Maybe it's just the pictures (especially in the close up of the arm-rest), but the leather looks kinda cheap.
Other than that, it annoys me that Honda is exporting EX CR-V's with body-colored bumpers & door handles to North America, but only for Canada. Not only that, their EX get the body colored hard plastic spare cover, as well.
What's with the antenna? I thought it was going to be mounted European style (like in the back, on the roof, and very short), instead of the solid one shown in the article.
Cool, Shelly, let us know when you get to drive one. I'm curious as to how it handles.
The Cruze looks like a Mountaneer to me, sort of.
Honda inventories were exceptionally low before, so now they are just a little lower than normal. I looked at some data from Automotive News. Don't expect 0% any time soon, not on the new CR-V or Odyssey, any how.
You can get the hard spare cover shipped from a Canadian dealer. It looks like all the colors are the same now. The bumpers would be another matter. Even the body colored replacements are shipped 'prepped to paint" rather than with a factory paint job. You'd have to go to a custom paint shop for those. I looked into this myself when I found out that the Canadian LE (SE to the US market) is available in Sebring Silver.
Juice - Most reports seem to indicate that there is little or no change in how it handles. I suspect that the extra size and different wheel position may change how it "feels", but the handling is supposed to be the same.
Why don't HONDA put the 240hp s2000 engine in the new CRV. It would make the horsepower king of the mini-suv set. While still maintaining good mpg.
Question Why not leather in the EX-l 2002 crv or heated outside mirrors. Dose HONDA Corporation take advantage of American's Love of the Honda CRV and offer us less product for the same price they pay up north???????
does go on sale November 15 mean ? Is it just an official date while we get to see and buy at dealers a few days even week before that ?
The Pathfinder board is full of talk people can go buy Canadian Pathfinders about $4000 cheaper than State side. Identical equiped cars except speedo reads in kilometers. How can the car companies justify this and where are the comsumer advocates? We are paying more for everything, look at the drugs !
They should make it a 2.5 liter (why stop at 2.4? add another .1 liter).
That would easily top 200hp, as the 2.0 liter engine in the RSX can make as much as 220 (type-R, Japan only). The problem is making that available at a lower rpm.
SE Model- what does Honda think it's doing? We would settle for black door handles and non-matching spare cover if they didn't produce it at all. But if we know Canada's going to get it, we should raise a stink about it. First they get the Acura EL, now this...
So just because they pay higher taxes, it means that they get the better looking CR-V with colored bumpers and leather interior, while we don't?
If that's the case, then they're paying for those extra things. I'm sure Americans would be willing to pay extra for those extra things, just as long as it's within reasonable boundaries.
Don't forget that in some Provences, BC for instance the tax on a car GST plus PST amounts to 14%. I think the car manufacturers take this into account when they crunch the numbers.
Beyond that, Canada is just a more civilized place, I'm not sure that the Americans deserve equal treatment yet.
While the msrp in Canada may be less than what you pay in the USA going by the exchange rate, by the time you add what we pay in sales tax (7% fed + 8% prov.= 15%), plus a/c tax, tire tax etc, we end up paying more. And because of higher income taxes and property taxes, etc, we have less disposable income to boot. Just my $0.02 (that's $0.01 American!)
