Honda cars

2013 Honda Civic Sedan

The revised 2013 Honda Civic sedan lives up to the “Better” advertising hype. Then again, “Better” is not exactly a lofty goal or a proud boast from the top compact car in U.S. sales. Is chrome on the grille and trunk lid enough to banish the memories of last year’s poverty-spec Civic sedan?

Despite being a total snooze to sports car enthusiasts, the Civic sedan packs the most diverse powerplant options of any passenger vehicle ever sold commercially, including: gasoline, hybrid and CNG

This little econobox is singlehandedly preparing for the diverse energy mix we all have in our futures. The Civic’s hybrid system finally matches Toyota’s third-gen Prius for sophistication and economy, while the CNG option is looking more enticing than ever thanks to America’s natural gas revolution pushing prices to record lows.

Additionally, Honda has taken a number of complaints about the 2012 Civic to heart, such as the unacceptable road noise and harshness, negative amounts of road style, and an interior full of unusual shapes jammed together like a losing Tetris game. Can the 2013 Honda Civic sedan pivot from mediocrity with blankets of NVH material, some LEDs and infotainment tech from the new Accord?

Click past the jump for the full review of the Honda Civic Sedan.

2013 Honda HPD CR-Z Pikes Peak

Earlier this month, Honda was said to enter a total of 10 cars, motorcycles and ATVs in the upcoming 2013 Pikes Peak Hill Climb. Along with setting a world record for the company with the most entries in the ultimate hill climb, Honda is also aiming for an overall victory. Last year, Honda obtained victories only in the 450 Division and the "Quad Modified" class, making the run a nearly complete disappointment for the proud automaker.

One of these 10 entries will be a CR-Z driven by Sage Marie for Honda North America in the Exhibition class. This race version of the CR-Z was developed by Honda Performance Development and will be equipped with a turbocharger and upgraded hybrid drivetrain that delivers a total of 200 horsepower.

The 91st running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is scheduled for June 30, 2013 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Click past the jump to read more about the standard Honda CR-Z.

2013 Honda Concept M

We knew that Honda was going to present a concept at the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show. What we didn’t prepare for was what the Japanese automaker actually showed.

The vehicle, called the Concept M, is an MPV prototype that sure looks like it’s pissed off at the rest of the world. We can’t even begin to tell you just how bad we want to see this concept hit production in the future while keeping the design qualities that made it look completely incredible.

The front profile of the Concept M is the complete achievement in this design. Check out the headlight design and you’ll notice that it’s the same configuration Honda used on the 2012 NSX Concept supercar. That, in itself, is already a winner in our books.

Then you move on to the enormous front grille, which by the looks of it, was designed to terrorize the rear view mirrors of cars in front of it. The intakes are equally imposing and provide even more aggression to one of the most radically designed concept MPVs we’ve seen in quite some time. The rear, meanwhile, is a little more subdued but still has some aggressive details of its own, particularly what looks like a huge chrome bumper guards.

Honda says that the Concept M is a preview concept of a future MPV that will be launched in China soon, "offering the attributes of a passenger car while adding new value through the realization of a comfortable and spacious cabin".

To that, we say "can’t wait!"

Click past the jump to read Honda’s short press release about the Concept M

Honda Starts Taking Pre-Orders for the NSX

One of the most awaited supercars is no doubt the 2016 NSX (or Acura NSX, depending on the market). The NSX has been up and down so many times, that at some point we had no idea what to believe anymore, but once the 2012 NSX Concept was unveiled it became pretty clear that the company was serious about getting the name back on the market.

It looks like people were very impressed by the NSX, as Honda has received an unprecedented demand for the supercar. This made the company to open a pre-order bank for the NSX and any customer depositing a total of £5,000 ($7,600 at the current exchange rates) can be among the first customers to get it. Not until 2015, unfortunately.

Honda already received a total of 25 deposits for the NSX, so maybe it will rethink its decision of offering the NSX as a limited edition.

Hit the jump to read Honda’s press release.

Honda has Lofty Goals for Pikes Peak

Honda has big plans for this year’s Pikes Peak Hill Climb, as the company is shooting for and overall victory, but also wants to set a record for the number of classes entered by a single manufacturer. First details suggest that a total of 10 Honda cars, motorcycles and ATVs will be entering the ultimate hill climb. Last year, the company managed to obtain victories only in the 450 Division and the "Quad Modified" class.

The Pikes Peak, also called "The Race to the Clouds,” is one of the most spectacular motor sports events on Earth: the course covers 12.42 miles, starts at 9,390 feet and ends at 14,110 feet only after tackling 156 turns. The competitors will lose about 30 percent of the engine power due to the thin air at the high-altitude finish line.

