Honda Accord Hybrid

THE AUTO PAGE

By John Heilig

• MODEL: 2017 Honda Accord Hybrid Touring
• ENGINE: 2.0-liter DOHC I-4
• TRANSMISSION: ECVT
• HORSEPOWER/TORQUE: 212 total horsepower/232 net lb.-ft. torque 
• WHEELBASE: 109.3 in.
• LENGTH X WIDTH X HEIGHT: 194.2 x 72.8 x 37.5 in.
• TIRES: P225/50R17
• CARGO CAPACITY: 13.5 cu. ft.
• ECONOMY: 49 mpg city/47 mpg highway/42.5 mpg test
• FUEL TANK: 15.8 gal.
• CURB WEIGHT: 3,483 lbs.
• TOWING CAPACITY: Not recommended
• COMPETITIVE CLASS: Toyota Camry Hybrid, Ford Fusion Hybrid, Kia Optima Hybrid
• STICKER: $36,790 (includes $835 delivery)
• BOTTOM LINE: The Honda Accord Hybrid is a well-designed solid hybrid with all the bells and whistles for a superb ride with excellent economy.
  

            Normally, my wife and I are the only passengers in our road test vehicles. Such is the life of empty nesters. But with the Honda Accord Hybrid, we had a chance to fill up the back seat with two adults and a big teenager. They all reported comfort back there with no complaints about legroom or seat space. There were even no complaints about the center hump.

            Midsize cars are the biggest market segment in America simply because they are a good size for people moving. Occasionally you’ll want your midsize to stow stuff as well,  but for the most part the m midsize is for people.

            And the Honda Accord does a great job at its main function. It also does a great job for the person behind the wheel because of its excellent fuel economy thanks to its second generation two-motor hybrid system. We averaged 42.5 mpg in our test, and while it didn’t approach the EPA estimates, it was still impressive. Please note that we did a lot of highway driving that week. With fully charged batteries it is also possible to run in pure electric mode for a short distance.

            Our test Accord had a healthy sticker, but it also was fully loaded with just about every option in the Honda warehouse. Among the suite of safety features were Lane Keeping Assist (with a steering wheel that vibrated every time you strayed across a line), Lane Watch Camera (that projects on the screen a view of what’s in the right lane, sort of like a blind spot monitor), a left outside mirror that was split with the outer quarter more convex, a backup camera with three choices of view, adaptive cruise control, and a collision  mitigating braking system that will alert you if there’s imminent danger of a crash. Personally, I prefer a more conventional blind spot monitor, but the projected right lane view is good.

            I mentioned rear seat comfort, especially with a full rear seat, but front seat comfort is very good with good support all around. All seats are heated.

            Hybrids are great because of their power. Even with a small gasoline engine, the assist by the electric motor results in more power than you’d expect. For example, in the Accord Hybrid, the gasoline engine is a 2.0-liter four that generates 143 horsepower. Add the electric motor and that jumps to 212 total horsepower, more than enough for the 3,483-pound car. Torque jumps from 129 lb.-ft. to 232 with the electric assist, and that extra torque is available instantly.

            Two screens comprise the infotainment system. The bottom screen is primarily for audio, while the upper is multi-functional. The default mode is a second audio screen plus fuel economy - for the present trip and overall. The upper screen is also the navigation screen. The nav system gave good directions, but it can be hard to program, but that may have been due to my fat fingers. 

            The driver faces a “3D” instrument cluster with a large central speedometer, ringed by a “charge meter” on the left and battery and fuel level on the right. deeper inside the speedometer is the information panel. Surrounding the speedometer is a green or blue light, depending on whether or not you are using power or regenerating.

            The interior is loaded with features. For example, the lobby in the ben tee stack has 12-volt and USB outlets. Another cubby below it has room for sunglasses, and the deep center console/arm rest has additional 12-volt and USB outlets. The trunk is good at 13.5 cubic feet, but as far as I could tell, the rear seat backs don’t lower to expand capacity.

            All four doors have room for water bottles with the standard pair of cupholders between the front seats.

            Accord is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2017 and is doing it with styling improvements such as quad LED headlamps and extensive use of LED exterior lighting. And I love economy figures that exceed 40 mpg.

(c) 2017 The Auto Page Syndicate 

SEMA 2016

At 50, the annual SEMA show is more like a religious pilgrimage than another car show. Bumper2Bumpertv has a first look at what the automotive faithful are seeing this year.

