2017 Honda Pilot Ex-l on 2040-cars

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NSX, S660, and a 4-motor CR-Z EV that goes like hell

AutoblogGreen Editor-in-Chief Sebastian Blanco was my road dog while visiting Honda's R&D center in Tochigi. Over the course of a long day of briefings, driving demonstrations, and a variety of strange-flavored candies, we saw quite a lot of what the company is planning for the next generation and beyond. Of course, Sebastian and I see the world through very different eyes. So, while he was busy getting details about the FCV Clarity successor, and asking tough questions about electrification (in other words, the important stuff), I was fixating on a tiny, two-seat sports car that will never come to America. Oh, there was an NSX, too. Honda's pre-Tokyo Motor Show meeting really did have plenty to offer for all kinds of auto enthusiasts, be they focused on fast driving or environmentally friendly powertrains. Seb's attendance let me focus on the stuff that's great for the former, while he wrote up high points of the latter. View 15 Photos S660 I joke about salivating over the S660, but honestly I was at least as excited to take a few laps in Honda's Beat encore, as I was to sample the Acura supercar. Conditions for the test drive weren't ideal, however. Two laps of a four-kilometer banked oval is not exactly nirvana for a 1,800-pound, 63-horsepower roadster. Still, I folded all six feet and five inches of my body behind the tiny wheel determined to wring it out. The immersion of the driving experience was enough to make it feel fast, at least. I shifted up just before redline in first gear with the last quarter of the pit lane rollout lane still in front of me. The 658cc inline-three buzzed like a mad thing behind my ear, vastly more stirring than you'd expect while traveling about 30 miles per hour. The S660 is limited to just around 87 mph, but the immersion of the driving experience (note: I was over the windscreen from the forehead up) was enough to make it feel fast, at least. Even after just a few laps, and precious little steering, I could tell that everything I grew up loving about Honda was in play here. The six-speed manual offered tight, quick throws, the engine seemed happiest over 5,000 rpm, and the car moved over the earth with direct action and a feeling of lightness. Sure proof that you don't need high performance – the S600 runs to 60 mph in about 13 seconds – to build a driver's car. I could have used 200 miles more, and some mountain roads, to really enjoy the roadster (though I would have wanted a hat).

Is the Acura Legend coming back?

Great news for fans of the Acura Legend: Honda has applied for a trademark in Europe for the word "Legend," pertaining to "Vehicles; Apparatus for locomotion by land; Apparatus for locomotion by air; Apparatus for locomotion by water; Parts and fittings for land vehicles; Parts and fittings for air and space vehicles; Parts and fittings for water vehicles." This trademark was first spotted by AutoGuide.com, and gives more credence to our speculation from a couple months ago about the possibility of the Legend nameplate returning to the Acura lineup in the States. If you were reading closely before, you'll notice that it was actually Honda that applied for the trademark, not Acura. The Legend was sold with a Honda badge on it in Europe back in the day, so this trademark filing in Europe makes perfect sense. In our previous report, we put forth the idea that Acura could bring the Legend name back with a successor to the RLX flagship sedan. Specifically, we were thinking that Acura would use the four-door coupe form previewed by the Acura Precision concept. That story also suggested a new Legend flagship could debut during Monterey Car Week. The 1986 Legend sedan was one of Acura's first two vehicles when the brand launched (the other being the Integra). It had a smooth 2.5-liter V6 that made all of 151 horsepower at the time. A sweet-looking coupe soon followed the sedan. The name Legend would be applied to a second-generation, which is arguably the one best-remembered. The coupe in particular has lived up to its name. Much of that legendary status, though, is the result of what followed: the Legend name and coupe body style dying for 1996 in favor of the RL, a four-door sedan as bland as its name. Acura's flagship has never recovered. We'll be quite pleased if Acura ultimately decides to reveal a totally new Legend to blow us away in Monterey. The return to actual names for the lineup would also be lovely. It's certainly working for Lincoln. Now if they'd only trademark "Integra" ...

2015 Honda CR-V

Honda sold 335,000 CR-Vs in 2014, meaning the long-running compact CUV accounted for one in every four Honda-badged vehicles sold. And honestly, it's not too difficult to see why. It's efficient, comfortable, reasonably well equipped and reliable, much as it has always been. While it's arguably the least-exciting entry in what is, to be frank, a fairly dull class, the CR-V has always been remarkably competent at being all the vehicle its customers could possibly need. The facelifted 2015 model is all of those things and more, as we found out during a full week at the helm. Honda has been remarkably consistent in the slow evolution of the CR-V's styling over the years. If you were to compare the rear of the third-generation model (released way back in 2007 and updated in 2010) with the back of this fourth-generation version (released in 2012 and freshened for this most recent model year) you'd be hard pressed to tell one from the other. The 2007 model featured tall taillights that got wider at the bottom, while a low rear bumper, large aperture and upright tailgate made access to the rear cargo area a piece of cake... just like the 2015 model shown above. Honda has been more progressive in front for its new CR-V, however, retaining the same wide, canted headlights and three-slat grille that first appeared in 2012, but this time lining them in LED accents (as is the trend nowadays). As for the interior, the material quality is easily among the best in this fiercely competitive segment, with soft, attractive dashboard plastics. We aren't crazy about the faux leather stitching, although that's true on a lot of vehicles in this class. Other accents, like the thin strip of faux wood at the bottom of the dash, look good and have a quality feel. The leather-wrapped steering wheel is a nice item, too, and we couldn't be happier about Honda's decision to replace the old-fashioned ruched leather on the seats with cleaner, tauter hides. Those seats are quite wide and comfortable, as well, although they aren't exploding with side support for cornering (it's a Honda CR-V, after all). Visibility is excellent fore, aft and laterally, regardless of how you set up the seat. In back, leg and headroom are both in abundance, while the bench seat should prove adequate throughout a family's normal use, or on long drives. That isn't to say there aren't problems in the cabin, though.