Car & Driver: 2015 Honda Civic Type R

by Mike Duff of www.caranddriver.com

The Power of Screams: This Euro model predicts the future U.S. Type R.

First Drive Review 

 

Sadly, the Car and Driver time machine was irreparably damaged recently in an attempt to go back to 1982 and uninvent the Cadillac Cimarron. But let’s imagine for a moment it’s still working, and that we can use it to send this brand-new Honda Civic Type R 10 years into the past.

There’s no doubt that the car itself would be a sensation. This is a 300-plus-hp, front-wheel-drive hatchback that’s capable of lapping the Nürburgring Nordschleife in less than eight minutes—and with styling seemingly inspired by the body armor of an Imperial stormtrooper. Yet the R would also have been highly controversial for being turbocharged back when the Honda brand was still practically fetishizing natural aspiration. So the question for 2015 is whether the ends really justify the means.

First we need to make the sad acknowledgement that this is a review of some sweet-tasting forbidden fruit. The Euro-spec Civic Type R won’t be coming to the U.S. soon or ever. But this isn’t just another entry in our continuing series of Awesome Cars that Automakers Deny Us, because Honda will admit that this Type R is dropping some very broad hints about what we can expect from the U.S.-spec version of the next-gen model. Yes, that Type R has already been confirmed for American sale in the near future, and it almost certainly will use the same Ohio-built turbocharged engine.

Bringing us back to the big issue: Is this a good idea? The growing ubiquity of forced induction among small-capacity engines means the idea of a turbocharged Honda isn’t as shocking as it would have been a decade ago, but it still stands out as radically different. Outside Japan, the only turbocharged gasoline engine Honda has ever brought to market was the one fitted to the first-generation Acura RDX. And with so much of the character of earlier Type R models derived from the linearity of their power delivery and their ravenous enthusiasm for revs, the big concern is that this new turbocharged engine is going to be a very blunt weapon in comparison.

The specific output is certainly impressive. A total of 306 horsepower from a 2.0-liter four puts the Civic’s engine just slightly above the brawny, 292-hp version of Volkswagen’s EA888 TSI engine, as fitted to the Audi S3 and the Golf R. Indeed, it practically matches the output of the BMW M235i with two fewer cylinders and 50 percent less displacement. The engine features a small single-scroll turbocharger and a VTEC variable valve-timing system that will overlap exhaust and inlet slightly to reduce turbine lag. Much is made of the engine’s ability to rev to a 7000-rpm redline, with peak power coming online at 6500 rpm, but that ceiling is a full 1000 rpm lower than managed by the last Civic Type R.

The output is shuttled to the front wheels via a standard six-speed manual gearbox—there are no plans for any other transmission option—and a mechanical limited-slip differential. The front suspension struts get separate steering knuckles (similar in principle to the GM HiPer Strut and Ford RevoKnuckle) in a bid to reduce torque steer. Two-stage switchable dampers are also standard, with these and various other dynamic functions falling under the control of a mood-shifting “+R” button that’s claimed to sharpen the Type R for track use.

That comes later, but we make initial acquaintance on the busy streets of the Slovakian capital, Bratislava. And it’s immediately clear the Type R’s dynamic character is nearly as outgoing as its design. The chassis feels impressively pliant when asked to deal with broken city blacktop, but even at low speed the engine feels turbocharged. Very turbocharged. Initial response is keen enough, there’s no lag between pressing the throttle pedal and feeling the engine respond. But there’s then a noticeable pause before the turbo spools up fully. Even with a reasonable number showing on the rev counter there’s a proper one-one-thousand pause before the full boost arrives. There’s lots of torque, of course, not a characteristic that defined any previous Type R, and the gearshift has a predictably nice mechanical action. Honda claims the 1.6-inch throw across the gate is one of the shortest on the market.

There are absolutely no doubts on the performance claims. Having once seen Midnight Express, we stay in close proximity to speed limits when driving anywhere east of Germany, but a less-imaginative colleague from another title reported seeing an indicated 168 mph on a quiet stretch of divided highway. The R drones at cruising speed, with some low-frequency harmonics from the sports exhaust, but once the turbo is spinning the engine pulls solidly all the way to the limiter, the arrival of which is flagged by a sequence of LEDs that light on top of the instrument binnacle.

