26 years ago a movie directed by John Hughes changed the way kids around the world cut school. It was titled “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” and starred Matthew Broderick as the world’s greatest middle finger to high school faculty everywhere. Almost three decades have gone by and thanks to Honda we now find out that not only has Ferris grown up, but he drives a new Honda CR-V. Now sure it’s a far cry from Cameron’s Dad’s Ferrari, and while some may say that Ferris has sold out, let me be the first to say that we’re just happy he’s back.

Source: Youtube.com

There’s just something about getting your ass handed to you by a Honda Civic wagon that has to make you feel about 2-inches tall. I mean by now it’s no surprise that a well tuned import has the ability to put the hurt on just about anything, but that doesn’t mean we have to like it. This Corvette owner for instance must have been somewhat shocked when this cloud blue wagon blitzed him off the line, then made him really work to stay with him. Personally, I think it’s hilarious, but hey, I’m not the guy driving the Corvette.

Source: Streetfire.net

Thumbs Up: Slightly quicker than the car it replaces.

Thumbs Down: Missing the magic that made the previous car great.

Buy This Car If: You want a sporty commuter with bulletproof reliability.

To understand the history of the 2012 Honda Civic line, you need to take a step back in time to 2009. In what most would agree was the bottom of the current worldwide financial collapse, Honda was smack dab in the middle of the new Civic’s redesign. As the outlook for the worldwide automotive industry grew darker by the day, Honda’s president, Takanobu Ito, was forced to decide between continuing the Civic’s planned redesign or cutting it short. Ito opted for the financially sensible option, and chose to bring the car to market with few significant changes and quite a bit of cost-cutting. The result is a new generation of Civic that simply hasn’t lived up to the legacy of former Civics models.

That’s not to say the new Civic Si is a bad car, or that there’s any reason to doubt that it will run (nearly) forever, just like Civics of the past. It’s got an engine with more torque, pulled directly from the Acura TSX, and it’s still available with any transmission you’d like, so long as that’s a six-speed manual. It’s just not the car that the last generation Civic Si was, and it’s really best suited for those wanting the image of a sporty car instead of a true driver’s car.

Sure, the new 2.4-liter engine pulls harder from down low, thanks to its additional torque, but it’s nowhere near as engaging to drive as the 2.0-liter engine in the previous Si. As evidence, the new car includes a V-Tec bar graph to let you know when the cam switches profiles, since you can’t really feel it anymore. The new engine isn’t particularly entertaining to run to redline, either, as it seems noticeably harsher than the 2.0-liter in the previous generation.

The transmission, which used to be the best on the market at the price point, is now simply average. Worse, the car isn’t easy to drive fast, or even smoothly, thanks to an engine that wants to continue revving even after you lift off the gas and put the clutch in. I’m not sure if it’s an ECU programming issue or a mechanical issue (since it feels like a heavy flywheel), but the result is that experienced drivers will need to deliberately slow their shifts, not what you want from a car with sporting intentions.

Outside, the new Civic Si doesn’t look radically different from the old Civic Si, except for the new 17-inch wheels the car wears. Opt for the Si, and you’ll automatically get fog lights, a moon roof and a chrome exhaust tip. There’s also a subtle rocker panel decal reminding other drivers that you’re Si has i-VTEC and a double-overhead cam (DOHC) engine, just as on previous Si models.

Inside, the front seats aren’t nearly as nice as the sport seats in the last car. Not only do they lack the suede-look microfiber panels of the old car, but they aren’t nearly as well-bolstered, either. To be specific, you sat IN the old Si’s front seats, while you sit ON the seats in the new car. Those gripes aside, the new seats are comfortable enough for the daily commute, and I’ll admit to linking the coarse fabric better than the last model’s finer-knit fabric.

The rear seat of the new Civic Si is also a step backwards from the seat in the previous model, which featured sculpted bucket for the outboard passengers. The new Civic Si gets the same kind of rear bench you’d expect to find in a base model Civic, with no lateral support whatsoever.

While the dash shares the same bi-level layout as last year, there’s more hard, shiny plastic to contend with in the new car, and the overall design isn’t nearly as nice. On the plus side, the layout does appear to be a bit better, with controls tilted more towards the driver (as on the old Acura RSX).

Instrumentation is a step backward, too. Last year’s Civic Si used a tach trimmed in aluminum plastic, sporting the Si logo and featuring numbers that conveyed a sense of speed. The new tach isn’t trimmed, uses plain numbers in a generic font and lacks any kind of logo reminding you of the car you’re driving.

Atop the dash an i-VTEC gauge replaces last year’s temperature gauge. The i-VTEC readout isn’t needed, but it’s there to let driver’s know when the i-VTEC system is engaging. Unlike the last car, you really can’t feel a significant change in acceleration, so the gauge is there to advise that the system is working as designed.

