Honda Accord

2018 Toyota Camry: Watch the debut live from Detroit

When you sell more than 400,000 units of a car in a year, you get to have bravado. That’s how and why the 2018 Toyota Camry is just a tease — for now. The carmaker has announced the new edition of the best-selling car in the United States for many years will be unveiled in January at the 2017 North American International Auto Show, often called the Detroit Auto Show. Toyota’s only preview image of the new Camry is a close-cropped, three-quarter low-angle rear view. Sure, it’s a partial view. But it appears the usually conservatively styled sedan has been modernized. While the Toyota Camry had a long reign in its top-selling perch, its sales have decreased more than nine

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LA Auto Show: Hydrogen cars, electric vans and a gold-gilded rarity

The LA Auto Show is an annual automotive sensory overload. It’s all new cars and trucks, technology innovation and, in recent years, an increasing focus on hybrid, electric and other alternative fuel vehicles. This year’s show is no different. With new focuses on custom and vintage vehicles in the “garage” (basement), the future of autonomous vehicles, and the usual offering of global and North American debuts, there’s a lot see across the automotive spectrum. Including a full day’s schedule on Thanksgiving, the 2016 LA Auto Show will continue through Nov. 27 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. (Video produced by Bruce Aldrich (www.tahoetruckeoutdoor.com) Here are five highlights from this year’s show: 2017 Chevrolet Bolt — With a 238-mile range, the

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Original Honda N600 restored, honors brand’s success

With its perennially top-selling Fit, Civic, Accord, and CR-V, it’s easy to appreciate the Honda lineup. Consistency rules. But not every Honda offering has been a success and some models, like the Civic Natural Gas and Crosstour, while innovative, failed. But perseverance counts in the automotive industry, and there’s at least one Honda enthusiast who’s thrilled to share his experience and passion for Honda. Tim Mings, a Los Angeles-based mechanic, and his team restored a 1969 Honda N600, the first Honda sold in the United States, star in video series, “Serial One.” The 12-part documentary chronicles the step-by-step renovation of the N600. It’s Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) is 1000001. https://youtu.be/ETI5FGAUeos The series finale showcases the restored “Serial One” and revisits

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2016 Honda Civic: Tech features, desert companions

Four model years ago, Honda introduced a new feature into its 2013 Accord and Crosstour models — Lane Watch. It’s a right-side camera that assists with blind spots. When the turn signal indicator is engaged for a right-hand turn, the camera shows the lane to the right of the car on the navigation system screen. One red (closest) and two yellow lines on the screen show the distance to the next vehicle(s). The Lane Watch feature has been added to other Honda models more recently, and it’s included in my 2016 Honda Civic (Touring), the vehicle I’m driving during the Tour of Utah bicycle race. Since leaving Sacramento on July 30, I driven more than 1,200 miles. During the long-distance

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2016 Honda Civic: sales jump for new sporty icon

It’s no surprise when pickup trucks sell well, but joining the perennially top-selling vehicle for honors in the first half of the year is the 2016 Honda Civic. The 10th generation of the compact is well on its way to 200,000 units sold this year and has achieved a 10.7 percent increase in sales from one year ago in June. So far this year, the Civic has improved monthly sales of 43 percent in January, 32 percent in February, 22 percent in March, 23 percent in April and 2.7 percent in May. The 2016 Honda Civic, which The Weekly Driver reviews HERE, has sold at a nearly 20 percent rate increase in the first six months of this year compared

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Stop driving older Honda, Acura models

If you own an older Honda or Acura, the government is urging you to stop driving it because its Takata airbags have a 50 percent chance of exploding in a crash. The warning applies to about 313,000 models of the Honda Accord (2001-2002), Honda Civic (2001-2002) Honda CR-V (2002-2003), Honda Odyssey (2003), Honda Pilot (2003), Acura TL (2002-2003) and Acura CL (2003). Takata inflators that can explode in a crash have been linked to 10 deaths and more than 100 injuries in the United States. Auto safety regulators said eight of those deaths occurred in Honda and Acura vehicles subject to the warning. “With as high as a 50 percent chance of a dangerous air bag inflator rupture in a

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2016 Hyundai Sonata 2.0T: efficient family sedan defined

Redesigned last year, the 2016 Hyundai Sonata has only a few minor changes from 2015, and it remains an increasingly popular family sedan in one of the most competitive segments in the automotive industry. New standard items for 2016, include: A seven-inch touchscreen except on the top-line range-Limited 2.0T (which continues to have an 8-inch screen). Both systems feature smartphone integration via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. A rearview camera and automatic headlights are now also standard on all trims. An automatic emergency braking system debuts on the Limited 2.0T and the full lineup has had its suspension tweaked for improved handling. The Weekly Driver Test Drive The 2016 Hyundai Sonata is marketed as a five-passenger sedan, but it’s better

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2016 Chevrolet Malibu: Still riding the sedan wave well

Now in the fourth year of its eighth generation, the Chevrolet Malibu dates to 1964. And like other vehicles with long histories, the Malibu has come a long way since it was named after the surfing-oriented city along the California coastline. The 2016 Chevrolet Malibu, however, is much the same as last year’s model, but it’s without a few items. The 2.0-liter turbocharged engine is no longer available and xenon headlights and a few other more minor equipment features have been discontinued. The Weekly Driver Test Drive The midsize sedan segment is among the most competitive in the industry, dominated by Japanese vehicles and vastly improved competitors from South Korea. So where does the Chevrolet Malibu, now more than 50

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Ford, Toyota dominate 2015 U.S. car, truck sales — again

