REVIEWS: 2009 Honda Fit Sport - Four Seasons Update - November 2009

If it seems we've been skipping the maintenance details surrounding our Honda Fit Sport, we haven't. Truth is, our Fit has been one of the most reliable, trouble-free vehicles to grace our Four Seasons fleet.

"Our Fit quietly managed to crack the 20,000-mile mark over the past weekend," wrote road test coordinator Mike Ofiara. "It doesn't require the constant attention that some of our other long-term test cars do, it doesn't call for service but for every 10,000 miles or so. The car is as tight today as it was when Honda delivered it ten months ago; its tires are wearing great and the brakes are still strong. The Fit is what you want a car to be: a reliable mode of transportation that returns good gas mileage."

At the end of the day, the Fit is just that. "It's a great commuter," writes copy editor Rusty Blackwell, "thanks to its excellent outward visibility, easy ingress and egress, and comfortable seats. The slick five-speed gearbox is a joy to operate, but like some of my coworkers, I wish that it had a sixth gear."

Blackwell also wishes Honda's rear seat had a little more versatility, especially when installing a car seat for his young daughter.

"Yes, if you drop the rear "Magic" seats, they create a very useful, low, flat load floor. But with the child seat strapped in the middle of the rear 60/40 bench (the Fit has a handy headliner-mounted high tether for the middle position), that's not an option. We have to pack carefully."

2009 Honda Fit Sport

Base price (with dest.): $16,930

Price as tested: $18,780

Overview

Body Style: 4-door hatchback

Accommodation: 5-passenger

Construction: Steel unibody

Powertrain

Engine: i-VTEC 16-valve SOHC I-4

Displacement: 1.5 liters

Power: 117 hp @ 6600 rpm

Torque: 106 lb-ft @ 4800 rpm

Transmission: 5-speed manual

Drive: Front-wheel

Fuel economy: 27/33/29 mpg (city/hwy/combined)

Chassis

Steering: Electric power-assisted rack-and-pinion

Turns lock-to-lock: 2.5

Turning Circle: 34.4 ft

Suspension, Front: MacPherson strut

Suspension, Rear: Torsion beam

Brakes F/R: Power-assisted ventilated disc/drum; ABS

Wheels: 15-in aluminum alloy

Tires: Dunlop SP Sport (all-season)

Tire Size: 185/55 R16 83H

Measurements

Headroom F/R: 40.4 / 39.0 in

Legroom F/R: 41.3 / 34.5 in

Shoulder Room F/R: 52.7 / 51.3 in

Wheelbase: 98.4 in

Track F/R: 58.1 / 57.4 in

L x W x H: 161.6 x 66.7 x 60.0 in

Cargo Capacity: 20.6 / 57.3 cu ft (rear/with seats folded)

Weight: 2534 lb

Weight Dist. F/R: 62 / 38%

Fuel Capacity: 10.6 gal

Est. Range: 315 miles

Fuel Grade: 87 octane

Standard Equipment

ABS

Front, side and side curtain airbags

Tire pressure monitoring system

Air conditioning

Power windows, locks, and remote start

Tilt and telescopic steering wheel

Trip computer

MP3 jack, USB interface

Options

None

2008 Honda Odyssey

Four ages into the current generation, the Honda Odyssey is holding its own, rather speaking, in a new automobile market savaged by $4 a gallon gas and a dwindling economy.

Like those of its archrival, the Toyota Sienna, dealings of Odysseys were off by 9 per cent the year with June as compared to a year earlier. But persons of the longtime leader of the minivan pack, the Dodge Grand Caravan, are off by 26 percent, continuing to while the Dodge and its cousin, the Chrysler Town & Country, were a great deal more recently redesigned than either the Sienna or Odyssey.

Honda updated the Odyssey's styling for '08 and has supplied the supplementary expensive Odyssey variants, similar to the Touring which I sampled, how is said to be an improved variable cylinder management system - which can shut off two or 3 of the engine's six cylinders to save fuel.

So, it seemed worthwhile to take an extra look at the Odyssey.

And our one-week look, including over a hundred dollars of miles of driving, reveals a minivan with one of the most attractive and user-friendly interiors on the family automobile market but, at 4,600 pounds in a suspension tuned for comfort, one the is just average in its handling.

Further, continuing to when the tester was empty except for the driver, the 241 hp. engine, while smooth, disappointed in its ability to uphold speed additonally climbing for a long while interstate improvements without a downshift from the five-speed automatic transmission. And, if the driver requested a downshift with a stab of the accelerator, so gearbox was ongoing to deliver.

Back on the upside, the Odyssey has a top five-star score from the federal authorities for frontal and half impact crash protection, additonally the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety names it a "top safety pick." (The Sienna and Grand Caravan get a slightly lesser rating of "good" from the institute.)