I returned to the 2002 CRV Ride & Drive location on Friday morning, hoping to get to actually drive the CRV. The Honda people present told me I would have to come back after 1pm to drive with all the local Dealers' salespeople. Since I wasn't really a salesperson, I knew I wouldn't be able to crash the party. I did, however, get another extended look at the New CRV. Nothing really to add to my original small review, except that I did compare the new CRV more with the RAV 4 & Ford Escape. (To Honda's credit, they did provide both competitors vehicles very well equipped, not strippo models) The Ford Escape's Interior definitely looks & feels a full notch down in quality, materials, & execution. That includes every aspect- seats, carpet, plastic, guages, etc. The interior space is the closest to the CRV (large), but still not a s big, and that includes the trunk. The exterior finish & fit of the Escape is also a notch below, but the overall styling I find is superior. I know styling is a subjective thing, but Americans usually do it better than the Japanese. While the CRV is more unified looking now, it's still a hodge-podge of styling ideas. The Escape also appears larger, even though its very similar in size to the CRV. Potential buyers out there might opt for the Escape just because of its' larger appearance. On the other hand there is the RAV 4. Definitely more of a match for the CRV in terms of interior quality and appearance. The dashboard is pretty upscale and good looking. The seats and the interior materials are very good. Where the RAV 4 really fails is in interior space. It's VERY cramped. The narrowness of the interior comes thru in a claustrophobic way- especially the rear seat. If anyone over 5'9 sits in the front seat, no adult would want to spend any time in the rear seat. The trunk is even worse- good enough for a couple of suitcases at best. No way a small family could comfortably take an extended trip in that. The exterior again is a different story. The styling is dramatic & interesting. (However for me, interesting in typical Toyota styling way-very Faddy, but in the long run- weird.) At least Toyota is willing to take more styling chances than Honda. The RAV 4 exterior fit & finish is excellent- except for the paint job which is always Toyota-like orange peel. To sum-up- I would still pick the CRV over the aforementioned competition because it does almost everything well and offers the best COMPROMISE, if not the most groundbreaking function.
I have seen a couple of reviews that indicate ABS is to be standard on the LX CRV in Canada.However I just noticed another review in my local paper that said it was to be included only on the EX model.Perhaps the reviewer was simply quoting from U.S. specs.Does anyone have a site for complete specs on the Canadian CRV yet?
That is probably the European thing. Honda could develop just one engine, and use it globally, without dropping it into a high tax bracket (by displacement) by using a 2.5 liter engine. This is my guess for the choice of 2.4 liter displacement for larger four cylinder engine by Toyota (Camry/Highlander) and Honda. But then, I wonder, why Honda opted for the lower end of the 2400 cc range. The actual displacement is only 2354 cc, while it could have been 2445 cc, and still a 2.4 liter engine, that is almost 0.1 liter!.
rsholland an SUV that doesn't put out much power below 6000 rpm? That's what you'd get get with an S2000-powered CRV. Doesn't sound like a good fit to me. S2000 engine actually puts more power than the CR-V engine at 6000 rpm (about 170 HP), the problem would however be... - requires premium gasoline - would work only with manual transmission (unless Honda decides to develop F1-style transmission) - doesnot develop as much power at lower rpm, but since the engine would be high revving, the gearing will keep the engine speed up in the 'sweet zone' for S2000, and possibly discomfort zone for most CR-V buyers. - and most importantly, the F20C is designed for RWD chassis! And it still doesn't use iVTEC which is supposed to be featured in every Honda engine by 2005.
I believe their 2.4 litre engine displacement has more to do with Honda's limitations on bore centers ... as I recall, they increased the bore by only 1 mm, with a stroke 10 mm greater ... way undersquare ... should make for better low end torque, etc. IMVHO
Are these cylinders siamesed (sp?) as they were on the original CR-V?
Let's not forget that the 2.4 is based on a 2.0 block that is already 10% smaller than other Honda engines (which are small to begin with). If they tried to bore it out any further, we'd have paper thin cylinder walls.
Mainemanx - The new block does employ some fancy architecture, but I dunno if it's the same trick used on the current CR-V. The current 2.0L has external dimensions that are about the same size as the 1.6L.
Robertmx - Over in Europe, the CR-V uses the 2.0L engine from the Stream (154hp). I can't think of any other Civic-based model that would a 2.4L.
