2012 Honda Civic Si getting new 2.4L engine with 200 hp

Honda gave us a preview of its 2012 Civic at this year’s Detroit Auto Show, and while the car we saw on stage was technically a “concept,” we expect the production car to look very similar, albeit with more conventional wheels, headlamps, and, you know, an interior. Instead of just showing one Civic, Honda brought out both a sedan and Si coupe concept, and now our friends at Temple of VTEC have reportedly confirmed that a new 2.4-liter mill is on deck for the sportiest of Civics.

Known internally as “K24,” the 2.4-liter engine slated for Civic Si use will be very similar to the powerplant currently used in the Acura TSX. No official power numbers have been divulged, but this engine currently makes 201 horsepower in the TSX, so we’ll bet that Civic Si output will be somewhere between 200 and 210 hp. That isn’t a huge increase over the 197 hp currently available from the Si’s 2.0-liter four, but the 2.4-liter engine should prove to be a bit torquier. Look for something along the lines of 170 pound-feet in the 2012 model, whereas the current car only produces 139 lb-ft of twist.

Official data will be revealed closer to the Civic family’s launch later this year. And while these new Si numbers aren’t leaps and bounds better than what’s currently available, the easily flickable driving dynamics and rev-happy power should still make it an engaging steer.

Source:Autoblog

Revised Honda Accord for Europe will debut in Geneva

 

Honda has announced that it will use the world stage of the Geneva Motor Show to pull the covers off its latest Accord sedan and wagon for Europe. Just to be clear, this car is very different from the Accord offered in the United States. In fact, the European Accord is very similar to the Acura TSX that’s available Stateside. ‘Course, we do wish we could get the European Accord’s fascia on our TSX, but we digress…

So what’s new? Naturally, the exterior styling has been revised ever so slightly, mostly to the front fascia and headlights. Honda has also added what it calls Active Cornering Lights that illuminate when the steering wheel is turned more than 90 degrees and a High-Beam Support System that uses a CMOS camera embedded in the windscreen that senses when to turn the brights on and off.

There are also three new colors: Alabaster Silver, Graphite Lustre and Celestial Blue Pearl, while inside you’ll find a few detail updates to the finishes, including red interior lighting for the Type S models and blue interior lighting for all other trims.

Perhaps more important are subtle changes to the car’s 2.2-liter i-DTEC diesel engine (mostly the rather nebulous “reduced internal frictional losses”) that, coupled with a “host of underbody aerodynamic aids,” increase fuel economy and reduce carbon emissions, if even just a small amount.

As for the stuff you can’t see on the surface, Honda says it has quited the cabin and revised the dual-mode dampers for greater high-speed stability and “a significant improvement in ride quality, even on poor road surfaces.” If you like what you’ve read so far, you’re bound to love the entire press release, which can be found after the break.

2012 Honda Civic coming in April, all variants to launch in quick succession

A Civic for everyone. That was Soichiro Honda’s motto when rolling out the original Civic, and it’s one to which his company intends to stick with the launch of the next-generation model. When the all-new 2012 Civic is launched in April, Honda will roll out a whole variety of body and propulsion configurations within mere weeks of each other, instead of letting months pass between the debut of one model to the next.

Among those variants, we can expect both a sedan and a coupe, with several conventional gasoline engines on offer – including natural gas and hybrid versions – as well as the sporty Civic Si.

The new Civic, previewed recently at the Detroit Auto Show, was slated to debut in 2009. But when the global economy started going south, Honda sent the design back to the drawing board for a nearly complete overhaul before it ever saw the light of day. The result is expected to be much roomier than the current model, though the exterior design hasn’t changed all that much.

2012 Honda Civic coming in April, all variants to launch in quick succession

A Civic for everyone. That was Soichiro Honda’s motto when rolling out the original Civic, and it’s one to which his company intends to stick with the launch of the next-generation model. When the all-new 2012 Civic is launched in April, Honda will roll out a whole variety of body and propulsion configurations within mere weeks of each other, instead of letting months pass between the debut of one model to the next.

Among those variants, we can expect both a sedan and a coupe, with several conventional gasoline engines on offer – including natural gas and hybrid versions – as well as the sporty Civic Si.

The new Civic, previewed recently at the Detroit Auto Show, was slated to debut in 2009. But when the global economy started going south, Honda sent the design back to the drawing board for a nearly complete overhaul before it ever saw the light of day. The result is expected to be much roomier than the current model, though the exterior design hasn’t changed all that much.

2011 Honda Odyssey

While we shouldn’t be shocked by anything coming out of Madison Avenue, part of me is incensed to hearHonda using Judas Priest to advertise its new Odyssey. That’s right, the opening riff of the greatest album from the gods of heavy metal deployed, not in the service of Satan, but to sell a minivan?

While the 18-year-old headbanger in me would like to stand up and rail against Honda (“If you think you’re going to make me think your stupid soccer mom taxi is cool, well, You’ve Got Another Thing Coming!”), the truth of the matter is that Honda’s ad agency nailed it. We’re not teenagers anymore. We’ve grown up and had families. I even own a minivan, and, indeed, there is at least one Judas Priest CD that lives in the center console. And after driving the new Odyssey for a week, I have serious van envy. Honda has crafted the ultimate, state-of-the-art people mover, even if it’s not much more than some flashy design and incremental improvements in areas like powertrain, fuel efficiency and equipment.

2011 Honda Odyssey

While we shouldn’t be shocked by anything coming out of Madison Avenue, part of me is incensed to hearHonda using Judas Priest to advertise its new Odyssey. That’s right, the opening riff of the greatest album from the gods of heavy metal deployed, not in the service of Satan, but to sell a minivan?

While the 18-year-old headbanger in me would like to stand up and rail against Honda (“If you think you’re going to make me think your stupid soccer mom taxi is cool, well, You’ve Got Another Thing Coming!”), the truth of the matter is that Honda’s ad agency nailed it. We’re not teenagers anymore. We’ve grown up and had families. I even own a minivan, and, indeed, there is at least one Judas Priest CD that lives in the center console. And after driving the new Odyssey for a week, I have serious van envy. Honda has crafted the ultimate, state-of-the-art people mover, even if it’s not much more than some flashy design and incremental improvements in areas like powertrain, fuel efficiency and equipment.