Holden Calais VS Honda Accord
Holden Calais
Likes
- Plenty of cabin space
- Safety gear on-point
- Punchy V6
Dislikes
- Fuel use on the high side
- Four-cylinder turbo petrol unavailable
- Diesel not an option
Honda Accord
Likes
- New exterior design feels refreshing
- Great on-road presence and manners
- It's fuel efficiency is worth a look
Dislikes
- Missing a few features for price tag
- Cabin is nice but plain
- Multimedia system needs an overhaul
Summary
Holden Calais
If Holden had a dollar for every time someone had criticised the new and international flavour of Australia’s formerly home-grown hero, it would surely have more than enough spare cash to blow the dust of that vast South Australian factory and restart local Commodore production immediately.
Hell, there’d probably be enough left over to relaunch the Camira while they were at it. And maybe even knock out a new Gemini or two.
So we’re not going to do that again here. The all-new Commodore, in this case the Calais Tourer, is now here - granted having travelled further than the one it replaces - and so we’ll be playing this review with the straightest of bats.
Because the truth is, if you peel the badging - and thus the swirling emotion - off its elongated rump, then you’ll find this German-built Tourer is, really and truly, a very good thing.
| Safety rating | |
|---|---|
| Engine Type | 3.6L |
| Fuel Type | Premium Unleaded Petrol |
| Fuel Efficiency | 9.1L/100km |
| Seating | 5 seats |
Honda Accord
The Honda Accord is now in its 11th generation and there was a time when the Accord, and rivals like the Skoda Superb and Toyota Camry were the perfect family cars.
But if you head to a car park, it's obvious they're no longer the choice when it comes to family hauling.
We’re family testing the new Accord, now offered in one highly-specified variant, to see if its new hybrid powertrain and design are worth a look in a world where the SUV is king.
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| Safety rating | — |
|---|---|
| Engine Type | 2.0L |
| Fuel Type | — |
| Fuel Efficiency | 4.3L/100km |
| Seating | 5 seats |
Verdict
Holden Calais7.9/10
A best-of-both-worlds option that should have us questioning our SUV obsession, the Calais Tourer delivers plenty of practicality perks and a higher ride height in a dynamic and car-like package. The equipment levels are spot on, including the comprehensive safety package, and it you act smartly, you'll get a hugely long warranty to boot. Â
It sure is thirsty, though, and we can't help but think plenty of owners would be happier with a smaller, more-efficient engine.Â
Honda Accord8.1/10
Will the new Honda Accord e:HEV RS topple the SUV throne? Unlikely, but it proves sedans can still haul the family around in relative comfort and style.
The new Accord drives stupidly well and offers great ongoing ownership costs, even if it's price tag is a little steep. It's hybrid powertrain also offers fantastic efficiency and that's a big win.
Design
Holden Calais8/10
Less an SUV (happily), and more a high-riding wagon, the Calais Tourer borrows a little from the Subaru XV in its exterior design, sporting the same plastic cladding over each wheel arch. Clearly there is a whole heap of shared DNA between the Sportwagon and Tourer, and so it offers similar perks; like its SUV-shaming boot space.Â
Elsewhere, the Tourer shares the same soft and rounded edges as the rest of the Commodore range, and while it is genuinely quite handsome from most angles, it is at its best viewed front on, where a simple front-end is bookmarked at each corner by a narrow headlight on top, and an encased fog light below. It’s all a touch understated, sure, but it looks sharp in the metal.
Inside, it’s a clean and functional cabin design, with most of the touchscreen functions controlled by a simple row of four horizontal buttons, and with a gloss-black surround encasing the centre console. The thin leather wheel feels lovely under the touch, and the contrasting door trims and soft-touch materials find their way into the backseat, too.Â
Honda Accord
The design for the new Accord is powerful with a sexy silhouette that features a rear spoiler, black accents and sporty 18-inch alloy wheels.
The old chunky grille is long gone and at certain angles you almost get a Nissan 200 SX vibe, which is gorgeously retro and a refreshing take for Honda - which has been playing it safe for the last few years.
The interior is simply styled but looks timeless. The dashboard has clean lines and a featured honeycomb mesh that hides the air-vents. It's a feature which might not land with everyone but it adds personality.
The black upholstery looks plush and there are enough soft-touchpoints to make the cabin feel like it deserves a premium tag.
Practicality
Holden Calais8/10
The Tourer serves up identical storage space to its Sportwagon near-enough twin, with 793 litres of storage (to the roof line) with the rear seats in place, and 1665 litres with the rear seat folded down. That’s about 200 litres more than the regular Commodore hatchback.
Where the Tourer does differ from the Sportwagon is in its exterior dimensions, measuring 5004mm in length (versus 4986mm in the Sportwagon) and 1525mm in height (versus 1483mm). Width and wheelbase are identical, though (1871mm and 2829mm), and so the interior space dimensions - like headroom and legroom - are identical no matter which of the estate-style Commodores you opt for.Â
The key dimension here, though, is ride height, with the Tourer offering 20mm more ground clearance (42mm greater height overall) than the Sportwagon. That, combined with the on-demand all-wheel-drive system, allows for some light off-roading - though you won’t be conquering Everest.
