Category: Honda

With one of the most technologically advanced powertrains in the industry, the RLX hybrid puts out a combined 377 horsepower. Impressive. We won't go into the details of the technology much beyond the fact that it has Honda's Earth Dreams Three Motor Hybrid System combining the RLX' 310-horsepower 3.5L V6 with one 47-horsepower and two 36-horsepower rear electric motors. The resulting 377-horsepower combined with the 7-speed Dual Clutch Transmission makes the car into a dancer.

EarthDreams LogoIt has long been said that Honda is first and foremost an engine company and everything it does is really just to sell more engines. It sells everything from motor bikes and generators to jet planes with cars in between. Honda engines can be as small as 25 cubic centimeters used in lawn and garden equipment. The engines we are interested in are Honda engines powering their cars, minivans and crossover SUVs. The new evolution of Honda's car and truck powertrains is "Earth Dreams Technology". Earth Dreams includes a range of engines and engine technology, CVT transmissions and hybrid powertrains and EV technology. It is a comprehensive approach to updating Honda's automotive powertrains in response to looming United States and global emissions regulations.

Honda's new Accord Hybrid joins the mid-size sedan hybrid wars with a two-motor hybrid that achieves 50mpg in the city (50 city/45 highway/47 combined). As one of the top selling cars in the USA, the Accord Hybrid has the potential to unseat the present leader Toyota Camry Hybrid (followed by the Ford Fusion Hybrid and Hyundai Sonata Hybrid in sales so far in 2013). Accord's bragging rights are for city fuel economy - highest in the mid-size class at 50mpg. Fusion gets 47mpg in the city (and highway). The best-selling is down on mpg compared with Fusion and Accord - Camry gets 43mpg in the city and 39 on the highway.

AutoPacific's Ideal Vehicle Awards for 2o13 are given to brands and vehicles that best meet the expectations of their buyers. The person driving the car does not want it to be bigger or more powerful or have better info/entertainment systems. Based on the results of over 52,000 respondents, the IVAs are owner-based awards that can serve to give car and truck buyers an idea of how well manufacturers have designed vehicles with their customers in mind.

Driver satisfaction is a critical measure of vehicle acceptance. Having a satisfied buyer results in better loyalty, better word-of-mouth, stronger image. Satisfaction is a central building block of a brand. AutoPacific has been measuring driver satisfaction since 1993 and it is always instructive to look at the differences between women and men drivers. In AutoPacific's annual 2012 Vehicle Satisfaction research, women drivers score 39 rating points higher than men - 674 over 635 in their overall Vehicle Satisfaction score.

Honda will add a plug-in hybrid version of the Accord for the 2014 model year with launch in the first quarter of 2013. As part of its Earth Dreams Technology initiative, the PHEV represents the toughest powertrain challenge for the Accord according to Plug-In Hybrid Large Project Leader Yasuyuki Sando. Later, a pure two-motor hybrid version will be added.

The all new 2013 Honda Accord is Honda's most important vehicle EVER. That's right, EVER! It comes after lackluster reviews of the latest cost-reduced mind-numbing Civic. It enters the mid-size car product segment where the oldest high volume competitor was launched as a 2011 model in early 2010 (Hyundai Sonata) and each new model is more impressive than the one that came before it... Toyota Camry, Kia Optima, Volkswagen Passat, Nissan Altima, the coming-soon Ford Fusion, Chevrolet Malibu and next year's Mazda6. Each new mid-size entry is better, more finessed, more technologically capable and available with a wider range of features than ever before. The question is "Did Honda bring their 'A Game' to the 2013 Accord, or is it another misstep like the Civic?" Bring their "A Game"? Wow, did they! This Accord is a take-no-prisoners attempt by Honda to reclaim leadership in the premium mid-size car class. With this car, Honda appears to have its MOJO back!

Honda Fit wins AutoPacific's Ideal Vehicle Award for Most Ideal 2012 Economy Car

Owners of the 2012 Honda Pilot award the crossover SUV with AutoPacific's Ideal Vehicle Award for the 2012 Premium Mid-Size Crossover SUV category. The Pilot also won AutoPacific's 2012 Vehicle Satisfaction Award. Winning both awards in the same year is an impressive achievement.

Owners of the all-new 2012 Honda CR-V rate the vehicle as the Most Ideal Mid-Size Crossover SUV winning AutoPacific's 2012 Ideal Vehicle Award in that category. CR-V also won AutoPacific's 2012 Vehicle Satisfaction Award. Winning both awards is an impressive achievement.