Introducing New Cars: Honda CR-V

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Friday, January 6, 2012

The Top 10 Best-Selling Cars and Trucks in the USA for 2011

6:46 AM Hell No comments

We have already seen the sales numbers for automakers in the U.S. for the year that just ended so it's time to take a look at the list with the top 10 best-selling cars and trucks of 2011, which was compiled by Car's Kicking Tires.

What's interesting here is not so much the vehicles that appear in the list but the ones that are absent this year as it was more or less expected that the Ford F-Series and the Chevrolet Silverado pickup trucks would once again take first and second place respectively and that the Camry would be the best selling passenger car.

Honda Orders Dealers to Halt Sales of Certain Used Models until Airbag Problem is Solved

1:33 PM Hell No comments

An airbag-related issue has made Honda tell its dealers to stop sales of certain used cars until a recall campaign to fix the defect is carried out.

Honda took the decision in spite of the fact that federal law requires automakers only to stop selling new cars when a recall campaign is issued, as it does not demand the same for used vehicles.

2011 GMC Terrain Review

12:56 PM Hell No comments

The 2011 GMC Terrain.

As easy as it is to take potshots at badge engineering (taking one vehicle, putting a different grille, taillights and nameplate on it and calling it something else), think about what it must be like to be a corporate cousin of a big volume brand like Chevrolet. You need product or your brand won't survive, and the fact, even prior to the great recession and Carpocalypse, is that the bucks aren't there to build unique vehicles for each brand. Platform sharing...and the more blatant badge engineering...are the only way to go.

That's GMC's lot in life and has been for decades. They finesse it by positioning themselves as more upscale...a good play for Acadia, Yukon and Yukon XL..a mixed bag when it comes to Sierra pickups, and for the Terrain? Well, it's gotta be a tough sell. Or so you'd think. The Terrain actually sells mid-pack among 12 compact crossovers (the other 11 being the Ford Escape, Chevrolet Equinox, Honda CR-V, Nissan Rogue, Toyota RAV4, Subaru Forester, Jeep Patriot, Jeep Compass, Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tucson, Mazda CX-7).

The 2011 GMC Terrain rear view.

Not that there's anything wrong with the Terrain. It's just that in the small crossover segment, there's only so much you can do to differentiate it from its sister under the skin, the Chevrolet Equinox.

GMC sent us a loaded Terrain SLT-2 AWD (all wheel drive). $31,650 base price, and after $6,435 worth of cargo management packages, navigation, audio system upgrades, swapping the 2.4 liter 4-cylinder for the 3.0 liter V6, the rear seat entertainment system, 19-inch wheels and trailering equipment, the bottom line (with $810 destination charge) was $38,895.

That's $2,010 more than the similarly equipped 2010 model we tested last year, and also a couple grand less than loading up a 2011 Equinox in similar fashion would cost you.

The 2011 GMC Terrain interior.

And there's the trouble. It really is an Equinox. Is the GMC nameplate or the blockier, arguably more masculine stying of the Terrain worth $2,000? For a few thousand people a month, the answer is yes.

2011 GMC Terrain AWD SLT-2

Base price: $31,650.

As tested: $38,895.

Likes: Room, comfort.

Dislikes: High price as tested, low-ish gas mileage.

EPA estimates: 16 mpg city/22 mpg highway.

2011 Chevrolet Equinox Review

3:38 PM Hell No comments

The 2011 Chevrolet Equinox.

The same knee-jerk that put drivers into SUVs last decade is taking a lot of them out, and in a lot of cases that's an over-reaction, too. The answer for many isn't "no SUV", it's a smarter, right-sized SUV, which in most cases means a crossover.

It's been a while since we've done a review of a Chevrolet Equinox, so we borrowed one from Courtesy Chevrolet in Phoenix for a week.

Chevy's done a great job of covering a wide price range with the Equinox, which is its smallest crossover. The base model (LS) starts at $22,995 in front-wheel drive. There are three trim levels up from there (1LT, 2LT and LTZ) and all four are also available in all-wheel drive.

Ours was the front-wheel drive LTZ. Base price $28,570. That'll get you the 2.4 liter 4-cylinder ECOTEC engine with 182 horsepower hooked up to a 6-speed automatic transmission and some nice EPA fuel economy estimates: 22 city/32 highway. Also on the standard goodies list: Four wheel anti-lock disc brakes, Stabilitrak, remote keyless entry, OnStar, a rear-view camera, Ultrasonic parking assist, programmable power lifgate, heated power outside mirrors, 17-inch aluminum sheels, fog lamps, projector beam headlamps, and and exterior chrome package.