To the right of the speedometer and fuel gauge, the Civic Si gets a “power meter” with an icon of a twin-cam engine. Like the i-VTEC gauge, this readout doesn’t provide any useful information that you can’t derive from the tachometer, but the display can easily be changed to another readout for better functionality.

The 2012 Honda Civic Si gets the 2.4-liter four cylinder used in the Acura TSX, which produces 201 horsepower and 170 lb.-ft. of torque. That’s only four more horsepower than last year’s SI, but it a jump in torque of 31 pound-feet, which makes a difference in acceleration from low rpm. Last year’s Civic Si ran from 0 to 60 in 7.1 seconds, while the new car can accomplish this in 6.9 seconds (without working quite as hard). In terms of fuel economy, the 2012 Civic Si is rated at 22 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway, and I was able to achieve 23.4 mpg in primarily-city driving.

Behind the wheel, the new Civic Si lacks the magic that the old car had. The last Civic Si was an absolute blast to run through the gears and throw into corners, and even novice drivers could quickly learn to rev-match on downshifts. It was evident that the previous car had been designed and tuned by engineers with a passion for driving, and it remains one of my all-time favorite cars in its price point. If you truly like to drive and want a Honda Civic Si, the 2011 is the car to buy.

The 2012 Civic Si, however, drives like a sporty version of an economy car. It doesn’t want to be driven hard, and tossing the car into corners with any amount of speed yields nothing but tire squeal and understeer. The suspension doesn’t encourage spirited driving, either, with lots more body roll in corner and dive under braking than I remember from the last car. The new Civic Si is best thought of as a sporty commuter, aimed at those who favor reliability above all else and would never consider a track day or autocross event in their car. As long as your expectations are modest, the new Civic Si probably won’t disappoint.

Is there a silver lining in all of this? The answer is yes, and Honda has listened to those critical of the Civic’s redesign. Ordinarily, a mid-cycle refresh wouldn’t happen until 2014 or 2015, but Honda is reportedly working on an update for 2013. Let’s hope the Civic Si is part of that update, and that Honda fixes the issues with the engine, transmission, seating and instrumentation that those of us with a sincere passion for the old car have pointed out.

Honda supplied the 2012 Civic Si for my review, and my press fleet tester had a sticker price of $23,175, including a destination charge of $770; there were no options on the car provided. For comparison purposes, a similarly equipped VW Golf GTI 4 door would sticker at $25,065, while a comparable Nissan Sentra SER Spec-V would sell for $21,380.

The 2012 Honda Civic Si. Image: Honda

It wasn’t that many years ago that automaker Honda could do no wrong. It was the darling of the Consumer Reports staff, but it was also loved by tuners for building affordable but entertaining cars. And then something went wrong. Product quality began to slip, younger buyers avoided Honda dealerships in droves and even Consumer Reports began to say bad things about Honda’s latest crop of cars.

One industry insider I know likened the new Civic to a “Chinese copy of an older Honda Civic, complete with acres of hard plastic.” That seems a far cry from the Civics of old, which left buyers wondering how Honda fit so much content and refinement into such an affordable package.

Honda is (already) tired of fielding complaints about the new Civic, and in the words of John Mendel, American Honda’s executive vice president, “We take feedback seriously, regardless of who it’s from, and we will act accordingly quickly.” In the case of the new Honda Civic, acting quickly could mean a mid-cycle refresh as early as 2013, but that’s a long time to wait when consumers aren’t buying your products.

The new Civic was practically doomed from the start. After the global economic collapse of 2009, Honda’s CEO Takanobu Ito froze the redesign where it was, approved a shorter wheelbase and requested reduced content to appeal to a more price conscious consumer base. Worse, the launch of the new car was disrupted by the March earthquake and tsunami, further impacting sales by creating product shortages.

Overall, Honda has a remarkable track record of releasing class-leading cars that give consumers substantial value for the money. Even automakers can have a bad day from time to time, so we’ll forgive Honda for the new Civic while wishing them the best of luck on its redesign.

Source: Automotive News (subscription required)

It’s no secret that the Honda Accord is one of the best cars around. Yes they have plain vanilla styling, and yes they’re about as exciting as a pair of orthopedic shoes, but if you’re looking for good, reliable transportation that will never let you down, look no further. Joe LoCicero is the owner of a 1990 Accord that has just hit the 1,000,000 mile mark – that’s almost 48,000 miles per year people! LoCicero is a damage claims inspector who lives in Maine and when Honda heard about this amazing feet, they ponied up, did the right thing and gave Joe a brand new 2012 model. I’m sure that Joe is grateful, but in the end he drives his 1990 model nicknamed “True Blue”.

