Will the CR-Z be the only good looking Honda?

[GoHuskies]

Spy Shots: 2012 Honda Civic sedan spied almost naked — Autoblog

It would appear that the timing for the 2012 Honda Civic's unveiling has reached the "any day now" point. Car magazine's Middle East outpost caught the latest version of the popular econo-sedan undergoing desert testing, basically devoid of camouflage. If you were waiting with bated breath for an extraordinarily new and different-looking Civic, stop reading. The 2010 car falls solidly into the "extensive refresh" category rather than a full redesign.

As you can see in the spy video, the front and rear fascias are updated; a new grille and bumper appear up front, while out back, all-new taillamps will be the most distinguishing visual element on the 2012 car. The overall profile of the Honda Civic sedan is clearly a carryover, however.

Likewise, the interior has been mildly tweaked with a new steering wheel and some updated trim panels, but it's basically window dressing over the passenger cabin recent Civic owners are familiar with. (The bi-level instrumentation is there, and the radio, HVAC controls, and air vents are all in the same locations as the current car.)

I'm not going to claim the CR-Z is the best looking car our there, but looking at the rest of the Honda lineup.... The Pilot, the new Odyssey, the refreshed Accord rear end, and this possible 2012 Civic sighting (may be the Honda City)....

Anyone feel like Honda is steering in the wrong direction with styling?

[RiseAgainst197]

I think it looks like a Prius in the back.

The front looks on-line with the current Insight.

I was hoping that Honda would give the new Civic the CRZ front end. I guess there goes that dream.

Oh well, if they did make the Civic get the CRZ's front end Bizzy-Bear would have bought a new SI anyway. Welcome back to the CRZ market Bizzy Bear!

New Civic

[bizzybear]

@ Rise, hahahaha...


i saw this earlier and was gonna post it as well... if you look closely, there are different versions in that video and in the pictures... one seems to be the EX version and the other is the Hybrid version... the Hybrid of course gets all the goodies; the LED taillights, the turn signals on the mirrors, the aerodynamic wheel covers , oh and the "Eco" button... i am curious to see the powertrain that comes with this new Civic b/c it's been rumored to have the Li-iOn batteries which are farrrr more efficient in power and weight than Ni-mH batteries every other hybrid b4 this gets, including the CR-Z...

on the note of looks, i will reserve official judgment until it's fully undressed, you get surprised by these things sometimes

however, i disagree with the OP... so far Honda seems to have the new Odyssey, Accord Sedan, Insight, Element, & Pilot all seem to look either better than their previous year or better than anything in their respective markets...

[bizzybear]

btw, here's the link for more pictures and the full (original) article 2012 Honda Civic exposed | CarMiddleEast.com

[RiseAgainst197]

It seems vehicles usually look better in person, so I guess judgement should be reserved till I see it in person. We will hope for the best I guess.

[bizzybear]

someone on TOV noticed that the video looks to be the wrong aspect ratio in comparison with the pictures... i saved that video and put it in a 16:10 ratio and it appears that person was right... the car looks funny in that video b/c it's sorta squeezed on the sides resulting i a taller looking car from the front and back...

[gomarlins3]

I like the present Accord, but that's about it from Honda or Acura.

[GoHuskies]

The poor video quality was pointed out on another forum as well.

I'll wait and see one in real life or some pics in a color other than silver before I really pass judgement. Interior....Dunno. While I really like the CR-Z I'll also admit press shots of the the MyTouch in Ford's next Focus is really slick. Even then next Elantra looks pretty much on par with the civic we have now, a bit more conservative but still very competitive.

However the Pilot....



Not liking it. My father has an 05 Pilot. He's been looking to trade it in but checking out the new Pilot Honda lost a customer. He felt the current Pilot is step down, gone are the projector headlights in favor of cheaper halogen optics, gone is soft touch texture plastics on the A pillars, and the leather feels cheaper (his opinion, I was undecided on that one) Navigation is the same unit Honda keep dragging around, in serious need of an update.

Dunno, I have not been around the new Pilot aside from a test drive with him but I'd take any number of trucks over the Honda. Flex, Acadia, Traverse, Highlander... and the next Explorer -OMG

It feels odd, being of a generation that grew up with the "exploder" being either an old gas sucking hog or a forgettable rental SUV... the next Explorer hands down wipes the floor with the Pilot.




Going back to the rest of the Honda lineup I realize Honda is very much interested in hitting the niche markets. The Ridgeline, Element, S2000, Crosstour, CR-Z are all smaller players tailored to a specific buyers market. The problem Honda has is once you sell to those buyers your stuck keeping up a model that drops in sales year after year. Yet people still expect you to keep the vehicle fresh and current. Crosstour and CR-Z are both new but the other three I mentioned each saw sales dwindle as time passes.

