2006 Acura Rsx on 2040-cars

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2014 North American Car and Truck/Utility of the Year finalists announced [w/poll]

The 2014 North American International Auto Show is right around the corner, which means it's high time we found out which cars and trucks would be finalists for the prestigious North American Car and Truck/Utility of the Year awards.
The finalists - three in cars and three in three trucks/utilities - are dominated by American brands, with two-thirds of the finalists hailing from either General Motors or Chrysler (don't worry Ford, there's always next year), while outliers from Mazda and Acura can be found in each contest. Here now is the list of finalists for the big prizes:
2014 North American Car of the Year:

Honda and Acura add garage door control to Apple CarPlay, Android Auto

You’ll soon be able to use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto in your Honda or Acura to open and close your garage door. ItÂ’s a new feature made possible through a partnership with the Chamberlain GroupÂ’s myQ Connected Garage service. Honda says that all of its 2023 and 2024 model year vehicles will be compatible with this new tech, but it also says that “millions of older Honda and Acura models supporting Apple CarPlay and Android Auto also have compatibility.” ThatÂ’s especially great to hear that the convenience is not just going to be limited to brand-new models. As for how it works, the system is fairly straightforward. You can set a geofence that will automatically prompt you with a system notification when you get within a certain distance of your garage. Follow the onscreen instructions to open, and your garage door will do as you command. The same can be done to close your garage door. For this tech to work, Honda says that youÂ’ll need a compatible garage door opener, but thereÂ’s a good chance you already do because myQ is compatible with most openers on the market today from LiftMaster and other Chamberlain brands. If your opener is already myQ enabled, then you wonÂ’t need to do anything. However, if you have an older style, Honda says you can use a “myQ Smart Garage Control device” to upgrade it into one. Honda is offering everybody one for free if you sign up for its 30-day demo subscription of the service, so donÂ’t worry about having to buy one. However, if you do wish to continue beyond that 30-day free trial, a three-year subscription costs $129, while a five-year subscription will run you $179. The real benefit to this system is that youÂ’ll be able to open and close your garage door from anywhere, not just within the range of where your opener or car-linked button will work. Of course, myQ has a phone app that will do the same, but this allows you to do the task directly through the carÂ’s interface without needing to yank out a phone. Honda says this tech is functional as of today, so go ahead and try it out if you have all the necessary garage door tech in place.

Honda Civic Hatchback Luggage Test: How it compares with sedan and Integra

Well, we have a first here at Autoblog Luggage Test HQ: the first time I've done the next-generation of a make/model that's already been luggage tested. I know, right, very exciting. So, for the first time, I'll be able to report how a vehicle compares with its immediate predecessor. As this is the Honda Civic hatchback, I can also show you how it compares with the Honda Civic sedan and the mechanically related Acura Integra. So. Many. Comparisons! In short, the Civic is a definitive example of why you can't really compare the cargo volume figures of a sedan and a hatchback (or wagon, SUV or other hatchbacked vehicle). The specs say the hatchback has 24.8 cubic-feet of space whereas the Civic sedan has 14.8, yet as I'm about to show you, the sedan actually has more space for holding bags or whatever. This is already a phenomena I covered with the Integra and its 24.3-cubic-foot trunk. Apparently, that half a cube makes a difference as it was indeed easier to load bags into the Civic hatch.  Top Civic hatchback, bottom left Civic sedan, bottom right Integra Some key observations here with this trio. The Civic sedan is 4 inches longer than the Civic hatchback, almost all of which is behind the rear axle. This lends its trunk greater length than the hatchback, which is more useful for stuffing in luggage. The Civic hatchback (and Integra) have more height, which balloons the cubic-foot number, but doesn't really provide much help in this test since I don't pack to the roof for safety, visibility and consistency reasons. If you lower the back seats, it's a whole different ballgame, but I'll get to that later. Now, to the bags. As in every luggage test I do, I use two midsize roller suitcases that would need to be checked in at the airport (26 inches long, 16 wide, 11 deep), two roll-aboard suitcases that just barely fit in the overhead (24L x 15W x 10D), and one smaller 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). You can really see the difference in trunk length here. In the sedan (above right), you can fit the small roller bag behind the four biggest bags lined up. Definitely can't do that in the hatchback above left. In short, all the bags fit in all the cars (with some asterisks). It was a much easier fit in the sedan, though, and you can see that there's some extra space on either side of the egg-crusher hinges.