2012 Honda Civic Lx Grey 2 Door Automatic on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Are you the 2014 Honda Fit?

Despite being the oldest model in North America's subcompact sweepstakes, the current Honda Fit remains a paragon in its segment, offering unparalleled packaging, good road manners and robust reliability. In fact, even with far more modern competitors like the Chevrolet Sonic, Ford Fiesta, Hyundai Accent and Nissan Versa Note on the scene, it may well still be the best of the bunch.
All of which explains why we're so nervous about the next-generation model, shown in these apparently leaked stock shots scanned from an in-country magazine (no, that rear end really isn't that wonky, it's the page curl distorting the image).
Will the next Fit retain the current car's incredible seating flexibility? Will it still offer a sweet-shifting manual transmission and a four-cylinder seemingly happy to bounce off its rev limiter all the livelong day? We won't know until we try it, but if these shots are representative of what we can expect in North America, it certainly will look very different. While the same two-box shape with roughly the same greenhouse remains, the front end looks much more aggressive than before, with squinty-eyed headlamps blending into a Civic-like grille, all sitting over a lower fascia with unusually oversized air intakes. The profile view is dominated by the front quarterlight and a new sharply rising character line that originates in the front fenders and terminates in the headlamps.

Best cars for snow and ice in 2023 and 2024

What's the best car for snow? The real answer is "the one with winter tires." What do we mean by that? You could have the finest, most advanced all-wheel-drive system or four-wheel drive in the world, but if you're running all-seasons (the spork of tires), your fancy four-wheeler won't matter much. The odds are, any vehicle on the road running good winter tires will probably perform adequately in slippery, slushy and/or snowy road conditions. (Here's a more complete explanation of why winter tires are totally worth it). In other words, you don't really need any of the cars on this list. With a set of winter tires, countless others will do the job, and even these will be at their best with proper rubber. You can find a variety of winter tires for your car here at Tire Rack. Keep in mind that you will need a full set of four snow tires for safety and performance, no matter what you're driving. The days of your dad putting just two snows on the family truckster to get it moving in a straight line are long gone. Don't get us wrong, getting a car that performs well in snow and ice is still a worthy criteria for car buyers. According to the U.S. Transportation Department, 70% of Americans live in places that get snow and ice. And much of the country has been blasted with arctic air for much of the new year. So let's look at the cars. First, we're highlighting choices for a variety of buyers and price points. Second, we're not just considering snow; we're considering general wintery conditions people will experience driving to work or school. As such, these are all choices with advanced all-wheel-drive systems, usually with "torque-vectoring" systems that not only automatically shunt power front and back, but side to side between the rear axles. Most have extra ground clearance for getting through deep snow, and we prefer those vehicles with more responsive steering, throttles and transmissions that provide a greater sense of vehicle control in slippery conditions.    Acura RDX Read our Acura RDX Review Acura's Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive system was one of the first to offer torque-vectoring, and besides often being touted for its ability to greatly enhanced dry-road handling, its benefits in the slick stuff can be profound. It's actually surprising that Acura hasn't leaned into this capability further by offering more rugged versions of its vehicles.

Honda insiders push for Acura NSX Type R sans hybrid tech

With 500 horsepower on tap from a sophisticated hybrid powertrain, there's plenty to love about the new Acura NSX. If the more performance-oriented elements within the Japanese automaker get their way, it could get even better. Speaking with one of the NSX project's chief engineers Nick Robinson at the launch of the new supercar, Autocar reports that there's an effort underway to develop an NSX Type R. Following a much-loved formula, the more extreme variant would pack even more power than the existing version, unburdened by excess weight. A big part of the targeted weight savings would come from ditching some of the heavier components from the hybrid system. The electric motor at the rear could stay to serve as alternator, starter motor, and flywheel. But the electric motors at the front would go, helping to shed a few hundred pounds. Throw in some lightweight materials and we'd be looking at a considerable weight reduction. It could even integrate some active aerodynamic elements that were excluded from the NSX on the road to production. Though the project may still be a ways off from getting the green light, but Robinson and some of his colleagues are working on prototypes ostensibly to make the case. He and his brother James (a powertrain engineer at Honda) will be driving a pair of NSXs at Pikes Peak this year – one that's as close to showroom stock as the regulations will allow, but the other will be closer to what they have in mind for a Type R. It'll ditch the hybrid system and put an electric compressor in its place to eliminate any turbo lag and produce even more power than the existing model. Now if they can only get the go-ahead from the higher-ups at Honda. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2014 Honda NSX Concept-GT News Source: Autocar Green Acura Honda Coupe Hybrid Performance Supercars honda nsx acura nsx type r