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Sunday Drive: The future looks bright, and the present ain't bad, either

A look at the week that just passed proves that Autoblog readers love looking into the future. Spy photos of the next Porsche 911 and a mysterious Dodge Demon prototype led the way last week as some of our most popular stories. A teaser from Subaru has our appetites whetted for the next WRX, and we're intrigued by the value proposition offered by the rear-wheel-drive Kia Stinger. Long-distance motorcycle tourers went gaga over leaked images of the next Honda Gold Wing. Such intense interest comes as no surprise considering that it's the standard by which all its competitors are judged, and it looks to be getting some serious new technology in its next iteration. And finally, we can't help tooting our own horn a bit. Autoblog just launched a brand-new Car Finder tool, which, after getting a few data points to work with, offers up a perfect list of vehicles for new-car buyers. As always, tune in to Autoblog next week for a front-row seat to all the happenings worth following in the automotive industry. 2019 Porsche 911 to get digital interior — only the tach will be analog Spy Shots: What the devil is Dodge up to with this narrow-body Challenger Demon? Subaru previews Viziv Performance Concept and 2 tuned STIs for Tokyo Leaked 2018 Honda Gold Wing shows off new suspension, hints at DCT 2018 Kia Stinger will start at $32,795 Dodge Honda Kia Porsche Subaru Coupe Hatchback Motorcycle Future Vehicles Luxury Performance Sedan recap sunday drive

2016 Civic Coupe: The Prelude is back!

Honda used to sell a coupe loosely based on the Accord architecture that was sporty yet economical, it was called the Prelude. Many Honda aficionados have fond memories of the Prelude, it was more than just a sportier Accord, but not quite a true sports car. It was a car you could take out and toss around on the weekend, but also drive to work every day of the week. It was a testbed for new Honda technologies while still being a car you could put hundreds of thousands of miles on. The Prelude was a sporty car, not overly powerful, but just balanced enough to be a slow car you could drive fast. It handled extremely well, it had an interior that was no-nonsense and controls that were equal to or better than any of it's contemporaries. Sadly as the market waned for sporty coupes the venerable Prelude lost sales and Honda altered their focus to selling CR-V's and Pilot's. In 2001 Honda shelved the Prelude, but now it is making a comeback, well not exactly, but after sampling a new Civic Coupe I believe the spiritual successor of the Prelude has finally arrived at Honda. You might be wondering why the new generation Civic Coupe has more Prelude DNA than any of the Civic models which have come before it? The answer comes down to several objective and subjective factors. Objectively the new Civic Coupe hits the sweet spot on Prelude dimensions. When the Prelude debuted in 1978 it had a wheelbase of 91.3 inches and an overall length of 161 inches. Over five generations the Prelude grew to a wheelbase of 101.8 inches and an overall length of 178 inches. The new Civic Coupe rides a longer wheelbase of 106.3 inches but has nearly identical overall length at 176.9 inches. Width of the new Civic is 70.8 inches vs. the last generation Prelude at 69 inches, the new Civic matches the Prelude of yore with a curb weight range of 2750-2900 lbs vs. the 2950-3000 lbs range of the Prelude. In the engine department Honda is offering two units, a 158 HP naturally aspirated 2.0 liter 4 and a 174 HP 1.5 liter turbo mill. The five Prelude generations featured Horsepower ranging from less than 100 in gen 1 to 200 by gen 5 from a naturally aspirated 2.2 liter 4. The last generation of Prelude would hit 0-60 in about 7 seconds, the current model Civic with a CVT and the 1.5 turbo will hit 60 slightly faster. Many cars today feature similar specs to these two coupes and so did some of the prior model year Civic's so what makes this one the heir to the Prelude name?

Honda readying Veloster-rivaling concept for Beijing?

Maybe the rumors of the CR-Z's death have been exaggerated. Honda has just released the first teaser of a new concept that it plans to debut at the Beijing Motor Show at the end of April. It shows off a sporty looking coupe that looks like the child of a CR-Z and Hyundai Veloster. However, the concept looks to be for the Chinese market, as it's a joint proposal with one of its domestic partners there, Guangqi Honda Automobile.
Unfortunately, we don't have any other details about the concept yet - not even a name. The teaser also doesn't give a very good indication of the car's size. It appears to be roughly the size of a small coupe, and if Honda hadn't already tried the idea with the CR-Z, you could almost see it as a modern CRX, but it could be a little bit larger, too.
In addition to the coupe concept at the Beijing show, Dongfeng Honda will premiere the concept for the next Spirior, which is the foreign version of the Accord. Guangqi Honda will also bring a mid-size SUV and the third-generation Fit. Acura will also be there and will have both the NSX Concept and a model of its powertrain. Scroll down for the full release about everything Honda will show in China.