Honda Fit EV - The Agony and the Ecstasy of Electric Motoring

My Fit EV fills up at the Blink Network charging station.

The Honda Fit EV is a great example of everything that’s wonderful — and terrible — about living with an electric car. I just spent a week with a Reflection Blue FIT EV and it took me on a real adventure.

Let’s start with the upsides first. Nobody can argue that electric cars aren’t cleaner than gasoline burners. Of course, how much cleaner depends on how the electricity that you use is generated (coal-fired plant? Hydro-electric dam? Nuclear power plant?). But you aren’t burning anything in the car itself — there isn’t even a tailpipe.

The EPA’s green ratings for the Fit EV are a perfect 10 for Smog and Greenhouse Gas. The window sticker says you’ll save $9,100 in fuel costs over five years compared to the average new vehicle.

Electric motors are quiet and smooth. My tester made a little high-pitched whine when it gained momentum, but otherwise all I heard, even at freeway speeds, was a little hum from the tires and a very minimal bit of wind noise. Being a Honda, the car was well built and rattle- and buzz-free.

The price of electricity is significantly less than gasoline, especially if you generate it from your own rooftop solar panels. I don’t have any yet, but my research showed that to go 30 miles in a gas version of the Fit would take one gallon of gas at $4.00; an Electric fit would use about $1.00 worth of electricity.

How about the negatives? At this point, the biggest problem with electric cars, including the Fit, is range. Imagine if you had to put gas into your car’s tank three gallons at a time. With a 73-mile range like the Fit, you need a daily charge, if not twice a day. Charging at home in reasonable time means installing a 220-volt charger in your garage. Otherwise, at 110 volts, it could take longer to fill an empty battery than overnight. A 220-volt public charger takes about four hours.

Another range-related issue is usage. If you plan to drive your EV only for commuting, and your daily mileage fits comfortably within the car’s range, then you can charge it up at night and the cycle works. However, if you want to come home after work and then take your car out again, you may not be able to do it. Also, forget those 150-mile round trips to visit the grandkids or long vacation excursions. In these cases, you’d better take the other (gas) car.

Another problem is price. The Fit EV drives very nicely, is well finished, and comes pretty well equipped, but it’s still based on the Fit, which is Honda’s cheapest car. You can buy the basic gas-powered Fit starting at $16,215, while the price of my test car was $37,415! And despite their wildly different drivetrains, the two versions look nearly identical, except for a chrome smile up front and EV badges on the electric.

Nissan’s, the pioneer in the mainstream EV market, created a new model — the Leaf — to avoid this kind of comparison between basic gas model and upscale electric. Honda, along with Ford, Fiat, and Chevrolet, is using available platforms — a cost-saving move but one that may be harder to sell to the public.

There are significant federal and state rebates that can take up to $10,000 off the price of an EV, but it still costs a lot more than a gas-powered model. Good leasing deals are out there. Currently, you can lease a Fit EV for three years at $259 a month, although availability is very limited.

Of course, the Tesla Model S is another case entirely. It’s very expensive, starting at $71,070, but the range is not an issue, at 208 or 265 miles, depending on model. Most of us, though, will have to opt for the more ordinary EVs.

The challenge of driving an EV is learning how to live carefully on your meager energy budget. The Fit’s instrument panel has a Power/Charge gauge on the left that shows you if you’re using electricity or generating it and on the right is a full/empty gauge for the battery.

There is also a digital estimated range display front and center. You can make this figure larger or smaller depending on whether you choose Econ, Normal, or Sport mode on the left side of the steering column. With, Econ, the 100% full range is 73 miles. Pushing the Normal button drops that to 62, and Sport drops further to 56. These are approximations, and they can vary tremendously depending on how you drive.

Econ is the most frugal setting, but during the cold snap of my test week, I found that it reduced the heater function to nearly nothing. Switching to Normal restores normal climate function, and also makes the car much quicker off the line when you press the accelerator. Sport mode gives another boost to acceleration, but seems unnecessary otherwise.