We get to cross the Austrian border without stopping. The former Iron Curtain is now marked by nothing more than signs and ramshackle customs sheds. And then, shortly afterward, the route takes us onto some proper mountain roads. The Type R’s steering has been set up to make it feel responsive, and the initial turn-in is sharp enough to get us thinking of metaphors involving surgical instruments. It dives toward apexes with just a few degrees of steering input, Honda’s Agile Handling Assist torque-vectoring system also applying light braking pressure to the inner wheel to quicken things up further.

For the rest of the article, follow this link (more pix too);
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2015-honda-civic-type-r-first-drive-review

Car & Driver Gets First Full Spyshots of the 2016 Honda Accord Mid Model Change *Undisguised

2016 Honda Accord Touring V6

2016 Honda Accord Touring V6

2016 Honda Accord Touring V6

2016 Honda Accord EX-L V6

2016 Honda Accord EX-L V6

2016 Honda Accord Sport 4cyl

2016 Honda Accord Sport 4cyl

I don't expect any major changes, Car and Driver thinks that Honda put the 9 Speed Automatic Transmission into the V6 (replacing the 6 Speed Auto).

Check out the article with more pictures;
http://www.caranddriver.com/news/exclusive-2016-honda-accord-sedan-spy-photos-news

Car and Driver: 2015 Honda FIT EX Manual Transmission Long Term Testing

• September 2014
• BY K.C. COLWELL
• PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL SIMARI

The first- and second-generation Honda Fit subcompacts won our hearts with a combination of dynamics and practicality that couldn’t be beat at their price points—or perhaps any price point. The pair racked up seven consecutive 10Best trophies, went undefeated in three comparison tests, and a 2007 model survived a 40,000-mile long-term test without, ahem, giving us a fit. 

With a new platform, engine, transmission, and look, the third-gen Fit was ripe for another go at our high-mileage test. In our hands, the 2007 had a per-mile operating cost of about 10 cents, and while we doubt the 2015 will be able to match that statistic—in no small part because the cost of fuel has increased in the last six and a half years—it’s going to be fun to see how close we can get. 

We will admit to some trepidation about how long it’ll take us to accrue 40,000 miles, which takes just over a year for most vehicles. That’s not any major fault of our Fit, but rather because it’s notoriously difficult to persuade staffers to take little cars on long trips, no matter how much interior space they may have. It’s also especially challenging to convince them to do so when we have stuff like an F-type, a Corvette, and a Cayman in our fleet, as we do now. Small cars—and more specifically narrow small cars—typically tramline in highway ruts, and our Fit is no exception. In two months of service, the Fit has struggled to accumulate 3000 miles. 

When it launched the 2015 Fit, Honda did so without the previous-generation’s Sport trim and its dynamics-enhancing rear anti-roll bar. Instead, the latest Fit is offered in a pair of trims that aren’t differentiated by their handling. This time around, a conventional automatic has been replaced by a continuously variable transmission, while manual-transmission buyers get another forward gear for six in all. The stick shift is restricted to the bone-stock LX model and the one-step-up EX. The CVT-only EX-L has standard leather and available navigation and satellite radio. Why leather is even available in a Fit is a head-scratcher for us—it kind of goes against the Fit’s fun, basic-transportation premise—but the transmission-availability matrix made our choice easy. 

There is not a single factory option available on the Fit EX, but you are at least allowed to choose exterior color. We spec’d Aegean Blue paint because it reminded us of the old Vivid Blue, a color one editor (who shall remain nameless for his protection) likes so much that he had his ’67 Chevelle sprayed in the Honda hue. 

Stepping up the $18,225 EX from the $16,315 LX mostly means adding more electronic doodads, including the turn-signal-activated camera that shoots backward from the passenger side mirror, proximity entry and start, an upgraded audio system, and a seven-inch touch screen. The EX also gets a sunroof, and 16-inch aluminum wheels. We can already state unequivocally that if you’re buying a Fit, the EX is the trim level to get. Period. 

