Auto For Speed

When it comes to Hondas, the highest compliment is that a Honda does what it is supposed to do. The Honda Pilot achieves just that. It isn’t flashy or ostentatious, but it does a lot of things quite well.

Visually, the 2011 Honda Pilot we recently tested manages to stand out from the crowd. It’s the winner of the Miss Isuzu Trooper contest in a sea of aerodynamic blobs that look as if they’ve melted a bit in the sun. In the crossover world, the Pilot is one of the few current offerings that still resembles a sport/utility vehicle. The styling advantage of flat sides: They improve interior volume for passengers and cargo, and can increase headroom at the outboard seats. The disadvantage: Air doesn’t flow over, under, and around the vehicle as well as with the aforementioned blobs, so it can take more work to get fuel economy comparable with its peers.

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To commemorate its “Japanese Car of the Year” award, Honda will release a limited edition of its CR-Z sport-hybrid hatch in Japan. Billed as a “Memorial Award Edition”, the car will be coated in a hue called Pearl Deep Sapphire Blue and will roll on unique Dark Pewter Gray 16-inch rims.

Add a sticker/label on the driver’s side quarter glass, and that’s about it for external spruce-ups. Inside, the 1,000 Memorial CR-Zs get a Medium Gray interior, aluminum pedals, and a standard navigation system. Numbers still come in at 122 horsepower and 123-128 lb-ft of torque (CVT/6-speed) from Honda’s IMA-backed 1.5-liter i-VTEC four-cylinder.

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Japanese tuner Noblesse has been steadily releasing numerous aftermarket bits and pieces for the new CR-Z ever since Honda launched its hybrid sport hatch . Among other parts, the company has developed a ground aero-kit with front and rear bumper aprons, side skirts, a rear diffuser and a large roof wing. These can be complemented by a lightweight carbon fiber hood, underbody aero parts, larger alloy wheels and a sport exhaust system. You can check out photos of Noblesse‘s Honda CR-Z offerings along with a video of a test car doing a circuit round right after the jump.

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For the aftermarket scene, SEMA isn’t the only show in town. Well, in that particular town – Las Vegas, that is – maybe, but not in the world. Europe’s got Essen, and Japan’s got the Tokyo Auto Salon. With the latter fast approaching, Honda has revealed what they’ve got up their sleeves for this year.

First is the Insight Sports Modulo Concept you see above. Based on the Insight hybrid, the concept demonstrates what Honda’s Modulo customization range can do for the company’s Toyota Prius rival. And if the idea of tricking out a hybrid seems strange to you, remember that this is the automaker that just gave us the CR-Z.

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Thanks to globalization, the British-built Honda Civic Type R will be exported to Japan early next year.

Set to be called the Civic Type R EURO, the new model will be sold in extremely limited numbers. While it may sound ironic that a Japanese automaker is importing “Japanese” cars, Honda’s Swindon plant in England is the only place where the three-door Civic Type R is produced. Read the rest of this entry »