2020 Honda Civic Sport Touring 4dr Hatchback Cvt on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2017 Honda CR-V gets turbo power, snazzier interior

The Civic is Honda's most vital vehicle. Right behind it is the CR-V, the company's second-best selling model and standard-bearer in the competitive compact crossover segment. It's lauded for comfort and utility and has remained popular with customers even though it hasn't had major updates in five years. Now comes the fifth generation, which Honda redesigned using all of its familiar tactics: More space, more technology, more safety features, slightly different styling, and some key pieces borrowed from the Civic. It's a playbook that works – about 4 million CR-Vs have been sold since 1997 and it's currently neck-and-neck with the Civic and Accord for the Honda sales crown. Put simply, "CR-V is extremely important to the Honda brand," said Alice Lee, Honda senior product planner. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Launching this winter, the 2017 model features a new turbocharged engine – the first for the CR-V – that's also used in the Civic. The 1.5-liter four-cylinder is expected to be rated at 190 horsepower and 179 pound-feet. The torque maxes out from 2,000 to 5,000 rpm, adding a spunkier feel to Honda's buttoned-down ute. The naturally aspirated 2.4-liter four-cylinder continues, making 184 hp and 180 lb-ft. Both are paired with a continuously variable transmission. Final fuel economy figures weren't released, but the 2016 2.4-liter achieved 26 miles per gallon in the city and 33 mpg on the highway in front-wheel-drive trim (25/31 with AWD). Next year's model is lighter, but 2017 also brings revised adjustments to stated fuel economy figures - so expect some increase in real-world mpg, even if the window sticker number is different. The CR-V rides on a new platform derived from the Civic. It is 1.2 inches longer with a 1.6-inch gain between the wheels. It's also 1.4 inches taller and wider. Collectively, this means the cabin is roomier, and cargo volume with the rear seat up increases two cubic feet to 39.2 cu ft. But, the CR-V's interior goes way beyond numbers. The instrument panel is upgraded with two new screens, a seven-inch touchscreen in the middle and a colorful driver interface. The A-pillar is also thinner, which makes for better visibility. The navigation system, developed with Garmin, is also new. Perhaps hearing feedback from across the industry about confusing touchscreens, Honda proudly points to a volume knob in the center stack that eases use.

100th Pikes Peak Hill Climb brings bad weather, heartbreak

Hill climb? Please. While Europeans spent the weekend driving up a nobleman's driveway at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, we in 'Murica got down and dirty with the 100th running up Pikes Peak. In a reversal of stereotypes, it is we who have understated. The "hill" climb ascends one of the tallest peaks in the Rockies, to a finish line that's 14,115 feet above sea level. To get there, it takes 156 turns over 12.42 miles, some of which just look like paved sky, because they have have no guardrails between the asphalt's edge and sheer dropoffs. In reality, the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is even older than 100 years. The first event took place in 1916, but in 1917-19 and 1942-45, the so-called Race to the Clouds was put on hiatus due to a couple of world wars. This year's event was marked by damp weather that dashed the hopes of several teams' efforts to break new records. David Donner's Porsche 911 Turbo S Lightweight Package, for example, was widely expected to reclaim the production car record this year. Donner is a three-time PPIHC champ, and set the 2014 production car record in a 991-generation Turbo S.  A Bentley Continental GT piloted by Rhys Millen beat it in 2019, so Porsche was keen on taking it back. Donner broke the production qualifying time earlier in the week, but even the seasoned pro couldn't put his skills to tarmac due to moisture-laden surfaces and low-visibility from thick fog on race day. The result was 10:34.053, over 15 seconds slower than Millen's 10:18.488, still good enough to land the class's top spot and second overall. Acura arrived in Colorado to conduct its much-touted motorsports debut of the 2023 Integra. While the entry-level sports sedan, equipped with a stock engine but modified with a slew of HPD goodies, came in ninth in the production class, Acura didn't go home emptyhanded. A 2022 NSX Type S driven by Nick Robinson took the category's third spot. Taking second was Daijiro Yoshihara with a Tesla Model S. In recent years, electric cars have become a force to be reckoned with, especially since they are immune to high altitudes that negatively impact internal combustion cars. Poor conditions sent newcomer Levi Shirley's Ultra 4 buggy off course. Fortunately, it was near the lower sections, where there's still a significant amount of runoff past the pavement's end. Amazingly, Shirley landed wheels down in the video above, and simply continued driving through the pea soup haze.

Honda rolls out six-seat Jade Hybrid wagon in Japan

Honda has tried its hand at making hybrids of all shapes and sizes – whether dedicated or adapted to partial electric propulsion. There was the original two-seat Insight, the five-passenger Insight that followed, the 2+2 CR-Z hatchback and the hybrid version of the Vezel crossover – to say nothing of hybrid versions of the Civic and Accord. And now there's one more... in Japan, anyway. That would be the Jade, a wagon developed for the Chinese market but which Honda is now bringing home for the JDM, with a few key differences. For starters, while the Civic-based, low-slung wagon/minivan is produced under joint venture with Dongfeng principally in five-seat configuration, the Japanese version is being offered with three rows of two seats each for a total of (you guessed it) six chairs. The six-seat configuration, also offered on the conventional Chinese-market model, does away with the middle seat in the middle row in favor of more elbow room. The JDM Jade is also ditching the conventional 1.8-liter inline four in favor of the 1.5-liter hybrid and seven-speed DCT from the Vezel and Fit hybrids. Now if we could just get it Stateside with the Civic Type R engine, we could have a real sleek power wagon on our hands that would make us forget all about the Seat Leon ST Cupra unveiled just last week and let us play British touring car champion on our daily commute. Featured Gallery Honda Jade Hybrid (JDM) View 15 Photos News Source: Honda Green Honda Minivan/Van Wagon Hybrid JDM