Honda prescribes no specific break-in period for the 130-hp, 1.5-liter direct-injected inline-four or the six-speed manual, but we still went easy for the first 1000 miles before heading to the track for initial instrumented testing. Of the new Fits, we have only tested another manual model thus far, and our long-termer proved to be slightly quicker. It turned in a 7.7-second 0–60 time and a 16.1-second quarter-mile, improvements of 0.3 and 0.1 second versus the other 2015 test car. Stopping from 70 mph took 181 feet for our long-term car, and the wee Fit held onto a 300-foot skidpad at 0.78 g. 

We’ve taken the Fit as far as Chicago. The car returned 39 mpg on that highway run, but our overall average is 33 mpg thus far, one better than the EPA’s combined estimate. The Windy City excursion proved that the Fit can still fit a whole lot of stuff in its 53-cubic-foot cargo hold; a high-school grad headed off to college in one of these should be able to get all of their stuff inside. 

As for complaints, there’s the tramlining, and, well, the sideview camera came in for a 1.5-page logbook rant from a staffer who found it to be more distracting than helpful. On the whole, we’re not particularly sure of its usefulness in our suburban environs, given that the Fit’s outward visibility is excellent and a set of properly adjusted mirrors (on any vehicle) can eliminate blind spots. The feature did, however, save a couple of fast-moving, seemingly suicidal bicyclists’ bacon when we were set to make right turns in more urban areas. Those who dislike the feature can deactivate it, though. 

Our previous test of the new Fit came to the conclusion that this latest generation has lost some of the joy in its driving experience. Our long-term test has so far confirmed that, yes, it’s softer overall than before, the steering is less feelsome, and the clutch pedal feels sprung with tissue paper, but we’re also rapidly coming to the conclusion that there are still few other sub-$20K cars that rival this Honda’s combo of usefulness and fun. Indeed, two months with the Fit have reinforced the notion among the staff that budget transportation doesn’t have to be a penalty. We’ll see if that impression holds up. 

Months in Fleet: 2 months
Current Mileage: 2794 miles Average Fuel Economy: 33 mpg
Fuel Tank Size: 10.6 gal Fuel Range: 350 miles
Service: $0 Normal Wear: $0 Repair: $0 View Photo Gallery

Source;
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2015-honda-fit-ex-manual-long-term-test-intro-review

Car and Driver: 2016 Honda Pilot Spy Photos: Longer, Less Blocky, More Acura-Like

• August 2014
• BY ALEXANDER STOKLOSA

What It Is: Honda’s long-overdue replacement for the aging Pilot crossover, caught testing in what appears to be production-ready bodywork, complete with Honda badges. Of course, we can’t make out much of the sheetmetal because these prototypes snapped by our spy photographers are generously covered in loose black camouflage. 

Why It Matters: The current Pilot has existed in more or less the same basic form since 2009, with its only update coming in the 2012 model year, when Honda stripped the SUV of its bizarre-looking “cyborg” grille treatment. Nearly six years ago, the Pilot literally drove away from the competition, having had a considerable head-start on most three-row-crossover competitors. Just about everyone has now abandoned the truck-based body-on-frame format for the lighter and more carlike crossover blueprint, and Honda’s edge in the segment has dulled. Having placed dead last in its most recent comparison test, the Pilot needs to re-establish Honda as the go-to brand for three-row, mid-size crossovers. 

Platform: In the past, the Pilot has shared its bones with Acura’s MDX luxury crossover, and the basic profile of this test mule indicates that will continue to be the case. There is a lot more rear overhang on this prototype than on past Pilots, and the wheelbase-to-overhang relationships are very current-gen MDX. Underneath, what few suspension pieces are visible look very similar to those on the MDX, especially at the rear. The roof appears longer, suggesting that the new Pilot’s third-row seats may offer increased space and comfort. 

