Monday, August 29, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Honda Civic Earns Praise of KBB
Kbb.com unveiled the winners of the 2011/2012 Compact Sedan Comparison Test and tied atop the test group was the 2012 Honda Civic EX-L Navi, which shared the spot with the 2011 Hyundai Elantra Limited.
Editors gave both vehicles a score of 7.5 out of 10. The four models in the group received overall scores in addition to the categorical scores for interior, exterior, performance, comfort/convenience and value.
Interestingly enough, the Civic and Hyundai were each praised for different reasons and also had different “weak spots,” KBB noted.
The Civic was strongest in performance and value, while the Elantra was tops in style and design. Coming in third overall was the 2012 Ford Focus SEL, scoring a 6.9 rating, with the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze placing fourth (6.7).
Sharing some more commentary on the Civic, KBB said in listing its strengths that the Civic is “the Mercedes-Benz of compact sedans,” with its weakness being that it is “no longer a class style leader.”
KBB’s synopsis of the Civic stated that it is a “superb example of balance, value and pedigree.”
“To understand why the 2012 Honda Civic EX-L Navi shares the top honors with the Hyundai Elantra Limited in this comparison test, you need to understand what made Mercedes-Benz great. Once, in an era when luxury cars were great and the competition was strong, Mercedes-Benz was the greatest luxury carmaker in the world,” editors commented.
“Now, other automakers build faster cars than Mercedes-Benz, and prettier cars than Mercedes, and more reliable cars, more comfortable cars, better-handling cars, more value-laden cars than Mercedes … but not all at once,” they added. “That ‘nobody does it better all at once’ territory is prime Honda real estate, and the all-new Civic still rules that land. How the Civic does it, however, is a bit of a mystery.”
Explaining that sentiment in more detail, editors said the model “tanked” when it came to exterior style training and was the lowest on the totem pole for interior styling and trunk space.
KBB said the 1.8-liter engine stacked up well when it came to fuel efficiency, editors said the power output was lacking, also suggesting that the “five-speed automatic transmission seems iffy at best in a class where six forward gears is now the norm.”
“Yet somehow, the 2012 Honda Civic EX-L Navi pulls it off. The underpowered engine and under-geared transmission work together beautifully, seamlessly to make certain that you're never stranded at the deep end of the onramp,” they shared. “Like most Honda engines, the Civic's 1.8 really shines at higher revs. The four-wheel disc brakes do a superb job of nestling the Civic to a stop, and while the ride/handling balance places ride far above handling, the steering feel and response belong in a ‘How to Do Everything Right’ textbook.”
Moving along to discuss all four models in the group in more detail, editors said they were fairly pleased with each of them, calling them a “fresh-foot forward for their manufacturers.”
“At some point in time, most everyone drives a compact sedan, whether it is a commuter car, second car, empty nester car or even a rental car,” stated Jack Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for Kbb.com.
“Because this vehicle class is an inevitable part of most American drivers’ lives, we wanted to put the top new models up against each other head-to-head to see how they would fare,” he continued.
“While the caliber of vehicles is better than ever in the compact sedan category across the board, each model proved to have different strengths and weaknesses that potential buyers should know about before they make their final decision,” Nerad added. “The cars are in the same segment, but they certainly aren’t the same, and we found that each meets the needs of a particular set of consumers.”
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Honda Wins Awards for Excellent After-Sales Strategy
Honda Motor Manufacturing Company has said that five of its models have recently won in their respective categories in the 2011 "Lowest True Cost to Own" awards given by automotive research website Edmunds.com, which estimates the cost of ownership over a five year period.
It noted that among the winners were the Honda Accord Sedan, Accord Coupe, Civic, Ridgeline and Pilot, quoting Danny Zhou, senior director of data products and operations at Edmunds.com as saying that: "One of the key factors that pushed many of this year's award winners over the top was their free maintenance plans, which can save car owners hundreds or even thousands of dollars over a five-year period. It explained that Edmunds' True Cost to Own data is based on a number of key factors including depreciation, interest on financing, taxes and fees, insurance premiums, fuel, maintenance, repairs and any federal tax credit that may be available, adding that after taking these variables into consideration, Honda vehicles excelled in providing value over five-years. Honda also noted that its models won more awards from another family-friendly resources websites, Parents.com, which also teamed up with Edmunds.com to develop a unique list of "Best Family Cars of 2011." Honda said three of its models were recognized in different entries in their segments, noting that the Honda Accord was a "Best Family Car" in the Sedan category, thanks to its "unbeatable blend of space, value and reliability." It said Parents.com also lauded the car's spacious back seats, which offer plenty of room for car seats, along with its many storage options, noting that the site's editors gave kudos to the Accord Crosstour as well, specifically complimenting its rear liftgate, increased ride height, and available all-wheel-drive and backup camera. The automaker said its Honda Fit earned Parents.com honours in the Budget segment, and was lauded for being "a small car that acts big," saying Honda's focus on providing ingenious storage solutions again drew raves in the Fit, as did its highly versatile seating system. As Parents.com pointed out, "The rear seat splits in two and folds flat into the floor (while still accommodating a car seat on one side)." The fact that the Fit was "a treat to drive, with a perky engine and crisp handling," was a well-received bonus. For Big Cars, Honda said its all-new Honda Odyssey stood out from the competition with its well-designed cabin that includes family-satisfying features like a flip-up ring for holding trash bags and a highly configurable, easy-to-maneuver seating system. It noted that for example, the Odyssey's exclusive "Magic Seat" technology lets drivers quickly stow the third row of seats in the vehicle's floor with just a simple tug, noting that all of which means that if you want a vehicle that's going to meet the needs of your family, you should start by visiting the Honda family. Honda also noted that although the earthquake in Japan on March 11 crippled most Japanese automakers, and left dealers in the U.S. scrambling for cars, it was still able to produce some of the top-selling vehicles on the market. It noted that after six months, the Honda Accord dominate car sales in the U.S. Market with an overall auto sales going up by 12.8 per cent this year compared to the same period last year.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
2012 Honda Fit comes with added Features
Honda's fuel efficient subcompact five door Fit enters the 2012 car year with styling updates, interior upgrades, new standard features and new accessories.