Hi Folks, I recently bought a 2001 CRV LX but without keyless entry. It costs an extra $350(?)from the dealership. I've seen handa accessories.com selling it for $66 (apparently, the receiver in the car is factory-installed in all CRVs). All you need is to buy the transmitter and program it. Is this true? I wonder how one CRV will be uniquely unlocked by a generic transmitter. Thanks for any help!! - Robert
Got the blue CRV LX automatic for $19000, with roof rack, door bump guard, wheel locks and mud guards. I hope I didn't do too bad, since the blue was hard to find and we wanted that color. You think it was a fair deal?
We just returned from the Miami International Car Show where they had two locked pre-production 02 CRVs. A quote from the former President of BMW came to mind. He was describing the current Mercedes E class. To paraphrase... Honda had one design team working on the interior and and one design team working on the exterior... and both failed. The inside was a mish mesh of bad placement and odd looking control buttons. The outside was not objectional in any way ... but let me say that we have alligators down here that are evolving more quickly. In summary... boy did the Jeep Liberty look good (except for those mileage numbers....if I could only figure out how to get it to run on ketchup)
You missed my point, or I wasn't clear enough in making it. For SUVs, and unlike sports cars, it much more important to make good power from idle through mid-range. That's how the CRV is tuned, and not how the S2000 is tuned.
The S2000 is rather tame until around 6000 rpm. From there to its 9000 rpm, is where its "sweet spot" is. I really think the S2000 engine in the CRV would be a big mistake. Give me the current 2.4L engine any day; much more usable power in every day kind of situations.
I think this is worth looking into. I am familiar with the high taxes;however, every time I'm there I just submit a form and my receipts to some Canadian Government agency and I get about half of all tax paid reimbursed.
Would a Honda purchased in Canada still be covered under U.S. warranties? Hmmm I bet not.
As far as I know all Honda/Acura vehicles are covered by a North American warranty. So yes the warranty is okay. The problem comes in with US customs who will charge you duty on the vehicle you're bringing into the US if you have not owned it for at least one year. Also, you have the minor inconvenience of running lights which are mandatory in Canada (I personally don't like them) and a speedometer that is in Kilometers.
Or Americans can just add a lightbulb ? Plus maybe a controler ?
I think if American buys a car in Canada and brings it right out, he wouldn't have to pay Canadian taxes. But he will have to pay his state tax, title and liscense fees like he would buying local. Nissan Pathfinder board can answer your further buy Canadian questions.
robertr4: I think you did good on the LX as far as I can make out. Regarding the keyless entry, $350 is too much. A friend of mine paid about $125 (installed) at dealership on his CRV.
Mainemanx: I believe their 2.4 litre engine displacement has more to do with Honda's limitations on bore centers May be, but I still believe the displacement choice has to do with tax bracket (same for Camry). But since this is a new generation of Honda engines, it would be possible for Honda to have 86 mm bore for some engines and greater for engines that they intend to go quite a bit undersquare (2.4 liter/I-4, 3.5 liter/V6). The 2.0 liter engine on which this powerplant is based has 86 mm bore, but the 2.4 liter does have it at 87 mm (and 99 mm stroke, that is 2 mm longer than the current 2254 cc in Accord).
Varmit: Over in Europe, the CR-V uses the 2.0L engine from the Stream (154hp). I can't think of any other Civic-based model that would a 2.4L. You’re right, but use of 2.4 liter engine being used on North American CRV could power a version of the European Accord (ES?), while CRV uses the Stream variation (as would lower trims of Accord).
Rsholland: S2000 engine is called ‘tame’ at lower rpm because it doesn’t have the extra advantage over other 2.0 liter engines by itself. But it is still on the better side of what a typical engine of its size would do. It develops about 140-145 lb.-ft from 3000 to about 5500 rpm (which is about the same or greater than the peak torque of the engine CRV would get outside North America). But past 5500 rpm, the torque output jumps up, and gets going stronger where most other engines would go the other way, hence the feeling. The F20C could make for an interesting engine, just not practical for the purpose CRV serves. But the 2.4 liter engine does provide greater torque at about all rpm under 5500 rpm, and that makes sense.
We can't really offer an opinion on your "deal" until you tell us if you got the 2WD or 4WD LX. . . .
