Peugeot Expert vs Honda Accord

What's the difference?

Positives are higher payload and tow ratings than the Toyota HiAce along with superior fuel economy. Negatives are inferior safety, evidence of questionable build quality and a list price more than $3000 above a HiAce equivalent. So, whether the positives outweigh the negatives to justify its higher price, only a potential buyer can decide.

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.

Our 'Long' example rides on a 3275mm wheelbase with 5309mm overall length, 1920mm width and 1948mm height, so compared to the HiAce it's slightly longer in wheelbase and overall length but narrower and not as tall. It’s also significantly lighter with a kerb weight that’s almost 500kg (or half a tonne) less than the Toyota; a big factor in its spirited performance and superior payload rating.

The Peugeot’s front-wheel drive underpinnings include MacPherson strut front suspension, coil spring semi-trailing arm rear suspension, rack and pinion steering and four-wheel disc brakes. Its 12.4-metre turning circle is also more than a metre larger than the HiAce.

The Pro’s work focus can be seen in its black plastic front and rear bumpers and side mouldings where most scrapes and dents occur in hard-working vans. There’s matching black on other high-wear surfaces like the door mirrors, door handles, hubcaps, rear wipers and rego plate shroud.

The cabin has seating for three with a driver’s bucket seat and separate two-passenger bench seat. Although all occupants have ample headroom, the dashboard’s protruding centre console leaves little legroom. In fact, the centre passenger must travel with both knees skewed to the left of this extension, which then encroaches on the outer passenger’s legroom. So, for a crew of three we’d recommend short trips. Our only other criticism was the lower dash panel on the passenger’s side, which kept popping loose despite repeated attempts to click it back into place.

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.

Its relatively light 1743kg kerb weight combined with a 3100kg GVM allows for a sizeable 1357kg payload that’s almost 300kg more than the HiAce. It’s rated to tow up to 1800kg of braked trailer, which is also 300kg more than the Toyota. And with its 4900kg GCM, the Expert can legally tow its maximum trailer weight while carrying its maximum payload. These are excellent numbers for a multitude of working roles.

The cargo bay and cabin are separated by a stout steel bulkhead, which insulates the cabin from tyre noise emanating from the rear wheel housings and doubles as a cargo barrier. Its central window provides vision for the rear-view mirror and the ability to check on loads.

Lined to mid-height, the Expert’s cargo bay is accessed through large sliding doors on each side with handy 935mm-wide openings, while rear access is through glazed barn-doors which open to 180-degrees to aid forklift access. Each is equipped with its own windscreen wiper and demister.

The load floor is 2780mm long and 1628mm wide with 1258mm between the wheel housings, so it can carry up to three 1200 x 800mm Euro pallets or two 1165mm-square Aussie pallets, held in place by a total of eight floor-mounted load anchorage points. The 6.1 cubic metres of load volume splits hairs with the HiAce’s 6.2 cubic metres.

Cabin storage starts with a cavernous bin in the base of each front door that can easily hold a big 1.5-litre bottle and lots more. Each door also has two other compartments for smaller items. The dash-pad has a cup holder at each end and there’s a shrouded storage compartment in the centre. There are also two small storage nooks near the gearshift dial, plus on the passenger side is a glovebox and additional storage compartment (with 12V accessory plug inside).

The bench seat’s hinged base cushion also tilts forward to reveal two large storage bins below, with one thoughtfully lined with polystyrene foam to keep items either hot or cold.

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.  

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. 

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. 

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.

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.

The Expert’s punchy 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel is one of its strengths. Turbocharged and intercooled, it has Euro 5 emissions compliance and produces 110kW at 4000rpm and 370Nm at 2000rpm. The eight-speed torque converter automatic has near-seamless shifting and offers the choice of sequential manual-shifting using steering wheel paddle-shifters.

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.

Peugeot claims a combined average consumption of 6.3L/100km and the dash display was close to that at 7.6L after 386km of testing, which included about one third of that distance carrying a full payload. Our own figure calculated from fuel bowser and tripmeter readings came in higher again at 8.3L/100km, which is still outstanding economy for a vehicle of this size. So, based on our numbers, you could expect an extensive driving range from its 70-litre tank of around 840km.

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.

It has a comfortable driving position as the steering wheel is adjustable for height and reach, the bucket seat has a fold-down inboard armrest and there’s a prominent left footrest. Although the driver’s seat base has no rake adjustment, it’s long enough to provide good under-thigh support with enough rake to avoid sliding towards the front of it like some rivals.

The steering is responsive and nicely weighted, which combined with competent handling and braking makes the Expert feel sure-footed. The supple four-coil suspension provides a smooth unladen ride quality.

The energetic drivetrain with its 370Nm of torque has spirited acceleration and good agility in traffic. Although peak torque is at 2000rpm, the 2.0-litre turbo-diesel pulls cleanly from 1500rpm which showcases its flexibility.

The eight-speed automatic gets good results from this engine, but sequential manual-shifting using the paddle-shifters is handy when more driver input is required. The cabin is acceptably quiet at highway speeds, thanks to the cabin bulkhead and low tyre, engine and wind noise.

Our only major criticism is the absence of blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert. In our opinion every van, particularly with solid side-walls and doors like this one, should at least have these active safety features as standard (like the HiAce which also has standard front parking sensors).

The Expert’s relatively small mirror on the passenger door is not sufficient in eliminating the large and potentially hazardous blind-spot over the driver’s left shoulder, particularly in heavy traffic and when reversing from driveways into busy streets.

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.

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.

The Expert is covered by a five years/200,000km warranty. Scheduled servicing every 12 months/20,000km whichever occurs first. Five years of capped-price servicing totals $3049 or an average of $609.80 per year.

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.