Honda

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PREVIEW: 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid, priced lower

The fifth and newest addition to the Honda Accord electrified vehicle lineup will debut March 23 when the 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid is unveiled at dealerships at a lower price than the previous model. The Accord Hybrid, sibling to the 2018 North American car of the year, will have a starting price of $25,990, including its $890 destination fee. The price reflects a $4,505 price drop from the 2017 model, according to Honda. The Accord Hybrid lineup now comes in five trim levels: Hybrid, EX (new), EX-L, EX-L Navi (new), and Touring. The newest Accord has an estimated gas mileage average of 47 in city and highway driving. The new Accord Hybrid will offer a lengthy list of standard equipment:

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2018 Honda Accord grabs two Kelley Blue Book best buy awards

After nearly 15 years of reviewing cars, the one question I get asked more than all other questions combined is “what new car would you buy?” There’s no right answer. With about 350 makes and models of new models, a case could be made for every car or truck available to be the best choice for someone. I often ask the person who’s asked a few followup questions — their available budget to their driving habits. I ask if they’re car buying for a one-person family or if they have a spouse and children and are car shopping for a larger family? Do they need cargo space? Will they often drive in inclement weather? Do they drive primarily in city

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TheWeeklyDriver.com’s 2017 Best Cars of the Year

TheWeeklyDriver.com presents its 11th annual best cars of the year list. For the past two years, we selected 12 vehicles instead of 10 because we couldn’t decide what cars to leave off the lists. The selection was more clear-cut this year, so we’ve again chosen 10 vehicles. Volvo is the only manufacturer with two vehicles on the 2017 best cars list. Bentley, Genesis, Honda, Kia, Lincoln, Mazda, Volkswagen and Toyota are also represented. As editor and publisher of TheWeeklyDriver.com since 2004, I reviewed 38 cars and trucks in 2017 model years for at least a week. Most of the vehicles I drove in the calendar year; some 2017 models in 2016. I also drove at least a half-dozen other vehicles

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2018 Hyundai Elantra GT: Watch out Honda, Volkswagen

Compact hatchbacks often deserve more credit. They’re positioned in an unglamorous car segment, but they’re difficult to beat considering their combination of durability, economy, performance, space and style. New for 2018, the Hyundai Elantra GT expands the South Korean manufacturer’s lineup to further compete with hatchback stalwarts like the Chevrolet Cruze, Honda Civic, Mazda 3, Subaru Impreza and Volkswagen Golf. The standard Elantra sedan includes a four-cylinder 147-horsepower engine. There’s also a four-cycling turbo-charged option with 128 horsepower. The GT, my test vehicle, adds further variety with 2.0-liter, 161 horsepower configuration matched to the same four-cylinder engine. The sport model has 201 horsepower. A six-speed automatic transmission is standard and a six-speed manual transmission is also available. The Hyundai Elantra

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Episode 15, LA Auto Show, Day 2: Honda Goes More Green, Wacky Concept

Honda has invested a lot of money into its green cars effort, including the Clarity. It’s the carmaker’s entree into hydrogen cars. In Episode 14, we discuss the Clarity with a Honda representative. We explore the other sights and sounds during our second day of visiting the 2017 LA Auto Show, including a look at a wacky concept called Red Square. James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004. In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly auto review and wellness columns

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Honda Odyssey woes return with second massive recall

The Honda Odyssey is among the most versatile vehicles in the automotive industry. Now, about 800,000 units of the popular mini-van in the United States dating to 2011 are being recalled because of a second-row seating issue The voluntary recall covers Odysseys from 2011-17 model years. The issue: A release lever for repositioning the outer second-row seats may not latch properly, causing the seats to slide forward or backward without warning. The company will notify owners of affected minivans. Dealers will install additional brackets and springs to resolve the problem for free. Customers can call Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138 for additional information. In the meantime, the company also has posted instructions for properly latching the second-row seats. Honda said

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2017 Kia Forte worthy compact option beyond Honda, Toyota

The 2017 Kia Forte is the 10th year of the South Korean compact. It’s among the best of several cars in different segments trying to find a market against some of the country’s long-standing, best-selling vehicles. Matched against the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Ford Focus, Volkswagen Jetta, Hyundai Elantra, Mazda3 and others, the Forte remains unheralded. It’s in the sixth year of its second generation, but for 2017 has a restyled exterior, including more modern crafted headlights and taillights. Available as a sedan in LX, S and EX trim levels, the Kia Forte also has a hatchback variant, the Forte5, in LX, EX and SX trims. The two-door Forte Koup was discontinued after the 2016 model. For my test vehicle,

