Honda Accord V's Audi A4

Ceepo · 01-10-2014 6:35pm #1

Hi all.

Thinking of changing the car and coming up a few years.
I would like your view on 2 cars that I quite like a lot.
'11 Honda Accord Type S 2,2 detec engine with 103 miles Dealer is looking for 14.500 with my own car and 10 Audio A4 2,0 with 75k miles. Dealer is looking for 14k with my own.
Both cars are valued at 18.500

I will be trading a 06 Passat comfort line model.

Would appreciate any advice or feedback

Thanks in advance.

Moneymaker · 01-10-2014 7:58pm

Would depend on the spec, condition and service history of the cars.

I'd lean towards the Honda though. A4 is a horribly over-rated car imo.

George Dalton · 01-10-2014 8:58pm

Moneymaker wrote: »

I'd lean towards the Honda though. A4 is a horribly over-rated car imo.

Funny, I think the exact opposite! I can't understand how those Accords fetch the same money as an A4. They aren't in the same league at all IMO.

Opinions eh..... :pac:

Ceepo · 01-10-2014 9:57pm

Thanks for the replys,
I have to say i am a big A4 FAN always loved them, but have been driving VW for years i knoe all about the DMF and Electronic hand break problems and to be honest it is kinda putting me of the Audi, still a lovely looking car,

Never really took to mch notice of the Accord but after driving on i do like them, looks really well and drives well,

@MONEYMAKER the Accord is has a great spec, apart from parking sensor and sat nav pretty much has everything else, imo,

Audi is well spected as well so i just dont know

bazz26 · 01-10-2014 10:19pm

Personally A4s do nothing for me, they tend to be expensive for what they are, generally modestly equipped and they are on the small side on the inside. The Accord is decently equipped but they are expensive and the diesel isn't the most fuel efficient in it's class.

What about a Passat CC? I think George has a nice example for sale too.

George Dalton · 01-10-2014 11:09pm

Sold that one last week Bazz

What a car it was too, the cleanest we have had this year I reckon. Traded in an Accord against it, coincidentally enough!

Passat CC is a good suggestion though. I would probably have one over an A4.

The Accords are a decent car but too unrefined for my liking. Too much road and engine noise, which is a problem with lots of Japanese cars.They are also pretty hard on diesel compared to the VW/Audi TDIs. Low to mid 40s is about as good as it gets with them. The TDIs will do 10mpg better. To put it in perspective my Mercedes E280 CDI returns similar economy to an Accord and it is a 3.0 V6 auto and must weigh substantially more than an Accord!

I also don't like the interior much. It looks ok and is well screwed together but when you spend some time in the cabin you soon realise the materials used don't compare well to the German cars the Accord is priced against.

Ceepo · 01-10-2014 11:15pm

bazz26 wrote: »

Personally A4s do nothing for me, they tend to be expensive for what they are, generally modestly equipped and they are on the small side on the inside. The Accord is decently equipped but they are expensive and the diesel isn't the most fuel efficient in it's class.

What about a Passat CC? I think George has a nice example for sale too.

Accord 50+ mpg No ???

Accocding to the two prics above the A4 is more expensive, ( same price year older ) mind you it has 20klms less on the clock,

Accord has full Honda service from new if that means anything, usually does !

No sure about the Passat cc, need to take one for a drive, would it be any different to the regular Passat ??

bazz26 · 01-10-2014 11:37pm

Not a hope of getting 50mpg+ from the Accord in normal driving conditions.

The CC shares a lot with the regular Passat but there is a lot of differences too. Inside they only share he basic dashboard and some switchgear with the regular Passat. Get one with the right spec and they look and feel a lot more upmarket than the regular Passat, the A4 feels less impressive next to a decent CC too. My CC is the top GT UK spec with full leather heated electric seats, factory sat nav, Bluetooth, rear privacy glass and dynamic chassis control. VW did really make an effort to distance them

Only downside to the CC is that pre 2011 models were a 4 seater only, the rear middle seat was only introduced in early 2011 but in reality it's only good for adults on short journeys as the centre seat is higher than the other seats at either side.