Source: CBSNews.com

I like this thing! This is one of those rare occasions where a customized import actually looks pretty damn good. It looks as though the owner started out with a Honda Civic hatch and then decided to give it the full-on Bugatti Veyron treatment, which, in some strange way really works. Granted the wheels still have to be color matched, but the overall execution is downright cool. Who knows, maybe Bugatti should take some queues from this guy if they ever decide to go the Aston Martin Cygnet route and build a budget Bugatti.

Source: VWVortex.com

The 2012 Honda Ridgeline Sport. Image: Honda

In a recent statement to the automotive press, Honda seems to be channeling Mark Twain. In regards to the Ridgeline pickup, Honda’s release essentially translates to “rumors of my demise are greatly exaggerated.” In fact, Honda wants the world to know that the Ridgeline will soldier on well beyond the current 2012 refresh.

For the coming year, a Ridgeline Sport joins the product line, and the Ridgeline gets a boost in fuel economy. That’s a good thing, since the current Ridgeline’s 15 mpg city and 20 mpg highway aren’t exactly “class leading.” In fact, Honda has struggled to move Ridgeline pickups in 2011, selling just 6,476 units year-to-date through September. To put that in perspective, Ford sold 7,154 Ranger pickups in September alone (and 49,788 YTD), and the current Ranger model really hasn’t been updated since 1998.

It may be the demise of the Ford Ranger, which goes away at the end of this year, that has Honda planning for the Ridgeline’s future. In the compact to mid-size pickup truck segment, the Dodge Dakota, Ford Ranger and Chevy S10 have all been put out to pasture, leaving the market to Toyota and Nissan. If Honda can make the Ridgeline a bit more competitive in terms of price and fuel economy, it can carve out a decent enough niche to make a business case for the Ridgeline.

I’d call that good news, since I’ve always been a fan of the Ridgeline. It may not be as off-road capable as other compact pickups, but it’s probably the best choice for a daily driver that doubles as a truck on weekends. If you’re in the market, don’t pass the Ridgeline by without taking a test drive.

The 2011 Honda Pilot Touring. Image: Honda Motors

Honda is recalling nearly 311,000 Pilot SUVs built between March 13, 2008 and August 30, 2011, as the stitching on the seat belt anchor webbing may be missing or incomplete. In the event of a crash, the seatbelt may detach from the anchor webbing, leading to an increased risk of injury. Two accidents resulting in seat belt failures have been reported to date, but it’s not known if there were any resulting injuries.

Honda will inspect and replace front seat belt assemblies on affected vehicles as required when the recall begins in early October. Owners will be contacted via mail with complete details on the recall, but those with questions or concerns may reach Honda’s customer service hotline at (800) 999-1009. The NHTSA’s Vehicle Safety Hotline can also provide updates on the status of this recall, and they can be reached at (888) 327-4236.

Source: NHTSA

The 2012 Honda CR-V. Image: Honda Automobiles

If you drive a 2005-10 Honda Accord with a four-cylinder engine, a 2007-10 Honda CR-V or a 2005-08 Honda Element, heads up. Honda has announced a major recall of these vehicles to re-program the shift software on the automatic transmission. Owners have reported problems when shifting rapidly and repeatedly between drive and reverse, as when rocking a car to get it unstuck in snow. Doing do can damage the transmission’s secondary shaft bearing, which may cause the engine to stall or prevent the transmission from entering “Park.”

Owners will be notified by mail when the recall begins at the end of this month. Dealers will update the transmission shift software to delay the shift response and help buffer the shock to the transmission, reducing the likelihood of transmission damage under the above circumstances. To verify if your Accord, CR-V or Element is on the recall list, you can check with Honda’s recall website or reach them via phone at (800) 999-1009, option 4.

Source: Honda

Back in 1984 my father bought a brand new Nissan/Datsun 300zx. He got this sucker fully loaded with dark gray leather interior, t-tops, top of the line stereo and the full pimp-o-matic digital dash. In stock form it was equipped with a 160 hp V6 and a 124 mph top speed. Not too shabby for back in the day, but pretty dismal by today’s standards. Today’s Nissan 370z makes 332 hp and has a limited top speed of 155 mph. It also comes with enough airbags to turn the car into a canolli if need be, traction control, stability control, anti-lock brakes as well as just about every other safety device that’s known to man. It’s better in every way possible than the old 300zx of yesteryear, yet when I recently drove the new 370z I couldn’t help but think our old one was more fun. Maybe it was because of the great memories I had in that car, or the fact that it didn’t have any safety nannies on board, or maybe, just maybe, it was in fact a better driving experience all together. Recently Edmund’s Inside Line pitted a 2012 Honda Civic Si against a 1999 Honda Civic Si to ask the question; does 12 years of automotive advancements and technology really make for a better car? Their findings may surprise you.