1993 Acura Nsx Base Coupe 2-door 3.0l on 2040-cars

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2025 Honda Civic Hybrid confirmed along with new small Acura crossover

Honda made several announcements Thursday regarding both its core band and its premium subsidiary, Acura, giving us a taste of what to expect from both brands in 2024. The biggest news is that Acura will add a new small crossover to the lineup, slotted alongside the Integra sedan. We can also expect updates to the Honda Civic — most notably among them the introduction of a 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid model for the new sedan and hatchback — and less significant updates here and there throughout both lineups.  We know little about this new baby Acura crossover apart from what it isn't, and that's a direct import of the CDX sold overseas. Scratch that notion from your mind entirely. Honda wouldn't comment further, but we suspect the small CUV's fundamental architecture will be shared with the Honda HR-V, though we wouldn't be surprised to see it benefit from a powertrain upgrade. This is not to be confused with the Acura ZDX, which is the all-electric crossover due to arrive just about any day now . The ZDX is larger and shares its underpinnings not with anything of Honda's, but rather GM's Ultium platform. Elsewhere at Acura, we can expect a thorough interior and exterior update of the MDX and "upgrades" to the RDX.  Over at Honda, the long-expected Civic Hybrid is now officially go. It will launch this year as both a sedan and hatchback alongside a broader update that will include new styling elements (teased above) and interior upgrades; expect more closer to launch. Honda said the Odyssey will receive updates for the model year too, but did not elaborate on what to expect from the effort. We expect more on that later in 2024.  Related video:

Autoblog Podcast #343

George Kennedy from Boldride.com, BMW i3, NACTOY long list, Bentley SUV
Episode #343 of the Autoblog podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth and Steven Ewing are joined by George Kennedy, Autoblog alum and Editor-in-Chief of Boldride.com. Topics include the unveiling of the BMW i3, the 2014 North American Car and Truck of the Year long list, and the green-lighted Bentley SUV. As always, we start with what's in the garage, but then answer some of your questions before diving into the week's news. For those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. You can follow along after the jump with our Q&A. Thanks for listening!
Autoblog Podcast #343:

Acura MDX Luggage Test: How much fits behind the third row?

The Acura MDX shares its platform with the Honda Pilot, but that fact is really only obvious when you look at their rear seat floor plans. Both offer the unique, removable second-row middle seat, which means that buyers don't have to decide whether they want max capacity and a second-row bench, or the pass-through convenience of second-row captain's chairs. Both also boast a two-level cargo floor behind the third row, which is always a benefit here in Luggage Test land. But! The MDX does not have nearly as much room back there, regardless of whether you take advantage of the two-level floor's lower level (why wouldn't you?).  The MDX has two cargo volume specs for behind the third row: 16.3 and 18.1 cubic-feet. I think it's safe to assume the expanded number is with the floor in its lower position. The Pilot has 18.6 with the floor in place, and either 22.4 or 21.8 with the lower position. The latter's is the Pilot TrailSport's, which is what I conducted the luggage test on. Meanwhile, in the three-row luxury SUV realm, the current king of the castle is the Lexus TX. Telling you right now, the MDX ain't cracking that nut, but what about everything else I've tested? Let's see. Here is the space in question. Note that the floor does not need to be removed; it actually slides down, tucked just below that plastic trim, and rests upon the lower floor. Now, this obviously does raise the bottom floor by an inch versus removing the floor board entirely, so much like cargo covers in two-row vehicles, I decided to test with and without the floor inside. As with every Luggage Test, I use two midsize roller suitcases that would need to be checked in at the airport (26 inches long, 16 wide, 11 deep), two black roll-aboard suitcases that just barely fit in the overhead (24L x 15W x 10D), and one smaller green roll-aboard that fits easily (23L x 15W x 10D). I also include my wife's fancy overnight bag just to spruce things up a bit (21L x 12W x 12D). Well, I can safely say that the MDX's cargo area is narrower than the Pilot's (above right). I could not fit the same bags* head-to-head in the MDX as I could in the Pilot (* green bag is the blue bag's equally sized replacement). The underfloor area seems to be the same length, but it is considerably narrower.  As such, it's obvious the MDX won't be able to hold as many bags, or at least the same bags, as the Pilot could.  First, with the floor stored in its lower position inside the MDX. Two options.