I’m at the wheel of this brand new car, and from where I’m sitting I can see there are more than 100 different controls within my reach – I’ve seen less complex flight decks. At the steering wheel alone there are 16 buttons, and that’s not including the endless functions of the column stalks.

If you choose the optional £1,150 Adas (Advanced Driver Assist System) pack, your car will come with cameras and a radar that watch your every move, so if you accidentally drift out of your lane, the car can steer you back on course. And if you’ve nodded off and are about to ram the car in front, it will apply the brakes on your behalf.

This car is so sophisticated that it takes information supplied by the satellite navigation to determine the exact position of the sun so it can adjust the air-conditioning to suit. And yet this is not some esoteric slice of ultra-expensive automotive exotica, it’s a Honda Accord, whose prices start at less than £20,000.

Honda is keen to see itself associated with BMW and Mercedes rather than Ford and Vauxhall, not just because volumes are lower and profits higher if you steer clear of the cheap seats, but because the traditional market in which it has resided for the past 30 years is shrinking quicker than a cashmere coat on a boil wash. The trouble is that the Japanese maker is not going to eclipse Audi’s reputation for style, Mercedes’ name for luxury, or BMW’s rock-solid position as the driver’s choice any time soon. So its latest model needs a gimmick, and what could be better than to stack it high with them?

That these gimmicks cloud the view of what is another typically well engineered Honda is beyond doubt. You spend all your early miles stabbing at the dashboard, prodding this and twisting that, trying and failing to find out how it all works, almost oblivious to the fact that this is one of the most refined cars ever to enter this class. Familiarity would doubtless make its operation easier, but I doubt it would all ever become remotely intuitive.

Anyone who owns or has driven a current Accord will be surprised that Honda considers it so over the hill that it requires replacing in its entirety by a more grown-up, but also fussier and less elegant, successor. For the truth is that in the UK at least, the current Accord is selling as strongly now as it was when introduced in 2003, and it still stands comparison against the vast bulk of its predominately younger rivals.

But here’s the new one anyway, and what emerged as I drove it was that this is a car that understands better than most the needs of those who will drive it. It isn’t a vehicle for flinging around a racetrack, but then nor is it predominately destined for private use, as Honda anticipates a staggering 70% of new Accords being sold as company cars. Almost as staggering is the fact that the diesel version will account for some 70% of the total sales.

Surprisingly, it’s not all that spacious in the back, and the boot is quite small and rather awkwardly arranged, although Honda, reinforcing the business connection, says it can accommodate four sets of golf clubs.

Even so, Honda’s assertion that the new car is as good to drive as a BMW 3-series is frankly fanciful, although among front-wheel-drive contenders I’d say that only the Mondeo is its driving superior. I must commend the six-speed manual gearbox that comes as standard with every model for having the sweetest gearchange of any car in the class. Also worthy of mention is the accurate steering, and a chassis that clings on well when provoked and maintains its composure over even quite rough roads.

As before, engine choice is limited to three – the aforementioned diesel and two four-cylinder petrol units of 2 litres and 2.4 litres respectively. While these make the car feel a little more nimble than the more nose-heavy diesel sibling, few will regard their marginally better performance as being worth the massively inferior fuel consumption or higher benefit-in-kind tax figure. The diesel may be more powerful than its predecessor by only 10bhp, but it’s of a new design and emits considerably fewer pollutants, and it’s highly refined – once running past the rather grumbly idle speed, it’s difficult to tell that it’s a diesel at all.

The latest Accord also seems to be particularly well screwed together, despite the test cars being preproduction examples. Even these early cars, ultimately destined for the crusher, seem to be assembled with as much care and attention as those from the high-quality German marques that Honda aspires to match.

Is this the car to get them there? Honda claims the Accord’s residual values will rival Germany’s best, but that’s thanks to the relatively small volumes that will be sold – no more than 10,000 per year in the UK, even once the estate version has gone on sale in September. Although I quite like the new Accord, and admire the boldness of its positioning, on merit alone I think it’s still some distance away.

Vital statistics

Model Honda Accord 2.2i-DTEC EX GT
Engine type 2199cc, four cylinders, turbodiesel
Power/Torque 150bhp @ 4000rpm / 258 lb ft @ 2000rpm
Transmission Six-speed manual
Fuel/CO2 50.4mpg (combined cycle) / 148g/km
Performance 0-62mph: 9.6sec / Top speed: 131mph
Road tax band C (£120 for 12 months)
Price £24,900
Verdict Capable, quiet and clean, but not a breakthrough
Rating
Date of release June 1

The opposition

Model
Ford Mondeo 2.0 TDCI Titanium X £22,155
For Great drive, ride and cabin
Against Messy dash, so-so performance

Model
BMW 318d SE £24,900
For Economy, engine, handling
Against Dull looker, poor rear space