Concerning the remote entry: The remotes are not programmable; you would be actually programming the CR-V's receiver. Whatever dealer (and the online places that sell Genuine Honda Parts are dealers too) sells you the remotes . . . be sure to get the detailed list of instructions from them.
Here's the basic idea: First, you will use your ignition key in a sequence that will put your vehicle in a special "listening" mode. Then you press buttons on each of the remotes you want to use (up to three I think), and the car will memorize their codes.
Just make sure no one else is around your car with a Honda remote when you do this.
One of the pictures of the new CRV engine looked like it had a timing chain.I could be wrong since I have never seen Honda use them in car engines. I have owned a number of Honda motorcycles and they used chain camdrives.I trust chains more than rubber belts.Maybe they are too noisy for car applications.What do you think?
robertsmx,slugline,everyone: This came with roof rack,mudguard,door bumpguards and wheel locks...in hindsight, I think for this week they have a $500 cashback incentive so it may not have been that good a deal...what do you think? Thanks! I wished I saw this messageboard so I could have negotiated down the options....
<< But the 2.4 liter engine does provide greater torque at about all rpm under 5500 rpm, and that makes sense >>
That's exactly my point. The "mission" of the CRV engine is much different than that of the S2000's engine, and therefore, is better suited to the task at hand.
Let's see . . . I'm going to assume that the $19k is for just the car and dealer-installed accessories. (Let me know if this was actually your "drive-out" cost including tax, tags, etc.)
Prices from handa-accessories.com (I'm rounding to nearest dollar): roof rack $206, mud guards $35, door edge guards $40, wheel locks $35. Subtract these from $19k and you're left with $18684 as the price of the car plus destination fee.
For a 2001 LX 4WD automatic, invoice price plus destination fee are $18,672 according to Kelley Blue Book . . . meaning robertr4 got his car at $12 over invoice. Not too bad at all for someone who wishes they had negotiated harder!
anyone purchasing the last of the Honda 2001 CRV's LX models do not let the dealer install the remote key less entry. For $66.00 plus shipping you can install it yourself. Instructions are on the inter net
Robertmx - Not sure that the CR-V's 2.4L would work in an Accord. The current Accord block spins in the wrong direction. That will probably change with the next redesign, but there may be other mounting concerns as well.
I'd like to see the base Accord with 160/162. That kind of power would make for a capable economy car. Still, Honda would be better off with an engine designed for the Accord; one with higher mpg and lower emissions.
What's the competition up to this week?
Ford just lost a lawsuit regarding some older ignition systems that could fail or cause the car to stall. Could it be the same problem that the Escape and Tribute owners are reporting?
The Freelander was just recalled for failing handbrakes (again, older models only).
The Saturn VUE will get a bigger brother (simply called the 318 internally) and that vehicle will use the Honda V-6s that GM has been purchasing. They are trying to crank out an extra 50hp from the Honda block. As I understand it this should be possible with less restrictive air intake. But watch out for a huge increase in sound and a decrease in fuel efficiency.
Stopped by a Honda dealer last week to see if any new CRV brochures had arrived (they haven't). While I was there I noticed the new '02 Odyssey, and several left over '01 Odysseys—one of which had no middle or third row seats!
Unlike all the other Odysseys there, the middle and rear seats were not mentioned on the window sticker. So, apparently Honda also markets a version of the Odyssey for people not interested in middle or rear seats. Other than the lack of seats, it's identical to an LX trim model. What caught my eye was that it stickered a bit over $20K. Also, the rear area was fully carpeted and came with a huge rear carpet mat too.
tomsr: 2002 CRV and all new Honda engines, including the RSX and Civic Si have timing chain.
varmit: The next generation Accord will, like any other Honda, have the engine spinning in the other direction. And the 2.4 liter I-4 will power the base Accords for sure. As far as mileage goes, Honda will probably introduce a new transmission for Accord (quite possibly a five speed automatic), and will definitely gear Accord a little taller than the CR-V to get (much) better gas mileage. I'm expecting Honda to improve upon existing gas mileage on both, I-4 and V6 models, by atleast 1 mpg at both ends.
rsholland: I've seen an Odyssey with middle and rear seats removed at a dealership. It is probably the 'cargo' version.
