Honda « Auto Show by Auto Trader

Posts Tagged ‘Honda’

2007-2011 Honda CR-V

Monday, April 18th, 2011

Review and photos by
Chris Chase, Autos.ca

The Honda CR-V entered its third generation in 2007, a year that brought many changes to one of the most popular small SUVs in its crowded segment.

2008 Honda CR-V

While the first two versions were similar in their long-legged, tall-riding appearance, the 2007 got a more substantial look that was less conventional, yet bore a stronger resemblance to the larger Pilot. This was the first CR-V to be built outside of Japan, with some North American-market models built in Ohio. The manual transmission was gone, making the five-speed automatic that was once optional the only transmission offered; as well, a new front-wheel drive model was added to the line-up. Honda designers also opted to move the spare tire from its previous spot on the tailgate to a new home under the cargo floor. (more…)

Tags: 2007-2011, CR-V, Honda
Posted in Gallery, Used Cars | No Comments »

2011 Honda CR-V EX-L Navi

Thursday, March 24th, 2011

Review and photos by
Chris Chase, Autos.ca

When it comes to crossover vehicles, the compact category is where most of the action is, with just about every carmaker fielding an entry in order to grab a piece of this very popular pie.

2011 Honda CR-V EX-L Navi

The Honda CR-V, despite the polarizing styling it gained in its last redesign (2007), has remained a heavy hitter in a class where a number of up-and-comers – I’m thinking of the Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tucson, specifically – have easily upstaged it in appearance, but still can’t touch Honda in sales numbers.

For 2011, the CR-V carries on unchanged, using a 2.4-litre, four-cylinder engine and five-speed automatic transmission, and with either front- or all-wheel drive, depending on trim: the base LX and mid-level EX start as front-drivers that can be optioned to all-wheelers, and the top-line EX-L is all-wheel drive only. (more…)

Tags: 2011, CR-V, EX-L, Honda, Navi
Posted in Gallery, Most Popular Articles, Reviews | No Comments »

2010 Honda Accord EX-L V6 Coupe

Wednesday, February 9th, 2011

Review and photos
by Peter Bleakney, CanadianDriver.com

In 2009, Honda Canada sold 15,799 Accords, 2,956 of which were the two-door coupe variant. Of those, only 351 were the 271-hp EX-L V6 Coupe fitted with a six-speed manual transmission like this $34,890 tester.

2010 Honda Accord EX-L V6 Coupe

Not surprising, really. And this is no slight against the Honda, which I’ll be honest, took my preconceptions of this coupe and ran them into the guardrail.

It’s because most buyers looking at a two-door sports coupe in this price range will want rear-wheel-drive: Infiniti G37 Coupe, Hyundai Genesis Coupe V6, BMW 128i Coupe, Mustang or Camaro.

But before we dismiss the Accord EX-L V6 Coupe as a tarted-up family snooze-mobile, let’s have a closer look.

First off, the Accord EX-L V6 Coupe is quite a fetching rig, and a relatively uncommon sight on our roads. (more…)

Tags: 2010, Accord, Coupe, EX-L, Honda, V6
Posted in Gallery, Reviews | No Comments »

2010 Honda Civic Sedan Sport

Monday, January 3rd, 2011

Review and photos by
Greg Wilson, CanadianDriver.com

Almost five years after its introduction, the eighth generation Honda Civic is still at or near the top of the passenger car sales charts in Canada. This is surprising when you consider that it’s not available as a hatchback – it’s offered only in sedan and coupe bodystyles – whereas its arch-rival, the Mazda3, is offered as a sedan and hatchback. (The Corolla is also offered as a hatchback, but it’s called the Matrix).

2010 Honda Civic Sedan Sport

I often wonder how many Civics Honda Canada would have sold had they imported the sharp-looking Civic hatch from Europe.

Even after five years, the Civic’s aerodynamic styling still looks quite stylish when compared to its competitor’s recent redesigns, such as the Mazda3 sedan and Corolla sedans’. (more…)

Tags: 2010, civic, Honda, sedan, Sport
Posted in Gallery, Reviews | No Comments »

2010 Honda Civic Si Coupe

Friday, December 3rd, 2010

Review and photos by
Michael Clark, CanadianDriver.com

Miami, Florida – Five can be a tough age: fun and games percentages have been steadily dropping year over year, replaced by responsibility, light chores, and the coming threat of school days. That’s the upside. Many a five-year old has had their world turned completely upside down by new and cute arrivals.

2010 Honda Civic Si Coupe

Such is the case with the five-year old Honda Civic. While a formidable sales leader, the Civic has been confronted with plenty of new arrivals that would love to acquire Honda’s sales crown in the Canadian compact segment. Of particular note are the Kia Forte and Hyundai Elantra sedans with their high level of standard equipment. Worse yet for the Civic Si Coupe is the arrival of the Kia Forte Koup SX, with such gotta-have features as Bluetooth and heated seats, plus a fairly potent mill to go with the visual thrill. (more…)

Tags: 2010, civic, Coupe, Honda, Si
Posted in Gallery, Reviews | No Comments »

2011 Honda CR-Z

Saturday, November 27th, 2010

Review and photos by
Greg Wilson, CanadianDriver.com

This week on CanadianDriver, James Bergeron’s Day-by-Day Review of the new Honda CR-Z has elicited over 100 comments from forum readers – so far! Many of the feisty comments revolve around how it compares to the old CRX and whether a hybrid can really be a sporty car. Not surprisingly, many enthusiasts see hybrids and sporty cars as diametric opposites – one is designed for maximum fuel economy and the other is designed for sporty performance: can, or even, should these two attributes be combined in one car?

