I thought I was looking at a Buick or some other old-people brand. Not liking it...

a buick? old people branding? are you on crack?

this things got more teeth on the grille than most old folk have in their mouth.

i cant wait till isee honda drivers with rims under glow and stickers all over these thing. cant wait for the type R

the real question is will it have vtak! lol

So much for honda. Do they actually have a decent looking car anywhere in next years lineup. Hyundai will destroy Honda next year.

Looks like someone took a grille from a new Ford F-350 and squished it into a civic.

from the looks of it they probably could have used some styling suggestions from the buick team. it could only have improved things.

"So much for honda. Do they actually have a decent looking car anywhere in next years lineup. Hyundai will destroy Honda next year." -doh

Wow... that is one of the dumbest things anyone's said on torquereport...
You criticize Honda for having a bland lineup and then say Hyundai (of all the choices) will destroy them next year?

I admit Hyundai's quality has come a long way since the Pony but have you seen a hyundai? They rehash ever other competitors car into one single bland boring photocopy...

No chance Hyundai will overtake anyone... The Japs still have a strong lineup of reliable fuel efficient cars. The germans all have strong sporty / luxurious line ups. And the Americans actually seem to have finally taken their heads outta their as ses and started designing good cars...

Ah, Grasshopper.

Nobody thought those cheap little Japanese cars would ever eclipse the Big 3. What makes you think the same for the Korean brand ? Hyundai already sells more cars here in America than many brands. Go look it up.

Now sits Toyota and Honda, resting on their laurels, in somewhat the same position. Perhaps getting lax or complacent. Meanwhile Motor Trend, Road & Track, etc, start praising Hyundai (and like you said, GM and Ford) more and more.

Not so dumb when you look back 30 years.

Of all the things, I do agree that Honda is beginning to be an old persons brand. The average age of a Honda driver has got to be up there...

And lets talk about overall image. If you are young and drive a Honda (like a Civic or some such affordable car) you are a punk who has seen to much Fast and the Furious. If you are in your 30s and 40s you are a middle management type professional with no hope for the future other than to want a safe, clean, economic and well built car.

And if you are old and a Honda driver, your just another Baby Boomer.

I can see Honda really fighting that image soon. Not like its better for GM, Chrysler, or Toyota, but outside of those auto makers there is Nissan, Ford (which only has three good cars but still), Mazda and all premium luxury brands. Those are all still good propositions, so Honda will need to do some work to remake itself.

And I forgot to mention up comers Hyundai and Kia. For the crowd that doesn't care about cars and doesn't care what their car says about them, they have been driving low cost Korean cars like those for some time now, and quality is great in both (except for some Kia's, but even those models are outgoing). Meaning that for the crowd of people who have given up on life by their 30s and 40s, Honda and Toyota now have some Korean competition.

You guys are all on crack ragging on Honda.

Who's still making buckets of cash? Honda.

What's the best car for $15k? The FIT Sport.

What's the best car for $20k? The Civic Si.

What's the best car for $25k? The Accord EX Coupe.

And by "best", I mean fuel efficiency, resale, build quality, interior/exterior design, etc.

Shopping around and buying a Honda at $300 over invoice (w/no down payment) is as close as you're going to get to never being upside down or "in the red" in a new car auto loan, thanks to their great resale value.

I feel sorry for the senile old white haired people I see driving around in Lincolns and Buicks who probably payed top MSRP and got conned into all the "extras" like underbody coating and extended warranties. Talk about getting hosed.

My name is Noya, in Nippon (Japan to you stupid westerners) we go by our last name first. I am a 3rd generation Honda, but because I'm illegitimate, I am Noya. I love Honda, if my daddy would claim me, I'd be really happy. Because then I could drive Honda for free. But as it is, I must ignore how ugly most Hondas are and talk about their Fuel Economy which is really average for their class, resale value, which is actually quite average except for the Civic and Accord (that's why I mentioned them special!) and build quality (which has always trailed Toyota, and does today) I mention interior/exterior design last before the "etc" because I hope you all overlook it and don't die laughing. Because if I couldn't beat on you guys, nobody would pay attention to me, except for maybe Tommy Boy and Dennisil.

Come back Papasan!

Under what context are any of the cars you listed as being the best car. How is a fit sport 15k first off its 16k which is not 15 and the best car under 15k is probably either going to be a toyota yaris or a smart car. The si coupe is 22k and still doesnt win in that fight either because there are better cars say idk a scion tc which is about as fast and has decent looks or idk a mini cooper which is just as much fun to drive and is cheaper or even mazda 3 which is a much mroe fun car then teh si. As for the accord its up there but its still underpowered compaired to its rivals and only beats them in interior quality. And if it was my 25k to spend id rather buy a mspeed 3 which is a very fun car to drive then the im a robot accord.