Hmmm... I guess Honda will be shipping engines around the globe. The Accord and CR-V do not share a manufacturing plant. I can understand shipping the CR-V blocks to England because there is already a supply line going there for the Civic. However, the Accords are mostly built here in the USA and there is no existing supply line for that.
There was a news release (this month)all Hondas built in England will have 80 % local content vs current 40 % soon. And new CRV engine will be sourced in England.
My sister-in-law brought her 2000 Honda CR-V over for me to look at. When she drove over our curb onto our driveway she noticed an unusual ker-plunk. I listened outside the Honda as she drove onto the driveway over and over. I finally crawled underneath the CR-V and inspected the rear suspension. On the driver's side I found what appeared to be a support bar to the rear suspension. The bar was sheared off on the driver's side. Any ideas how and/or why this could happen? She brought it to dealer service last week and the service manager said he could not duplicate the problem. He said he thought the rear door was not shut properly. They missed the obvious problem entirely.
Comments
Other than that, it annoys me that Honda is exporting EX CR-V's with body-colored bumpers & door handles to North America, but only for Canada. Not only that, their EX get the body colored hard plastic spare cover, as well.
What's with the antenna? I thought it was going to be mounted European style (like in the back, on the roof, and very short), instead of the solid one shown in the article.
The Cruze looks like a Mountaneer to me, sort of.
Honda inventories were exceptionally low before, so now they are just a little lower than normal. I looked at some data from Automotive News. Don't expect 0% any time soon, not on the new CR-V or Odyssey, any how.
-juice
Steve
Juice - Most reports seem to indicate that there is little or no change in how it handles. I suspect that the extra size and different wheel position may change how it "feels", but the handling is supposed to be the same.
-juice
A Type S would have a have a whole lot more "juice" than 200 hp...
mini-suv set. While still maintaining good mpg.
Question
Why not leather in the EX-l 2002 crv or heated outside mirrors. Dose HONDA Corporation take advantage of American's Love of the Honda CRV and offer us less product for the same price they pay up north???????
Bob
The Pathfinder board is full of talk people can go buy Canadian Pathfinders about $4000 cheaper than State side. Identical equiped cars except speedo reads in kilometers. How can the car companies justify this and where are the comsumer advocates? We are paying more for everything, look at the drugs !
That would easily top 200hp, as the 2.0 liter engine in the RSX can make as much as 220 (type-R, Japan only). The problem is making that available at a lower rpm.
SE Model- what does Honda think it's doing? We would settle for black door handles and non-matching spare cover if they didn't produce it at all. But if we know Canada's going to get it, we should raise a stink about it. First they get the Acura EL, now this...
If that's the case, then they're paying for those extra things. I'm sure Americans would be willing to pay extra for those extra things, just as long as it's within reasonable boundaries.
Beyond that, Canada is just a more civilized place, I'm not sure that the Americans deserve equal treatment yet.
Miamicrv - Canada will remain a third world country until they can cook Italian food without using ketchup. ;-) ;-)
To sum-up- I would still pick the CRV over the aforementioned competition because it does almost everything well and offers the best COMPROMISE, if not the most groundbreaking function.
Yachtie
why stop at 2.4? add another .1 liter
That is probably the European thing. Honda could develop just one engine, and use it globally, without dropping it into a high tax bracket (by displacement) by using a 2.5 liter engine. This is my guess for the choice of 2.4 liter displacement for larger four cylinder engine by Toyota (Camry/Highlander) and Honda. But then, I wonder, why Honda opted for the lower end of the 2400 cc range. The actual displacement is only 2354 cc, while it could have been 2445 cc, and still a 2.4 liter engine, that is almost 0.1 liter!.
rsholland
an SUV that doesn't put out much power below 6000 rpm? That's what you'd get get with an S2000-powered CRV. Doesn't sound like a good fit to me.