Moneymaker · 01-10-2014 11:37pm

Yeah the CC is a much better car. Nicer place to be and more refined.

micks_address · 02-10-2014 8:10am

You will do well to get 40 out of the Accord - is the type S you are looking at a UK car? The Irish type S is a lower spec'd engine.. 150 versus 170? bhp in the uk type S

Ceepo wrote: »

Accord 50+ mpg No ???

Accocding to the two prics above the A4 is more expensive, ( same price year older ) mind you it has 20klms less on the clock,

Accord has full Honda service from new if that means anything, usually does !

No sure about the Passat cc, need to take one for a drive, would it be any different to the regular Passat ??

bazz26 · 02-10-2014 9:50am

The UK spec ES GT would be close to the Type S 150bhp we got here. Type S 180bhp are rare as hen's teeth and expensive, especially over here.

Ceepo · 03-10-2014 8:01am

micks_address wrote: »

You will do well to get 40 out of the Accord - is the type S you are looking at a UK car? The Irish type S is a lower spec'd engine.. 150 versus 170? bhp in the uk type S

Irish car from new 150 bhp.

Seriously are the Accord that hard on juice ??.
Most of my driving is on country roads 80/20 mix country v town.

Nearly going for Accord as the dealer selling it sold and serviced from new and has a great name in the area. A4 dealer less so

micks_address · 03-10-2014 8:12am

Ceepo wrote: »

Irish car from new 150 bhp.

Seriously are the Accord that hard on juice ??.
Most of my driving is on country roads 80/20 mix country v town.

Nearly going for Accord as the dealer selling it sold and serviced from new and has a great name in the area. A4 dealer less so

Yes they are hard on juice... trouble is Honda havent updated the Accord engine since 2008.. so its an older engine.. dont get me wrong.. i loved driving it.. but because of its age it cant keep pace on the fuel economy front...

Honda have a lovely 1.6 diesel engine in the civic/civic tourer. I'm driving a tourer now and getting noticably better fuel economy... about 65mpg as opposed to 40 on the accord.. the engine is 50kg lighter as its a completely aluminium block and its a lighter car so it doesnt feel a lot less powerful than the Accords 150bhp.. verus 120bhp but obviously the car is in a lower class to the Accord..

micks_address · 03-10-2014 8:15am

I dont think I'd buy an Irish Spec S Accord.. I dont see the point..

You dont get much extra over the standard spec car.. the EX is a lovely spec car.. every toy you can think of - full leather/heated/electric seats - sun roof.. nav unit.. etc etc

The whole point of the S spec is more power and you arent getting that here...

Ceepo wrote: »

Irish car from new 150 bhp.

Seriously are the Accord that hard on juice ??.
Most of my driving is on country roads 80/20 mix country v town.

Nearly going for Accord as the dealer selling it sold and serviced from new and has a great name in the area. A4 dealer less so

Ceepo · 03-10-2014 8:29am

micks_address wrote: »

I dont think I'd buy an Irish Spec S Accord.. I dont see the point..

You dont get much extra over the standard spec car.. the EX is a lovely spec car.. every toy you can think of - full leather/heated/electric seats - sun roof.. nav unit.. etc etc

The whole point of the S spec is more power and you arent getting that here...

Thanks for the reply.
Tbh I am not a big petrol head. First up for me is reliability 2nd is reliability as well.
Have to say I am disappointed to hear of the mpg. Might just be a deal breaker.
Kinda had my mind made up on the Accord.
The spec on the A4 ES is probably less than Accord

Slicemeister · 03-10-2014 8:51am

Drive an 09 Accord myself. can't get any more than 43 44 mpg and that's 80 km of motorway every day @ 120 km/h.

micks_address · 03-10-2014 8:53am

Ceepo wrote: »

Thanks for the reply.
Tbh I am not a big petrol head. First up for me is reliability 2nd is reliability as well.
Have to say I am disappointed to hear of the mpg. Might just be a deal breaker.
Kinda had my mind made up on the Accord.
The spec on the A4 ES is probably less than Accord

I'm not talking petrol

I only had my Accord for a year and it never missed a beat... i dont think you'd be dissapointed by realibility if its got a good service history and was looked after..

