TechnoFILE's
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
What's even better than a garden variety Honda Civic? How about a gas-sipping hybrid? The hybrid is a straightforward adaptation of Honda's terrific little sedan, with Honda's Integrated Motor Assist system added on for "even greener" performance. more.... Pilot--ing a Straightforward, Unassuming Honda SUV Though its name may be inspired by the high flying world of aviation, Honda's Pilot SUV is a decidedly down-to-earth vehicle. And though it may come off as a tad bland, it's really just a straightforward, no nonsense imagining of the eight passenger SUV niche. more.... Honda's Accord Reaches a New Level of Refinement Fresh from an unfortunate uglification process, Honda's 2008 Accord has emerged as a fine new car that'll surely continue the brand's reputation for excellence and innovation. It's just so darn great to be in, and to drive. more.... Honda CR-V – Reborn with a New Look, New Utility In the world of "cute utes," Honda's CR-V has traditionally been one of the least cute. That tradition has been maintained in the new generation SUV. Whether Honda wanted to include an uglification process in its CR-V makeover or not, the Japanese automaker managed to take what had been quite a boxy vehicle and make it boxy with weird-looking rear side windows. Interesting achievement. And yet, despite any anxiety over its outward appearance, the CR-V remains a fine vehicle, very nice to drive and undoubtedly lovely to live with. It's very straightforward and performs as advertised – and how can that be a bad thing? more.... Once upon a time, back in the 1970's, Honda made waves with its entry level car, the Civic. It was a little two door econobox that promised little more than providing an economical way to get around. And it sold. That was a long, long time ago. Since then, the Civic itself has evolved steadily, getting bigger, more fully featured, more technologically advanced - and more expensive. This left a hole in the market niche once occupied by the Civic, a place now occupied by such cars as the Toyota Yaris and Hyundai Accent. more.... It isn't as noticeable on the road as Toyota's Prius, but Honda's new Civic hybrid is a fine little vehicle that can save you some gas money if you drive it right. On the other hand, since it looks mostly like the other versions of the four door Civic, it doesn't make a political statement the same way the Prius does, so if you're looking to get noticed for your social responsibility, this may not be the car for you. That would be a shame, because this Civic does a nice job of sipping gas while providing a comfortable and efficient ride for a family and its stuff. more... Honda Ridgeline a New Type of Truck It looks like a truck, acts like a truck, and has a truck’s utility. But it’s a Honda. What gives? Honda calls its Ridgeline a new type of truck, and it’s hard to argue with that assessment. Who, after all, has seen a truck that comes with a trunk? Or the type of “magic tailgate” that used to be a standard fixture on North American station wagons of the 1960’s, opening either sideways or down in the traditional way, depending upon which latch you use? more... Honda's Sporty Accord Coupe a Comfortable Rocket The Honda Accord has consistently been one of the top selling cars in North America. Having driven the newest generation's four door sedan version several months ago, it isn't hard to see why. It's an excellent vehicle, refined and with terrific comfort and performance. It's a tad dumpy-looking to these eyes, however - not that that's the most important thing about a car. Usually a new Accord strikes me as ugly, then grows on me; this one has done the opposite. more... Forget Kyoto – Honda has a Better Accord Honda’s top-selling Accord has received a rejuvenation for 2003 that’s destined to keep the car at the top of the charts. Now, I must admit that the last time I drove a Honda Accord was many many years ago when I took the first generation of the car out for a test drive. That Accord was fine; I owned a ’76 Civic hatchback in those days and the Accord was more of the same, just “Super Sized” a bit. more... Honda Element - Putting the Box Back in the Econobox Well, it appears that even Honda can have an off day. The company’s new crossover vehicle is, if nothing else, unique and interesting, but whether or not it’s a success remains to be seen. As of this writing the Element is still new enough that not many have been seen on the roads around our world headquarters - and believe me, with the way this thing looks we’d notice it if it were there! That doesn’t mean it won’t sell, of course, and being a Honda it probably will. And it will undoubtedly please its owners. more... Honda Civic SiR - To SiR, with Love When pondering cars with a high “fun to drive quotient,” one doesn’t normally think of the Honda Civic. After all, while the Civic is a fine car, its focus is on economy and practicality, not “Whee!” Unless one looks at the Honda Civic SiR (which is “comparable” to the Si model in the US), which is not your average Civic. Starting at about $26,000 Cdn (the Si starts at about $19,000US) the SiR is a stylish three door hatchback whose sleek body looks almost extruded in one piece to maximize aerodynamics. It also comes with a bigger engine and larger wheels than the garden variety Civic sedan or coupe. more... The second generation of Honda's popular CR-V is definitely an easy vehicle to live with. And, while it isn't the most handsome SUV there is, it has enough inner beauty to almost make you forget about its relatively plain exterior. CR-V fits into the car-based "cute ute" category that also includes SUV's like Toyota's RAV4 and the Hyundai Santa fe. It's comfortable for four passengers, fits five without undue fuss, and is probably nearly perfect for the suburban family that wants roomy and safe transportation but which doesn't plan to do a lot of heavy duty off roading. more... Honda Civic Coupe Offers Sporty Feel If the roly-poly Honda Civic sedan is too sedate for you, why not go for the Coupe de grace? The Civic Coupe is the more sporty of the two models, but don't confuse its two door lines with sport performance. Granted, it's a lot cooler looking than the sedan, but it's basically the same car inside. Not that that's a bad thing! more... Hybrid Honda Helps Do Civic Duty The Hybrid automobile has definitely arrived, if you don’t mind paying the price. Honda’s Insight was the first “mainstream” hybrid car to hit the market, a technological tour de force that blended the gas internal combustion engine with an electric motor to provide extra oomph. Unfortunately, the Insight was mostly impractical except as a novelty or as a commuter car, thanks to its two seat configuration and lack of storage space. more... Insight: Honda’s Happy, High Tech Hybrid Honda’s most politically correct vehicle is a marvelous commuter car that’s cheap to run and environmentally friendly to boot. The Insight is a “hybrid” automobile that pairs a conventional – though very high tech – gasoline engine with an electric motor to provide what power there is. Blistering performance isn’t this car’s reason for being; it’s the fuel economy. The secret to the front wheel drive Insight is something called “Integrated Motor Assist,” which couples Honda’s all-new VTEC-E 1.0 liter, 3-cylinder engine with an electric motor that seems to act almost like a turbocharger, in that it comes on as a boost when the car thinks you need an extra bit of “oomph.” more... New for 2001, the Honda Civic’s seventh generation feels like more than an entry level car. I first drove the Civic in 1976. In fact, I owned one and it was a wonderful little car for 48.000 miles. By then, however, the front fenders had pretty well rusted away and at 48001 miles it seemed the Civic was telling us in no uncertain terms that it was retiring and went from being wholly dependable to, shall we say, an interesting driving experience. That was back in the comparatively early days of Japanese cars, however, and a lot has changed since then. Today’s Hondas are world class vehicles that can match their quality and technology against anyone’s, and this Civic is a prime example of that. more...
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tell us at TechnoFile what YOU think
|
|
