Honda joins the diesel throng, but will we follow?

Honda has finally deigned to produce a diesel engine. Due to be introduced in the Accord range first, the 2.2-litre common rail engine will also feature in the CR-V by 2005. The new engine offers 52.3 mpg and very impressive pulling power from as low as 2,000 rpm.

Honda is well versed in the political art of media relations, adopting the sort of openness and frankness normally associated with politicians before tribunals.

Certainly it won't publicly commit itself to anything more than that it has produced this 2.2-litre engine and it works. However, it would not be beyond the realms of possibility to expect a smaller 1.9-litre or 1.7-litre version in the future, aimed at the Civic range.

Yet given its expertise in engine technology as the world's largest producer of engines, albeit mainly of the two-stroke lawnmower variety, one could understand Honda's reticence about rushing in or committing itself to too much diesel.

In any event, whether it was extreme due to diligence or procrastination, Honda has finally accepted the inevitable and come on board the great diesel wave that's sweeping Europe and driving upwards of 40-50 per cent of sales.

When true "petrolheads" such as Honda and Jaguar offer diesel derivatives, you know that your anti-diesel principles are in for a knock. It's hard to dismount the high horse of "mocking diesels" but when you get a helping hand from someone as petrol-driven as Honda, it makes the move all the less painful.

In our opinion, Honda has finally produced a diesel engine worthy of a "petrolhead". The key is not so much performance, which in most small and mid-range engine sizes is on a par these days. Nor is it the diesel fans' boast of fuel economy, for the latest fuel-injected petrol engines can give many of the diesel counterparts a run for their money.

For us the abiding qualm about diesel has been the chugging tractor sound, particularly when idling or in low revs. But, thanks to Honda, we now have a diesel unit which sounds like a petrol engine.

There's a great deal of sound-proofing in the engine block and for that alone the engineers deserve credit. Ticking over at idle, when the sound-proofing on a diesel is normally at its most vulnerable to the petrol-tuned ear, the Honda unit is virtually whisper quiet.

However, there's more. In the early revs, when the rocking judder of a normal diesel awakens those deeper thuds, the Honda diesel emits a slight moan, then a gentle whistle mimicking a petrol unit. In fact, this diesel could indeed lead you to the wrong pump on sound quality.

Honda is too modest for its own good with this engine - it's being launched on the market without fanfare. For Irish motorists, further obscurity beckons as it falls into the high rate of VRT given its size.

In developing the engine, Honda used the BMW two-litre diesel as its benchmark. To demonstrate its confidence in the engine, it had a BMW 320d for us to test alongside - and an Audi A4 1.9 diesel was also in attendance.

In terms of acoustics, the Audi wasn't even in the ballpark. The BMW may have been marginally louder, but it compensated with better mid-range torque or pulling power.

Honda has maintained its high standards with this diesel entrant. Yet the problem lies in its reticence to develop its range, the ill fit between our tax system and the Honda range, and finally the questionable premium on diesels in our market.

In some instances there's an 8 per cent premium for diesel. While some of this is due to the research costs, there is clearly some profiteering involved as well. At present diesel represents just 24 per cent in Ireland, compared to about 50 per cent in Europe. Prices for the new diesel Accord, carrying the new i-CTDi lettering have yet to be agreed, but we can only hope that Honda takes the initiative and keeps prices within reach of petrol versions.

The engine is available only with a manual transmission at present.Honda has come closest to overcoming the final hurdle in the diesel's obstacle course. We await some realistic pricing policies to bring us into line with European sales figures for this fuel option.