THE trouble with most of us is that we suffer from something called ‘neighbour syndrome'. Don't worry, it's not fatal and it can be overcome with the right medicine.

Neighbour syndrome is most often experienced when you look out of your window and see a BMW or an Audi in a nearby driveway.

The sufferer loses the will think for themselves and within days is booking a test drive down at the local BMW or Audi dealer. Of course, it could happen just the same with a Merc.

Somehow similar symptoms are rarely experienced with a Skoda, Toyota or Vauxhall. The best antidote to neighbour syndrome is first recognising it...and secondly starting to think for yourself.

Now, I stress there's nothing wrong with Audi, BMW or Merc. But there are alternatives - and I've been behind the wheel of a very good example, the latest Honda Accord.

Sure, the badge doesn't convey immediate car-envy perhaps. But look a little closer at the Accord and you'll find most of the qualities that made the three German marques so successful...plus more.

It has to be said, Honda missed a trick with the previous Accord which slipped down the popularity stakes partly because it failed to match the necessary tax bands because of CO2 emissions. This has now been rectified.

The version I like best is the 2.2 i-DTEC ES saloon. For a start, it looks great with sharp edged styling and nose so individual it can be recognised at the end of the street.

It shares some reference points with the latest 5-Series which can't be a bad thing.

Then you start getting into Honda engineering which is recognised by other manufacturers as being some of the best in the world - irrespective of price.

For instance the newly modified  150bhp, 2.2 turbo diesel is just about the sweetest, most flexible unit on sale.

It performs well with a top speed of around 132mph and a sprint to 62mph in 9.5 seconds which is around par for the course, but its smoothness and lack of vibration or harshness is exceptional.

Steering, handling and noise levels are all above the class average. The six-speed gearbox is as good as that of the late lamented S2000.

On the down-side, the ride can err on the firm side for a saloon that majors on comfort rather than out-an-out sportiness despite the test car bearing a GT label.

However, it really comes into its own on economy. I consistently managed to better the 40mpg mark despite some pretty enthusiastic driving and plenty of thirsty town work.

The official combined figure is 50.4mpg, which gives a technically feasible driving range of more than 700 miles between fill-ups.

About the same size as a Mondeo/Passat/Insignia, it's a genuine five-seater with a decent 460 litre boot, the GT version (price £24,210) comes with alloys, cooled glove box so your choclates won't melt, active headrests, footwell lighting, cruise control and snazzy alloy pedals.