HONDA'S Accord has always been on the fringe of greatness.

It is without doubt a serious player in the executive car sector - beautifully sculpted, smooth on the road and very comfortable to ride in.

The model has however, been consigned to the back burner, not only by Honda's own portfolio of advanced hybrids and town cars, but by most of the competition, which is something I have never understood.

The Accord is popular in other parts of the world but in the UK it has always appeared to be something of a makeweight.

That is all about to change with the introduction of a new version which takes the Accord to new levels and makes it a serious competitor to the likes of the Ford Modeo, Vauxhall Insignia and even the BMW 3 Series.

The range of saloons and tourers has been brought to life with a makeover to the front and rear, changes to the interior and running gear, and improved fixtures and fittings.

With such changes it will now be on a level playing field with its peers in the drive for retail sales, and most importantly in the fleet market.

Honda itself admits that the Accord is its 'best kept secret', and it ponts out that with the  arrival of the new range it is  actively strengthening its UK fleet teams and has embarked on a renewed drive to increase its profile in the corporate sector.

Backing up this big hitting programme Honda has introduced a sharpened engine range dedicated to improving environmental impact.

A spokesman said: "Our 2.2i-DTEC unit, which is likely to be the best seller, boasts a 138g/km emission rating, which means that company car drivers will pay just £78 per month BiK and that is excellent value for money for this class of car."

And therein lies the secret of its ultimate success and of its eventual higher profile.

During my drive I purposely chose roads favoured by fleet drivers - motorways, dual carriageways and a few overcrowded city streets.

My first impression was one of all-day comfort, afforded by a rather upmarket spacious interior.

Secondly, over all the routes I encountered, I enjoyed the low road noise, due to a new flat floor pan that has been fully covered by a plastic casing.

On top of this I liked the instant acceleration, feather light steering, excellent gearing and the stable suspension.

With these assets in its DNA, plus the fact that it returns 52.3mpg on the combined cycle, I cannot see any reason why this latest version of Honda's 'best kept secret' cannot compete seriously in the fleet market.

Its specification is extensive, its option list is large enough to satisfy owners tastes for diversity, and it price range, kicking off at £21,695 is ideally balanced to tempt fleet buyers, as well as a fair number of private owners.

The new Accord line-up consists of saloon and estates. In addition to the diesel DTEC ES GT manual saloon I tried, there are petrol engined VTEC variants, automatics, and a sporty Type S with lots of extra oomph.

Prices for the flagship versions range between £29,400 to £30,755 and I can see even these versions attracting interest in the fleet world thanks to their economic running costs, a high degree of comfort and offer extremely strong value for money.