S2000 engine actually puts more power than the CR-V engine at 6000 rpm (about 170 HP), the problem would however be...
- requires premium gasoline
- would work only with manual transmission (unless Honda decides to develop F1-style transmission)
- doesnot develop as much power at lower rpm, but since the engine would be high revving, the gearing will keep the engine speed up in the 'sweet zone' for S2000, and possibly discomfort zone for most CR-V buyers.
- and most importantly, the F20C is designed for RWD chassis! And it still doesn't use iVTEC which is supposed to be featured in every Honda engine by 2005.
Are these cylinders siamesed (sp?) as they were on the original CR-V?
Mainemanx - The new block does employ some fancy architecture, but I dunno if it's the same trick used on the current CR-V. The current 2.0L has external dimensions that are about the same size as the 1.6L.
Robertmx - Over in Europe, the CR-V uses the 2.0L engine from the Stream (154hp). I can't think of any other Civic-based model that would a 2.4L.
I recently bought a 2001 CRV LX but without
keyless entry. It costs an extra $350(?)from
the dealership. I've seen handa accessories.com
selling it for $66 (apparently, the receiver in
the car is factory-installed in all CRVs). All
you need is to buy the transmitter and program it.
Is this true? I wonder how one CRV will be uniquely unlocked by a generic transmitter. Thanks
for any help!! - Robert
roof rack, door bump guard, wheel locks and mud
guards. I hope I didn't do too bad, since the blue
was hard to find and we wanted that color. You think it was a fair deal?
Robert
The S2000 is rather tame until around 6000 rpm. From there to its 9000 rpm, is where its "sweet spot" is. I really think the S2000 engine in the CRV would be a big mistake. Give me the current 2.4L engine any day; much more usable power in every day kind of situations.
Bob
Would a Honda purchased in Canada still be covered under U.S. warranties? Hmmm I bet not.
Any other reasons NOT to pursue this?
http://www.canadianautoreview.com/crv-headlights.jpg
Or Americans can just add a lightbulb ? Plus maybe a controler ?
I think if American buys a car in Canada and brings it right out, he wouldn't have to pay Canadian taxes. But he will have to pay his state tax, title and liscense fees like he would buying local. Nissan Pathfinder board can answer your further buy Canadian questions.
I think you did good on the LX as far as I can make out. Regarding the keyless entry, $350 is too much. A friend of mine paid about $125 (installed) at dealership on his CRV.
Mainemanx:
I believe their 2.4 litre engine displacement has more to do with Honda's limitations on bore centers
May be, but I still believe the displacement choice has to do with tax bracket (same for Camry). But since this is a new generation of Honda engines, it would be possible for Honda to have 86 mm bore for some engines and greater for engines that they intend to go quite a bit undersquare (2.4 liter/I-4, 3.5 liter/V6). The 2.0 liter engine on which this powerplant is based has 86 mm bore, but the 2.4 liter does have it at 87 mm (and 99 mm stroke, that is 2 mm longer than the current 2254 cc in Accord).
Varmit:
Over in Europe, the CR-V uses the 2.0L engine from the Stream (154hp). I can't think of any other Civic-based model that would a 2.4L.
You’re right, but use of 2.4 liter engine being used on North American CRV could power a version of the European Accord (ES?), while CRV uses the Stream variation (as would lower trims of Accord).
Rsholland:
S2000 engine is called ‘tame’ at lower rpm because it doesn’t have the extra advantage over other 2.0 liter engines by itself. But it is still on the better side of what a typical engine of its size would do. It develops about 140-145 lb.-ft from 3000 to about 5500 rpm (which is about the same or greater than the peak torque of the engine CRV would get outside North America). But past 5500 rpm, the torque output jumps up, and gets going stronger where most other engines would go the other way, hence the feeling. The F20C could make for an interesting engine, just not practical for the purpose CRV serves. But the 2.4 liter engine does provide greater torque at about all rpm under 5500 rpm, and that makes sense.
