more.

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