2004 Honda Accord Ex Sedan 4-door 2.4l on 2040-cars

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Ford, Toyota clean up in Best Car For The Money Awards

The U.S. News Best Cars for the Money Awards picks winners by looking at the average transaction price, five-year total cost of ownership, the regard a car has from the automotive press, reliability figures from J.D. Power and Associates and safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The result, according to the magazine, is "the best combination of critical acclaim and long-term value."
Ford nabbed six of the 21 categories that received awards this year, the Focus, Fusion, Fusion Hybrid, Taurus, Escape and Edge getting trophies. Toyota and its Lexus and Scion sub-brands took another five, the Tacoma and Tundra owning the two categories given to pickup trucks. The other ten awards were split between Honda with three, Buick with two, and one each for Subaru, BMW, Hyundai, Chevrolet and Mazda.
Follow the link to see all the winners and read about why they were chosen.

Honda HR-V gets early reveal

If the Honda HR-V feels awfully familiar to you by now, you're not alone. We've seen it debut in Japanese form (dubbed "Vezel"), caught a prototype in Paris, and Honda first showed us the US-spec version in press-photo form all the way back at the New York Auto Show in April. We're finally going to get all the details on Honda's new subcompact crossover this week as part of the Los Angeles Auto Show, but first, we're getting an early look at the CUV today.
We met the Honda HR-V for a cup of coffee this morning at Randy's Donuts just outside of Los Angeles, and got our first look at the new CUV in the metal. It's a handsome little thing, offering a higher-riding, more butch alternative to the Fit hatchback on which it's based. We particularly like how the rear door handles are integrated into the pillars, for an almost three-door look from some angles.
Technical details are still scarce as of this writing, though we expect those to be revealed during Honda's press conference on Wednesday. For now, we just know that the HR-V should be an incredibly practical little thing, using the Magic Seat system that has made the Fit such a versatile and capacious subcompact. Stay tuned for more, and see the HR-V from all angles in our live gallery, above.

Honda Civic Tourer sports forbidden facelift

Following up on a sextet of spy photos from June, we now have another batch of images of the facelifted Euro-spec Honda Civic undergoing testing in the United Kingdom. There's a bit more sheetmetal to this particular prototype, though, as our spy photographers have caught the upcoming Tourer model (pronounced "wagon" among us Yanks).
Like the hatchback we showed you last month, the new Tourer benefits from the same set of styling tweaks inspired by the Civic Type R Concept from March's Geneva Motor Show. That means it boasts a revised front fascia, albeit with a more heavily camouflaged version of the grille shown in last month's photos. It's a similar story below, where the intakes on this long-roof model wear more disguise, yet look to be virtually identical to what we've already seen.
While the headlights still look to be a straight lift from last month's car, the more upright nature of the Tourer's tailgate demands a more subdued character. Gone are the thin, curvy LED taillights, and in their place sit significantly more substantial units (with conventional bulbs), although they boast none of the design chutzpah shown on our last round of spy photos. Our spies claim LED taillights will be available, noting that they simply aren't fitted to this particular prototype, a distinction that suggests this is a lower-end model.