2009 Honda Civic Lx Sedan 4-door 1.8l on 2040-cars

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Automotive April Fools' joke roundup [w/videos]

Happy April, everyone. And we all know what this first day of the month means: April Fools' Day. Today is a national holiday for pranksters with the Internet acting as a serious enabler, and it's always fun to see what kind of vivid imaginations exist out there in the automotive world. The abundance of fake news gets a little old as the day rolls on, but we did manage to get in a few chuckles thanks to a handful of major automakers and automotive news outlets that got into the pranking spirit this year
Some of our favorites this year includes Subaru showing what happens when you combine a bunch of rumors, a Corvette some may have already thought was a joke or Honda providing some in-car innovation circa the late 1980s. Honestly, we're still waiting for official confirmation from Mitsubishi that the recently introduced 2014 Mirage is an elaborate April Fools' joke using a failed design intended for the 1995 Geo Metro. We dug up as much "official" OEM foolishness we could find, as well as some of our other favorites, and posted them all below.

New Honda Civic Natural Gas goes on sale end of November

For folks who prefer to put natural gas directly into their vehicle rather than converting it to electricity first, CNG vehicles offer a cleaner alternative to gasoline power while still using a traditional powertrain. If you're looking for a sedan that runs on CNG, your current options are pretty limited - especially in the US - and you'll almost certainly be taking a look at Honda. The 2015 Honda Civic Natural Gas goes on sale starting November 19 in 37 states. The new CNG-powered Civic sedan has a base MSRP of $26,740 (not including $790 destination fee). Opt for the Leather Navi trim, and you're still looking at a starting price below $30,000 (before destination), at $29,390. It comes equipped with a seven-inch touchscreen audio display, rearview camera and LaneWatch display as standard features. It's built at Honda's Greensburg, IN manufacturing facility. The 2015 Civic Natural Gas can only be had with the five-speed automatic transmission. Its fuel economy is rated at a gasoline gallon equivalent of 27 miles per gallon in the city/38 highway/31 combined. It's not quite as impressive as the Civic Hybrid's 44/47/45 rating, but you will be burning natural gas, which burns cleaner and can be sourced from North America, if you're into that sort of thing. Furthermore, the American Council for Energy-Efficient Economy called the Civic Natural Gas one of its top 10 greenest vehicles of 2014, and Kelley Blue Book as one of its 10 Best Green Cars. Learn more in Honda's press release below. 2015 Honda Civic Hybrid and Civic Natural Gas Provide Superior Environmental Performance With Sophistication and Value - Automotive and environmental experts recognize the Civic Hybrid and Civic Natural Gas as among the best green cars of 2014 - Available features include 7-inch touchscreen Display Audio, leather-trimmed seats, Honda LaneWatch™ and standard rearview camera - 2015 Civic Hybrid launches Nov. 5, and 2015 Civic Natural Gas goes on-sale in 37 states beginning Nov. 19 TORRANCE, Calif., Nov. 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Joining the already released 2015 Civic Sedan, Civic Coupe and Civic Si, the 2015 Civic Hybrid and Civic Natural Gas vehicles provide consumers with additional choices for even greater fuel efficiency and environmental performance from an already fuel-efficient lineup. The 2015 Civic Hybrid launches at Honda dealers nationwide on November 5 with a manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) starting at $24,7352.

Honda Accord Hybrid Falls Well Short Of 47 MPG, Says Consumer Reports

Do not poke Consumer Reports with the hybrid fuel economy stick. That seems to be the lesson illustrated here yet again. The Honda Accord Hybrid is the latest to arouse the ratings bear, returning "just" 40 combined mpg in CR testing. Even so, that makes it "a class leader for fuel economy among midsized sedans," besting even the Civic Hybrid in CR testing, but that's still a lucky roll of the dice short of its EPA rating of 47 mpg. Remember, it was back in December 2012 that CR knocked the Ford Fusion and C-Max hybrid models for the exact same failing: certified with an EPA-rated 47 mpg but delivering "just" 40 mpg. Beyond that, while the Accord Hybrid earned a lower overall score than the traditional gasoline Accord because of its ride, handling and refinement issues, it gets unqualified applause from the institute for its "very impressive hybrid system." It will be interesting to see if CR's findings will negatively impact the model's sales, which to this point have been impressive enough that demand is outstripping supply. In the meantime, you can check out CR's brief video review of the Accord Hybrid below, and check out the magazine's press release chiding its mpg rating. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Honda Accord Hybrid Delivers Class-Leading Fuel Economy, But Falls Well Short Of EPA's 47 MPG Estimate Jeep Grand Cherokee and BMW 328d diesels shine, Subaru XV Crosstrek Hybrid underwhelms YONKERS, N.Y., May 29, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Consumer Reports fuel economy tests found the Honda Accord Hybrid delivered impressive overall fuel-economy, tying the smaller Honda Civic Hybrid and just below the top-performing Toyota Prius hatchback. The Accord Hybrid's 40-mpg performance on Consumer Reports combined city and highway tests make it a class leader for fuel economy among midsized sedans. Testers found the Accord Hybrid has a very impressive hybrid system that smoothly transitions between battery and engine power. To save fuel, even at highway speeds, the engine willingly shuts off as soon as drivers lift their foot off the gas pedal. But Consumer Reports' engineers caution that buyers expecting their car to the EPA's figure of 47 mpg posted on the window sticker might be disappointed. "We've found that the EPA tests often exaggerate the fuel-economy of hybrids," said Jake Fisher, director of automotive testing at Consumer Reports.