My real adventure and educational experience was in getting the car charged up. My first day, I was surprised to drive my 30 miles to work and see the range drop from 59 to just 48. I had recovered a lot of the electricity because I was in terrible stop-and-go traffic. Secret: EVs do exceptionally well in these conditions, because speeds are low and there is plenty of opportunity to recharge the battery with regenerative braking.

With this success, I figured I was safe to take the trip back without a recharge. However, by the time I got close to home that Tuesday evening, the instruments were displaying a worrisome 11-mile range and a Low Battery warning light came on as I approached my house.

To avoid stress, on Wednesday, I went looking for a charging station near my office. I had used one before that was a 20-minute walk away, but it was a Blink Network site and I only had a ChargePoint card from the press fleet. So, I went to the nearest ChargePoint station — more than a mile away — and found that I couldn’t use it. It was on a major software company’s campus, and it was reserved.

However, I made a call to ChargePoint and was able to get connected — but I had to use the personal ChargePoint account I had set up months ago. I enjoyed a vigorous 35-minute walk back to the office, but I’d hate to have to do that every day. I got a ride to pick up the car later.

The following day, I decided to try using the ChargePoint chargers right across the street from my office. Although they were in front of a well-known video rental company, I thought that maybe the wizards at ChargePoint could open them up for me the way they had on Wednesday. The polite woman on the other side of the line did her best, but it was a no go. I then decided to try the Blink Network station again, hoping for a miracle.

I got my miracle. When I called Blink, Dustin told me that they have a Guest User plan. So, in five minutes, my hungry Fit was charging up. One more day was taken care of, and I got my nice 20-minute walk back to work.

I was beginning to feel like I had it together. I was much more relaxed having the security of a full charge morning and night. So, I drove in Normal instead of Econ mode and enjoyed the warmth and responsiveness that the Fit offers. That’s when I realized how much I enjoyed the car. The Fit is absolutely stable and feels light and taut, although my driving was not on exciting roads. The motor’s torque pulls you forward nicely, and the expansive glass greenhouse and long dash make it feel spacious. The silvery panels and light gray plastic (none of it padded) helped, too. I was able to play the audio system without any apparent impact on my electricity budget.

Charge companies keep in touch with you. I received text messages from ChargePoint telling me when the car was full — and also when I removed the charger from the car (in case it was someone else!). Blink Network sent me emails with the same contents. After my experience with them, I signed up for a free membership, so I’ll be ready when the next electric test car comes along.

The bottom line is, if you are willing to put up with the obvious issues of range and price, an EV may be for you — and the Honda is nice to drive and handy to use, with its hatchback. If I owned one, I would be sure there was a charger at my workplace and install one in my garage. I would also be sure to have a reliable second car that burns petrol available for longer trips.

There are other options. Besides the several EVs on the market, there are plug-in hybrids, which allow you limited all-electric driving and then switch to efficient hybrid operation. The Toyota Prius Plug-In and Ford C-Max Energi are good examples. Another choice is the Chevrolet Volt, which is an electric car with a built-in gasoline engine that’s used only as a generator to charge the battery for extended range.

These cars eliminate the range issues, but are still more expensive than comparable gasoline vehicles. They are even more expensive than their regular hybrid versions. And, they still use some gas.

The electric-only range for plug-in hybrids varies from about 13 miles for the Prius to 21 for the C-Max and 38 for the Volt. These models, like the current EVs and standard hybrids, are all interim steps that will eventually lead to what we really want — electric vehicles with a useful range, quick and convenient charging, and an affordable price.

Honda Accord Coupe - The Sportier Smart Choice

The Honda Accord has grown to be one of the pillars of the midsize car market in the U.S. Selling hundreds of thousands of units every year, it serves the needs of people who want room, comfort, reliability, high quality, and anonymity. Let's face it, there are lots of them in any parking lot, in every color.

While most buyers opt for the familiar and useful four-door configuration, there are those who want a little more sporty look and feel. For them, the coupe is available again in the brand new, ninth-generation Accord.