Concerning the remote entry: The remotes are not programmable; you would be actually programming the CR-V's receiver. Whatever dealer (and the online places that sell Genuine Honda Parts are dealers too) sells you the remotes . . . be sure to get the detailed list of instructions from them.
Here's the basic idea: First, you will use your ignition key in a sequence that will put your vehicle in a special "listening" mode. Then you press buttons on each of the remotes you want to use (up to three I think), and the car will memorize their codes.
Just make sure no one else is around your car with a Honda remote when you do this.
like it had a timing chain.I could be wrong since
I have never seen Honda use them in car engines.
I have owned a number of Honda motorcycles and they used chain camdrives.I trust chains more than rubber belts.Maybe they are too noisy for car
applications.What do you think?
This came with roof rack,mudguard,door bumpguards and wheel locks...in hindsight, I
think for this week they have a $500 cashback
incentive so it may not have been that good
a deal...what do you think? Thanks! I wished
I saw this messageboard so I could have negotiated
down the options....
Robert
That's exactly my point. The "mission" of the CRV engine is much different than that of the S2000's engine, and therefore, is better suited to the task at hand.
Bob
Prices from handa-accessories.com (I'm rounding to nearest dollar): roof rack $206, mud guards $35, door edge guards $40, wheel locks $35. Subtract these from $19k and you're left with $18684 as the price of the car plus destination fee.
For a 2001 LX 4WD automatic, invoice price plus destination fee are $18,672 according to Kelley Blue Book . . . meaning robertr4 got his car at $12 over invoice. Not too bad at all for someone who wishes they had negotiated harder!
http://www.handa-ccessories.com/crv/crvkeyless.pdf
I have a 1997 CRV @ the time in 97 they didn't offer the keyless entry, but it is setup for it.
it took me 5 minutes to install.
I am keeping my 97 with 124,000 mile on it, and i intend to order a 2002 CRV EX as soon as they come out.
I'd like to see the base Accord with 160/162. That kind of power would make for a capable economy car. Still, Honda would be better off with an engine designed for the Accord; one with higher mpg and lower emissions.
What's the competition up to this week?
Ford just lost a lawsuit regarding some older ignition systems that could fail or cause the car to stall. Could it be the same problem that the Escape and Tribute owners are reporting?
The Freelander was just recalled for failing handbrakes (again, older models only).
The Saturn VUE will get a bigger brother (simply called the 318 internally) and that vehicle will use the Honda V-6s that GM has been purchasing. They are trying to crank out an extra 50hp from the Honda block. As I understand it this should be possible with less restrictive air intake. But watch out for a huge increase in sound and a decrease in fuel efficiency.
Unlike all the other Odysseys there, the middle and rear seats were not mentioned on the window sticker. So, apparently Honda also markets a version of the Odyssey for people not interested in middle or rear seats. Other than the lack of seats, it's identical to an LX trim model. What caught my eye was that it stickered a bit over $20K. Also, the rear area was fully carpeted and came with a huge rear carpet mat too.
Bob
2002 CRV and all new Honda engines, including the RSX and Civic Si have timing chain.
varmit:
The next generation Accord will, like any other Honda, have the engine spinning in the other direction. And the 2.4 liter I-4 will power the base Accords for sure. As far as mileage goes, Honda will probably introduce a new transmission for Accord (quite possibly a five speed automatic), and will definitely gear Accord a little taller than the CR-V to get (much) better gas mileage. I'm expecting Honda to improve upon existing gas mileage on both, I-4 and V6 models, by atleast 1 mpg at both ends.
rsholland:
I've seen an Odyssey with middle and rear seats removed at a dealership. It is probably the 'cargo' version.