A popular choice among city dwellers, the Fit's compact size and tight turning diameter of 34.4 feet, curb-to-curb makes it perfect for space-confined urban areas. The Fit has a roomy and versatile interior that offers the convenience and cargo volume of a larger vehicle. Compared to any other vehicle in the subcompact class, the five-passenger Fit provides the lowest, flattest cargo floor and the most cargo volume of 57.3 cu-ft. when the rear seats are down. Its four distinct seat configurations are designed to accommodate large objects ranging from mountain bikes to surfboards to tall houseplants.
For 2012 the Fit Sport exterior updates include a new design for the front grille and bumper along with black headlight bezels and a dark "machined surface" finish for the alloy wheels. The entry-model Fit retains its exclusive front fascia design and for 2012 receives body-color exterior mirrors and updated wheel covers.
Inside, the 2012 Fit Sport interior comes with dark metallic dashboard components for a unified color theme. The 2012 Fit Sport receives additional chrome accents around instrument displays. All models receive newly designed console-mounted center beverage holders along with console ambient lighting, which provide easier access and greater stability. All models also receive added sound insulation measures in the floor, front fenders and A-pillars, plus thicker front corner-window glass, to help create a quieter, more-refined cabin environment.
Two new colors are available: Blue Raspberry Metallic and Orangeburst Metallic, which replace similar colors from the prior model year.
The top-of-the-line Fit Sport includes a long list of exclusive, standard features compared to the entry-model Fit. For 2012, it gains standard steering wheel-mounted audio controls for fingertip operation and upgraded seat fabric. When equipped with the Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System™ with Voice Recognition5, the Fit Sport now includes Bluetooth®1 HandsFreeLink® to help make hands-free telephone calls more convenient. The enhanced system also includes a Bluetooth Audio capability with compatible phones and devices.
All models are powered by a four-cylinder engine that produces 117 horsepower at 6,600 rpm and 106 lb-ft. of torque at 4,800 rpm. When equipped with the available automatic transmission, the Fit has an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) city/highway/combined fuel economy rating of 28/35/31 miles per gallon. The Fit Sport with the available automatic transmission has an EPA city/highway/combined fuel economy rating of 27/33/30 miles per gallon. All manual transmission-equipped models have an EPA city/highway/combined fuel economy rating of 27/33/29 miles per gallon.
The Fit rides on a front MacPherson strut suspension and torsion beam rear suspension. Fifteen- and 16-inch wheels (Fit and Fit Sport, respectively) feature 175/65 R15 84S (Fit) and 185/55 R16 83H (Fit Sport) tires. The standard anti-lock braking system (ABS) with Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD) uses 10.3-inch ventilated discs in the front and 7.9-inch drums in the rear.
The 2012 Fit Sport adds alloy wheels, an underbody aero kit, rear roofline spoiler, fog lights, illuminated steering wheel mounted audio controls and upgraded seat fabric. For improved audio performance, the Fit Sport audio system has a total of six speakers. The Fit Sport is available with the Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System™ with Voice Recognition, which features a 6.5-inch screen and more than seven million points of interest. The Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System debuting on the 2012 Fit Sport features 16 GB of flash memory in place of the DVD-based system used previously. Like other Honda navigation systems, this new system allows simple, intuitive operation and has an extensive on-board database.
The Fit with a 5-Speed Manual has a MSRP of $15,175 and the Fit Sport starts out a $16,910 MSRP. Both prices are excluding tax, license, registration, $770 destination charge and options. Dealer prices may vary.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Shahbaz, we would like to thank you for your dedication to providing 100 percent customer satisfaction.
"I went into this dealership to look around and ended up leaving with a new Honda Accord. The staff was very friendly and polite. They didn't hassle me when I walked in. When I was ready I approached Shahbaz Sheikh. He is very nice and has a good sense of humor. He would always ask us if there is anything we can get you and I said yeah a million dollars ha ha ha. Well, my advice to anyone out there, if they want a new Honda, go to O'Hare Honda and talk to Shahbaz. You wont be disappointed. The staff is great. Thanks again for the good hospitality and service. See you all soon."