As has occurred yearly since nearly the invention the the automobile, the Ford F-Series was the best-selling vehicle in the United States in 2015. The iconic pick-up truck, manufactured since 1948, had a 3.5 percent increase in sales last year from 2014. The Ford F-Series was the country’s best-selling vehicle for the 34th straight year. It sold 780,354 units in 2015, and it also led a top-three sweep of trucks as the top sellers in the country. The Chevrolet Silverado was the country’s second-highest seller with 600,544 units sold, followed by the Ram Pickup, with 451,116 units sold. The Chevrolet Silverado had 13.4 percent sales increase from 2014 to 2015, while the Ram had an increase of 2.6 percent. The

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TheWeeklyDriver.com names Best 12 Vehicles of 2015

For the ninth straight year, TheWeeklyDriver.com has selected its Best 12 Vehicles of the Year. Ford, Honda and Hyundai each have two vehicles on the 2015 list, which this year has expanded from the usual top-10 list to a dozen selections. As editor and publisher of the TheWeeklyDriver.com since 2004, I fully reviewed 38 cars and trucks with 2015 model years. I also drove a half-dozen other cars briefly at manufacturer preview days. This year’s list has expanded to a dozen vehicles for one simple reason: Manufacturers keep making better machines. For the first time since the end-of-the-year list began, our list includes a pick-up truck. For the 2014 list, we selected a single top vehicle, the Volkswagen Jetta TDI.

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2016 Kia Optima further challenges Accord, Camry

Since its debut in 2000, the Kia Optima has made steady, small progress to loosen the dominance of the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry in the midsize sedan market. With the debut of the fifth generation 2016 Kia Optima, the South Korean upstart can no longer be considered a fringe offering for the budget-minded car buyer. While sharing the platform of the 2015 Hyundai Sonata, the 2016 Kia Optima features a host of new exterior and interior design offerings, including a new trim, the 1.6T or turbocharged inline four-cylinder. The new model is also slightly longer, wider and taller than its predecessor. And there’s more interior legroom and headroom and more cargo space. It’s a family sedan with a hint

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IIHS safety rankings for 2016: American cars shunned

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) recently released its annual list of automotive safety awards. Japanese carmakers dominated the top picks while only one American vehicle received the top rating in the 2016 ratings. Among 48 vehicles that received the IIHS “Top Safety Pick Plus” rating, 23 were from Toyota, Honda and Subaru. Toyota and Honda, including their subsidiaries Scion, Lexus and Acura, were the top two automakers, overall. Volkswagen came in third with seven VW and Audi models on the list. The Chrysler 200 was the only vehicle from a domestic brand to get the top safety rating. To be a “Top Safety Pick Plus,” vehicles must get the top score in all five of the group’s crash

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Honda, Mazda, Tesla among 2016 Best Cars of the Year

The perennial best-selling Honda Accord, the innovative Tesla Model S 70 and the iconic Ford Mustang are among the 10 Best Cars for 2016, according to Car and Driver. And there’s a surprise: Mazda is the only manufacturer with two cars on the list. The authoritative automotive magazine announced its annual list Nov. 18 on the eve of the Los Angeles Auto Show. The list features a diverse group of vehicles, all priced between $18,000 and $80,000, the maximum price in the publication’s guidelines. Eddie Alderman, the publication’s editor-in chief, said “10 Best involves more than drawing up lists of our sub-$80,000 favorites. Every year we enter our weeklong evaluation looking for new and improved combinations of virtues: value and

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Mercedes-Benz, Honda models among 10 cars gone in 2016

New year car models used to be available for the first time in September. But manufacturers now debut cars for different reasons at the different times of the year. While some 2016 models are still pending, some 2017 models have been available for months. But consumers beware. If you’re considering a 2016 model, it may no longer be available. Honda to Toyota, Mercedes Benz to Nissan, some models of prominent cars ended their tenures after their 2015 models. Here’s a list of 10 well-known cars available as 2015 models, but defunct as 2016 models: 1. Mercedes-Benz M-Class — The German manufacturer’s midsize SUV has been replaced by a sleeker-looker models, the GLE-Class. 2. Honda Crosstour — It was funny looking

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Ford paces pick-up dominance in 2014 vehicle sales

Paced again by Ford F-Series trucks, sales of cars and trucks increased by about six percent in 2014 from the previous year with about 16.5 million vehicles sold in the United States. The total vehicles sold marked the automotive industry’s best sales total in nearly a decade with the Ford F-Series accounting for 753,851 sales. The Ford F-150 sells about two-thirds of the popular trunk’s family of vehicles. Overall, sales of the Ford F-Series of vehicles fell 1.3 percent from 2013, but the ever-popular truck, which has led sales for nearly 40 years, was still the dominating top selection. Pick-up truck overall had a superior sales year in 2014. Beyond the Ford F-Series, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ Ram pickup and GM’s

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NEW CAR PREVIEW: 2016 Honda Civic gets sporty

Honda has introduced, via YouTube, the 2016 Honda Civic sedan, the 10th generation of the enduring compact car. The sedan trim is among several new Civic models that will debut in the fall of 2105. The coupe, high-performance Si models, a 5-door hatchback and the first Civic Type-R model for the U.S. market will also be unveiled later this year as part of the new chapter in the Civic’s 43-year history. The 2016 Honda Civic will feature two all-new engines – including the first application of Honda turbo engine technology in the U.S. These powerful and fuel-efficient new engines combine with a sophisticated new body and chassis design to deliver incredibly responsive and sporty performance with a higher level of

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