2010 Honda

I recently spent a few weeks with our magazine’s long-term Volkswagen Jetta TDI, which has earned a lot of respect around the office but which I was less than thrilled with. Although I often saw an indicated fuel economy as high as 40 mpg without really trying, annoyances like a fussy engine/clutch interface, an overly soft suspension, and noisy acceleration bleed the joy of driving it. Immediately after the Jetta, I got a Honda Insight, and that was still more economical but even less fun to drive.

Commendably, the Insight sipped fuel even more slowly than the Jetta, downing a gallon of regular every 40 to 45 miles, according to the dashboard readout. I liked the big digital speedometer, which glows green when you’re driving economically and blue when you’re not; there’s also a gauge in the cluster which essentially tells you the same thing. The interior imparts a feeling of spaciousness; even the back seat is okay, but getting in can be hazardous—my nine-year-old bonked his head, and he’s all of five feet tall. The cloth upholstery in the EX is nicer than the norm (and leather also is available, for those whose concern for the earth does not extend to bovines); but interior surfaces, although cloth-covered, are universally hard to the touch. The cargo hold is fairly large, and the two-pane glass hatch—just like that in a Prius, or an old Honda CRX—provides a reasonable (although bisected) view out the back.

Much has been made of the Insight’s Toyota Prius-undercutting sticker price, which ranges from $20,510 (LX) to $23,810 (EX with navigation). But the Insight feels every bit like an economy car, because—aside from its hybrid-specific equipment—it’s outfitted about as well as a $6000 cheaper Honda Fit. Dynamic disappointments include a harsh ride on the basic, beam-axle rear suspension, and acceleration that is slow and noisy, an impression exaggerated by the continuously variable transmission. Oddly, under low-speed, light-throttle acceleration, the Fit would often chug-chug-chug ahead in a weird surging pattern that I’ve never experienced in any other hybrid.

So, the Insight, even more so than the Jetta diesel, proves that’s there’s no painless road to super-high mileage. (Only the Ford Fusion hybrid, EPA rated at 39 mpg combined, has relatively few dynamic shortfalls compared to its conventionally powered sibling; but it is significantly more expensive, commanding an $8000 premium over a standard four-cylinder Fusion.) In the next few weeks I’ll be giving the redesigned Toyota Prius a try, so we’ll see how that goes.

But the good news is that achieving that last measure of extreme frugality may not be so important anyway. Although it’s counterintuitive, the real-world difference between 30 mpg and 40 mpg, for instance, is nowhere near as great as the difference between 15 mpg and 25 mpg. If you look at gallons used to drive a set distance—a figure that is readily available at the EPA’s fueleconomy.gov web site—you can see it. So if you’re trading in a vehicle that gets bad gas mileage, even a new car that’s only moderately economical will make a big impact, while stretching for an extreme econo-miser won’t help that much more. And certainly there are a lot more 25-mpg cars that you’d want to drive every day than there are 40-mpg cars about which you can say the same.

New Honda Hybrid Arrives in April 2009

Honda’s development of an all-new hybrid hatchback has been a poorly kept secret – so much so that the automaker revealed that the car, which targets the successful Toyota Prius, will launch in April 2009.

Richard Colliver, executive vice president of Honda’s U.S. operations, let the facts loose during a speech at the Management Briefing Seminars event in Traverse City, Michigan.

As we’ve seen from numerous spy photos, the car will be a five-door hatchback – much like the Prius itself, but also akin to Honda’s hydrogen fuel cell-powered FCX Clarity (pictured).; Although technical details were skipped, Colliver mentioned the car would be lighter than the existing Civic Hybrid sedan.

Colliver expects the car to be less expensive than the Prius, which helps justify Honda’s sales predictions.; The automaker is looking to sell 200,000 units worldwide on an annual basis, with half that figure stemming from North America alone.

2009 Honda Civic

Why mess with success?; With Civic sales soaring in 2008, changes made to the 2009 Honda Civic are intended to refine, not reinvent, the popular compact.

Exterior changes are extremely subtle, letting only eagle-eyed observers discriminate between the new 2009 Civic and its predecessor.; Perhaps most notable is a revised front fascia, sporting a lower air intake that’s divvied into three sections.; Designers also revised the front grille insert (lines on the chrome bar are slightly sharper), while tacking on a chrome bar between the taillights.

Speaking of those lights, we’re told they, along with the headlamps, sport “all-new color combinations.”; By this, Honda means the 2009 Civic is now equipped with clear-lenses on its front and rear turn signals, a cue it previously was without.

Changes inside are just as slight, but we’ll bet they’ll be more noticeable to buyers than the exterior tweaks.; A USB audio input is standard on EX, EX-L, Hybrid, and Si models, while cars equipped with DVD-based navigation systems are now equipped with Bluetooth hands-free connectivity.; Stability control, new to the 2009 Civic, is standard on EX-L, Hybrid, and Si models.

Shoppers also have two more Civic models to choose from.; The 2009 Civic DX-VP slots in between the base DX sedan and the LX model, and adds air conditioning and an auxiliary audio input.; The new Civic LX-S carries the same content as the existing LX model, but throws in alloy wheels, black cloth seats with suede bolsters, a rear spoiler, and a chrome exhaust tip.

2009 Honda Fit Arrives In US August 26

Those biting their nails in anticipation of the 2009 Honda Fit won’t have to wait long – the redesigned hatchbacks will arrive in U.S. showrooms on August 26.

Although that’s less than a week away, it’s nearly a month before Honda planned to launch the car.; The 2009 Fit was once originally scheduled to arrive in the U.S. on October 1.

Not surprisingly, the new launch timing is an attempt to satisfy demand for the car.; In the first half of 2008, Honda sold 52,053 Fits in the U.S. – a 72.9 percent increase over 2007 sales.

In the U.S. alone, Honda expects to sell 85,000 examples of the 2009 model on an annual basis.; Should demand continue to rise, Honda has capacity to increase production by an extra 5000 cars before shifting production facilities.

Honda Aims to Avoid Plug In Hybrids

While the folks at GM celebrate the advent of the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, those at Honda aren’t rushing to create a plug-in hybrid of their own.

Masaaki Kato, president of Honda’s Research & Development unit, tells Bloomberg that today’s batteries aren’t quite ready for a plug-in application.

“For battery-powered vehicles to become more widespread,” Kato said, “we feel battery technology needs to advance further.”

The technology in question lies with lithium-ion battery cells, similar to those used in the Volt.; Although these cells are more efficient than previous nickel-metal hydride batteries, they hold only half the energy of gasoline by weight.

Kato pointed out that in order to be competitive with traditional gasoline vehicles, engineers need to increase battery capacity by seven times while drastically reducing their cost.

As a result, Kato’s guiding Honda towards developing normal gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles, along with continuing experiments with hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.; A new Insight concept, destined for the 2008 Paris motor show, previews an upcoming hybrid, while the FCX Clarity, a fuel cell-powered hatchback, is undergoing testing in both California and Japan.