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A best-seller that's better than ever | 2017 Honda CR-V First Drive

Compact utility vehicles make up the largest single segment in the American automotive industry. And with good reason – crossovers today very nearly match up with sedans in refinement and driving manners while providing respectable fuel efficiency and lots of cargo capacity. People buy them because they are practical, potentially filling multiple needs with just one vehicle. The Honda CR-V was the best-selling vehicle in the compact CUV segment last year, and it has been redesigned for 2017. Major updates mean more space inside for passengers and cargo, a bit more power and efficiency from a new 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, and a quieter, more comfortable driving experience. The previous CR-V was already one of the best vehicles in its class, and the fully redesigned 2017 CR-V remains the best bet for your buck. The first thing we noticed about the 2017 Honda CR-V was its size. We're all used to vehicles getting successively larger with every new generation, and true to form, Honda's compact crossover isn't really very compact anymore. The 2017 edition's wheelbase has been stretched 1.6 inches over the previous CR-V's, and it's 1.4 inches taller and 1.2 inches longer overall. Thankfully, those extra inches equal more room inside. Rear-seat passengers get more than two extra inches of legroom compared to the 2016 CR-V for a total of 40.4 inches. Competitors like the Ford Escape, Nissan Rogue, and Toyota RAV4 all have around 37 inches of rear legroom. With the back seats folded flat, the cargo area is nearly 10 inches longer than before. There's 39.2 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats up, or 75.8 with the second row folded. Those capacities are at least as good as those of its main competitors, though it's worth noting that the Rogue is offered with a small third row for a total of seven seats. Honda designers did a decent job of masking the new CR-V's bigness with shapely bodywork highlighted by muscular, bulging fenders and detailed lighting elements front and rear. A prominent horizontal chrome bar leads the way, flanked by LED headlights with strong Nike-swoosh-shaped daytime running lights. The rear light clusters are massive, with a clear plastic enclosure that juts far out from the bodywork. It's strange, then, that the actual amber turn signals are small vertical slits that don't really stand out in daylight.

Honda rolls out new Step WGN in Japan

First introduced back in 1996, the Honda Step WGN (originally styled as Stepwgn) is now entering its fifth generation of hauling families around the Pacific island nation, and packs a number of innovations into its tall and boxy form. For starters, this latest minivan does away with the conventional 2.4-liter engine from its predecessor and replaces it with a new 1.5-liter turbocharged VTEC, driving either the front wheels or all four through a continuously variable transmission. More innovative though is the "Waku Waku Gate," borrowing its name for the Japanese term for "exciting." We're not sure we'd go that far, but it is intriguing: the tailgate can either be opened fully for maximum aperture, or partially split and opened to the side for tighter spots. That ought to make ingress and egress from the seven-passenger cabin that much easier, but once inside it promises to be a more pleasant place as well thanks to Scandinavian-inspired design. It also packs the latest safety features, including pedestrian detection, to keep everyone safer and make the new Step WGN more appealing to Japanese families. Honda to Begin Sales of All-New Step WGN - Equipped with a newly-developed 1.5-liter direct injection VTEC TURBO engine - TOKYO, Japan, April 23, 2015 - Honda Motor Co., Ltd. will begin sales of the all-new Honda Step WGN on Friday, April 24, 2015, at dealerships across Japan. Equipped with a newly-developed 1.5-liter direct injection VTEC TURBO engine, this fifth-generation Step WGN was designed to be a fun-to-use minivan that features a functional cabin space much like a living room at home, as well as a revolutionary tailgate mechanism named Waku Waku Gate ("Waku Waku" is a Japanese expression for "exciting"). Honda's first 1.5-liter VTEC TURBO engine realizes not only powerful and smooth acceleration with its torque equivalent to that of a 2.4-liter engine but also excellent fuel economy and quietness, achieving the type of leisurely drive people expect from a minivan even with multiple passengers and on hilly roads. Moreover, the all-new Step WGN realizes top-in-class level*1 fuel economy of 17.0km/liter (JC08 mode*2). Furthermore, the all-new Step WGN features the largest cabin space in the class*3 as well as the Waku Waku Gate*4, Honda's original design that functions as a wide tailgate that opens up or as with a sub-door that opens to the side.

McLaren collaborating with Honda future road cars?

McLaren and Honda may expand their alliance beyond the world of Formula 1, according a report from the UK's Autocar, which quotes McLaren CEO Martin Whitmarsh.
Citing the multi-year deal, Whitmarsh remarked at last weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix, "It's a pure Formula 1 contract, but we've already been looking at automotive technology and we're sharing that very openly. Our road car strategy at the moment has no other automotive partner and Honda would be a good place to collaborate."
Still, we wouldn't count on seeing a McLaren-Honda road car in the near future. According to Autocar, McLaren's road-car division is already tied up working on a rival for the Porsche 911, called the P13.