Honda Ridgeline

NEW CAR PREVIEW: 2018 Honda Odyssey gets hip

The worldwide debut of the 2018 Honda Odyssey, the fifth generation of the enduring minivan, will be unveiled January 9 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. According to several automotive sites and the manufacturer, the new Odyssey will be completely redesigned. It will feature: “New powertrain technology, sophisticated styling and showcase a new suite of innovative features, making it the ultimate in family-friendly design and packaging,” according to The Detroit News. The basics of the Odyssey, according to Automotive News, will remain the same. It will be powered by a 3.5-liter V-6 engine. It will be built on Honda’s light-truck platform which underpins the Pilot large crossover and the Ridgeline midsize truck. The 2016 Honda Odyssey was

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Honda dominates TheWeeklyDriver.com’s 2016 Best Cars List

For the 10th straight year, TheWeeklyDriver.com is selecting its top vehicles of the year. In 2015, we included 12 vehicles instead of 10 on the end-of-the-year list. And we’re doing the same this year. Honda has four cars on the list, the Honda Accord, Honda Civic, Honda Fit and Honda Odyssey. Toyota is represented by the Toyota Avalon Hybrid and Toyota Sienna. Lexus also has two cars on the list, the Lexus IS 200t and the Lexus RC-F. Kia, Lincoln, Mazda and Scion are also represented. As editor and publisher of TheWeeklyDriver.com since 2004, I reviewed 38 cars and trucks in 2016 model years during the 2016 calendar year. I also drove several other vehicles briefly at manufacturer preview days.

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Honda recalls 1.7 million vehicles in Takata airbag mess

Honda has ordered a massive recall and stop-sale notice to its U.S. dealerships. The reason: An estimated 1.7 million of the manufacturer’s vehicles, including the Honda Fit and Honda Ridgeline models years from 2007 to 2015, could have exploding Takata airbag inflators. According to the manufacturer, dealers have been warned they could face “legal exposure” for unrepaired vehicles if the order is violated. Honda Dealers Responsible The recall and stop-sale order covers the 2007-11 CR-V crossover, 2011-15 CR-Z coupe, 2009-13 Fit, 2013-14 Fit EV, 2010-14 Insight hybrid and the 2007-14 Ridgeline. The manufacturer’s actions were first reported by the website Automotive News. Honda reported driver-side airbag inflators in these vehicles may experience “over-pressurization” due to exposure to high temperatures and

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2016 Honda Civic gets Car of the Year honors in Detroit

The perennially best-selling Honda Civic, manufactured since 1972 and in its 10th generation, was named 2016 North American Car of the Year at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The Volvo XC90 took top truck honors. Both models are repeat winners. The Honda Civic won the best car award in 2006. The Volvo XC90 claimed Truck of the Year in 2003. Repeat Honor For Honda Civic It was the third time since the awards were launched in 1993 domestic automakers were shut out Honda swept the awards with the Civic and Ridgeline winning in 2006. Land Rover and Hyundai won in 2012. The winners were chosen by a jury of 53 automotive journalists from a group of three

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2017 Preview: Honda Ridgeline Longer, wider, innovative

The 2017 Honda Ridgeline was unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit with the pickup’s versatility, capability and comfort emphasized. Designed, developed and manufactured in America, the Ridgeline will be available to he public on a yet-to-be announced date in the first half of 2016. Honda is promoting the midsize pickup as having the “largest, most versatile cabin.” It’s touted as the “only 4-foot-wide flat bed space in the midsize pickup segment, along with payload capacity rivaling top competitors.” Powered by a 3.5-liter, direct-injected i-VTEC™ V-6 engine mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission, the Honda Ridgeline will also feature the industry’s first in-bed audio system. For the first time, front-wheel and all-wheel-drive configurations will be available. Front-wheel

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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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Airbag apocalypse: Takata recall leaps to 34 million

Takata, the Japanese airbag supplier, has jolted the automotive industry with its announcement Tuesday that 34 million vehicles from 10 manufacturers were equipped with defective inflator mechanisms. The total is double the previously released total, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The recall is believed to be the largest in NHTSA’s history. Under an agreement, NHTSA issued what’s called a consent order to Takata. It requires the company to cooperate fully with the agency’s investigation. NHTSA also announced it will begin a formal legal process “to organize and prioritize the replacement of defective Takata inflators under the agency’s legal authority.” The problem: Takata airbags can potentially explode, sending metal shards flying into the passenger compartment. The airbags

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VW Jetta TDI tops TheWeeklyDriver.com’s 2014 top 10

For the eighth straight year, TheWeeklyDriver.com has selected its top-10 cars of the year. Honda again leads the list with the three selections, followed by Chevrolet and Ford, each with two selections. The Honda Accord is the only vehicle to make the list every year. This is the first year we’ve picked a single automobile to top the list. It’s the 2014 Volkswagen Jetta TDI. It’s the most economical, best priced, best designed and best- performing car available in the United States for $25,000. As editor and publisher of TheWeeklyDriver.com since 2004, I drove 49 cars this year to consider for the top-10 list. Most automotive publications pick their top choice early in the model year. I think it’s to

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Air bags woes prompt expanded Honda recall

