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2016 Honda Accord refresh adds Apple CarPlay, Android Auto

The ninth-generation Honda Accord gets a thorough refresh for 2016, and the big theme here is technology. Inside and out, the updated Accord packs a host of upgrades in an effort to keep Honda's best-seller fresh in the minds of consumers. The big news is a new, seven-inch Display Audio infotainment interface with two of the latest in-car tech must-haves: Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. These come standard on EX models and above. The revised infotainment system doesn't replace the outgoing two-screen setup inside the Accord, however. There's a larger, 7.7-inch screen above the Display Audio screen, with steering wheel-mounted controls that allow access to things like audio information, the rear-view camera, and side LaneWatch camera. Outside, the car looks more tech-focused, with expanded LED lighting. All cars now have LED taillamps, and the Touring trim adds full LED headlamps. With its restyled front fascia, the 2016 Accord looks a lot more Acura than Honda, for better or worse. Both sedan and coupe body styles are available, with a new, larger 19-inch wheel option on upper-level models. Powertrains carry over largely unchanged. On the base end there's a 2.4-liter, naturally aspirated inline-four, available with either a continuously variable transmission or a six-speed manual 'box. Honda will continue to offer its 3.5-liter V6, as well, with six-speed manual or automatic transmissions. Check out the new Accord in the gallery above, and scroll down below for the official press blast. The 2016 Honda Accord hits dealers in August. Honda Introduces the Highest Tech Accord Yet in High Tech's U.S. Hub—Silicon Valley - Upgraded 2016 Accord features one of the first applications of both Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto™ in a volume-produced vehicle - More dynamic styling, including first 19-inch wheels on Accord - Honda Sensing™ safety and driver-assistive tech available on all trims - New 7-inch Display Audio touchscreen interface MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., July 23, 2015 – Honda introduced a refreshed 2016 Accord loaded with advanced technology in Silicon Valley today, the first time the company has launched a new vehicle in the U.S. tech hub. Coming to market in August, the 2016 Accord will be the first Honda model and among the first high-volume cars in the marketplace to feature both Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto™. These and other major upgrades to technology and features make it the most high-tech Accord ever.

Honda next to open museum to Google Street View

Had your fill of tooling around the Lamborghini Museum on Google Street View? Maybe Italian supercars aren't your thing? Then we've got good news, because The House That Ferruccio Built isn't the only automotive museum in cyberspace: now the Honda Collection Hall has opened its doors to the crew from Mountain View, too.
The Honda Collection Hall, for those who haven't made it out to Japan's Tochigi Prefecture, is a grand three-story museum dedicated to all things Honda. It's located at the Twin Ring Motegi, and has been open since 1998. Inside visitors will find everything from robots and scooters to SUVs and racing cars. But if you can't make it there in person, you can check out all three levels of floorspace on Street View right from the comfort of your home. Check out the images above and the interactive map below.

Watch Honda lay waste to world's fastest lawnmower record

Honda has been working on its high-performance Mean Mower for a while now. In a recent attempt to take the top speed title, it didn't make its 130-miles-per-hour top speed target, but it still managed to set a new Guinness World Record has the world's fastest lawnmower at 116.57 mph. While the video certifying the run was uploaded to YouTube on April 1, this is no prank. The Guinness run was made on March 8 at the Idiafa Proving Ground in Tarragona, Spain.
To claim the record, the lawnmower had to run through a 100-meter speed trap, and it had to make two passes in opposite directions within an hour with the average taken between them. Guinness also specifies that to take the title the vehicle must still be able to cut grass and look like a lawnmower. The speed was still plenty to beat the previous record of 96.529-mph set by Bobby Cleveland on a Snapper race mower at the Bonneville Salt Flats in September 2010.
The Mean Mower is based on a Honda HF2620 Lawn Tractor that's been modified by British Touring Car Championship squad Team Dynamics. It has a newly fabricated chassis from 4130 chromoly steel and packs a 1.0-liter engine from a Honda VTR Firestorm motorcycle with a six-speed sequential gearbox. The engine produces 109 horsepower and 71 pound-feet of torque - enough power to reach 60 mph in around four seconds. The suspension and wheels come from an ATV, and the cutter deck has been remade in fiberglass. The grass bag holds the fuel tank, oil cooler and secondary radiator. The engine no longer actually cuts grass. Instead, the blade is driven by two electric motors.