2004 Honda Accord Lx Sedan 4-door 2.4l on 2040-cars

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Honda Civic Tourer reminds us why we love wagons

It was the early 1990s when the last Honda Civic Wagon graced our shores, looking more like a squat five-door hatchback with an extra dose of charm. Well, Honda debuted the newest Civic Wagon Tourer at the Frankfurt Motor Show today, but, as we reported last month, it's a European model that will go on sale there early next year. There's still no word of it coming to the US.
The Civic Tourer was designed by Honda's European studio, and its overall look comes across as more muscular, sporty and stylish than both the sedan and two-door coupe, with bulging fenders and revised windows. Adrian Killham, large project leader for the Civic Tourer, has commented on the styling, saying, "Recently launched cars have tended to follow a similar style. The Civic Tourer has a different balance and appeal." We appreciate the sentiment, and the Tourer's shape is a big reason why we like it.
But we also like the 22 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats up, which grows to a gargantuan 59 cubic feet with the rear seats folded down. The big Civic will be powered by either a 1.8-liter four-cylinder petrol engine with i-VTEC or a 1.6-liter Earth Dreams i-DTEC diesel engine. Manual and automatic transmissions will be offered.

Acura NSX GT3 non-hybrid racecar on sale soon

Just over a year ago, Acura debuted the NSX GT3, the FIA GT3-spec racecar based on the automaker's latest and greatest. While it took years for the road car to hit the streets, the NSX GT3 was developed in a relatively short amount of time. This year, the car competed in several races under the factory banner, racking up 50,000 miles and two race victories. Today, Honda and Acura announced the NSX GT3 will go on sale for private teams. Think of the NSX GT3 as a stripped out version of the standard NSX sans hybrid system. The 3.5-liter twin-turbo remains, but, since there are no electric motors up front, all the power is sent to the rear wheels through a XTRAC semi-automatic 6-speed sequential transmission. The chassis is built in Ohio right alongside the regular NSX. The same goes for the engines. The block, heads, valve train, crankshaft, pistons, and dry-sump lubrication system are the same specification as the production car. Final assembly is completed in Italy. This past year, the NSX GT3 competed under the Acura banner in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD class and the Pirelli World Challenge GT category. In addition to those series, the car is built to compete in the Blancpain GT Series and 24 Hours Nurburgring in Europe, the Super GT GT300 class in Japan, as well as other GT3-spec race series. Different divisions of Honda will be handling global sales, with HPD responsible for the North American market. US pricing hasn't been announced, but converting the European models start at about $545,000. Now we just want to see a lightened, non-hybrid version of the NSX on the street. Related Video: Featured Gallery Acura NSX GT3 View 11 Photos Image Credit: Honda Motorsports Acura Honda Coupe Racing Vehicles Performance honda nsx acura nsx gt3

Honda is replacing airbags nationwide, not just in humid states

With a Senate hearing scheduled for November 20, the investigations into the exploding airbag inflators from automotive supplier Takata are just beginning. Honda is among the automakers most affected by the problem with over five million vehicles potentially in need of repair in the US, according to the last estimate from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. But the actual number being fixed could be even higher because the company is also working with worried owners nationwide.
According to the Associated Press, Honda is willing to perform the repair for concerned owners of affected vehicles who live outside of the high-humidity regions that the recall covers. In a letter to customers online, the company explains that it wants to work with them to fix the problem and even provide temporary transportation, if necessary.
"This is not a new thing, and it does not represent us including vehicles outside of those regions within the recall or investigatory campaigns. It is a part of our ongoing efforts to work with our customers individually to resolve their concerns, even if their vehicle is not technically part of one of those actions," said Honda spokesperson Chris Martin to Autoblog via email.