2017 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport

The 2017 version of the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport comes with a lot of good basic content. But Bumper2Bumpertv thinks it falls short in the area of advanced safety technology.

Lexus RX 450h

THE AUTO PAGE

By John Heilig

• MODEL: Lexus RX450h AWD F-Sport
• ENGINE: 3.5-liter V6
• TRANSMISSION: ECVT 
• HORSEPOWER/TORQUE: 259 hp @ 6,000 rpm/247 lb.-ft. @ 4,800 rpm 
• WHEELBASE: 109.8 in. 
• LENGTH X WIDTH X HEIGHT: 192.5 x 74.6 x 67.7 in. 
• TIRES: P235/55R20  
• CARGO: 18.8/55.9 cu. ft. (rear seats up/down) 
• ECONOMY: 30 mpg city/28 mpg highway/25.5 mpg test  
• FUEL TANK: 17.2 gal. 
• CURB WEIGHT: 4,740 lbs. 
• TOWING CAPACITY: 3,500 lbs (AWD), N/A FWD 
• COMPETITIVE CLASS: Lincoln MKT, BMW X5, Mercedes-Benz GLE 
• STICKER:$60,995 (includes $940 delivery, $5,610 options) 
• BOTTOM LINE: Combine luxury, hybrid economy, SUV practicality and Lexus F-Sport performance and you have the Lexus RX450h, a solid performer on all fronts.
  

            Driving the Lexus RX450h presents a few problems. They’re nice problems, but they’re problems nonetheless. First, it’s a Lexus, so you expect some degree of luxury, and you get it. The seats are leather-surfaced and offer very good support all over. In our tester they were red, but that didn’t detract from their comfort. 

            In addition, you’d expect some interesting features, and to my mind the most interesting is the multi-functional controller located on the center console. This joystick/mouse-like controller helps you to navigate through the infotainment screen. As you move through the screen you feel detents on the controller that help you “stop” where you want. Then you press the controller to select. There’s also an “enter” button on both sides of the controller that is accessible for both the driver and front passenger. 

            Since it’s also a hybrid, you keep an eye on the fuel economy gauge. We worked it up to around 26.2 mpg during our run, but finished with a test mpg of 25.5. As usual,it was lower than EPA estimates, but it’s still pretty impressive for the vehicle.

            Another expectation is decent power, and the RX450h delivers. The 3.5-liter V6 is rated at 259 horsepower, which is more than enough to get you from here to there quickly. Of course, the electric motor helps in initial acceleration, and Lexus quotes a 0-60 time of 7.9 seconds. 

            Our tester was also part of Lexus’s F-Sport collection. In the RX450h this includes the addition of 20-inch F-Sport wheels, an adaptive variable suspension, badging, heated leather wheel (with 17 buttons for audio, phone and the information screen), meters, the heated and ventilated front seats, aluminum trim pedals and foot rest, and paddle shifters. With the F-Sport tuned front and rear suspensions you might expect a stiffer ride, but it wasn’t there. 

            There’s a Drive Mode Select system that allows the driver to choose among distinct drive settings to match road conditions. ECO moderated engine power output, throttle response and climate control for maximum fuel efficiency. NORMAL provides an even balance between engine performance and fuel economy, while in SPORT the driver gets enhanced throttle response and acceleration.

            Instrumentation is relatively simple. In front of the driver is a large digital speedometer. There is no tach. Ringing the speedometer is an indicator that shows charge or eco or power. To the left of the speedo is a mpg gauge, with fuel and water gauges to the right. 

            Rear legroom is very good. With optimized seating for five, the lowered floor section provides comfort for all three rear passengers. There’s a pull-down armrest with a console and a pair of cupholders. There is excellent rear headroom despite the rather severe slope of the roof. 

            Cargo capacity is excellent at 18.8 cubic feet. Fold the rear seat backs using the lever at the base of the seat and cargo capacity expends to nearly 56 cubic feet. You can fit at least one large golf bag in the back with the rear seats up. In addition, access to the cargo area is excellent. I would have e thought that with the shape of the roof it might be restricted, but a hatchback-style lift back solves the problem. It would be easy to fit a large dog crate in the back as well.

            You can tow with the RX450h, but only in AWD and to 3,500 pounds. In FWD, towing isn’t recommended. 

