2013 Honda Pilot Ex on 2040-cars

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How Seinfeld hopes he'll help industry make better car commercials [w/video]

Bloomberg has a fascinating look into a web series that continues to be a favorite around the Autoblog offices - Jerry Seinfeld's Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. The series, which is in its second season, sees the affable comedian picking up fellow comedians in a range of interesting cars, and having conversations with them over the drive and a cup of joe.
The piece by Bloomberg dives into the development of the series, as well as Seinfeld's tie-up with Acura, which saw the Honda-owned brand begin sponsorship this season. That relationship started not with his web series, though, but with a Super Bowl ad, alongside fellow funnyman and car enthusiast Jay Leno, that saw them competing over a new Acura NSX. Have a click over to Bloomberg for an entertaining piece that looks beyond the YouTube series. We've also wrangled Seinfeld's original Super Bowl ad for the Acura NSX, which you can see below.

2018 L.A. Auto Show: 5-plus takeaways on Jeep, Honda, Porsche and more

The 2018 L.A. Auto Show is making a strong case that auto shows aren't dead. Carmakers are ladling out sports cars and SUVs featuring serious style and performance in Los Angeles, and it's a feast for the senses. We're talking the new Porsche 911, the long-awaited Jeep Gladiator and the stylish Mazda3. It's the best car show with the most important reveals since the 2018 Detroit Auto Show kicked off the year. Here are some quick reactions: The 2019 Jeep Gladiator is a rock star When the story went live on Autoblog, our traffic went straight up. I've literally never seen the graph go straight up. So yeah, you guys seem to like it. I do, too. It's everything I want in a vehicle, including enough of a retro feel that it satisfies my cravings for an old Cherokee XJ. It's more capable and likely more expensive than I originally anticipated, but Jeep is going to have to expand its Toledo factory to keep up with demand. Don't be fooled by whatever the politicians say when that happens. It's because people like Jeeps and pickups, and this is the hero sandwich of all of that. I'd likely go with the 3.6-liter and a manual transmission if I were buying a Gladiator, but the diesel is compelling, too. Gladiator is a great name, drenched in history. I like it better than Scrambler, which never felt right to me. Only issue: It's a little over-the-top. Imagine this conversation: "So, ready to go to Panera?" "Sure, let's take the Gladiator." I mean, it's a bit much to refer to your personal vehicle as the Gladiator. Unless Russell Crowe is driving it. Then it's fine. The 2020 Porsche 911 is conservatively brilliant Every time I drive a 718 Cayman, Jaguar F-Type or another 911 challenger, I wonder if the 911 may be over the hill. It's not. And it likely never will be. This latest generation, dubbed 992 in Porsche-speak, stayed the course. The back takes some Mission E stylings that give the 911 a more modern feel. The flat six gets a little more power. The digital-heavy interior looks futuristic and slick. But overall, it's a blocking-and-tackling update that should satisfy the purists and maybe draw in a few new Porsche fans. It's the right time for the 2019 Honda Passport This slots between the Honda CR-V and the Honda Pilot. That's serious segmentation, but it's another crossover, and it's undoubtedly what the people want.

2015 Honda Civic Type R First Drive [w/video]

"VTEC just kicked in, yo." What's now a tired meme was once the greatest part of Honda ownership: the abrupt switch in power and tone as the engine's variable valve timing switched to the high-rev profile. The original VTEC gave way to i-VTEC, a continuously-variable system that works better on paper, but lacked the two-mode thrill. Fast forward to the 2015 Civic Type R, which combines modern VTEC with turbocharging for the first time on this nameplate. It's a pair as perfect as peanut butter and jelly. Or Han and Chewie. With ratings of 306 horsepower and 295 pound-feet, it's the most powerful Civic ever sold. Boost just kicked in, yo. The Civic Type R has always been an object of unfulfilled desire for enthusiasts in the US and Canada. While Europe and Japan have had multiple generations of the hottest Civic, we made do with the less powerful versions carrying the Si badge. Unfortunately, the 2015 model is another one we can't have. That said, this Euro-spec car's heart will form the basis of a new Civic Type R that's coming to America, possibly as early as 2016 as a 2017 model. The US will even get a cool five-door hatchback shell similar to the one you see here. If the next North American model – previewed by the coupe concept from this year's New York Auto Show – is any indication, our tenth-generation Civic is headed in a welcome styling direction. And before the Type R arrives, sweet turbo/VTEC goodness is promised in the form of a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine that will power less sporty Civic models, including an Si that will slot below the Type R. There is an anchor's worth of stopping power available. Proving how focused the new Type R is towards gearheads, the sole transmission option is a six-speed manual, which makes it easy to exploit the engine's 7,000 rpm redline and 6,500 rpm power peak. This engine-speed ceiling is a thousand revs lower than the last naturally aspirated Type R. Indeed, the era of turbocharging seems like the end of Honda's history of screaming high-rev motors. But forced induction trades revs for torque. The new car has more than twice the oomph of the previous, 198-hp Type R. Our question then, is if that power and torque come with any character. The 2015 Honda Civic Type R is a very capable car, both on the street and at the track. We expected a stiff ride, but it's not bone-jarring. Double-jointed front struts and a clever knuckle design isolate steering from the up-and-down movement of the suspension.