While it looks related, the styling is distinctive, and that's the main difference. As a coupe, the car has two long doors, so when you open yours in the parking lot, be careful! The general contours of the face of the car are similar, but the coupe's grille is slimmer and doesn't contain the horizontal bars of the sedan's. The carved side proportions, BMW-like, are similar between the cars as well, but from the center pillar back, the cars share nothing except the Honda logo on the tail. More tapered, the coupe wears chunker taillamps and a bolder rear bumper.

Both sedan and coupe are slightly smaller for 2013 (a first), but the effect is mixed. The sedan, already much roomier than the coupe, loses nearly three cubic feet of passenger room. The coupe, however, gains 3.5 cubic feet. I was able to put a six-foot-tall man (my son) in the back without complaint, although entry and exit is much easier with the sedan's extra doors. 

Underneath these divergent styling attitudes you'll find the same two engines, a 2.4-liter inline four-cylinder and a 3.5-liter V6. As it's been for years, you get to choose between higher fuel economy and faster acceleration. With 185 horsepower, the four has eight more horses than last year's model, and is sufficient for normal driving. If you crave more excitement, opt for the V6, which delivers a heartier 278 horsepower, up 7 from last year.

Interesting--you can still order up a manual six-speed transmission in some Accord models, sedan or coupe. My test car, in Modern Steel (silver), had the V6 and the manual, and it helped to make the nearly 3,400-pound car feel more sporty than the sedan I  tested last year. Of course, sporty isn't much good in commute traffic, but the clutch isn't too heavy and the gear changes are smooth and easy. Pulling away from the freeway entrance lighting system or out in the country, the ability to shift for yourself is welcome.

The automatics vary by engine. The four gets a new continuously variable transmission (CVT), which replaces the five-speed automatic in the '12 model. This contributes to a three mpg overall fuel economy improvement. The four with automatic rates 26 City, 35 Highway, 29 Overall. The V6 uses a normal six-speed automatic, and achieves 21 City, 32 Highway, and 25 Overall. Yes, a bigger engine uses more gas--a tradeoff you will have to decide for yourself. My test car averaged 23.9 miles per gallon during the test week. The EPA gives the Accord Coupe with V6 a 6 for Smog and 5 for Greenhouse Gas.

There's an Econ button on the dash. I tried it, and it makes the car less responsive when you press the accelerator. That's less fun, but burns less fuel. As with the engine and transmission choice, you decide.

Although the new styling is a bit derivative, looking like a BMW and like the cars that also copy BMW's look, it is perhaps the most dramatic interpretation of the Accord, and there's no bad angle. I've seen the coupe in traffic and it has a nice hunkered-down appearance, and is not boring.

Inside, there's an all-new look and feel. Honda has taken a few lumps for cost-cutting over the last few years, but there is no evidence of that here. Dressed in basic black, there's plenty of silvery trim spread across the doors, dash and console. It will feel familiar to anyone used to Hondas, but seems to borrow some cues from upscale sibling Acura now, with more flow across the surfaces from one panel to the next. The silver slashes on the doors provide a rugged handle to pull the door closed and also a relief from the black plastic surfaces.

Of course, the requisite display screens are present in the console. The larger one at the top shows audio, navigation, phone, and other features as you use them. A smaller touch screen below it is a quick interface that will be familiar to smart phone users. The audio presets are there as touch spots, for example, and are easy to program with your favorites.

Honda understands that sometimes you just want a knob, so there's one for audio volume that stands out against the flat, shiny screen next to it. You can control a lot from the steering wheel, too, a common method in today's cars. Climate controls are at the bottom and are all buttons. This appears to be what people want now--at least the ones buying Hondas. There's a large round dial below the climate for accessing what's on the big screen, with Enter printed on it. Sometimes you need to answer the car's questions, including the legal advisory regarding using the navigation system while driving (basically, "keep your eyes on the road!").

