2019 Honda Civic Ex on 2040-cars

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2016 Honda Civic First Drive [w/video]

Before diving deep into the presentation for the 2016 Civic Sedan, Honda reps reminded us that the last generation of the car sold very well, thank you. Launched for the 2012 model year, and conspicuously updated for '13, the ninth-generation of Honda's Everyman Sedan was dinged in the media for its lack of innovative powertrains, a drop in refinement relative to the newest competitors, and generally staying the course instead of blazing a trail. That Civic still sold hundreds of thousands of copies. But at the presser for this new car, the sense of relief in moving forward, and excitement about the future, was palpable. Striking up the band and fawning over a new car is the job of Honda's staff, of course, but after driving the '16 Civic for myself, it was clear why the gushing seemed so genuine. This is a new machine, soup to nuts, built to draw crosshairs on the best compact cars in the world. To do that, Honda prioritized overall refinement, the steering experience, a quiet cabin, and high-speed stability as areas in which the tenth-gen car must excel. Those are new areas; the company accepts that things like excellent fuel economy and safety are elemental parts of any Civic by now. Having driven the current version of most every competitor, I set out to see if Honda could make good on that lofty and diverse set of goals. View 40 Photos Honda prioritized excellence in overall refinement, the steering experience, a quiet cabin, and high-speed stability. The new Civic powertrain lineup gives the model an immediate leg up. For 2016, Honda is bringing two new four-cylinder engines to the game: a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter, and a turbocharged 1.5-liter. I got a small sample of the 2.0L engine – it's generally up to the task of carrying Civic sales in bulk – but I spent most of my day with the more exciting 1.5T. (That's mostly what Honda brought along; the engineers are clearly proud of this motor.) The top three trim levels will include the 174-horsepower, 162-pound-feet turbo engine, connected to a continuously variable transmission. The added power makes sense for the more expensive versions of this car, as the easy acceleration it offers is a real luxury. Most drivers will appreciate that there's less "turbo-y" feeling to this engine than just about any I've ever experienced. Full torque output starts at 1,800 rpm – and sticks there right up to the 5,500-rpm horsepower peak – but there's no drama around the power coming on.

Honda further expands Takata recall to 340k vehicles in Japan

Just days ago, Honda announced it would expand its global Takata airbag inflator recall by 4.89 million vehicles globally, though none of those were in the US. Now, the automaker has broadened the safety campaign in Japan by 340,000 units. The company's Japanese expansion includes 80,000 vehicles to replace their driver's side inflators. According to Reuters, these cars were covered under an earlier recall but weren't yet repaired. There are also 260,000 additional automobiles in the country in need of passenger side replacements. A broadened campaign is also coming for the US, but its extent isn't known yet. According to Reuters, Honda submitted the necessary documents to regulators on May 27. However, the automaker has decided to wait for National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to make the official announcement. Takata's exploding inflators are linked to six deaths and many injuries. Research indicates that exposure to moisture causes the part's propellant to ignite too quickly when the airbag is activated and can cause these ruptures. In testing on components taken from recalled vehicles, Takata found hundreds of cases of them bursting. Related Video: News Source: ReutersImage Credit: Tomohiro Ohsumi / Bloomberg via Getty Images Recalls Honda Safety Takata airbag recall

Editors' Choice: Top Five 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show Debuts

Consider the 2015-16 auto show season officially kicked off. The Frankfurt Motor Show offered a great look at the newest crop of production cars and conceptual machines, and brought some old favorites back into the spotlight for a closer look. (The Alfa Romeo Giulia, for example, debuted in June, but this was the first time most of us saw it.) Now that the dust has settled and we're all on flights back to the US, our editors cast their votes for their personal favorites from the Frankfurt show. These are the cars we truly loved seeing the most. But unlike other shows, there was no one runaway winner – all of the Top Five received positive praise from our team. We won't spoil the results, though. Scroll down to see what we liked most from this year's Frankfurt expo. 5th Place – MERCEDES-BENZ IAA CONCEPT View 12 Photos MIKE AUSTIN: The clean lines on this concept have me excited for a more elegant beauty to future Mercedes-Benz vehicles. Next to the Concept IAA, the lovely S-Class Coupe looks like an overstyled barge. DAVID GLUCKMAN: Yeah, the extendable rear is neat and all, but I'm more interested in the front-end styling of this one. It looks like the Tron version of a 300SL, in a good way. I'm hopeful it portends the future of Mercedes design. STEVEN EWING: I was super impressed when Mercedes said that, with the rear end extended, this concept has a drag coefficient of just 0.19. That's crazy aerodynamic. I'm not head-over-heels about the styling, but I think the lessons learned from this concept are really important, and will play a huge role in the future of Mercedes' products. 4th Place – ALFA ROMEO GIULIA View 15 Photos SEYTH MIERSMA: I can hardly express how in love with this car I am. The styling feels creative, modern, and evocative, without going over the top. The proposed performance is spectacular. And the Alfa badge speaks to a legacy of romantic motoring. DAVID GLUCKMAN: Pretty Italian car makes big promises and will probably deliver on about three quarters of them. I think that will still be enough for me. JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: I'm really intrigued by the Giulia. It looks great, sounds awesome, and I'm expecting it to have a load more character than its German rivals. I hope I'm not disappointed. 3rd Place – JAGUAR F-PACE View 15 Photos GREG MIGLIORE: It's the first SUV for Jaguar, and I think they nailed the design, capability, and electronics. It's the right car at the right time.