This year’s Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is scheduled for June 29th through 30th.

Hit the jump to read more about Honda’s experience at Pikes Peak.

2014 Honda Civic Tourer

At the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, Honda unveiled a quite interesting Civic Tourer Concept and, of course, everyone was expecting a production version to follow shortly after. Today, after just one month since the concept made its world debut, the production version has been caught testing for the first time.

As no surprise, the production version will look a lot like the concept, but Honda decided to fully camouflage it in an attempt to hide some design elements taken from the Civic hatchback. Most of the design elements borrowed from the standard version, like the taillight shape and the low roofline, will stay like on the concept.

The new Civic Tourer will likely be unveiled in September at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show with sales to being in early 2014. The model will be produced at the Swindon plant in the UK alongside the Civic hatch. Honda is expecting the Tourer to make a total of 20% of the Civic sales.

2014 Honda Odyssey

The fourth-generation Honda Odyssey was unveiled back in 2011 and for the 2014 model year, the minivan is ready for its first update. The revised Odyssey will make its world debut at the 2013 New York International Auto Show, and, according to Honda, it "further strengthens the Honda minivan’s position as the segment’s most coveted family-friendly vehicle, and adds to its status as the strongest overall ownership value in its class."

No other details have been revealed, but we expect some minor updates to both the exterior and the interior, while under the hood the car will most likely retain the usual 3.5-liter V-6 engine with three-mode variable cylinder management.

Next to the new Odyssey, Honda will also display its complete lineup of fuel efficient, innovative and fun-to-drive cars and trucks, including the 2014 Accord Plug-In Hybrid and 2013 Fit EV.

Hit the jump to read the full press release.

2014 Honda Civic Tourer Concept

During the 2012 Paris Auto Show, Honda has announced a few details on its future plans, and we sure like what we have heard so far. The company has announced that the new generation Civic will also receive a station wagon version and a more powerful Type R derivation. As proof of this statement, they have also unveiled a teaser image of the wagon model.

A first concept version of the next Civic Wagon has been unveiled in March 2013 at the Geneva Motor Show, with the production version to arrive in dealerships in early 2014.

The upcoming Wagon will look pretty much identical to the sedan version, except, of course, for a swooping roofline, bulging wheel arches, a roof-rack, and its capability to accommodate more luggage.

The car will be built on the same platform and will be offered with the same engine line-up as the sedan, but we will also see a new 1.6 i-DTEC engine. A hybrid version could also be a possibility.

UPDATE 03/07/13: Honda has unveiled new images and video for the new Civic Tourer Concept unveiled at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show.

2013 Honda Gear Concept

With the market for youth-oriented, lower-priced vehicles on the rise, Honda aims to grow its share in this market with their new Gear concept that gives insight to what we can expect from the Japanese manufacturer in the future.

Quietly launched at the Montreal Auto Show, the Honda Gear Concept is designed with specific people in mind — the young with a budget (aka Generation Y). The whole aspect of the car is said to be inspired by the fixed-gear bicycles, though we don’t know exactly how that connection is made.

We can say that it looks quite good, as it features a simple and sleek design that is a clear departure from the current design of today’s Hondas. We especially like how the rear windscreen wraps around both the C-pillars at the rear profile. Being a concept, we can do nothing but hope that such a design, or rather, some design elements make it to a production model.

No details have been provided about what’s under the hood, but it’s safe to expect a frugal, low-displacement engine or a plug-in electric drivetrain.

Overall, this concept does look promising. If it goes into production, it sure will manage the young who are on the lookout for their "first car.”

Mugen Gives the Honda Civic a New Styling Package

The current-generation Honda Civic’s design has been much maligned by everybody, including Honda itself. The reception’s been so bad that even Honda tried to hustle through extensive interior and exterior design upgrades for the 2013 model.

Fortunately, the Japanese automaker’s in-house aftermarket arm, Mugen, has come to offer some assistance of its own in the form of a new styling package for the Euro-spec Civic.

The package is purely aesthetics, which actually is a good thing considering the amount of help the Civic needs to make it palatably desirable. Mugen’s new front spoiler and a revised grille are big bonuses to add a splash of aggression to the car’s front profile. Aerodynamic side skirts are also offered, as is a new rear diffuser, a carbon-fiber rearview mirror cover, a tailgate-mounted wing, Mugen badging, anodized aluminum oil caps in Champagne Gold, Silver Grey, Red, Blue or Black, and a choice of three different sets of wheels that can be had in a number of different finishes.

If only Honda had Mugen design the Civic, then it probably wouldn’t be in the pickle it is in now.