The new Honda Civic Type R is here

by Ben Griffin of www.recombu.com

Geneva Motor Show: The brand new Honda Civic Type R has been officially announced, along with a plethora of photos and details of just how fast the thing is. Hint: Very.

Honda has called the new Civic Type R a 'race car for the road'. A 310PS 2.0-litre VTEC engine that develops 400Nm, 0 to 62mph time of 5.7 seconds and a top speed of 167mph help it live up to the claim. It is, in fact, the most powerful engine to bear the red H badge in all 22 years of history.

High-revving VTEC fans will appreciate peak power is achieved at 6,500rpm, 500rpm shy of the redline. But full torque kicks in at 2,500rpm so it should kick hard even if you fluff your gears. You can partly thank a new 'advanced' turbocharger for that.

To keep things old-school, the new Type R is fitted with a six-speed manual gearbox. It also has a rear spoiler that helps improve road-holding without adding too much drag at speed, which is the good news. The bad news is the design is much more tame compared with the Type R Concept.

A wide front splitter and deep side skirts help reduce lift and improve aerodynamics, while enlarged upper and lower grilles in the front bumper keep the engine temperature down.

Tyres designed specifically for the Type R by an unknown third-party come wrapped around 19-inch alloys, while four-pistol calipers and 350mm discs at the front do their best to reign in the fun.

One of the biggest talking points is the '+R' button that turns the car from being civilised to a savage, drooling beast. Press it and the engine responsiveness is heightened, the damping force increased by 30 per cent and the steering gets less power assistance for a more aggressive drive.

The usual Championship White joins four other optional paintjobs: Crystal Black (pearlescent), Polished Metal (metallic), Brilliant Sporty Blue (metallic) and Milano red (metallic).

Buyers will be able to spec a GT Pack for extra money. Doing so gets you signature red highlights on the front and rear splitters, front and rear parking sensors, automatic headlights, automatic wipers, electric door mirrors and a 320-watt stereo upgrade.

Navigation with four years of free updates (courtesy of Garmin), Fordward Collision Warning, Lane Departure Warning, Traffic Sign Recognition, High-Beam Support, Blind Spot information and Cross Traffic Monitor systems are also included in the pack. City-Brake is standard.

Such is Honda's faith in the new Type R, it took a development car said to mimic the production version (minus a rollcage and a few other tweaks to compensate) around the Nurburgring and set a time faster than the Megane Renaultsport 275 Trophy-R and the Seat Leon Cupra 280.

Full UK price and vehicle specifications will be given out 'in due course' ahead of its launch in the summer. Watch the Nurburgring lap here.

Update: Honda has announced a UK price of £29,995 and £2,300 for the GT Pack.

Source;
http://recombu.com/cars/article/the-new-honda-civic-type-r-is-here

NEW HONDA CIVIC TYPE R THROWS DOWN NÜRBURGRING GAUNTLET

• Honda announces Nürburgring lap time for Civic Type R development car
• 7 minutes 50.63 seconds lap time is unmatched in the front-wheel drive hot hatch class
• Lap time achieved in development car with technical specifications representative of the final production car

At the world premiere of its all-new Civic Type R at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show (5 - 15 March; Stand 4250, Hall 4), Honda announced that a development car had achieved a 7 minutes 50.63 seconds lap time of the legendary 20.8 km/12.9 mile Nürburgring Nordschleife in Germany.


This time is unmatched by any other front-wheel drive performance hatchback.

The lap time was achieved during the final phase of pre-production testing in May 2014 by a Civic Type R development car. The development car was in a standard state of engine tune, with suspension, drivetrain, exhaust, brakes and the aerodynamic package identical to those of the production Civic Type R.

The removal of equipment such as air conditioning, the front passenger seat and audio equipment offset the additional weight of a full roll cage (installed specifically for safety reasons and not to add rigidity).