My test car bristled with electronic helpers, including three that help you avoid accidents and are standard on the upper level models. The Lane Departure Warning system warns you if you appear to be changing lanes without the turn signal on. The Forward Collision Warning system flashes a red light and warning message if you appear to be closing in too quickly on the car in front. It occasionally misread the situation with parked cars on curving roads but would be a real help in stop-and-go traffic. My favorite, the Honda LaneWatch Blind Spot Display, gives you a rear view of the passenger side on the console display every time you activate your right turn signal. It's disconcerting until you figure out that it's there to help you.

My EX-L V6 with Navigation was the top coupe available. There are two four-cylinder models, LX-S and EX, but the V6 version is EX-L only (you decide on the navigation system). Prices start at $24,415 for the LX-S with manual transmission. My top-level tester runs $33,190 with either transmission.  Both prices include shipping.

The Accord Coupe is so pleasant and fault-free that it's easy to get used to its many features and cruise along happily. I did. While not a real sports car, the muscular V6, manual transmission, evocative interior and more than competent chassis give you some grins along the way.

Honda Civic Si Coupe - Making Ordinary Special

The Honda Civic has been a desirable economy car choice for four decades. There's nothing new about buying one for economy, quality, and affordable price. However, since 1986, you have been able to get your Civic with a little something extra--horsepower. Today's Si models, in coupe or sedan styles, continue the plan.

Putting a more powerful engine in a car to make it perform better is nothing new. Just think of the genius of the Pontiac GTO, which transformed the midsize Tempest into a rocket. It's an inexpensive way to create a sports car.

In the case of the Civic Si, the engine grows from a 1.8-liter inline four with 140 horsepower and 128 lb.-ft. of torque to a 2.4-liter four with 201 horsepower and 170 lb.-ft. of torque. And, although garden-variety Civics come with  a five speed manual or an automatic, the Si is shift-it-yourself only--a six-speed manual with a leather and metal shift knob that falls nicely into your hand.

The Civic may have humble origins, but Honda has attempted to distinguish its performance by equipping it with four-wheel disc brakes, for example, and adding stabilizer bars to the suspension--21 millimeters up front and 18 in back.

Of course, there are many other ways to upgrade the car, particularly in the seats, with their "Si" embroidered in the spot behind your shoulders, and Si badges prominently displayed. And, sitting in the top of the lineup, all the goodies you'd want are present. You can pay more for the navigation system and summer tires, bringing the price up to $24,995. The entry-level LX Civic Coupe with a five-speed manual starts at $18,755.

Part of the advantage of having a sporty car based on an economy one is pretty decent fuel economy. Although the Si requires premium fuel, it is rated at 22 City, 31 Highway and 25 overall. Dyno Blue Pearl Civic Si Coupe tester achieved 26.6 miles per gallon during its stay. That's respectable. EPA numbers are 6 for both Smog and Greenhouse Gas. Honda's reputation is as a clean vehicle company, so this is just so-so. The regular Civic LX and EX score 8 on Greenhouse Gas, moving them into the coveted SmartWay category.

The downside of having your sporty car built on an economy car is that besides the engine and special features, the car is still a pretty modest vehicle. The interior of the Civic is useful and comfortable but doesn't feel especially upscale or exciting. The two-level stacked instrument panel feels oversized and seems cheap, although it's hard to point to any one factor that makes it so. Honda's interiors have been criticized by other automotive writers, and the company is working to change that with revisions to the 2013 Civic.

1986 Civic Si

Although the Civic itself is somewhat modest, it is a bit larger than the original one, which debuted in 1986. I owned one, and it was fun to toss around. With its 90 horsepower and manual five-speed, it also was econo-car based, but it was a hatchback, giving it more practicality but a less stylish image.

Today, I took the test Si on a favorite back road, as it had spent most of its time with me on freeways and city streets. It acquitted itself nicely, but despite fairly communicative steering and an even keel on turns, and plenty of acceleration available in the straits, it left me wanting a little more. The Civic Si now weighs about 3,000 pounds. Has it  lost some of its playfulness as it'sgrown up?