Re the mpg, its a big car.. and lots of power so mpg isnt that bad.. but you can obviously do better.. at the end of the day it comes down to preference.. 10 euro of diesel a week extra probably isnt going to be a deal breaker on the price of a car

barneystinson · 03-10-2014 9:04am

OP, I'm reliably getting 50 - 52 mpg from mine in the last 18months - driving 25k miles, mostly on N-roads. And I don't get overtaken very often.

Prior to that I was driving 60miles of motorway daily, and averaging 42-44 mpg.

Mine is older, 05 ctdi.

Ceepo · 03-10-2014 9:07am

micks_address wrote: »

I'm not talking petrol

I only had my Accord for a year and it never missed a beat... i dont think you'd be dissapointed by realibility if its got a good service history and was looked after..

Re the mpg, its a big car.. and lots of power so mpg isnt that bad.. but you can obviously do better.. at the end of the day it comes down to preference.. 10 euro of diesel a week extra probably isnt going to be a deal breaker on the price of a car

Tbh I was kinda changing my mind every hour. And to be fair they are both great cars. Both look well and drive well. Reliability is probably a bot better on the Accord, but that doesn't make the the A4 a bad car. A4 is smoother on the road feels a bit more solid better mpg. 66k ml on a 10 reg is nothing. 103 mls on 11 Accord. Not a lot to choose between them I suppose really. Both around the same money give or take a few pound.

BTW is there any independent sites that you can compare mpg

Thanks again for replys

George Dalton · 03-10-2014 9:21am

Ceepo wrote: »

BTW is there any independent sites that you can compare mpg

Yes there is this thread where several people have told you that the TDI will do 10mpg better than the Honda.

Ceepo · 03-10-2014 9:25am

George Dalton wrote: »

Yes there is this thread where several people have told you that the TDI will do 10mpg better than the Honda.

Ha ha I take your point !!

I did the old Google search but nothing came up. But just said I would ask.
not that I was doubting anyone one here.

micks_address · 03-10-2014 9:36am

George Dalton wrote: »

Yes there is this thread where several people have told you that the TDI will do 10mpg better than the Honda.

A few people have pointed me towards this in the past...

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/realmpg/honda/accord-2008

bazz26 · 03-10-2014 11:45am

What about a Volvo S60 D3 OP? Most are well speced and the D3 engine is very reliable and decent on fuel.

Ceepo · 03-10-2014 12:01pm

bazz26 wrote: »

What about a Volvo S60 D3 OP? Most are well speced and the D3 engine is very reliable and decent on fuel.

Very fine car
But the Queen be say no. And in case I didn't mention it before. She wears the pants lol

Seweryn · 05-10-2014 10:28am

Ceepo wrote: »

BTW is there any independent sites that you can compare mpg

The only reliable source of information is a user data base, as this one vs this one.

To summarise the average mpg figures are as follows:
Honda: 44.3 mpg
Audi: 43.0 mpg

So, very close in real life and by all means not a deal breaker.

George Dalton · 05-10-2014 11:26am

There is something odd going on there with those average figures.

If you look down through the Audi figures they are almost all in the 5l/100km range. Almost all of the Honda figures are over 6l/100km. Which would tie in with the experiences posted in this thread. Yet the Honda's average is somehow better. There must be some spurious figures in the Audi list somewhere.

Seweryn · 05-10-2014 11:29am

George Dalton wrote: »

There is something odd going on there with those average figures.

If you look down through the Audi figures they are almost all in the 5l/100km range. Almost all of the Honda figures are over 6l/100km.

No, almost all figures for Audi are in the 6.2 - 6.7 l/100km range, so the average is correct.

George Dalton · 05-10-2014 11:39am

Ah I see now the way the figures are displayed is from lowest to highest.

Doesn't tie in with my experience of both cars though. The Honda figure is about right but an A4 will do a hell of a lot more than 43mpg!