During the test cycle, the development car used production-specification high-rigidity 19-inch alloy wheels. These were fitted with 235/35R19 road tyres being developed in conjunction with a major European tyre manufacturer especially for the new Civic Type R. The test cycle during which the 7 minutes 50.63 seconds lap time was achieved was part of the tyre’s development and testing process.

Honda has now vowed to follow up this achievement by sending a production Civic Type R around the Nürburgring Nordschleife later this year with the aim of setting a new lap record for a front-wheel drive production car.

Highlights of the latest generation in Honda’s cult car dynasty is a world-first application of Honda’s new 2.0 litre VTEC TURBO engine, aggressive function-led styling, and advanced new chassis technologies, combining to deliver one of the most immersive and rewarding driving experiences available in any sector.

The new Civic Type R goes on sale across Europe in summer 2015.

Source;
http://hondanews.eu/eu/en/cars/media/pressreleases/44029/new-honda-civic-type-r-throws-down-nrburgring-gauntlet

Official Production Picture of the Next Honda Civic Type R

A lot of hype following this car; 2.0L 280hp screamer!

Source (via World Car Fans )
https://www.facebook.com/HondaDreamZone/photos/a.137003709673650.14625.123848914322463/915583175149029/?type=1&theater

World Car Fans: Honda Civic Type R spied up close undisguised

A WCF reader has sent us very revealing images of the production-spec Honda Civic Type R.

It was only several hours ago when we posted an image with the car partially hidden under a cover and now the wraps are off and we get to take a closer look at the much awaited hot hatchback. As expected, it doesn’t look as radical as the concepts but nevertheless it has all the ingredients you would want from a high-powered hatch such as the wide body with a prominent wing, a prominent diffuser, muscular wheel arches and a quad exhaust system.

It rides on 19-inch glossy black alloy wheels with red accents matching the brake calipers which on the front axle work with Brembo 350mm drilled discs. Underneath the hood is a four-cylinder 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline engine rated at more than 280 HP (206 kW) which will be enough for a top speed of 167 mph (270 km/h).

The Honda Civic Type R will premiere on March 3 at the Geneva Motor Show but a full online reveal could occur this weekend. 

Special thanks go to WCF user DTM for sending us the pics!

Source;

http://www.worldcarfans.com/115022789626/honda-civic-type-r-spied-up-close-undisguised

Car and Driver Van Comparison: 2015 Honda Odyssey Elite vs. 2015 Kia Sedona SXL, 2015 Toyota Sienna Limited

• February 2015
• BY JARED GALL
• PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARC URBANO

It’s possible that none of this matters. Billions of years from now, after all of humanity’s great struggles and achievements, the universe will collapse back in on itself, and all that exists and all knowledge of all that was will be compressed into a singularity so inescapable that not even Katniss Everdeen will be able to shoot her way out. Meanwhile, perpetuating life on Earth is, for whatever reason, our most basic urge. And that’s not such a bad thing—right up until you succeed. Then it’s all sympathy weight; poop in unimaginable colors, textures, and places; and, later, insolence. But the biggest bummer of all is that your best option, if you think about it rationally, is to drive a minivan. 

As America’s most accessible philosopher, Jack Handey, once wrote, “If life deals you lemons, why not go kill someone with the lemons (maybe by shoving them down his throat)?” At the very least, spike your citrus with all the ­garnishes of a mobile man cave: widescreen TV, Blu-ray player, and a name-brand audio system. Maybe even, uh, a vacuum cleaner? You might say its vacuum makes the Honda Odyssey more of a woman cave, but we wouldn’t say that because we don’t want our wives to slap us. 

We have no Chrysler/Dodge or Nissan entrants here because neither one has been sufficiently updated since last losing a comparison test. Meanwhile, our reigning champ in the segment, the Honda Odyssey, which won every minivan comparo we’ve conducted in the last decade, was refreshed for 2014. The update includes said vacuum (only on the top-of-the-line Elite trim), new aluminum sheetmetal for the schnoz, and prettier interior fixings. A sturdier front structure helps the Odyssey on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s new small-overlap front crash test, securing the Institute’s “Top Safety Pick” rating. With a 16.2-inch video screen in the headliner and a 12-speaker stereo, our Odyssey Elite rings in at $45,480. 