2011 Honda CR-Z

My view is, “Welcome to the future!”

In my opinion, it won’t be long before we start seeing many more sporty hybrids – though not necessarily too many two-seater hybrids. Already this week, Toyota announced a sporty new Prius Plus with a body kit and wider tires. (more…)

Tags: 2011, CR-Z, Honda
Posted in Gallery, Reviews | 3 Comments »

2005-2010 Honda Odyssey

Thursday, November 25th, 2010

By Chris Chase, CanadianDriver.com

By 2005, the golden age of the minivan was over, these shamelessly practical people movers having been replaced by more stylish and desirable SUVs and crossovers. Honda still saw value in the minivan concept, though, and so brought its third generation Odyssey to market for the 2005 model year.

2005 Honda Odyssey

A 3.5-litre V6 was a carried over, but with more power: 2005 models had 255 horsepower and 250 lb-ft of torque, but that fell to 244 in 2007 due to new power rating methods, though the change didn’t affect performance. Horsepower dropped again in 2008 to 241. Higher trims got a version of the engine with Variable Cylinder Management (VCM), which deactivated three cylinders for improved economy in light throttle situations. (more…)

Tags: 2005-2010, Honda, Odyssey
Posted in Gallery, Reviews | 1 Comment »

Top ten “car show” motorcycles

Thursday, April 2nd, 2009

By Mike Goetz

Let’s start with a disclaimer. Some of us at AutoTrader.ca love motorcycles just as much as we love cars. If motorcycles are anywhere in our presence we will inevitably gravitate to them.

So that’s what happened at this year’s Toronto auto show. We showed up to check out and write about the cars, and we ended up sitting on a bunch of motorcycles, trying them out for size and aesthetics.

It’s not our fault. They shouldn’t have brought them here.

And now we have to tell you which ones were our favourites.

Ducati Desmosedici 16RR (photo: Isaac Adams-Hands)

• Ducati Desmosedici 16RR — A race replica if there ever was one. Pretty much the same bike that contested the 2006 MotoGP season — but with lights and a muffler. $85,000. 212 mph. 210 hp. Carbon fibre everything. Only 1,500 made worldwide. Three went to RevCycles of Toronto, who brought one of them to the show.

• Buell 1125R — New urban warrior from Buell, featuring Rotax 1,146 cc V-twin with a torque curve like a table top. Twin, side-mounted radiators, so engine can be far forward, to get more weight on the front wheel.

• Harley-Davidson 1200 Nightster — Harley Davidson of Toronto added some chopper bars and few more black bits to this already matte black machine, and presto — a super cool chopper.

Harley-Davidson V-Rod Muscle

• Harley-Davidson V-Rod Muscle — the new model in the liquid-cooled V-Rod line, and in a stretched-out dragster idiom.

• Harley-Davidson Tri Glide Ultra Classic — new three-wheeled Harley, and featuring lots of amenities (including a trunk), and a 1,700 cc motor.

• Orange Country “Production” Chopper — Harley-Davidson of Toronto is a now carrying the production bikes made by the famous Teutul family. Our fav of the three on display was the Splitback.

• 50th Anniversary Triumph Bonneville — tasteful treatment and one of only 650 worldwide and 16 in Canada.

CanAm Spyder (photo: Isaac Adams-Hands)

• CanAm Spyder — Cousin of the Ski-Doo, this three-wheeler packs a 990 cc Rotax V-twin, and promises to be entertaining — and stable, thanks to an advanced stability control system from Bosch.

• Honda DN-01 — Radical and automatic transmission don’t seem to go hand in hand, but they do this time. The DN-01 is easy to ride, cool to look at.

• BMW K1300R — BMW didn’t bring too many bikes to the show, but we were glad this 173-hp black bomber was one them.

Tags: Auto Show, BMW, Buell, Canadian International Auto Show, Car show, CIAS, ducati, Harley-davidson, Honda, Mike Goetz, Photo: Isaac Adams-Hands, Toronto
Posted in Gallery, Toronto 2009 | 3 Comments »

From green Insight to greener FC Sport Concept

Sunday, February 15th, 2009

By Marc Lachapelle

They are set only a few metres apart, in the prime spots of Honda’s exhibit at the CIAS. Both vehicles tout their eco-friendliness and yet, a world separates them.

The blue 2010 Insight is a production model aimed at making gas-electric hybrids available to a wider range of buyers. It will be available to Canadian buyers next April.

Honda FC Sport Concept (photo: Isaac Adams-Hands)

The FC Sport concept, on the other hand, is as pie-in-the-sky as they come in the realm of automotive prospective, or fantasy. It’s a low-slung and radically-styled ‘design study’ for a three-passenger sports-performance car powered by a hydrogen fuel cell closely related to what Honda is using in its FCH Clarity sedan now in real-world testing phase. The FC’s driver sits in middle and there are seats on each side, set back slightly.

The Insight, on the other hand, has five seats, four doors and a hatch in the rear. It is powered by the latest version of Honda’s gas-electric, series-type hybrid powertrain that makes a 1.3-litre all-aluminum gasoline engine with variable valve timing and a 10-kilowatt (or 13 horsepower) electric motor work together, through a continuously-variable transmission (CVT) with estimated city/highway fuel economy numbers of 4.8 and 4.5 L/100km.