Seweryn · 05-10-2014 11:55am

George Dalton wrote: »

Ah I see now the way the figures are displayed is from lowest to highest.

Doesn't tie in with my experience of both cars though. The Honda figure is about right but an A4 will do a hell of a lot more than 43mpg!

Sure, it will do. My 17-year old 1.5 petrol engined Honda returns over 48 mpg on average for me (or for my other half). But we are talking about an average fuel economy for an average user. And between 174 drivers it is what it is for the A4.

George Dalton · 05-10-2014 12:36pm

Seweryn wrote: »

Sure, it will do.

I know it will because I've seen it with my own eyes. For the same reason I also know that the Accord won't.

You've made your point. I've made mine. I still stand by my statement that in like for like driving an 09 A4 will do 10mpg more than an 09 Accord. I know that is true because I have driven different examples of both cars on the same commute of mostly motorway driving. The Accord does 6.4l/100km (same as my E280 CDI) and the A4 does 5.4 on the same trip.

Seweryn · 05-10-2014 12:56pm

George Dalton wrote: »

I know it will because I've seen it with my own eyes. For the same reason I also know that the Accord won't.

You've made your point. I've made mine. I still stand by my statement that in like for like driving an 09 A4 will do 10mpg more than an 09 Accord. I know that is true because I have driven different examples of both cars on the same commute of mostly motorway driving. The Accord does 6.4l/100km (same as my E280 CDI) and the A4 does 5.4 on the same trip.

I don't disagree with you George. And I believe the A4 may be better on fuel driven like for like by the same person on the same roads, etc. I was actually surprised that the Honda achieves better mpg for an average person.

The only thing that comes to mind is that in the above online data base the average A4 was driven harder (by say sales reps and professionals on a hurry) than the Accord.

barneystinson · 05-10-2014 4:31pm

Seweryn wrote: »

I don't disagree with you George. And I believe the A4 may be better on fuel driven like for like by the same person on the same roads, etc. I was actually surprised that the Honda achieves better mpg for an average person.

The only thing that comes to mind is that in the above online data base the average A4 was driven harder (by say sales reps and professionals on a hurry) than the Accord.

I can only speak about my own experience in my own Accord - 3 years driving about 18k miles per annum mostly motorway miles at 120-140kmh and averaging 42-44mpg. Now 35k miles in the last 18months on N-roads at 100-110kmh, and averaging 50-52mpg...

And by no stretch of the imagination am I light footed on the pedal.

George Dalton · 05-10-2014 9:33pm

Yours is the old model though.

barneystinson · 05-10-2014 9:55pm

George Dalton wrote: »

Yours is the old model though.

Is the newer one LESS fuel efficient? :eek:

George Dalton · 05-10-2014 9:57pm

barneystinson wrote: »

Is the newer one LESS fuel efficient? :eek:

So it seems!

barneystinson · 05-10-2014 9:59pm

George Dalton wrote: »

So it seems!

Find that hard to believe, the quoted MPG for both models is the same?

George Dalton · 05-10-2014 10:05pm

The quoted mpg of most modern diesels is unachievable in real world conditions.

It wouldn't be that surprising if the newer model was harder on fuel. It has a DPF which the old model does not have. It has wider tyres and is a larger car than its predecessor which I assume means it is also heavier.

bazz26 · 05-10-2014 10:15pm

The new model is also a bigger and heavier car than the old model.

JohnBoy26 · 05-10-2014 10:51pm

George Dalton wrote: »

I know it will because I've seen it with my own eyes. For the same reason I also know that the Accord won't.

You've made your point. I've made mine. I still stand by my statement that in like for like driving an 09 A4 will do 10mpg more than an 09 Accord. I know that is true because I have driven different examples of both cars on the same commute of mostly motorway driving. The Accord does 6.4l/100km (same as my E280 CDI) and the A4 does 5.4 on the same trip.

How is this calculated?

George Dalton · 05-10-2014 10:56pm

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

How is this calculated?

