A spade is always a spade. And a Honda Accord has always been, well, a Honda Accord. Always a worthy car, but not one to start the juices flowing. Always a reliable car, because that's what Hondas are. And always the epitome of blandness.

That last has been reflected in the car's success in the US over the years in its various incremental evolvements. It has fought with Toyota's Camry for top car spot in that most massive of car markets, and has often won.

Innovation and avant-garde does not command such market performance in the US, where for so many a car is not a luxury, but something in their driveway that simply gets them where they want to go to. And while there might have been technological innovations under the bonnet, most owners remained blissfully aware of them.

The Accord would always keep them rolling down their highways, and was always competitive in showroom price terms. Perhaps costing a little more than a domestic Chevy, but giving that little bit more too. Not in pizzazz, though. Neither the Chevy buyer nor the accord buyer wanted that, no more than did the traditional Camry buyer.

Here in Ireland, people have bought Accords for somewhat different reasons. The price premium which its importers have managed to maintain against its competitors into what has become the 'Mondeo' segment was as much against a background of fewer being available as anything else, so there has always been a bit of a rarity factor.

The reliability has always been a given. As has the confidence that it would also hold its value for resale. As has the blandness in style.

Dull, dull. Worthy, worthy. And a little premium, premium.

Not any more, though. At least in those first two attributes.

The latest generation Accord makes its first statement with a nose that it pushes straight into your face. a little like the current style-setter in the segment, Mazda's 6, some might say. Certainly not bland. And with a sense of elegance that has not previously been part of the nameplate's makeup.

It has got bigger, too. Now properly Camry size, chasing Audi, and Volvo, even Lexus, they say.

And the back end that the company hopes to show to the competition has unmistakable elements of current BMW looks.

Inside, much has also changed. The detail treatment is brighter, lots of bright metal and, in higher spec cars, rich segments of woodlook. Significantly, the instrumentation is right into the 21st century but remaining stubbornly analogue. The 'Optitron'-like backlit system and large figures provide eminently clear and quickly-assimilated information.

The combined radio/climate control panel is also an ergonomic and aesthetic joy (again, one can't help thinking that Honda had a mole in the Mazda drawing office during the development of the 6). And the seats are really comfortable, with a definite extra accommodation in the rear over the previous model.

But more of that when I get a chance to drive the car for a more extended period. This piece is a first view, a taste for a morning. A drive in the Wicklow garden of Ireland.

Which was a good place to get a decent feel for the 2-litre Executive, chosen specifically with the automatic transmission that's just E1,500 extra. And which Honda in Ireland expect will be the choice of 30 per cent of all new Accord buyers.

On the straight and relatively open road south towards Ferns, it provided an intimation that this will be a car in which no long journey will be a chore. Coming back up through the more twisting roads via Aughrim to Roundwood, it gave us a chance to see how responsive it is to undulation, and here particularly the traditional hydraulic power steering reminded that it is still the best system for road feel, if well designed.

And on one of my favourite 'Yowzah!' stretches, that six or seven miles from the south into Laragh, which has great tight hilly and loopy bits, the underpinnings of this new car never allowed a moment of mis-step.

But most of all, the 5-speed automatic with its sequential manual function is quite simply one of the best autoboxes I've ever driven. The best of every world is available, depending on the roads you travel or the humour you're in.

I also took a brief run in a manual 2-litre, and found the shifter to be just as neat as I would expect from a precision carmaker like Honda.

This new Accord will not have a 1.8-litre option, and for the importers this means the car has somewhat arbitrarily been shoved up to the upper end of the D segment in price terms. And with a 2.4-litre four-pot available, you can see how it now shadows Camry and Volvo S60, for instance, and Saab too.

All in all, the new kid on the upper D segment block is a real contender in the premium end. It's not going to sell in numbers large enough to worry the mainstream D cars, such as Mondeo, Avensis, Primera or Laguna. But on first blush it represents a real alternative to the likes of the Audi A6, for instance.

And I suspect I'll find even more to praise when I get a decent time with it.