Up front, expect two cupholders hidden under a gloss-black cover, as well as power and USB connections located in a central cubby. The back seat is home to two extra cupholders hidden in a pulldown divider, and there is room in each of the doors for bottles. The back seat is also home to air vents (but no temperature controls) and two USB charge points located just below the vents.
Honda Accord
Access to the cabin is great thanks to wide door apertures but the Accord is a low car to get in and out of with its 134mm ground clearance. Expect a couple of grunts when parked on a hill!
Both rows offer ample legroom but the front enjoys the best of the headroom. A 183cm (6.0ft) friend was lumped with the middle seat and spent the trip dreadfully hunched over and uncomfortable. Save the middle seat for kidlets.
The electric front seats offer decent comfort for a longer trip but it's disappointing that only the driver’s side gets lumbar support. Â
The rear row enjoys well-padded seats and amenities, like retractable sunblinds, reading lights, two USB-C ports and directional air vents but it took a while for the back to cool down on hot days which my kid made known. Loudly.Â
Storage consists of a large glove box and middle console (which can accommodate a small handbag), a sunglasses holder, four cupholders, four drink bottle holders and two map pockets. There is also a dedicated phone tray but a few extra cubbies up front would be welcomed.
The boot offers plenty of space with its 570-litre capacity, which is great for the class, and you can also open up storage options with the ski-port door, if need be. The powered boot release is a handy feature.
The touchscreen multimedia system looks nice but is a pain in the butt to use until you set some time aside to get to know it. It’s just not intuitive but the screen is responsive and it's a bonus that you get the built-in sat nav and Google apps.Â
The new Accord gets wired and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto but it took a few beats to get the wireless CarPlay to work.
The charging options are good throughout the car with four USB-C ports, two 12-volt sockets and a wireless charging pad to choose from.
Price and features
Holden Calais8/10
The Calais has long formed the most luxurious rung of the Commodore ladder, and the wagon-ish Tourer is without doubt the most practical version. It will set you back $45,990 ($47,990 drive-away) in the guise we’ve tested here, and $53,990 In Calais V specification.
Not to be sneezed at, then. But it does arrive with plenty of stuff to help justify your investment.
Outside, you’ll find 18-inch alloys, a handsfree auto-opening boot, heated mirrors, keyless entry with push-button start, a remote start function, rain-sensing wipers and automatic headlights with LED DRLs. Inside, expect leather seats that are heated in the front, a leather-wrapped wheel, dual-zone climate control, standard satellite navigation and a wireless charging pad for compatible phones.
On the technology front, an 8.0-inch touchscreen pairs with an eight-speaker stereo, and it’s both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto equipped. There’s also a genuinely impressive standard safety package, too, but we’ll drill down on that under the Safety sub-heading.
Honda Accord
The model line-up has been streamlined for the new Accord and there’s only one variant available, the e:HEV RS model.
The new Accord is well-specified but misses out on some luxurious extras most of its rivals sport, like heated and cooled front seats, a heated steering wheel and heated rear outboard seats.
Which might all seem superfluous at first but maybe not when you consider the new Accord's $64,900, before on-road costs, price tag sits just shy of the more expensive Skoda Superb top model, which is $65,590, before on-roads.
The next two rivals are more affordable with the Mazda 6 Atenza priced at $52,590 MSRP and the new Toyota Camry SL at $53,990 MSRP.
The standard equipment list for the new Accord includes leather-appointed upholstery, electric front seats, lumbar support for the driver's side and a panoramic sunroof.
There's also keyless entry and start, adaptive LED headlights, a powered tailgate and a host of high-end technology throughout.
That includes a new 12.3-inch touchscreen multimedia system with satellite navigation and built-in Google apps, wired/wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, the Honda app (with over-the-air updates), a 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster, dual-zone climate control, a wireless charging pad and a 12-speaker Bose sound system.
Under the bonnet
Holden Calais7/10
A really rather good 3.6-litre V6 engine Is parked under the bonnet, feeding 235kW at 6800rpm and 381Nm at 5200rpm to all four wheels as required, thanks to an on-demand all-wheel-drive system. The suspension is tuned specifically for its high-riding antics, too.
The grunt is fed through a nine-speed automatic, and while Holden doesn’t quote a specific zero-to-100km/h time, it’s no slouch from the lights.Â
The 3.6-litre engine means a braked towing capacity of 2100kg, and an unbraked max of 750kg.
Honda Accord
Our test vehicle has an electric continuously variable transmission and features a new self-charging hybrid powertrain that couples two electric motors with a 2.0L, four-cylinder petrol engine that combine to produce 135kW of power and 335Nm of torque.