It's off the on board computer. It's pretty accurate in newer cars in my experience. I know it's accurate on my Merc and on the A4s anyway. I never drove an Accord for long enough to check mpg over a tankful but from seeing how soon €50 worth disappeared I would see no reason to doubt the on board computer.

hof1982 · 05-10-2014 11:05pm

I'm getting 47 on average from my 09 Accord. It very much depends how you drive it, if you are very heavy footed then as has been pointed out here you will struggle for low 40's. My driving would usually be a mix of motorway and N roads doing 20k or so a year. One of my mates has a 09 A4 Sline and I think he's averaging >50. I managed to get a good uk spec Es Gt with sat nav and camera which you won't get on the irish type s afaik.

barneystinson · 05-10-2014 11:09pm

George Dalton wrote: »

It's off the on board computer. It's pretty accurate in newer cars in my experience. I know it's accurate on my Merc and on the A4s anyway. I never drove an Accord for long enough to check mpg over a tankful but from seeing how soon €50 worth disappeared I would see no reason to doubt the on board computer.

My method is much more rudimentary!

There's no on board computer in mine - I buy 10 gallons (45 litres) every time I fill, and I manually reset the trip computer to 0 every time the fuel light comes on, and invariably over the last 18 months I get between 490 and 520 miles between the light coming on... relatively crude but accurate when repeated that many times!

George Dalton · 05-10-2014 11:18pm

barneystinson wrote: »

My method is much more rudimentary!

There's no on board computer in mine - I buy 10 gallons (45 litres) every time I fill, and I manually reset the trip computer to 0 every time the fuel light comes on, and invariably over the last 18 months I get between 490 and 520 miles between the light coming on... relatively crude but accurate when repeated that many times!

Rudimentary but effective!

I brim the tank every time in my own car and zero the trip. Then work out the mpg when I fill up. Not every time but most times. The long term average on the dash over the last 65,000km is 7.4l/100km which is 38mpg but I rarely see anything below 40 when I calculate it manually so the OBC seems to be a bit pessimistic if anything.

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater · 06-10-2014 12:48am

I've been driving a '10 Accord diesel EX for a year now. I do about 70/30 N Road / Urban driving and get around 44mpg. Reliability wise, the car hasn't missed a beat but it's a big heavy car with plenty of power which doesn't help the MPG. Sit into the car and bring it for a spin and you'll see why. It's not overly fast but there's plenty of poke as you'd expect from a 2.2 litre engine. On top of that, the seats are big and extremely comfortable. My father sat into it last week and couldn't get over how comfy the seats are, he drives a Passat Highline. Also, loads of gadgets - Bluetooth, heated seats, sat nav, reverse camera, all that stuff. I think it looks great and is a relatively rare sight on Irish roads, if you compare it to the A4 at any rate.

micks_address · 06-10-2014 7:57am

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater wrote: »

I've been driving a '10 Accord diesel EX for a year now. I do about 70/30 N Road / Urban driving and get around 44mpg. Reliability wise, the car hasn't missed a beat but it's a big heavy car with plenty of power which doesn't help the MPG. Sit into the car and bring it for a spin and you'll see why. It's not overly fast but there's plenty of poke as you'd expect from a 2.2 litre engine. On top of that, the seats are big and extremely comfortable. My father sat into it last week and couldn't get over how comfy the seats are, he drives a Passat Highline. Also, loads of gadgets - Bluetooth, heated seats, sat nav, reverse camera, all that stuff. I think it looks great and is a relatively rare sight on Irish roads, if you compare it to the A4 at any rate.

Thats very true re the Audi's - practically every second car on the road these days is an Audi (on my commute at least) or a VW... i liked having a less popular car

Would also agree re the seats and comfort.. and the solidness of the car.. i didnt drive the pre 09 car but the 09 I had (EX model) with leather seats was quite heavy, solid and comfortable.. i would only go for an EX model though as i like the toys and extra comfort... few cool things like memory /heated electric seats, tilting mirrors when you reverse, sunroof and quite a good sat nav unit (i used it for a trip we had in the uk over the summer). If honda would just bring out a new model

I got a spin in an Acura in the states recently and its pretty much the same size car and a lot of famillar spec to the Accord.. maybe honda will bring that out over here..