Only a handful of details are visible through the Pilot’s camouflage, but from what we can see, the SUV’s styling will incorporate a mix of new and old cues. The taillights appear to mimic the squarish units on today’s model, while the headlights have morphed into sleek, horizontal, Accord-like pieces. From where we sit, it looks like there’s maybe one grille opening too many on the front end, but we’ll need to wait for the camouflage to come off to pass final judgment. One thing’s for sure: The outgoing Pilot’s Automoblox look is dead and gone. It should for the first time in a while, carry a familial resemblance to Honda’s smaller CR-V compact and HR-V subcompact crossovers. 

Powertrain: Just as the Pilot today offers only a single engine, so, too, will the new model. We don’t see anything other than Honda’s latest direct-injected 3.5-liter V-6 providing motivation to the front wheels or—optionally—all four wheels. We expect the current Pilot’s AWD system to continue in the new version of the crossover; from a cost standpoint, Acura’s Super Handling All-Wheel Drive with rear-axle torque-vectoring is probably off-limits for Hondas. 

When it comes to transmissions, however, Honda might have a slew of choices from the Honda/Acura parts bin. The Pilot most likely will get the same six-speed automatic used by the Accord V-6. On the other hand, fuel-economy requirements are getting tougher, so the ZF-built nine-speed automatic from the 2015 Acura TLX V-6 sedan should be mighty tempting for Honda product planners. In that car, the transmission bolts up to—you guessed it—the Accord’s 3.5-liter V-6. The only hitch is that Acura could potentially claim the ZF ’box for itself: The brand had to pony up serious money to tweak the ubiquitous Honda V-6 block to accept the ZF transmission in the TLX. But any opportunity to amortize those costs over more vehicles (such as the Pilot) would make sense. 

Competition: Dodge Durango, Ford Explorer, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Nissan Pathfinder, Toyota Highlander. 

Estimated Arrival and Price: Provided the bodywork beneath these Pilots’ coverup is production-ready (or close to it), we can expect the 2016 Pilot to debut quite soon. The Los Angeles auto show in the fall would line up nicely with an on-sale date in early 2015. Given the competitive nature of the mid-size-crossover segment, don’t expect any upward movement on the Pilot’s current $30,700 base price.
Source;
http://www.caranddriver.com/news/2016-honda-pilot-spy-photos-news

Car and Driver: 2014 Acura RLX Tested

by Eddie Alterman of www.caranddriver.com

Why was the old Acura RL so firmly nailed to dealership floors, with just 379 sold last year? That’s easy. It was too small. Its back seat was so tight that rear riders could practically adjust the stereo, could possibly even drink from the front cup holders with a long-enough straw. Too in thrall to Honda’s minor-key virtues of frugality and modesty, the RL couldn’t compete with the chest-thumping, lane-filling champions of the mid-size luxury-car segment. 

Repeat: It was because it was almost Civic-sized in back, and not because it had a six-cylinder engine or was based on a front-drive chassis. In fact, you could argue that the rest of the luxury-car fleet has finally caught up with the Acura flagship. Amid rising fuel-economy standards, a six-cylinder luxury sedan no longer seems like a tin Rolex. Furthermore, all-wheel drive is now the de rigueur luxury-car format, and Audi has even sold front-drive A6s and A8s with a straight face. All of this might not get the new RLX the respect it deserves, but what Acura has produced here, for better or worse, is a car fully in sync with these comfort-, mpg-, and tech-obsessed times. 

The RLX overcompensates for the old car’s biggest failing. It’s full-figured, with a 2.0-inch-longer wheelbase and 1.7-inch-wider body than the outgoing RL’s. The cabin is far airier and roomier than before, with lots of clearance for occupants’ extremities. It’s also beautifully finished in muted tones, but its two-screen radio and nav interface is confusing; you never quite remember which of the screens and knobs will deliver the function you want. Also, the seat bottoms are too short for even the moderately lanky.

Engine downsizing touches the RLX, but only by 0.2 liter. The naturally aspirated, direct-injected 3.5-liter V-6 feeds the front wheels 310 horsepower and 272 lb-ft of torque, up 10 and 1, respectively, from the old 3.7-liter. Acceleration times are about par for the class, with the speedo needle finding 60 mph in 5.8 seconds and the quarter-mile passing in 14.3. Fuel efficiency should be very competitive, at 20/31 city/highway, figures we’re inclined to trust as they’re derived from a naturally aspirated engine. (We saw 20 mpg over about 1000 miles of mixed driving, but we drive like we’re qualifying at Monaco.) 

