HONDA has been a serious player in the family saloon market almost since time began - in fact its Accord has been around since 1976 in various guises.

But the market has changed dramatically. In particularly, the boom in SUVs and people carriers has altered the landscape forever.

It's a development that has not only affected Honda but giants like Ford and GM. Despite surging trends, there'll always be a call for smart, regularly shaped four door saloons with a conventional rear boot.

The current Accord shape dates back to 2008, when the previous model was replaced.

Last year, it was given a mid-life makeover with a few minor styling tweaks and, more significantly, a revised 2.2-litre diesel engine that puts the Honda towards the top of the economy league.

It manages to be as smooth and quiet as most petrol engines without any sacrifice in economy.

The version I drove was the 2.2 i-DTEC ES GT saloon. It looks great, with sharp edged styling and a nose so individual it can be recognised from the end of the street.

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

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

The newly modified 148bhp, 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 sports car.

On the down-side, the ride can err on the firm side for a saloon that concentrates more on comfort rather than out-and-out sportiness, despite bearing a GT label. However, it really comes into its own on economy.

I consistently managed around the 40mpg mark despite some pretty enthusiastic driving and plenty of thirsty town work. The official combined figure is 53.3mpg, 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 467 litre boot, the GT version comes with alloys, cooled glove box so your chockies won't melt, active headrests, footwell lighting, cruise control and snazzy alloy pedals.