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2017 Honda Civic hatchback: sporty value gem returns

A small percentage of the car-buying public still enjoys the mechanics of driving. But manual transmissions are increasingly rare. Meet the 2017 Honda Civic hatchback sport. Honda decided this year to make its perennially top-selling compact more versatile, via an imported hatchback. The 10th generation of the sedan, manufactured in England, is available with a six-speed manual transmission. While the efficiency of continuously variable transmissions has simplified driving and Honda is at the automotive forefront with its version, the carmaker also appreciates tradition. Thirty years ago, about 25 percent of new cars sold in the United States featured manual transmissions. Today, it’s less than five percent. The Civic debuted in 1972 and it’s perched between the Honda Fit and the

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2017 Honda CR-V: Top-selling SUV still reigns

For more than 20 years, the Honda CR-V has ideally defined the Japanese manufacturer’s reputation. It makes vehicles with a rare combination of style, efficiency, practicality and versatility. It was hard to complain about previous Honda CR-V editions. It’s been the country’s best-selling compact SUV for many years. But with the sport utility segment increasingly competitive, even industry leaders can’t become complacent. The 2017 Honda CR-V is the debut of the SUV’s fifth generation and it celebrates the vehicle’s 23rd birthday. Its exterior and interior designs are new. New safety features abound, and the CR-V is larger inside and outside. Its description as a compact SV is questionable with its expanded spaciousness. The CR-V is only slightly longer, wider and

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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 Orders Massive Recall of Honda Odyssey minivan

A recall and a stop-sale order has been issued for the Honda Odyssey minivan for two separate issues by American Honda. The recall affects 641,302 vehicles built between Aug. 17, 2010 and Oct. 24, 2016. The majority of the recall, covering 633,753 minivans built between Aug. 17, 2010 and Oct. 1, 2015, involves a faulty seat mechanism. In a statement, the automaker said one of the recalls involves a mechanism that “allows the outboard second row seats to tilt and slide forward for access to the third row seating area may not properly lock the seat into place when the seat is returned to its normal position,” which increases the risk of injury to passengers seated in the second row.

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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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2017 Mazda6: Major family sedan rival for Honda, Toyota

As the best-selling vehicle in the manufacturer’s lineup, the Mazda6 is part of arguably the most competitive car segment — family sedans. For 2017, the 16th year of the vehicle, the Mazda6 continues its strong market position. It’s a performance-oriented option among iconic more tradition rivals like the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, Ford Fusion and Nissan Altima. The Weekly Driver Text Drive Equipped with a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine with 184 horsepower, the 2017 Mazda6 has a six-speed automatic transmission. Acceleration seems peppier than the car’s specs, largely because of the sport-oriented tuning and responsive steering. While technically a family sedan, the Mazda6’s sporty persona is further exemplified by its cornering precision and lack wind and road noise at all speeds.

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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 Coupe: Wild design, wild color, nearly perfect

Imagine a 2016 Honda Civic being an automotive hipster. It’s now in its mid-40s, but with a redesign inside and outside, the perennially top-selling coupe and sedan have gained a lot of attention with the new look and optional wild exterior paint colors. The Honda Civic is also among the most versatile cars in the industry. It’s available as a coupe or a sedan and in 10 trims, five in each model. While further moving away from its once stodgy reputation as driveable box with four wheels, the 2016 model has a sharp-edged appearance and a sloping roofline. Its overall European style resembles the appearance of appreciably higher-priced vehicles. It’s no longer just a fall-back car for buyers seeking basic

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2016 Honda Civic (Touring): 9 days, 1,932 miles, all good

The drive from Park City, Utah, to Sacramento, California, after a week at the Tour of Utah and Outdoor Retailer trade show, was a high speed, largely desert haul of 678 miles. I left Utah at about 10 a.m. and arrived at home around 11 p.m. in my test vehicle, a 2016 Honda Civic sedan (Touring). With the long day planned, I stopped often, including twice for gas, brief walks at rest stops and longer breaks in Utah at the Bonneville Salt Flats and in Wells for lunch and in Sparks, Nevada, for dinner. I left on the trip July 30 and returned on Aug. 8. The round trip was 1,932 miles, the outbound trip on Interstate 50 and the

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