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Honda gives new name, more features to Crosstour
Honda is adding some tweaks and giving its novel car-like crossover a new name.
The Accord Crosstour becomes, simply, the Crosstour. In case you don't remember this one, this is the boxy, hatchback version of the Accord. Its more upscale stablemate, the Acura ZDX, hasn't exactly set sales charts on fire either.
Honda sold 1,477 Crosstours last month. The 11,518 Crosstours sold so far this year is about equal to the number of Rogue crossovers that Nissan sold in a single month, July. Only 102 ZDXs were sold last month.
To help the Crosstour perform in showrooms, not just on the road, Honda is giving it more features for 2012 -- a standard rearview camera, Bluetooth hands-free communications and a USB audio interface.
Its 3.5-liter V-6 engine produces 271 horsepower and 18 miles a gallon in the city, 26 mpg on the highway. Cylinders shut off when they aren't needed.
http://usat.ly/ptP5Uj
The Accord Crosstour becomes, simply, the Crosstour. In case you don't remember this one, this is the boxy, hatchback version of the Accord. Its more upscale stablemate, the Acura ZDX, hasn't exactly set sales charts on fire either.
Honda sold 1,477 Crosstours last month. The 11,518 Crosstours sold so far this year is about equal to the number of Rogue crossovers that Nissan sold in a single month, July. Only 102 ZDXs were sold last month.
To help the Crosstour perform in showrooms, not just on the road, Honda is giving it more features for 2012 -- a standard rearview camera, Bluetooth hands-free communications and a USB audio interface.
Its 3.5-liter V-6 engine produces 271 horsepower and 18 miles a gallon in the city, 26 mpg on the highway. Cylinders shut off when they aren't needed.
http://usat.ly/ptP5Uj
Monday, August 8, 2011
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Dave, thank you for providing this excellent review. We are proud to have you as a customer.
"We called looking for a Fit and they held one for us on a Saturday afternoon. The Fit is a hot car and they said it was their last one. Good thing we got to work with Ernie Loma, he's a cool gent and totally helped us get through the process as quick as possible. We did buy, and Ernie helped us out. Thanks Ernie."
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Honda Ranks Highest among Manufacturer Websites in Satisfying New-Vehicle Shoppers for a Third Consecutive Time
Website appearance--including design elements and color schemes--is driving many brand-level increases and decreases in shopper satisfaction with automotive manufacturer websites, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 Manufacturer Website Evaluation StudySM (MWES)--Wave 2 released today.
The semiannual study, now in its 12th year, measures the usefulness of automotive manufacturer websites during the new-vehicle shopping process. New-vehicle shoppers evaluate websites in four key areas: appearance, speed, navigation and information/content.
The study finds that many of the automotive brands that have experienced significant improvements in overall satisfaction from the prior wave have also made considerable gains in the appearance measure. These brands, which include Buick, Jeep, Volkswagen and smart, have introduced a variety of changes that have elevated appearance satisfaction with their sites, such as:
Reducing the amount of visual clutter on the home page to help shoppers find the model they want and quickly access model details
Streamlining the main models menu by incorporating white space and using fewer links. This reduces the appearance of clutter and makes it easier for shoppers to find model-level content
Using larger font sizes for menus and more space for links to enhance readability
Ensuring new text content is well organized and provides ample room for vehicle images on the site
Incorporating the effective use of accent colors (such as using peach in a predominantly silver color scheme) to add brightness and warmth while still maintaining a luxurious appearance
"Aside from attracting shoppers through aesthetic appeal, well-thought-out aspects of website appearance can also enhance website navigation and the speed with which shoppers locate the specific content they want," said Arianne Walker, director of marketing and media research at J.D. Power and Associates. "Some of the most effective changes in this wave were relatively minor ones, so enhancing the appearance of a website doesn't necessarily have to entail an expensive, time-consuming site redesign."
The study also finds that many of the brands with the greatest declines in overall satisfaction from six months ago have introduced changes that have resulted in lower satisfaction with website appearance. Some of these changes include incorporating darker colors into site design schemes and removing colorful accents from model pages.
"Website appearance will continue to be an important part of the overall design strategy as manufacturers execute their site designs across multiple platforms, including mobile devices and tablet computers," said Walker.
Honda ranks highest among automotive manufacturer websites for usefulness in new-vehicle shopping for a third consecutive time. Honda achieves an index score of 821 on a 1,000-point scale and performs particularly well in three of four measures: information/content, navigation and speed. Following Honda in the rankings are Ford, Lincoln, Nissan and Porsche, in a four-way tie (809 each).
The 2011 Manufacturer Website Evaluation Study--Wave 2 is based on evaluations from more than 10,400 new-vehicle shoppers who indicated they will be in the market for a new vehicle within the next 24 months. The study was fielded in May 2011.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)