Seven months after it began as a regional issue, pressure by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, has expanded a current regional Honda recall nationally because of faulty driver’s side airbags. According to the NHTSA, the air bags, made by Japanese supplier Takata Corp., can explode with too much force. As a result: metal shrapnel be can forced into the passenger compartment. The Honda recall list was posted on the NHTSA ate last month. It includes: 2001 – 2007 Honda Accord; 2001 – 2005 Honda Civic; 2002 – 2006 Honda CR-V; 2003 – 2011 Honda Element; 2002 – 2004 Honda Odyssey; 2003 – 2007 Honda Pilot; 2006 – Honda Ridgeline; 2003 – 2006 Acura MDX; 2002 – 2003 Acura TL/CL;

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Honda Accord named Car of the Decade

Since The Weekly Driver website began in 2004, Honda has been represented more than any other manufacturer. I’ve driven every model the manufacturer offers, the Fit to the Odyssey and the S2000 to the Ridgeline. The Honda Accord is the beacon for the carmaker, remaining among the top-selling cars in the United States for 25 years. In the observance of our first 10 years, The Weekly Driver has selected the Honda Accord as the Car of the Decade. The versatile sedan is unmatched in its combination of comfort, styling, efficiency, safety and resale value. The first generation Honda Accord was launched on May 7, 1976 as a three-door hatchback with 68 horsepower, a 93.7-inch wheelbase and weighing about 2,000 pounds.

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Toyota Prius honored as best value in auto industry

The Toyota Prius has been named the best value in the automotive industry for 2013. The top-selling hybrid costs owners only 47 cents per mile to drive, according to Consumer Reports. The Prius, which debuted in the United States in 2000, moved ahead of the Honda Fit in 2012 for the first year of its now two-year reign at the top of the best value list. The Fit held the No. 1 position for the previous four years. In its best value reports, Consumer Reports also selected leaders in many segments of the auto industry. The list incorporates owners’ costs via money per mile driven based on fuel economy, reliability, versatility and other factors. Here’s the list: Compact/Subcompact Car: Toyota

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The Weekly Driver: 2012 Top 10 Cars of the Year

For the sixth straight year, The Weekly Driver presents its top 10 cars of the year. Plenty of well-known auto sites announce best cars of the year lists at the beginning of the model year, which is sometimes still in the previous calendar year and sometimes before a car is available to the public. The Weekly Driver waits until the end of the calendar year. That makes more sense. It affords time to balance what might seem like a sure top-10 selection early in the year against cars reviewed at the end of the year. We admit in some instances, 2012 models were driven in late 2011. The Weekly Driver test drove 36 cars designated as 2012 models with full

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Honda Ridgeline, 2012: Innovative pickup now available in sport model

Introduced in spring 2005 as a 2006 model, the Honda Ridgeline was the automaker's debut in the North American pickup truck market. Seven years later, the Ridgeline retains most of its original, space-age appearance. The original Ridgeline, with its innovative look and practical, efficient use of interior space and bed design, was noticed quickly, and it was named Motor Trend's Truck of the Year for 2006. The Honda Ridgeline still gets stares via its unique design, but it's now a standard fixture in the pickup fraternity. The 2012 offering comes in four trims: RT, Sport, RTS and RTL and all feature a newly designed grille design and improved fuel economy. The Weekly Driver Test Drive The Sport trim, my Weekly

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Hyundai, Toyota shine among TheWeeklyDriver.com's 2011 Top-10 Cars

TheWeeklyDriver.com had its most successful year in 2011. We posted plenty of car news and automotive trends articles, and we incorporated a good supply of independently produced videos to complement the approximately 100 vehicles we reviewed. As editor and publisher of the site, I reviewed 29 cars and trucks in 2011. I drove more than a dozen other vehicles at press launches for several automakers, and I want to thank the nearly dozen manufacturers I worked with in 2011 for their continued support. Thanks also to Michael Dobrin Public Relations, Page One Automotive and STI Fleet, for their continued logistics and manufacturer liaison assistance. In July, I traveled to the Tour de France for the 13th time. There's no better

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Audi, Ford, Lexus on The Weekly Driver's 2010 Best List

Recall was likely the most used word in the automotive industry in 2010. Toyota topped the list of manufacturers’ whose cars were retrieved by the millions with myriad issues. Regardless, of the 20 million recalls. it was another remarkable year for cars. The Hyundai Sonata for the first time in some monthly totals outsold the Honda Accord. The Chevy Camaro returned in 2009 as a 2010 model. Honda introduced the attention-grabbing Crosstour and discontinued the Element. The Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf made their public debuts amid an enormous public relations joust and with the future of hybrid and electric vehicles still largely unclear. The specialty car market was constantly in the news. Premium prices were dished out at auctions

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Honda Element, 2010: The Weekly Driver Car Review

The small sport utility vehicle with its unique box-like style was an immediate hit. Its initial marketing gimmick was two-fold. With its “suicide” doors and second seat configuration, cycling enthusiasts could transport a bike or two width-wise in the cabin. Likewise, when bikes and other cargo were removed from the Element, the base model’s interior could easily be cleaned — with a garden hose. All of the indoor was plastic or rubber and thus easily washed. The base model is still “washable.” But most of the Element’s seven trims now have upgraded cloth seats and other standard features are not the best for garden-hose applications. AUTOMOTIVE RESOURCES Auto Shipping Quote, Car Financing, Car Insurance Quotes, Car Loans, Online Car Insurance,

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