Interestingly, Acura’s fuel-sipping strategy doesn’t rely on a tiny engine or sluggish gear ratios to achieve its result. Its final drive is actually 14 percent shorter than the RL’s, preserving the high-revving, coltish character of the powertrain primarily via careful management of its variable-valve-timing and cylinder-deactivation systems. The car retains the high-rpm urgency and natural linearity—abetted by a telepathic transmission—that’s missing from the turbocharged set. 

But some of the fuel saving comes from, of all places, the rear suspension. Good news, lovers of high-tech Japanese cars from the late ’80s: Rear steering is back. Acura calls it Precision All-Wheel Steer, or, cutely, P-AWS, and it can toe the wheels independently. Under braking, for example, it pigeons the rears inward to keep the car stable. It also incorporates an ersatz torque-vectoring software program dubbed agile handling assist—let's call it AHA—to rotate the car into corners with the brakes.

Beyond its handling benefits, the independent rear steering helps fuel economy by reducing tire scrub, especially in corners. It’s an expensive and complicated way to eke out some fuel savings, but it spares drivers from having to suffer low-rolling-resistance tires that impose braking and cornering compromises.
P-AWS and AHA give the RLX vivid path accuracy and turn-in characteristics, as the car refuses to betray its front-wheel-drive layout and 60.8/39.2-percent front-to-rear weight distribution until pushed hard. The steering is as predictable and progressively weighted as what we’ve experienced in a front-drive Honda product. Despite the flat and stable ride, though, we found wheel impacts to be a bit too harsh for a car that boasts fancy new ZF Sachs dampers. 

Hold on: We’re not done with the acronyms and abbreviations yet. The Advance trim model we drove had LKAS (lane keeping assist system) and ACC (adaptive cruise control), as well as FCW (forward collision warning) and LDW (lane departure warning), which are standard on the base car. Sadly, none of these letters conjures images of fuzzy animals or contrived surprise, but the first two do create a force field around the car in stop-and-go traffic. The Acura folk call this the “405 feature,” in reference to L.A.’s clogged carotid. ACC prevents the RLX from hitting a leading car by slowing to a full stop if necessary, and LKAS keeps the car in a lane, its camera-based intelligence actually steering the car away from a road line. So text away, idiots. These control-seizing functions aren’t on by default, and the multi-button process to engage them isn’t well guided, but at least you have to willingly deploy these systems. Acura’s legal department thanks you. 

Honda’s upscale brand is not bashful about charging customers for all of this, with the base car starting at $49,345. That includes an adequate but by no means complete raft of acronyms: P-AWS, LDW, FCW, full LED headlights, and the basic but excellent 10-speaker ELS audio system. The RLX with Navigation trim level adds navigation for $2500. The next trim level up is the RLX with Technology Package, at $55,345, and it brings 19-inch aluminum wheels, four more speakers, blind-spot warning, power-folding side mirrors, rain-sensing wipers, and very soft Milano leather. Moving on to the 14-speaker RLX with Krell Audio Package for another $2500, you get a system that spent four years in development. You can hear it in its absolute fidelity at high volume and its level of sonic detail; you notice things in old songs you’ve never heard before. Our test car was a fully stocked, $61,345 RLX with Advance Package, with all the above plus ACC, LKAS, ventilated front seats, parking sensors, heated rear seats, and pre-crash braking and seatbelt systems. That’s suddenly real money, even if it’s about $5000 less across the board than the German competition. And an all-wheel-drive RLX, with a 370-horse three-motor-hybrid V-6, a seven-speed DCT, and expected 30/30/30 fuel economy, is coming later this year. We’ll see if it can command the $70,000 it’s expected to cost, but you’ve got to admire Acura’s chutzpah.  

