Honda

A great range of cars with the reliability and quality you would expect from a Japanese car manufacturer. If you fancy something sporty there’s the S2000 and the Civic Type R. Or alternatively if you want to go green Honda are leading the way in the Hybrid market with the IMA saloon.

Accord
Sleek and sporty, the Accord has what it takes to stand out from its more downmarket rivals. Plenty of grip and a nice, reactive chassis means the Accord drives very well. It’s very well screwed together as you would expect from a Honda. Some of the cabin materials look a bit cheap and shiny for the money, though. All engines give decent urge - we'd recommend going for either the basic 2.0 litre petrol or the excellent 2.2 litre turbo diesel.

Civic
Top marks to Honda for shaking up the dowdy image of previous Civics - this one looks brilliant. Responsive cornering, plenty of grip and predictable behaviour on the limit. Type R's performance-focussed set-up makes for a more engaging drive. Honda has pushed the boat out with the Civic's brilliantly designed cabin and high-quality materials

CR-V
Safe and predictable as the limits approach, but there's no fun to be had from throwing the CRV down a twisty road. As solidly constructed as you'd expect something wearing the Honda badge to be. Lots of premium-feeling materials in the cabin, too. Both 2.0 litre petrol and 2.2 litre diesel engine give respectable performance, with the diesel having superior real-world pace.

FR-V
It drives impressively well for a people-carrier with a decent chassis and agile responses. Basic 1.7 litre petrol engine is adequate, 2.0 litre petrol is better - but it's the 2.2 litre turbo diesel at the top of the range that impresses most. Three-abreast seating at the front takes a bit of getting used to with full-sized occupants, but the wide rear seat works well. Bootspace is good, too.

Jazz
Tall and slightly boxy design hints at the Jazz's strong utility. It's reminiscent of a slightly shrunken people carrier. The Jazz drives well up to its modest limits - roadholding is good and it's comfortable on motorways, too. A class above the rest of the supermini segment in terms of perceived quality. Good materials and strong design.

Legend
The Legend drives well considering its size, with clever all-wheel drive directing torque to where the grip is - but the steering lacks much in the way of feel. With a brilliant driving position the Legend is a good place to spend time, but the ride feels fidgety on broken road surfaces. The 3.5 litre V6 engine has to be worked surprisingly hard for keen performance, although it sounds good under hard use.

S2000
Assembled to meet Honda's usual standards of solidity, although some of the dashboard materials feel downmarket compared to premium rivals. There's no arguing with the normally-aspirated 2.0 litre engine's appetite for revs or its serious performance - 0-62 mph takes just 5.6 seconds.