Anyway OP - what did you buy in the end????

Ceepo · 06-10-2014 8:49am

micks_address wrote: »

Thats very true re the Audi's - practically every second car on the road these days is an Audi (on my commute at least) or a VW... i liked having a less popular car

Would also agree re the seats and comfort.. and the solidness of the car.. i didnt drive the pre 09 car but the 09 I had (EX model) with leather seats was quite heavy, solid and comfortable.. i would only go for an EX model though as i like the toys and extra comfort... few cool things like memory /heated electric seats, tilting mirrors when you reverse, sunroof and quite a good sat nav unit (i used it for a trip we had in the uk over the summer). If honda would just bring out a new model

I got a spin in an Acura in the states recently and its pretty much the same size car and a lot of famillar spec to the Accord.. maybe honda will bring that out over here..

Anyway OP - what did you buy in the end????

No purchase yet ;(.
Looked at a A4 technic on Saturday love it really until the woman from del monte said NO. Don't like it. Q tears and tantrums from me. She was after driving the 120 bhp with no leather seat and liked it Wtf. She did however like S4 1.6 r design. Clean car to be fair. But I hear to may problems with that 1.6 engine. Looking at Mazda 6 today also S60 1.6. Just war to drive the S60 to see what it drives like. But would probably go for the 2.0 engine over the 1.6.

agree with op, a4 are very common on the road, but that technic was a dam fine car. (Mad)

I was loosing the will to live yesterday. Even started looking at a Corolla. Jaysus what's with only 1.4d engine

homer1982 · 06-10-2014 7:30pm

I've been following this thread now for a while, I bought an A4 2010 in the UK over a year ago with sat nav and revesing sensors and multi media music system. I had been debating on weather to sell it now and go back to get an Accord 2012 but after test driving one last week I've made my mind up that the Accord is the car for me and If I sold my 2010 A4 I could afford a 2012 Accord for the same money. The A4 is a very nice car to drive with143BHP it has a nice enough kick in it to pass out at ease and it is very smooth on the road, I had to get the fly wheel and clutch replaced on it a few months ago and from talking to alot of mechanics it seems that this is one problem that seems to strike the A4 quite frequently around the 60-80k range. It is also efficient on fuel depending on how you drive it, I have 10 trips of 60 miles a week and short journeys in between and I get between 580 miles to 650 miles.

I'm still going to change to the Accord though, and the other half want a change also so she's getting a 2012 Mazda 3 hatchback.

Ceepo · 16-10-2014 9:45pm

Just to update and to Thank to all on here for the feedback,

I made a purchase anyway. And went for none of the above,

Went for a Avensis T4 2,2 150 bhp, in the finish, cant say i was a big fan really but came across it kinda by accident, took it for a drive and really like it,

Saved a few bob in the process, hard to know if the Audi or Accord are 6/7k a better car, but time will tell i suppose,

Thanks again

micks_address · 17-10-2014 11:32am

Congrats on the purchase,

do you mind me asking what year/mileage is on the Avensis? What sort of mpg does she do?

Cheers,
Mick

Ceepo wrote: »

Just to update and to Thank to all on here for the feedback,

I made a purchase anyway. And went for none of the above,

Went for a Avensis T4 2,2 150 bhp, in the finish, cant say i was a big fan really but came across it kinda by accident, took it for a drive and really like it,

Saved a few bob in the process, hard to know if the Audi or Accord are 6/7k a better car, but time will tell i suppose,

Thanks again

Ceepo · 17-10-2014 11:42am

micks_address wrote: »

Congrats on the purchase,

do you mind me asking what year/mileage is on the Avensis? What sort of mpg does she do?

Cheers,
Mick

Thanks.
10 reg. UK import full service history down to when wiper blades and light bulb change. 1 owner, 100 mls.
No idea of mpg. As my wife drives it all the time. But i suspect not as good as passat. I have a van for work.

Honda Accord V's Audi A4

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