KEY POINTS:
My, how excited we got over the first-generation Honda Accord Euro when it was launched in 2003. It was a mainstream mid-size sedan - a class determinedly middle of the road at that time.
The Euro was anything but. It was inspired by the BMW 3-series and looked it with a sharp exterior and ergonomically excellent cabin.
It was well-equipped with electronic stability control standard across the range - a first for the class back then. It was cheap thanks to Honda New Zealand's "price promise" philosophy and drove exceptionally well.
That "Euro" badge really meant something. It may not quite have had the dynamic edge to take on a 3-series or Mercedes-Benz C-class, but it made you think twice about paying twice as much for a prestige front-drive sedan such as an Audi A4. Little wonder the Euro was New Zealand Car of the Year for 2003.
The second-generation Euro is also good looking, good to drive and well-equipped, especially in L-for-luxury guise as tested here.
But it's entering a market where we have the new Mondeo (always a great drive but now great to look at) and a sexy second-generation Mazda6.
So the Accord has to work a lot harder to stand out from the crowd - at least I suspect that's the brief that went out to the design team.
The exterior has gone from quietly classy to a bit over-the-top, with bulging wheel arches and a high waistline. It's slightly larger - 50mm longer and 8mm wider - and certainly looks it.
Inside, the Euro has gone all Battlestar Galactica with black plastics and garish silver highlights.
It's similar to the Civic, if not quite as avant garde. It's more modern looking than the old car but not as cohesive and, well, friendly.
Under the skin, there's much that's familiar from the first Euro. The 2.4-litre engine has been made over and now produces 148kW/234Nm - truly impressive in the class.
But relaxed it's not: the petrol-four is still pretty peaky and while it has the potential for impressive economy (Hondas always do), you have to work it fairly hard for spirited driving.
It also emits an odd metallic harmonic at high revs which can make you grit your teeth. I'd forgive it if there was a torque diesel engine option, like on the Accord in Europe (and the Mondeo here) but there isn't.
Yes, the Euro still handles. The steering is excellent, the body well-controlled. The Euro remains a sporting sedan by nature and that's welcome news. The stability control system now features something called Motion Adaptive Electric Power Steering, which alters the weighting of the power steering one way or the other in an emergency situation to "suggest" the most effective action to the driver.
It's not something you can feel in normal driving, but sounds like a good idea when you are caught unaware.
It's entertaining but too noisy. And it's not just the engine but the tyres - road noise on our coarse chip seal is an ongoing issue with Honda.
The most exciting news about the Euro is that you can now have a genuinely cool-looking wagon - sorry, Tourer - instead of the four-door. That ups the desirability quotient considerably. But that's a story for another issue.
This test is of the sedan and as it stands it's a great car. It's bigger, better and more accomplished than the first-generation Euro - it's just not as interesting or significant.
But that is the fault of the market, not Honda. That first Euro is a hard act to follow.