Inside, the 2011 Chevrolet Equinox is comfortable and, in LTZ trim, loaded.

The standard equipment list for the interior is pretty long, too: Leather appointed seats with heated front buckets, 8-way power memory driver's seat and memory mirrors, sliding and reclining rear seats, automatic climate control, cargo net, cover and cross rails, tilt/telescoping steering wheel, cruise control, AM/FM/SiriusXM/CD 8-speaker Pioneer audio system, Bluetooth, outside temperature and compass, self-dimming rear view mirror and leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls.

Again, that's all part of the deal at $28,570. Not bad. In fact, very good. Good enough, in fact, that ours added only two options: 19-inch chrome-clad aluminum wheels ($1,250) and the 3.0 liter V6 engine ($1,500).

Rear view of the 2011 Chevrolet Equinox. Fender bulges and 19-inch wheels suggest performance.

About the engine...it's a big step up in power...to 264 horses. It's great. But it's also never going to get you anywhere near the mileage of the standard four. In fact, in 60% city street and 40% urban freeway driving, we averaged 16.5 miles per gallon (the EPA estimates 17 city/24 highway for the V6). If your driving includes mountain passes, that may be a trade worth making. If, on the other hand, you're mostly doing city-street commuting, seriously consider sticking with the ECOTEC four.

With the V6, the Equinox's bottom line was $32,130. Stick with the four and stick with the stock 17-inch wheels, and she'd come in at $29,380.

Chevy says the Equinox's prime competition is the Toyota RAV4, the Honda CR-V and the Ford Escape, all three well into their product cycle. The Equinox is by far the freshest of the four and should be on your list.

2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport Review

6:28 PM Hell No comments

2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport front view

Mitsubishi. The word may as well be Japanese for "how the mighty have fallen." 70 years ago, they made fearsome fighter planes that flew in World War II. 35 years ago, they had a pretty good name in the field of home electronics. And 30 years ago, they managed to crank out some fairly desirable sporty cars for their low-compression, emissions-control-choked time.

But they've never been able to break through to mass success in America, and with each passing year of subpar sales, the coffers get smaller, no doubt hurting research and development that might produce exciting new vehicles.

That's the only explanation I can manage for how Mitsu managed to be more than a decade late to the small SUV (think Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, Ford Escape) party and show up with a car that might have been competitive when the party started ten years back.

Maybe.

2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport rear view

Simply put, it's slow, with a 2-liter four cylinder engine and a continuously variable transmission. It's noisy by contemporary standards and rough, too.

The arguments in its favor? Price...a base price of $22,995 for the all-wheel drive SE model we drove...$18,495 for the 2-wheel drive ES model (which comes with a 5-speed manual that might cure a lot of our problems with power and drivability...every step up comes with the CVT)...and mileage (the EPA says 24 city, 29 highway. We saw 24.5 in a mix of city street and freeway driving over 420 miles in one week)...and Mitsu's warranty package (10 years/100,000 miles powertrain, 7 years/70,000 miles anti-corrosion/perforation, 5 years/60,000 miles bumper-to-bumper and 5 years/unlimited mileage roadside assistance.

2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport interior

The interior? Hey, it's 2001 again! Hard, black, shiny plastic as far as the eye can see. Yeah, there are updates (keyless entry, pushbutton start, a full complement oof airbags, Bluetooth), but it's definitely old-school. And it's up against vehicles like the RAV4 that started here 10 years ago and have had a decade worth of refinement.

But there is the price thing. Our SE, with a Premium Package (panoramic glass roof with LED illumination...is this "Cash Cab"?, roof rails, an upgrade to a 710-watt Rockford Fosgate audio system with 6-disc in-dash changer and Sirius satellite radio) priced at $1,800, topped out at $25,575. Show some restraint on the options list at the Toyota store and you can get a RAV4 close to that...but it'll be 2 wheel drive and more of a stripper. Drop to 2 wheel drive and a base vehicle with the Mitsu and you're nearly $7,000 cheaper.

In tough times, you can't rule out price as a motivator. But the Outlander Sport will probably be cross-shopped against three-year old RAV4s, CR-Vs and Escapes rather than new ones.