The Civic has been a favorite of the tuner crowd, and perhaps today's car could benefit from a few little upgrades to make it reallly haul. But for making your day a little sweeter and more engaging, the Si remains a worthy competitor with the crop of hot compacts out there today.

Acura ILX - Gateway to the Brand

It's natural that Acura, Honda's upscale division, would introduce the ILX for 2013. When they jettisoned the RSX after the 2006 model year, they eliminated the crucial entry point for folks to become Acura owners. Since day one of the brand, way back in 1986, there was always the Integra to attract folks for whom a plain Honda just wasn't enough. You can't ignore the Millennials. Now they've fixed that problem.

The car's meaningless alphanumeric names hide its personality, but the ILX, whose name starts with I (is it a coincidence?) has plenty to offer. Based on the always big-selling compact Honda Civic, it wears all the design cues that Acura has worked hard to build. Luckily for all of us, the division has chosen to soften up the shovel face that it inflicted on its cars recently. It's one thing to be distinctive and another to be homely, and the new cars are much easier to take.

The ton-and-a-half car will fit in nicely on today's roads with its overall styling. Interesting is the line that proceeds along the side and hops up over the rear wheel. A lot of creases meet there, creating an interesting and slightly mysterious tension. The ILX does not look much like a Civic, though.

Inside, the car gets the full Acura treatment, with boldly defined dash, doors and console. The sweeping exuberance of the  interior makes riding in the ILX feel energizing, and the tactile feeling of the controls adds perceived quality to the plastic.

The garden variety ILX, which I sampled last Summer, came with a perfectly OK 150-horsepower inline 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine that delivered good fuel economy through an automatic transmission. But this tester, in Silver Moon paint, grabbed the Civic Si's  mightier 201-horsepower 2.4-liter engine, and ran the 170 lb.-ft. of torque through a deeply satisfying six-speed manual. This is a different animal from the plain jane version, and was a hoot to zip along through traffic.

I got it out on some more exciting roads to see how well it would handle it, and it reminded me a little of my old 1986 Honda Civic Si in its taut, communicative steering and suspension and happy whir of its four-cylinder engine. My 90-horsepower Si had 50 percent more oomph than the standard 60-horsepower model. These numbers sound as silly as talking about four-cent first class postage.

The EPA gives the ILX an combined fuel economy rating of 25 miles per gallon (22 City, 31 Highway). I got an honest 27.5 mpg (premium gas). The environmental numbers are a pair of sixes - just above average. The non-turbo 2.0-liter, with its 7 for Greenhouse Gas, squeaks into the SmartWay category. I'm eager to do my part for the Earth, but the 2.4-liter with stick shift is just plain more fun.

There is a Hybrid version of the ILX, as there's one for the Civic, and you can expect 38 miles per gallon in place of 25 - a significant difference worth about $800 a year in gas.

The ILX is built in Greensburg, Indiana, using a Japanese transmission but an American-built engine. Honda has built cars in the U.S. for more than three decades, and most of its cars actually are from U.S. factories.

The performance and look of the ILX make it a worthy playmate, but the Premium Package adds more goodies. These include leather seats, an upgraded seven-speaker audio system, XM satellite radio, an eight-way power driver's seat, 17-inch alloy wheels, a rear-view camera and all the bragging rights. It does amount to a pretty loaded car.

Yes, it'll cost you. The regular ILX, with its standard automatic, starts at $26,795. My tester, with no options, came to $30,095.

There are a few compromises. My tester didn't have a navigation system, which is fine, but the screen in the center dash was pretty small for consulting the other features that run through it. The elegant stitching on the doors is not continued onto the dash, a cost-cutting move.

Acura has just released the 2014 version of the ILX, with a few extra standard features. This might be a fine time to pick up a '13 at a discount. Acura has stocked its showroom with a range of intriguing vehicles, so if they can hook up with you now, you will certainly find something you like later, when you need more doors or seats.