Source;
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2014-acura-rlx-fwd-test-review

C&D Tips Drivers How to Go Over the Speed Limit and Avoid Tickets

 
If you drive a car, or have driven at some point in your life, you will undoubtedly be familiar with the concept of  speeding. Most drivers do it quite frequently, and it's not even intentional. These days the speed limit can change within a few miles, and if at the moment you were passing the restriction sign you happened to be looking at your mobile phone, or just away generally speaking, the cop around the corner is going to write you a ticket.
Now, though, since it is the future and we have so much technology and know-how at our disposal, Car&Driver says we can speed safely, and by that they mean free of tickets and accidents. They argue that if you don't overdo it (drive too quickly and erratically), and pay close attention to what's ahead, it can be done.
 
A journey on the highway is taken as an example, and the host, Csaba Csere, explains (with the aid of two vehicles) how drivers can maintain a steady speed, which is above the legal limit, without being caught or crashing. He suggests driving in a different lane, in order to slip under the noses of cops who are trained to look for specific patterns and can be fooled. That way you can maintain a slightly higher speed than you would normally, without drawing attention.
 
The video makes some other good points, and talks about app-integrated radar detectors, which are quite new and interesting… 
 
In the end, I wonder if this video hasn't done more harm than good, because we're sure at least some police officer watch these videos and will find out about these "secrets" and develop new ways of countering them…
By Andrei Nedelea

Source;
http://www.carscoops.com/2013/04/c-tips-drivers-how-to-go-over-speed.html

2014 Honda FIT/Jazz to be unveiled at 2013 Tokyo Motor Show

If this gives us anything, it shows what's in store for the Jazz/Fit abroad, and seeing as the car is built on a global design, this could very well be close to what the car is going to look like....

The all new generation of the Honda Jazz a.k.a. the Honda Fit has been in focus since some time now. Enough has been speculated about the upcoming generation of the car and the launch of the new Jazz is being eagerly waited for.

Now, it has emerged that the all new generation of the Honda Jazz/Fit will be unveiled before the end of this year and Mr. Dave Hodgetts, Managing Director, Honda UK had confirmed that the new car will make its public debut at the Tokyo Motor Show that is scheduled to be held in November this year.

Brazilian publication Car&Driver reports that the all new Jazz would have a 6cm longer wheelbase and hence, will have an even roomier cabin than the current model. However, the increased wheelbase won’t really affect the overall length and the new Jazz won’t be longer than 3.96m.

This means that the new Jazz will benefit from reduced excise duty in India and might be priced really well.

The new car will come with a taillight cluster that would be shaped like a diamond and the boot, at 414 litres, will offer 30 litres of more space. The new car will also get triangular reflectors incorporated into its bumpers. The car will borrow many design cues from the Urban SUV concept that was showcased at the North American International Auto Show 2013.

Powering the car might be an all new three cylinder petrol engine that might stretch a litre of unleaded to as many as 35.4 kilometers! The Brazilian market will also get 1.4L and 1.5L flex-fuel motors with 101hp and 106 hp of power.

For the Indian market, the Jazz could borrow the 1.5L EarthDreams diesel engine from the upcoming Honda Brio Amaze. This motor is being reported to have been developed alongside the much hyped Honda 1.6 litre EarthDreams diesel engine that powers the UK spec Civic.

The all new Honda Jazz could be in India by Diwali 2014.

Source –  caranddriverbrasil.uol.com.br

Source via;
http://caranddriverbrasil.uol.com.br/segredos/exclusivo-revelamos-o-novo-fit/4486

2012 Car and Driver 10Best… and the winners are

“Over one week in September, and over a distance of more than 15,000 miles, our editors drove every new 2013 model under $80,000, as well as our returning winners, to bring you this year’s 10Best,” CARandDRIVER said – here’s the full list of winners.
2012 Car and Driver 10Best winners:

• Audi A6/A7/S6/S7
• BMW 3 Series
• Ford Focus/Focus ST
• Ford Mustang GT/Boss 302
• Honda Accord
• Honda Fit
• Mazda MX-5 Miata
• Porsche Boxster
• Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ
• Volkswagen Golf/Volkswagen GTI

- By: Omar Rana
Source: CARandDRIVER

Source;
 http://www.egmcartech.com/2012/12/05/2012-car-and-driver-10best-and-the-winners-are/

Car and Driver takes the 2013 Honda Accord for a First Drive

There were low points in the past few years when we doubted Honda, but Big H might be on its way back. The new, ninth-generation Accord is a convincing reminder of the company’s core values and—considering all Honda has been through, including an earthquake that smashed its Tochigi R&D center and floods in Thailand that crimped production—a triumphant return to form.