In some ways this "niche" targeting Honda does could be a big downfall. The Ridgeline might have been more profitable had Honda offered a real V8 or even a real truck platform. Same goes for the Element, could have seen an improved interior or perhaps numerous special editions just to keep buyers coming. Crosstour sells decently, but not in Venza levels. Instead of a slightly bloated Accord Honda could have offered a true 5 seater crossover. Back to the Ridgeline with a V8 Honda could offer Acura models that compete with other luxury brands. Because at this point Acura needs help. Acura keeps changing the direction for what the brand is meant to be, first an entry level luxury maker, then aspirations to be a true BMW contender, then the V8's get scrapped and Acura is a technology brand, and now Acura is going to be a leader in the green movement for luxury cars?

Dunno. I feel Honda is making assumptions for the brand around the world based off what's popular in Japan. The Insight seems an indication of this, as is Honda's decision to rely on IMA hybrids instead of diesels in Europe.


A train heading in the wrong direction.... Dunno forgive my long ranting post but those are my disjointed thoughts.

[bizzybear]

while i give Ford a ton of credit for what they're coming out with as of late... let's not forget we're comparing in a sense apples to oranges... i only say that b/c if you look at it the Pilot has been out since 2009 which means the 2011 Explorer will compete with the current Pilot for 1 year then the MMC comes around and maybe a few goodies get added to the Pilot... i'm only saying that Ford is going to be competing with the older version from Honda with their newer tech... when Honda comes around for the FMC, i'm sure their newer tech will be better than what Ford is coming out with right now... the leather in the Honda is better IMO than in Ford... unless Ford changed to something newer... i see they also wised up and tossed the optional V8 and now offer a V6 or turbo straight 4... the Pilot is also beating the current Explorer by 3hwy mpg... idk what the new one will do...

i know ur disappointment with Honda just by your post... but you have to have faith brother i look at Honda like this: they are not only the greenest automaker out there... but they are either beating or on par with other companies tech... just think of when Honda starts using Direct Injection engines and more gears on their cars?? their fuel economy is going to go through the roof... and still be the greenest!!

another thing to remember is that Honda doesn't just focus on mpg... they focus on producing the lowest Co2 levels... nobody ever mentions this when arguing mpg numbers...


aside from those things, i think the Civic is going to be pretty efficient and finally get 6 gears on the auto... my one gripe is, are we buying an inferior car with the CR-Z?? i mean, the Civic has to come out with at least 23city/36hwy to be exactly even with the current Civic... so that means maybe a boost of 25c/37h which would mean on a much bigger engine and car the Civic is getting the same hwy mpg as the CR-Z 6MT... that's no good...

btw, the IMA system is actually far superior to the systems used on other Hybrids especially on the highway... the only thing those Hybrids can do that some ppl want is to cruise around in EV-only mode (using electric only) and get really great city mpg... as far as outperforming the IMA, that depends on the test... you can never directly compare the IMA to the other hybrid systems out there b/c the Toyota, Ford, BMW, etc are all Full-Hybrid systems and the IMA is a Mild-Hybrid system...

i'm only pointing these things out b/c everyone seems to overlook them when comparing cars... keep in mind that Honda is supposedly releasing a Full-Hybrid system in the near future... i can only imagine what number those things will create... that's what i'm looking forward to, not what's out right now...

[GoHuskies]

Bizzy, on the highway it's a matter of aero mixed with engine size. Not sure about Ford and Hyundai but Toyota uses the same atkinson engines as the other Honda hybrids (not our Z). The Civic Hybrid holds a cross continental US record vs the Prius but that is mostly due to the 1.3L engine vs a larger 1.5L/1.8L found in the Prius models of late. IMA is ideal for making the engine feel larger than it really is real world Honda IMA isn't as competitive as the full hybrids. Looking at data from fuelly confirms this. Until Honda brings out it's own full hybrid system I've always thought IMA was better left to performance cars, offering increased punch and better fuel economy. Instead of IMA in the Accord Hybrid we should have seen IMA added to the TL-S.

As for the CO2.... I don't mean this as insult to your statement or to Honda... but very few people in the US care about the tailpipe emissions to the point where they buy a car based on the pollution score. If we started taxing on emissions then the story could take an interesting twist. At present people only mention the tail pipe score when debating on the internet.

I have faith Honda can come around. A-VTEC????? Eventually... I mean the line of engines needs an update at some point. It's just looking at the lineup today I can't help but think Honda is just playing catchup or settling for average. The 2012 Civic may be a great package but the question is will it be good enough to keep commanding a big lead over the Focus and Elantra, both cars to watch out for.

In the end more people are going to judge all cars as equals. Very bad products are put out anymore. All else equal choose the product that offers the most appeal. Honda gets beat out on warranty, initial price, and even perhaps design. Honda still makes some of the highest quality cars and trucks out there. I just wish offer jaw dropping looks alongside value.

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