Honda Pilot - A USA-Built SUV for Americans

In the middle of the last century, families traveled in station wagons. I know my family had several. But in the 1990s, Ford  tapped into a new market with its Explorer. The tall, truck-based SUV grew to become America's station wagon.

The Honda Pilot owes its existence to this market. Honda began with tiny cars but today offers a three-row, eight-passenger highway cruiser that goes chrome-grilled nose-to-nose with the Explorer and any other SUV.

Today's favorite family car is actually the "crossover" type of SUV, which means, to you and me, that it's not based on a pickup truck. The unibody platform also means greater comfort on the road. The Pilot offers plenty. Tall, wide, box-shaped and thoughtfully designed, it should be ideal for transporting your brood. Even with all three seats up, the rear cargo area is as large as the trunk of a midsize car, so you don't have to leave the baby stroller at home. Second row passengers enjoy a video system with wireless headphones if your Pilot comes so equipped. Drivers and front passengers can use a drop-down wide-angle mirror to check on the rear passengers.

The Pilot comes in four levels, all typical of Honda nomenclature. The LX starts the lineup, with the EX above it, and the Touring at the top. The EX also comes as the EX-L, where L stands for "leather." Each model offers two- or four-wheel drive.

My Touring model was the absolute pinnacle of Pilot configurations. It was quite impressive in a stunning Obsidian Blue Pearl (a new color for 2013), with its chrome three-bar grille and special six-spoke 18-inch alloy wheels. Inside, with leather seating, steering wheel and shifter, it's all very top drawer. I thought that the interior design, while surprisingly straightforward and handsome, felt a little plain, and the matte-finish plastics reminded me just slightly of the sanitized reliability of Rubbermaid kitchen products.

You can tell this car is made for Americans. The massive and accommodating central console, complete with a roll top, exactly fits a standard McDonalds food bag and large soda. There's plenty more storage, with two levels of door pockets, a voluminous glovebox, and hidden storage below the rear cargo hold. If you need a little more cargo height, you can fold the cargo floor forward and attach it the seatback.

Every Pilot comes with a 250-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 engine running through a five-speed automatic. The EPA gives the four-wheel-drive model like my test car an average 20 miles per gallon (17 City, 34 Highway). I averaged 17.1 mpg. Both the Smog and Greenhouse Gas numbers are at chart center with 5 for each.

The auto industry doesn't really offer "stripped" cars anymore, and the Pilot is no exception. Even the lowliest LX two-wheel-drive model has three-zone automatic climate control and a high-resolution eight-inch view screen for audio, navigation and such. Power features are ubiquitous today in every car, and the Pilot goes further with today's increasingly common Bluetooth for your phone, a seven-speaker audio system, and lots more. The EX, EX-L and Touring introduce additional power features, better lighting, and leather, of course. The list is long.

The Pilot is loaded with safety features, from a multitude of airbags and the ACE body structure that absorbs crash energy and keep it out of the passenger compartment. In hopes of preventing a crash altogether, there's Vehicle Stability Assist to keep you headed where you intended and Electric Braking Distribution to make sure the wheels that can do the job best get a chance to stop the car. 

A vehicle with this much on it and in it doesn't come cheap. The entry price for a Pilot LX with two-wheel drive and no extras starts at $30,350 and the Touring, like my loaded tester, starts at $42,100. Price include shipping.

Where does that nearly $12,000 difference come from? Well, there's a full-fledged navigation system, upgraded audio with 10 speakers, DVD rear entertainment system, memory seats, and roof rails. The copy of the window sticker that came with my test car was crammed with tiny print.

Honda has studied its competition for decades and they know that including something like the pop-open glass rear window in the tailgate, which lets you drop in items without opening the entire hatch, could be the deciding factor in a purchase. 

The Pilot does a great job of hauling people and things around, but it felt a little silly for one guy to drive it back and forth to work. But if you're ferrying a load of kids or friends, they'll probably be glad you went for the Pilot.

Honda Accord - Ninth Generation Aims High

Does this new Accord look like a BMW to you?