I agree with unknown.

There are lots of cars that I rate better than Honda. In the states I'm not sure who has a better 15k car. Of course I don't see to many 15k Honda's either... A Fit barely meets that qualification, and a Civic is the same. If I was in the UK a Clio 197 all the way (might be more comparable to an Si, don't know how the exchange rate handles things like that). And for 20k, well I don't give a flying crap about an Si....frankly the Celica GTS would be cooler if still made. And for higher 25K or more. A Subaru Legacy (depending on price the GT Turbo 2.5 version). It has more style and looks than Honda or Toyota put together.

The problem with Honda is they want to be more, but have no idea how to do it. They, like Toyota, have great engine tech, but not a lot else. I'd love to marry German design, with Jap engineering. It'd be the best of both worlds...a K20 Golf. Or I could get a Clio 197, only if Renault was state side.

anyone know where i can get those cool plastic seat covers for my cobalt ss?

Looks like Cvic's little brother. I think it decent looking. Don't care for the grill all that much.

The clear plastic seat covers are use to protect it from stain and dirt from the assembly line and the remove during transport to dealer or at the dealers.

@Noya

Noya is right. And next year it is Hyundai.
With designer like this, you'll not stay the race for long.

Typical empirialistic viewpoint that every car company in the world wants to be the biggest, and those who aren't have failed. Look what it has brought the American dinosaurs.
Honda is a very lucrative brand that can hardly fill demand for several of their models. In stead of filling up parking lots with unsold stock, they target specific needs and lifestyles and drop models that have served their purpose.
I am waiting for my 12 y.o. Civic Coupe to retire so I can get the new Fit, but it looks like it will keep running forever so I may end up getting a Clarity.
By that time it will probably have an Asimo driver on board so I can just sit back and enjoy the ride.

The three-bar grille definitely steps on Ford territory...I don't think Honda should really aspire to look like a Fusion or Focus.

I'm not responding as well to this as I did to the Fit, and not even CLOSE to as well as I responded to yesterdays Euro-spec Civic.

I mean I guess this is ok, but it seems like something that would get lost in the Fit/Yaris battle, and would likely just dilute sales of the Fit. I don't see how Honda would benefit by bringing this to the US.

My family has owned honda and toyota since I was born. They have been FANTASTIC vehicals..and better by far then the the big three that we've had. I have a 91 CRX SI with 202k on it. Been in the shot twice...once for broken clutch springs (MY fault) and once for a distributer bearing. The other two times were from minor fendor benders. I've driven this car like it was a go cart from day 1 and it still runs like a champ and doesn't burn a drop of oil. Yes, it rattles and squeeks, but with this many miles, I'm totally happy. My 82 celica gt lasted til 342k, driven like I stole it. NONE of the others can say this. yes, they have some cars that can last that long, but with honda/toyota, and with half way proper care, a much higher percentage of them will get 250k+ miles without major issues.

As far as this article, meh, I don't like it. I do think Honda is headed down the wrong path. I prefer conservative looks with a sporty edge and practicality...the 4 door SI my wife has fits that bill perfectly.

I've had other cars and I always come back to toyota and honda. I won't touch kia or hyundai. Not yet. I can't give up the reliablility I've enjoyed.

then != than

@Doh is stupid

Perhaps you should do a little reading before bashing people. Toyota has publicy said that they see Hyundai as being their biggest competitor in the coming years, not Honda. If Toyota is worried about them I'm sure Honda is too.

Ugly as hell and if this is supposed to fit below the Civic in the market, then where does that put the Fit? It would just leach some sales from the Fit (although both are terribly ugly).

if its not going to get 45+mpg,then why bother? Honda has the small car segment covered already with the Fit and Civic.

if its not going to get 45+mpg,then why bother? Honda has the small car segment covered already with the Fit and Civic.

Interesting... actually not really.

I believe this is the same front end on current European Honda accord vehicles?

Doesn't say how much it weighs. w/e...

And why don't they offer their bigger I4s in these small cars?

I see no reason to exclude the beefier K-series. they should offer at least the 2L, if not also the 2.4L.

These engines can drag a big (relatively) heavy Accord to decent speeds without burning too much gas.

Maybe a space issue? I know the K series have some height issues, but I think it can be done. And should.

My $0.02...

First time here. Judging by the post theres a bunch of Honda haters here. Well you guys just go on buying your piece of crap American cars. I owned a Camaro and had to replace the transmission twice in 100k miles. I also owned a Dodge that I had to replace the engine and transmission on. And for the people that think Hundai and Kia are good cars, lets see who gets a better resale value. LOL. In the long run my Honda cost less then your Kia or Hyundai, Its called cost of ownership. Look it up someday. Don't bother responding since I dont hang out on this website.