This latest Accord is 3.5 inches shorter bumper to bumper and 0.9 inch tighter at the wheelbase than its fleshy predecessor. Yet once again, Honda conducts a master class in packaging. Against its porcine predecessor, the 2013 car’s cabin dimensions vary hardly at all. The Accord still feels like one of the biggest cars in the segment, with two roomy and extra-comfortable front buckets and a back bench you and two friends can stretch out on. Moreover, the capacious trunk is even larger, maximum volume having increased by over one cubic foot.

The overhauled DOHC 2.4-liter four falls under the somewhat nonsensical Earth Dreams marketing slogan; more important, however, is that it represents Honda’s first whack at gasoline direct injection for the North American market. Your only automatic alternative to the six-speed manual with this engine is a Honda-built continuously variable transmission (CVT) called the G-Design Shift (Honda’s committee for cutesy names has been working overtime).

The 2.4-liter is quieter at idle than some other direct-injection engines with their clattering high-pressure injectors, particularly Hyundai’s. And the Honda likes to rev, sounding healthy and full throated at its 6400-rpm power peak. But it’s the CVT’s tuning that makes the Accord feel fleet. The typical rubber-band delay has been minimized, and the throttle responds curtly when you ask for acceleration (although sometimes with some audible transmission whine at high revs). In mountain snakers as well as on city streets, the CVT works so efficiently that it all but disappears, and you never notice the lack of a manual control. Of course, we’d prefer the optional six-speed stick, with its tightly spaced gates and short throws—but, finally, a belt-and-pulley transmission we can live with!

Somewhere between 15 and 20 percent of Accord buyers opt for a V-6, and for them, the 3.5-liter goes up slightly in horsepower to 278. But the news with this engine is its lighter weight due to items such as plastic cam covers and work on the Variable Cylinder Management system that increases the time the engine runs on three cylinders. In motion, the cylinder cutout is completely transparent, and the V-6 does what it’s supposed to: provide more sophisticated and effortless propulsion.

Once again, only in the Accord coupe can you pair the V-6 with a six-speed manual—a six-speed conventional auto is the only box in six-cylinder sedans. Out of corners, the car is a “one-tire fire” as the open differential sets the less-taxed wheel spinning madly. But it’s a very hot setup in eight-tenths driving, especially given that it’s front-wheel drive.

That’s because the Accord drives as if it were constructed of old-fashioned Honda “lightweightium.” It’s not the lightest car in its segment, but it feels it. The steering, the brakes, and the suspension work in harmonious balance to make the Accord seem agile and springy. Yes, instead of control arms, it now has struts in the nose, but so does a Porsche Cayman. The Accord hustles through turns with fog-free steering and little complaint from the tires and never seems to be working very hard. You wanted a mid-size family sedan that feels as if it were made of recycled CRXs? Here’s your car.

Lessons from the distressed Civic have been learned, and the Accord feels nicely appointed, with softer materials and better sound insulation. The dash is done to Honda’s familiar template of large, maxi-print gauges and many, many small buttons. You can pile on navigation and the associated extra panel of controls, which will be familiar to current-gen owners, or save your money and make do with a deep drawer hidden behind a somewhat clumsy-looking plastic door.

Our favorite option is a clever blind-spot camera that Honda calls LaneWatch. Mounted at the bottom of the passenger mirror, the camera switches on whenever you activate the turn signal or push the manual control button at the end of the turn-signal stalk. Another techie option is LED headlamps, Honda’s first and available on the top trim level. A regular hybrid model returns to the lineup, but not until next summer, some months after its plug-in variant arrives at dealerships. We’ve already driven a prototype of the latter.