The Honda Accord is a common sight these days. The midsize sedan (or coupe) is one of the top sellers year after year. Funny to think that it started out as such a modest little hatchback in 1976, only becoming a sedan in 1979, and becoming larger and larger ever since.

But that's OK, because it's had an important job to do--displace the old standards, namely the fullsize Ford, Chevy and Plymouth. Today, Plymouth is gone and the Ford and Chevrolet entries, the Fusion and Malibu, are all new, so it is a very interesting playing field now for a midsize car.

The new, ninth-generation Accord may be the best looking ever. It's taken some of its appearance from the car that folks all seem to admire--BMW. Just look at the "flame surfacing" along the sides, and the chrome trim around the grille. There's the Hofmeister kink" in the side window line, too. You have to admit it's nice looking, but familiar, too.

The original Accord weighed about 2,000 pounds and was propelled by a 68-horsepower four-cylinder engine. Today's car has a four-cylinder or a V-6. The new four is a 2.4 and generates a healthy 185 horsepower--and the V6, like my top-of-the-line test car flaunted, generates 278 horsepower from its 3.5-liter powerplant. Of course, the car weighs 3,500 pounds, now, too. It's a whole different deal.

The EPA gives the V6 Accord an average miles-per-gallon rating of 25. That's pretty good. I achieved 22.8 mpg. The EPA awards a 5 for Air Pollution and 6 for Greenhouse Gas. That's average.

Honda is calling their newest engines "Earth Dreams Technology." I haven't found out what this means other than being a positive sounding nomenclature, since the numbers these new engines generate are nothing sensational so far. Honda, as a company, does have a history of working towards cleaner and more efficient engine technology, so this will bear watching. A plug-in hybrid version of the new Accord is due early next year as an early '14. It will not be alone in the market when it arrives--a Ford C-Max and Toyota Prius version will challenge it for ecologically minded buyers. But it is another step forward.

One easy and practical way to get people in non-hybrid cars to drive more ecologically is Honda's Eco Assist technology. There are two "parentheses" around the central speedometer. They glow green when you're driving responsibly and go white when you're not. The goal--stay green! That means not stomping on the accelerator or the brakes. It's more subtle than showing you a gauge or a number. It might even work.

As usual, Accords come in economical DX and well equipped EX levels, with an SE sporty model, too. Now, there is the new Touring model, with enough content to push the Accord up to near luxury car status. Think leather seats, electronic helpers of every type, including safety and confort/convenience features galore. It would be a very long list to name them all, but you can count on keyless locks and ignition, dual automatic climate control, top-drawer audio, seat heaters, rear camera, and so much more.

LaneWatch system greatly enhances safety.

One new and kind of surprising safety feature is the LaneWatch system. You may have heard about blind-spot warning systems that flash a light if there's someone where your outside mirrors can't display, but this new item actually shows you! I noticed that every time I put on the right turn signal, I got a shot of the right side of the car in the display screen at center dash. Well--there is a camera in the right mirror and it switches on, with the aim of preventing a collision when you're turning right. Nice.

The Accord sails down the Interstate and zips around town effortlessly. I didn't hear or feel much, and the nicely proportioned dash, with its carefully rendered surfaces in a variety of textures, was pleasant and felt reasonably upscale. Recent Honda products have received some criticism about the quality of their interiors so this is an important point. I think prospective owners will find a lot to like here. Of course, the instrument panel takes cues from the aforementioned BMW, so that is already helpful. There were great expanses of black, but it was good quality "charcoal."

Honda Accords have been built in the U.S. for thirty years now. The Marysville, Ohio plant--the first of its kind--continues to pump them out--including my test car. Although my tester's sticker showed 25 percent Japanese parts, the engine and transmission were made here. The Accord has been essentially an American product for a long time.

The original Accord ran just $3,995. Yes, that was 1976 dollars, but today's car starts at $22,000 for the LX sedan with nothing extra. My Touring model, with an incredible load of everything you could want, came to $34,220, including $790 for shipping charges. Yes, that sounds like a lot to me, too, for a car that is not an actual BMW, but you should sample the car yourself to see how much it offers.