Only being available in one powertrain may limit its audience but the combo delivers decent performance for a sedan of this size.
Efficiency
Holden Calais6/10
Not so good, I’m afraid. The offical number is on the high-side at 9.1 litres per 100 kilometres on the claimed/combined cycle (though that's less than the equivalent Subaru Outback), but we were averaging a smidge under 14.0L/100km after what was admittedly quite a lot of city driving. Still, that’s high.
Emissions are pegged at 212g/km or C02, and the Tourer’s 61-litre tank will accept cheaper 91RON fuel, or an E10 blend.
Honda Accord
The new hybrid powertrain means lower outputs and the official combined fuel cycle figure is just 4.3L/100km! Which is only beaten by the Toyota Camry's 4.0L/100km.
The on-test figure pops out at 5.1L/100km after doing a some urban stuff but mostly open-road driving. Which is where hybrids tend to be the least efficient, so the fuel usage is excellent.
Based on the official combined (urban/extra-urban) fuel cycle and 48L fuel tank, you should see a theoretical driving range of up to 1116km, which is a little less than the Toyota Camry but still an amazing range for a family car.
That range figure drops to around 940km using our real-world average consumption number.
Driving
Holden Calais8/10
Really very good. That 3.6-litre engine (why they haven’t offered the Tourer with the smaller and smarter turbo engine is something of a mystery) might be a touch old-school and a touch thirsty, but it’s a rich and powerful thing, and it gives the Calais-stamped Tourer a perky personality that defies its dimensions.
The Calais Tourer was built in Germany, and fitted with an engine and transmission from the USA, before undergoing local tuning here in Australia (think bespoke steering and suspension tunes calibrated both at the company’s testing facility and after a 200,000km test on Aussie roads), and it’s the last of those Dr Frankenstein ingredients that have had the biggest impact here.Â
The Tourer’s ride is fantastic, perfectly poised between firm composure and everyday comfort, and - like most good wagons - it will honestly leave you wondering why so many people are clamouring aboard the SUV train when you can all the space with better dynamics in a humble estate.Â
The nine-speed ‘box is smooth and sharp in its operation, too. But the fuel use is a concern. Sure, we spent the bulk of our time in the city, where stop-start traffic naturally uses more fuel. But then, surely so would most owners?Â
Honda Accord
Power delivery for the new Accord is pretty punchy and, in most scenarios it’s responsiveness is great. But occasionally, when you’re getting up to speed, there can be a small lag before things kick in.
The Accord handles like a dream and feels firmly planted on the road in corners. Even in high winds, the car feels stable and sure of itself. Delightful.
The cabin is quiet and engine noise is at a minimum most of the time. Around town, the Accord sounds and behaves like an EV. Only once you hit the open road do you get some road noise but it never intrudes on chatting.
It might also be one of the easiest sedans to park and it's got a lot to do with the top-notch 360-degree view camera system and direct steering.
Safety
Holden Calais9/10
You’ve got to hand it to the Lion for the standard safety package here, which includes the Holden Eye camera system as standard, adding auto emergency braking (AEB), lane keep assist, lane departure warning and forward collision warning. You’ll also find semi-autonomous parking, a reversing camera and rear parking sensors.
The Calais Tourer adds blind-sport monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert to that pretty comprehensive package. All of which helps the Commodore range qualify for the maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating.
Finally, you can add six airbags and two ISOFIX attachment points to the mix.
Honda Accord
The new Honda Accord hasn’t been assessed by ANCAP yet, but it has eight airbags, which includes a knee airbag for the front passenger, but you miss out on a front centre airbag.
Standard active (crash avoidance) safety tech includes blind-spot monitoring, driver attention alert, rear occupant alert, forward collision warning, tyre pressure monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure alert, lane keeping aid, traffic sign recognition, intelligent seatbelt warning, a head-up display, adaptive cruise control and a 360-degree camera system as well as front and rear parking sensors.
There are two ISOFIX child seat mounts and three top tethers. The rear seat is wide enough to easily accommodate two big booster seats but you might get lucky with three smaller seats.
Ownership
Holden Calais9/10
Holden has recently relinquished the initial warranty offering, now including the Commodore in its seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty program, meaning it mixes with the very best in the aftercare business. For now, at least; normally, the Commodore carries the brand's standard three year/100,000km warranty. But be on the lookout for the return of this deal if you miss out this time.
Service intervals are pegged at 12 months or 12,000kms, and the Commodore falls under Holden’s extensive capped-price servicing program, and it will cost between $259 and $359 for each of the first seven annual services.
Honda Accord
The Accord comes with a five-year/unlimited km warranty, and an eight-year battery warranty, which are now normal terms for the class.
You get a five-year capped priced servicing program and it costs just $199 per service, which is very competitive.
Servicing intervals could get annoying if you put a lot of kays on your car as they're set at every 12-months or 10,000km, whichever occurs first.