Toyota’s Sienna is also fresh off a fluffing, with a stiffened structure, updated dashboard, new grille and headlights, and the “Driver Easy Speak” built-in bullhorn. The latter uses the voice-control microphone already embedded above the driver’s head and broadcasts scoldings through the rear speakers. The Toyota is a “Top Safety Pick Plus” on account of its available Pre-Collision automatic-braking system. (The Honda was a TSPP last year, but isn’t for 2015 because the criteria changed this year to require an automatic-braking system.) The Sienna is still the only minivan to offer four-wheel drive, but we had a front-driver. Our Limited model included dual sunroofs and a Blu-ray player. That plus the $1800 Advanced Technology package (adaptive cruise control, Pre-Collision System, and hill-start assist) punted the price up to the test’s highest: $48,035. 

The Kia Sedona is all-new this year. Joining the Odyssey on Safety Pick Tier Two (because its collision-warning system only screams of impending doom, rather than braking to do something about it), it also boasts eight different electronic systems to mitigate the loss of traction or stability. All this for an imminently controllable transportation appliance. Our SXL also packs 19-inch wheels, matches the Toyota’s sunroof count, and includes a $2700 tech package that adds lane-departure and forward-collision warnings, adaptive cruise, and a surround-view system. Yet at $43,295, it’s the cheapest in this test. 

Our Kia is, however, missing one $995 option that could make all the difference: a back-seat entertainment system. That feature matters more in this test than most. Seizing on the notion that, in a minivan, the left-front seat is for an adult and everything else is for kids, Alterman decreed that, rather than follow our usual comparison-test regimen, we’d swing by managing editor Mike Fazioli’s house on a Saturday morning and take his kids’ birthday parties on the road. We’d drive two vanloads of 11-year-old boys and one of 15-year-old girls to an indoor water park four hours away. Along the way, the kids would rate the vans for comfort and entertainment value. The drivers would wish for bulkheads behind their seats. Cannonball!

3rd Place:  2015 Kia Sedona SXL

FULL REVIEW of 2015 Kia Sedona SXL
Highs:  The nose job, the bargain pricing, the hot-hatch braking—yes, really.
Lows:  Frequent whiffs of cheapness, missing some important bells and whistles.
Verdict:  An uninspired take on an uninspiring concept.

2nd Place:  2015 Honda Odyssey Touring ELITE
FULL REVIEW of the 2015 Honda Odyssey Touring Elite
Highs:  Attempts to preserve an element of joy for the driver.
Lows:  Cramped front quarters, the fewest seating tricks.
Verdict:  Sometimes it's better to admit defeat than to compromise.

1st Place:  2015 Toyota Sienna Limited
Highs:  As spacious and comfortable as your living room, rides like an S-class. 
Lows:   The five seats behind yours are going to be infested with lunatics.
Verdict:  Exactly what it needs to be: a big box of uncut serenity.
FULL REVIEW of the 2015 Toyota Sienna Limited

Source (with tons more pictures and full stat comparison);
http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons/2015-honda-odyssey-elite-vs-2015-kia-sedona-sxl-2015-toyota-sienna-limited-comparison-test

2017 Honda Ridgeline

From what I've heard, the Bed will be 1ft longer than it is now, 6ft with the gate up, 7ft down.

This is the original sketch from Honda.

by Mark Williams of www.pickuptrucks.com

We recently saw a rough sketch from Honda that gave us some hints about what the next-generation Honda Ridgeline will look like. The drawing makes it clear designers are taking a different approach — i.e., not boxy and quirky — in favor of something more traditional and similar to its Pilot SUV sibling.