The U.S. EPA anticipations the Odyssey's fuel sector as prohibative as 25 mpg on the highway; I never saw an average on the trip computer above 21.4 in the local-highway mix I did over seven days.

Odyssey prices start at $26,530 with freight for an LX, plus automatic transmission, air conditioning, electricity windows and locks and stability control and brake assist. Most are priced in the $30,000s and they duration past $40,000 for a top-of-the-line Touring model through options like a navigation system.

This minivan seats up to eight and, when the split third row is not needed, it can be quickly folded into a vastly in the floor.

That last row, by the way, earned praise for its spaciousness based on two of my adult passengers seated in it on a trip for 15 or 20 minutes. But I'm not guaranteed if properties could undergo been as enthusiastic if we had been on the road for an hour or more.

Honda's large, clearly marked dashboard controls deserve special praise, constructued unlike individuals in some competitor vehicles to be leg work on the move by a past customer who is in addition driving.

2008 Honda Odyssey Touring

Vehicle tested:

Engine: 3.5-liter V-6, 241 hp.

Fuel: Regular

Transmission: Five-speed automatic, front-wheel drive

Safety: Dual front, seat-mounted side and curtain air bags; 4-wheel disc brakes with anti-lock, brake help and stability control; rearview camera for backing; tire pressure monitoring; fog lamps, daytime running lamps

Place of assembly: Lincoln, Alabama

Cargo room, min./max, cubic feet: 38.4/147.4

EPA fuel economy

estimates: 17 mpg, city; 25 highway

Price as driven: $40,645 not excluding freight

New Honda Accord 2008

When 1st time i saw the new Honda Accord 2008, i felt in love with the design. It is superb. This sedan car was redesign to make it more competetive to the other cars at the same class. The 2008 Honda Accord is completely redesigned, boasting more power and passenger space. Four-cylinder and V6-powered coupes and sedans return for '08, but the gas/electric Hybrid model has been dropped. Available are a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder of 177 or 190 hp, and a 3.5-liter V6 with 268. The V6 includes Honda's Variable Cylinder Management that shuts down cylinders while cruising to conserve fuel.
Coupes and sedans are offered in EX and EX-L trim levels. Sedans are also offered in entry-level LX and LX-P versions. An entry-level LX-S coupe is also offered. The 4-cylinder engine is available on all models. EX and EX-L sedans are also available with the V6. A 5-speed automatic transmission is available across the board. V6 EX-L coupes are available with a 6-speed manual transmission, other models can be had with a 5-speed manual. Available safety features include ABS, traction control, antiskid system, curtain side airbags, and front side airbags. Leather seating is standard on EX-L models but not available otherwise. A navigation system is also available.

Honda Unveils "Honda Small Hybrid Sports Concept" at The 2007 Geneva Motorshow

GENEVA, Switzerland, March 6, 2007–Honda has unveiled a concept model which represents its interpretation of how a future hybrid model might appear. Honda Small Hybrid Sports Concept, a design study model, demonstrates a unique fusion of advanced environmental technology, exciting styling and fun-to-drive characteristics. This is its world premiere for the model, which has been penned by the design studio at Honda R&D Europe based in Offenbach, Germany. The Small Hybrid Sports Concept is conceived around a front-wheel drive, small car platform and is powered by a Honda IMA 4-cylinder petrol/electric hybrid system driving through a CVT transmission. It explores the idea that a car can have a low environmental impact yet still deliver all the driving enjoyment expected of a compact sports car.

The aerodynamic design is characterised by curvaceous and contoured surfaces contrasting with sharp “folded” edges. The short front and rear overhangs, together with wheelarches that wrap tightly around large wheels, further enhance the dramatic looks of this sports coupe. An accentuated, arrow-like nose features a full width air intake with Civic family overtones. This sweeps forward into a distinct protruding centre section complete with ‘H’ logo.

The Concept model’s fluid lines are created by a steeply raked windscreen which extends back above the occupants’ heads where it meets a one piece glass roof. This in turn flows rearwards to give the car its fastback styling, terminating in a distinctive and futuristic 3D floating glass design – a concave element which forms an additional vertical window. At its base, further distinction is provided by a ‘floating’ LED tail light unit that stretches across the full width of the car. At its centre, the glass panel extends downwards and contains an illuminated ‘Small Hybrid Sports’ name plate.

The Hybrid Sports Concept is equipped with 165/60 section tyres mounted on 20-inch distinctive rims. Their dimension supports low rolling resistance without compromising sporty driving.

Compact external dimensions lend themselves to nimble, agile performance on the road and help to ensure a good power to weight ratio. 4000 mm in length, 1270 mm tall and 1760 mm wide, and the 2350 mm wheelbase, in conjunction with a sports suspension, delivers stable and predictable handling characteristics.

The body is particularly aerodynamically efficient and compact. Rear-facing digital cameras take the place of conventional door mirrors.