Shednesday: Honda Accord 4WS vs. Renault Laguna GT

Merry Shednesday. I am obsessed with four-wheel steering (4WS). But not on luxury or sports cars; no, I like the idea of fairly mundane cars that have been given the 4WS treatment. With two kids, my dream family car would be a 2015-on Renault Espace Initiale Paris with 4Control. Sadly it was never released in the UK and, more importantly, it’s not Shednesday-level cheap.

So what are? The Honda Prelude is the obvious choice but that doesn’t feel mundane enough. Same goes for the Toyota Celica GT-Four. Another reject is the Mitsubishi GTO (3000GT), which has 4WS and 4WD. Fun fact: as a younger man I lusted after Paul Walker’s heavily modified red GTO (AKA the Dodge Stealth) in ‘Turbo-charged Prelude’. No 4WS-related pun intended there.

But if one takes last week’s savings and increases the pot to, say £1250, it reveals some of the more mundane and less obvious options.

So once again I have greased up and delved into the world of online automotive marketplaces to offer you two very different cars with four-wheel steering.

The first is a fairly rare 1992 Honda Accord with a 2.2 petrol engine. It’s retro, has four doors and is worthy of your esteemed tastes, dear reader.  Sadly I have been forced to cast my net wider and look to Car and Classic this time. There are also more pictures and information on the now finished eBay listing. The seller has confirmed it is still available and will be relisted on eBay soon.

A newer alternative is the pre-facelift Laguna GT with 4Control. It’s the saloon/hatchback variant rather than the better looking sports tourer (estate) or coupe options. It’s petrol, manual and has 205bhp. Tick, tick, tick! At a grand, it’s cheap like the budgie, as it’s rarer than the diesel alternative; I have seen other listings closer to the £4000 mark.

I’m not sure I could decide between them if I had to – a Shednesday Sophie’s Choice. Maybe our host can come to a decision?

What does PetrolBlog think?

Head, meet heart. Heart, meet head. Honda, meet Renault. Renault, meet Honda. Etc, etc. etc.

In normal circumstances, a cheap Renault Laguna would be like catnip to PetrolBlog. However, there are two factors working against this 2008 Laguna GT. First, it’s not a Laguna Coupe Monaco GP – aka the last beautiful Renault. Second, it’s up against a Honda Accord.

PetrolBlog’s love affair with the Accord has been well documented. Were it not for the presence of a Toyota Camry on the fleet, there would almost certainly be an Accord to provide some reassurance, common sense and understated class. It’s a win for Japan. Would Sophie approve? Probably.

Having said that, how much would it cost to buy a Mitsubishi Galant 4WD/4WS? Hmm…

Read more

• Renault Evado: the best Laguna we never got?
• The Honda Accord Aerodeck was close to perfection
• Honda Accord Type-Shed: an update