See my video on Castro Valley TV.

Honda Ridgeline - Trucks? From Honda?

Unit-body construction and a one-piece look

The Ridgeline has a great name. It conjures up images of the open country, a dirt road, and a rugged outdoor lifestyle. From a company that traditionally didn't sell trucks in the U.S., it's a whole different deal. But the Ridgeline is a little different from, say, a Ford F-150. It's more like an oversized Accord with a half ton payload and 5,000 pounds of towing capacity.

The Ridgeline holds five people easily--and they will be comfortable there. That's because, unlike your typical pickup, the Ridgeline is a unit body vehicle, rather than a body on a separate frame. It also has four-wheel independent suspension and front and rear stabilizer bars. Comfy.

You can tell there's something different when you look and see no division between the four-door cab and the five-foot bed. It's all integrated into one chunky piece. The sides taper back more gracefully than your regular truck.

Tailgate drops or swings to the side. Trunk holds 8.5 cu. ft.

The truck bed, protected by a steel-reinforced composite liner, offers a two-way tailgate that drops down or swings to the side--something from the old Ford station wagons. And even more exciting--there's a lockable 8.5-cubic foot trunk built right into the bed--so you can stash things safely away from prying eyes.

Honda gives the Ridgeline a strong 3.5-liter v6 that puts out 250-horsepower and 247 lb.-ft. of torque through a five-speed automatic transmission. I did not haul anything in the bed, so I can't say how that would affect performance, but the V6 seemed to move the 4,500 pound vehicle with alacrity if not exactly daintiness down the road. Honda claims 1,100 pounds of payload and comparable towing ability to the pickup market leaders.

The EPA's fuel economy numbers are 15 City, 21 Highway and 17 Average. I accumulated 16.1 mpg during my time with the truck, about right figuring on a lot of in-town (not dirt road) motoring. EPA Green Vehicle Guide numbers are 6 for Air Pollution--pretty good--and 2 for Greenhouse Gas--dismal. This is not the poster child for Honda's environmental efforts, for sure.

Inside, the rugged, no-nonsense mood of a truck prevails, but it still has those squared-ring door pulls with their grippy inside surface. There's a satisfying rectangular feel, with the edges nicely rounded. The center console has loads of space, and slides forward to create more. The "above it all" feeling of a pickup is part of the Ridgeline experience, as it should be.

The rear seat lower cushion folds up, so you can carry a substantial amount inside the truck, including, say, your mountain bike (with the front tire removed). The back window slides open with the push of a button.

You can buy the Ridgeline in four levels, from RT to Sport to RTS to RTL. The equipment levels move up as you might expect, with, for example, a move from steel to alloy wheels between the RT and RTS and leather seating in the top-level RTL (and numerous other upgrades). The Sport is a new model this year. My Crystal Black Pearl test Sport tester showed this off, with its black 18" alloy wheels, black honeycomb grille with black surround and black headlight and taillight housings. See a theme here? While this truck, with its all-wheel drive, would gladly drive on a mountain road, you may not want to get the black paint too dusty, either.

Prices start at $30,180 for the RT and top out at $38,110 for the RTL with navigation system. My Sport came to $30,925.

The real question is, who is choosing the Ridgeline over the top-selling (since forever) Ford F-150, Chevy Silverado or Ram 1500? Despite its company name, the Ridgeline is substantially American, assembled in Lincoln, Alabama, and it contains 70 percent North American parts, including the engine and transmission. Most Civics and Accords for American consumption are built in the U.S. these days as well; Honda opened its first U.S. plant 30 years ago in Marysville, Ohio.

But are pickup buyers still wedded to owning one of the American big three? How is this truck playing in the American heartland or rural areas of the U.S.? Satisfied Civic owners may step up to an Accord--or an Acura--but it seems that Ridgeline buyers will likely come from people who test drive the truck and appreciate its comfort and features--and don't care what the neighbors think.