With a flat roof and highly conservative rake to its glass, the Accord remains unapologetically a mid-size family car. You can complain about the design’s lack of sizzle but not its practicality. The door openings are wide, the step-over sills are narrow, and the beltline is kept unfashionably low to create huge glass portals. If people don’t see you because your vehicle is plain, at least you will see them.
There are more Accord models than ever. To chase younger buyers, there’s a 2.4-liter Sport trim with larger, 18-inch rims; a dual-tip exhaust; a rear spoiler; fog lights; and paddle shifters on cars equipped with the CVT. At the top end is the new Touring, a V-6–only model that is sort of a Honda Avalon with leather, adaptive cruise control, forward-collision warning, a thumpy stereo, and so on.

Regardless of trim level, the new Accord proves that Honda wants to be Honda again.

Source;
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2013-honda-accord-sedan-first-drive-review

2013 Acura ILX 2.4 Tested by Car and Driver

BY DAVID GLUCKMAN

Timing may not be everything, but it counts for a lot. If Honda hadn’t first dumbed down its compact mainstay, the Civic, we might have expected more from a little Acura based on it. And if Acura hadn’t built this car once before, we might not have expected another good little sedan.

To Acura’s credit, the ILX reminds us more of the brand’s arguably most successful downsizing venture, the first-generation TSX, than of the dowdified Civic. On paper, the similarities between the original 2004 TSX and this car are too hard to ignore. 

Same wheelbase. Same basic tires. Same interior volume, give or take a cubic foot. And a similar feel as long as you’re not pushing it. Or turning.

The ILX tested here even uses the six-speed manual and VTEC-equipped 2.4-liter four-cylinder from TSX v1.0, albeit with gearing variations and a slight bump in the compression ratio that yields a skosh more output. (The base ILX’s 150-hp four and the hybrid model—are decidedly less TSX-y.)

The 2.4 is still offered in the now-larger TSX, a car that has us asking: If a sedan bloats in the forest, how long until another small car takes its place? And will anyone remember its alphanumeric designation? But we digress. The 2.4-liter is also used in the latest Civic Si, where it replaces a rev-happier 2.0-liter—not necessarily what the Civic faithful wanted, but its smoother power delivery suits the Acura nicely. The ILX, sadly, does not inherit the Si’s limited-slip differential.

Whereas the original TSX begged you to play, though, the ILX asks politely, then keeps quiet when you show no interest.  Actually, it never quite keeps all that quiet. In sixth gear, the engine is buzzing like it’s in fourth. In fourth, it makes you want to hurry up and shift to sixth. The engine isn’t even halfway to its 7100-rpm redline at 80 mph, but the aural feedback suggests otherwise. It also suggests, inaccurately, that this engine has a turbo feeding it. Weirdness.

The ILX’s electric power steering gives a superb sense of straight-ahead, but there’s more oddity when you turn the wheel—everything goes light, then loads up unnaturally. A few sawing motions will send the slow steering, the front tires, and the rear end all out of phase, which only serves to highlight the comfort-oriented suspension’s disconnection from reality. And as with that original TSX, grip from a set of Michelin Pilot HX MXM4 tires falls off earlier than we’d like.

Dynamic malfeasance aside, we do have to thank Acura for thinking of real drivers when it came to configuring ILX variants. The 2.4-liter model is the only one that comes with a manual, and it comes only with a manual. The wonderful transmission borrowed from the Si is topped by that car’s beautifully precise little shifter, minus the red trim. There are no options here, either. You’ll get a nicely fitted cabin sans navigation and like it. Row your own gears and plan your own routes. Practically everything else in the cabin is powered and/or automatic, as it damn well should be in a car costing 30 large.

Ballooning mustn’t necessarily be followed by ballooning; this ILX weighs less than 3000 pounds while that first TSX was just shy of 3250. So, with the same basic engine, the ILX has an accelerative advantage—60 mph comes in 6.9 seconds instead of the 7.2 required of a 2004 TSX. Its braking distance from 70 mph is likewise better, by seven feet. No doubt some of the mass shed was in the form of sound deadening; the original TSX was much quieter in all of our sound-level measures.

The TSX was lauded when it came out, and for good reason: It was good. This almost-second coming follows its path, if not exactly its footsteps. 

Source (with more pix);
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2013-acura-ilx-24-instrumented-test-review