We saw the all-new 2016 Pilot at the 2015 Chicago Auto Show, and we're guessing the Pilot and the next-gen Ridgeline will share a lot of interior and chassis structure, albeit the pickup truck's wheelbase is likely to be at least 10 inches longer.

We just received these illustrations from our spy photography friends and added some of our own photos of the new Pilot. We're not sure that truck guys will like the push-button transmission, but it looks like the next-gen Ridgeline is likely to beat the 2017 Ford Raptor in being the first pickup with paddle shifters on the steering wheel.

Cars.com photos by Evan Sears; illustration by Chris Doane Automotive

Source;
http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2015/02/sketches-of-next-honda-ridgeline-show-similarity-to-new-pilot.html

BoldRide: 2017 Honda S2000: 5 Things to Expect

Stunning conceptual art by Hansen ART, very nice, would love to see this incarnation of the S2000 a reality....

 

by Jeff Perez of www.boldride.com
Art done by Hansen ART (check out his facebook page for a ton of other art, this guy is brilliant!)
https://www.facebook.com/HansenArt

In 1999, Honda took a page out of its own history book and decided to revive the art of open-top driving with the S2000. A successor to the Honda roadsters of the ’60s, the S2000 was a performance-oriented, 4-cylinder powered piece of automotive perfection.

Production lasted 10 years — 1999-2009 — before Honda officially parted ways with the beloved rag top. Six years later and rumors of a reborn S2000 are all over the web. Honda even went as far as to tease us with a lovely little S660 concept in 2013.

But is there any merit to these rumors? We think yes. Honda is finally back on the up and up in the U.S., and the idea of a reborn roadster could sway a younger generation back to the brand. A few things need to happen in order for it to be successful, though.

Eye-Catching Design


Powerful (Enough) Engine


Convertible and Coupe


It SHOULD Have a Manual

Rear-Wheel Drive, Of Course

At the end of the day, whether a new S2000 actually happens or not is up to the big wigs over at Honda. But with rumors circulating and concepts showing up often, it’s only a matter of time before we see the S2K on the streets once again. Fingers crossed for this one.

Check out the original link, Jeff expands on the 5 points in the full article;
http://news.boldride.com/2015/02/2017-honda-s2000-concept/70894/

Honda Canada Presented with Four Value Awards at the Canadian International Auto Show

As Canadian automotive media gather to open the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto, Honda received four combined awards from Canadian Black Book (CBB) and ALG for overall best retained value and best residual value. The segment awards are received for vehicle quality, reliability and overall value.

“Honda Canada is honoured to be recognized by CBB and ALG for their prestigious value awards,” said Dave Gardner, senior vice president of operations at Honda Canada. “The distinction speaks to the promise of our core brands - reliability, durability and quality – and provides our customers with the knowledge that they are purchasing the highest quality vehicles.”

ALG Awards
ALG's Residual Value Awards honour the vehicles that are forecast to retain the highest percentage of MSRP after a four-year period for mainstream brands. Award recipients are chosen after a careful evaluation of vehicle criteria, including segment competition, historical vehicle performance and industry trends. Awards are given in 22 vehicle segment categories and two brand categories (Mainstream and Premium). This year’s winners include:

• Compact Utility – Honda CR-V
• Minivan – Honda Odyssey

Canadian Black Book Awards
The Canadian Black Book ‘Best Retained Value Awards’ acknowledge vehicles that retain the highest percentage of their original MSRP after four years. For 2015, this distinctive award program analyzed model year 2011 vehicles in 20 different categories. CBB's awards guide consumers who are looking for vehicles that hold their value best, thereby reducing the total cost of vehicle ownership...a critical consideration when purchasing a vehicle. This year’s winners include:

• Sub-Compact Car – Honda Fit
• Minivan – Honda Odyssey 

 

Source;

http://www.houseofjapan.com/auto-moto/honda-canada-presented-with-four-value-awards-at-the-canadian-international-auto-show