Honda to Build More CR-Vs in the U.S., Plans to Increase the use of Parts from Low-Cost Countries

10:34 AM Hell No comments

The strong yen is affecting all Japanese automakers that are exporting their locally produced cars to America. Honda is one of them, as of the 72,000 CR-Vs built last year in Japan, 35,000 made their way to North America. Japan’s third largest automaker wants to invest in its North American plants to increase the number of CR-V it builds here and reduce exports from Japan, thus minimizing losses due to exchange rates.

Honda Recalling 2010MY Accord and CR-V Models in the States for Engine Stalling Problems

1:43 PM Hell No comments

Honda has issued a new recall for certain 4-cylinder Accords and CR-Vs from the 2010 model year to check a potential failure with the engine wiring harness connector, as it may cause intermittent spark firing or the engine to stall. Read more »

Honda Germany Celebrates 50th Anniversary with Special Edition Models

6:54 AM Hell No comments

Honda has launched a new series of special edition models in Germany to celebrated the company's 50th anniversary in Europe. The first Honda store in Germany opened in 1961 in the city of Hamburg. The lineup of special edition models includes the CR-Z hybrid sport hatch, the Civic, the CR-V, the Accord and the Jazz, all of which feature additional standard equipment such as larger alloy wheels and upgraded audio systems (depending on the model) without a price increase. More details on the 50th Anniversary specials can be found on Honda's German website.

Honda Dealer Memo Says 4-Cylinder CrossTour and 2012 CR-V on their Way Along with New Civic

1:23 PM Hell No comments

The Honda fan-boys over at the Temple of VTEC claim to have intercepted an internal memo with details on the firm's upcoming models, which was sent out today to dealers. The email reportedly states that Honda will be releasing a lower-priced based version of the Accord CrossTour equipped with a 4-cylinder engine, with sales to start in "mid-summer". We'll remind you that that CrossTour is currently offered exclusively with a 275HP 3.5-liter V6 and available four-wheel drive.

Facelifted 2010 Honda CR-V with More Powerful Diesel Priced in the UK

12:30 PM Hell No comments

Honda has released pricing for its UK-bound CR-V facelift that goes on sale in January 2010. The subtly revised compact SUV benefits from new bumper and grille designs on the outside while the cabin has been refreshed with upgraded fabrics and plastics as well as a new audio console. The most notable change for the 2010 model is hidden under the hood and concerns the introduction of Honda's new 2.2-litre i-DTEC diesel engine that can be combined with an automatic gearbox.

The new diesel powerplant, which debuted in the latest Accord, produces an output of 150HP at 4,000rpm (up 10HP) and torque of 350Nm at 2,000rpm (up 10Nm). It can be matted to either a either a 6-speed manual transmission or a 5-speed automatic gearbox.

With the manual gearbox, the CR-V diesel sprints from 0 to 62mph (100km/h) in 9.6 seconds and achieves a top speed of 118mph (190 km/h) while returning a combined fuel economy of 43.5mpg UK (36.2mpg US or 6.5 lt/100km).

When combined with an automatic transmission, the diesel model hits 62mph in 10.6 seconds and has a top speed of 116mph (187km/h) while fuel economy is rated at 38.2mpg UK (31.8mpg US or 7.4 lt/100km).

The facelifted CR-V is also offered with a 2.0-liter petrol engine that remains unchanged for 2010 producing 150HP at 6,200rpm and 192Nm of torque at 4,200rpm.

Manual versions of the petrol CR-V sprint to 62mph in 10.2 seconds (automatic: 12.2 sec) and reach a top speed of 118mph (automatic: 110mph) with a combined fuel economy of 34.4mpg UK (automatic: 33.6mpg UK).

Buyers can choose from three different grades with the entry-level SE now featuring newly-designed 17-inch alloy wheels as standard as well as air conditioning, auxiliary socket, cloth upholstery and power-heated door mirrors.

The ES trim gets 18-inch 10-spoke alloy wheels, auto-dimming mirror, cruise control, double-deck cargo space, electric folding mirrors, half leather and Alcantara heated seats, headlight washers, front fog lights, leather steering wheel and gear knob, rear parking sensors, unique interior inlay trims and USB connector for an iPod.

Finally the top-spec EX models are differentiated by full body-colored bumpers and come equipped with DVD voice-activated satellite navigation with premium audio and subwoofer, full leather upholstery with front heated seats, HID Xenon headlights and auto headlight on function, panoramic roof, rain sensor, reverse tilt mirror and 8-way driver power seat in addition to the ES' standard specs.

Prices - Petrol models