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2016 Civic Coupe: The Prelude is back!

Honda used to sell a coupe loosely based on the Accord architecture that was sporty yet economical, it was called the Prelude. Many Honda aficionados have fond memories of the Prelude, it was more than just a sportier Accord, but not quite a true sports car. It was a car you could take out and toss around on the weekend, but also drive to work every day of the week. It was a testbed for new Honda technologies while still being a car you could put hundreds of thousands of miles on. The Prelude was a sporty car, not overly powerful, but just balanced enough to be a slow car you could drive fast. It handled extremely well, it had an interior that was no-nonsense and controls that were equal to or better than any of it's contemporaries. Sadly as the market waned for sporty coupes the venerable Prelude lost sales and Honda altered their focus to selling CR-V's and Pilot's. In 2001 Honda shelved the Prelude, but now it is making a comeback, well not exactly, but after sampling a new Civic Coupe I believe the spiritual successor of the Prelude has finally arrived at Honda. You might be wondering why the new generation Civic Coupe has more Prelude DNA than any of the Civic models which have come before it? The answer comes down to several objective and subjective factors. Objectively the new Civic Coupe hits the sweet spot on Prelude dimensions. When the Prelude debuted in 1978 it had a wheelbase of 91.3 inches and an overall length of 161 inches. Over five generations the Prelude grew to a wheelbase of 101.8 inches and an overall length of 178 inches. The new Civic Coupe rides a longer wheelbase of 106.3 inches but has nearly identical overall length at 176.9 inches. Width of the new Civic is 70.8 inches vs. the last generation Prelude at 69 inches, the new Civic matches the Prelude of yore with a curb weight range of 2750-2900 lbs vs. the 2950-3000 lbs range of the Prelude. In the engine department Honda is offering two units, a 158 HP naturally aspirated 2.0 liter 4 and a 174 HP 1.5 liter turbo mill. The five Prelude generations featured Horsepower ranging from less than 100 in gen 1 to 200 by gen 5 from a naturally aspirated 2.2 liter 4. The last generation of Prelude would hit 0-60 in about 7 seconds, the current model Civic with a CVT and the 1.5 turbo will hit 60 slightly faster. Many cars today feature similar specs to these two coupes and so did some of the prior model year Civic's so what makes this one the heir to the Prelude name?

Honda Civic will show its hatchback in Geneva

Honda is bringing a conceptual look at the new Civic Hatchback to next week's Geneva Motor Show. But we think it'll be that in name only – Honda has a history of showing very production-looking 'concepts'. Given these recent spy shots, showing a very well-developed, five-door Civic, the production model should arrive before we know it. The new Civic is a seriously pretty car, and from some angles the four-door sedan already has a hatch-like appearance. We love the look of this cobbled-together prototype; the rounded-off rump in no way ruins the Honda's lines. There's even a center-mounted exhaust, which makes us super happy, though that might just be reserved for more powerful Si or Type R models. Standard five-door Civics will probably use the same engine lineup as the rest of the range – a naturally aspirated, 2.0-liter inline-four on the base end, and a turbocharged, 1.5-liter four in higher trims. Honda's also working on a turbo/manual pairing, which will likely be our powertrain du jour. We'll get a sort-of-conceptual look at the Civic Hatchback next week. Until then, scroll through the gallery of spy shots up top to see this little cutie from all angles. Related Video:

Honda Odyssey hybrid under consideration in Japan, but not US

"Over time you can expect to see broader application of our two motor hybrid system" - Sage Marie The idea of a hybrid minivan is not new, at least in Japan. Toyota sells the Estima - the world's first hybrid minivan, it has been available since 2001 - and the Aphard hybrids there. The US is not immune to the dream - in 2011, Chrysler said it was going to make a hybrid minivan in 2013 (didn't happen) - but there has never been a gas-electric minivan sold from a major automaker in the US. And, despite new rumors of a Honda Odyssey hybrid for Japan, the chances that the US will get one in the near future remain roughly at zero. A new report says Honda is considering a hybrid version of the fifth-generation Odyssey in Japan, and such a gas-electric powertrain could reduce fuel use by up to 50 percent. Honda powertrain assistant large project leader Takashi Shinchi told CarAdvice that the hybrid (not a plug-in version) is "under consideration," given the hybrid minivan competition in Japan. Such consideration is not happening in the US, at least not in any serious way. Sage Marie, senior manager of public relations for Honda North America, told AutoblogGreen, "The only thing the Japanese Odyssey and the US Odyssey have in common is the name. There are no current plans for a US Odyssey hybrid, but I will tell you that over time you can expect to see broader application of our industry-leading two motor hybrid system." The standard, gas-powered 2014 Odyssey gets 22 miles per gallon, combined (19 city and 28 highway). Featured Gallery 2011 Honda Odyssey: Review View 35 Photos News Source: CarAdvice, HondaImage Credit: Copyright 2014 Steven Ewing / AOL Green Honda Hybrid JDM hybrid minivan honda odyssey hybrid