            While you might expect the Lexus RX450h to be focused on luxury, or economy, or performance, it’s really a very good combination of all three. You can adapt the small SUV to be whatever you want.

(c) 2016 The Auto Page Syndicate

Mini Cooper S Convertible

The Mini Cooper S Convertible could be described as a lot of fun in a small package. Bumper2Bumpertv checked out the latest version of the platform.

Dodge Durango

THE AUTO PAGE

By John Heilig

MODEL: 2016 Dodge Durango Limited

ENGINE: 3.6-liter V6

TRANSMISSION: 8-speed automatic

HORSEPOWER/TORQUE: 295 hp @ 6,400 rpm/290 lb.-ft. @ 4,000 rpm

WHEELBASE: 119.8 in.

LENGTH X WIDTH X HEIGHT: 201.2 x 75.8 x 72.7 in.

TIRES: P265/50R20

CARGO: 17.2/47.3/85.1 cu. ft. (3rd row seats up/3rd row seats down/2nd row seats down)

ECONOMY: 18 mpg city/25 mpg highway/17.6 mpg test

FUEL TANK: 24.6 gal.

TOWING CAPACITY: 6,200 lbs.

CURB WEIGHT: 4,987 lbs.

COMPETITIVE CLASS: Ford Explorer, Chevrolet Equinox, Jeep Grand Cherokee

STICKER: $39,595 (includes $995 delivery, $6,075 options)

BOTTOM LINE: As a “standard SUV” the Dodge Durango offers incredible cargo capacity along with excellent road manners.

            One of the first things you notice about the Dodge Durango is its size. No, it isn’t in the same class as the Chevrolet Suburban, for example, and it doesn’t look that big from the outside. But get in the Durango and you feel as if there is enough room for almost anything.

            As received, the Durango had all three rows of seats up. This results in a still healthy 17.2 cubic feet of cargo capacity, which was enough for most of what we needed the Durango for, including trips to our compost center to get some mulch. Drop those third row seats down and capacity increases to 47.3 cubic feet. If you are really carrying a lot of stuff, the second row captain’s chairs fold forward and tumble into the foot well area for an incredible 85.1 cubic feet. 

            All this cargo capacity does not sacrifice the Durango’s excellent road manners. It still fells like a large sedan most of the time. In fact, we set it up with the third row seats in place and the second row seats tumbled forward as a make-do limousine. Fortunately, the real limo came in time and we did ’t have to bring the bride to her wedding in an SUV.

            As a sport utility vehicle, the Durango us long on the utility. Along with the cargo, you can town up to 6,200 pounds, and a towing package and Class IV receiver hitch are included in the accessories as part of the $995 Trailer Tow group.

            As I said earlier, the Durango, while having the capabilities of a truck, is not truck like. The front bucket seats and second row captain’s chairs are comfortable for long and short rides. Second row legroom is very good and the third row legroom is also good, thanks in part to good design and a 10-foot wheelbase. 

            Our tester was equipped with a 3.6-liter Pentastar V6. A 5.7-liter HEMI V8 is also available and ups the towing capacity to 7,400 lbs. For normal driving, though, the V6, at 295 horsepower, is more than enough. Also, while the V6 has an EPA highway rating of 25 mpg, we were able to get 17.6 mpg in our generally local driving test. 

            Another unique feature of the Durango is its rotary shifter. This is a knurled knob on the console where all you have to do is turn it to select a gear. Since most shifting is electronic anyway, there’s no need for a stick sticking up out of the console or attached to the steering column. 

            Internal storage includes a nice cubby at the base of the center stack with 12-volt, AUX, USB and sD connections. There’s also a small “key” cubby behind the pair of cupholders. The center console/arm rest is busy with a CD changer and 12-volt connection, making storage minimal. 

            Instrumentation is white-on-black with red accents. The red background infotainment screen is clear, despite the different color scheme. There are infotainment screens located behind the headrests of the front seats for second row passengers to enjoy. The second row seats also have a permanent console between them which would make moving between the second and third rows difficult. However, with the tumble down feature of the second row, access to the third row is fairly easy.

            The rear cargo area is ideal for almost any size pet carrier, thanks to the versatility of being able to customize the seats. Families who need top carry wheelchairs with them can also find the cargo area easy to load, while the chair-bound person can enjoy the second row seats.

            While the Dodge Durango fits nicely into the “Standard SUV” class, it stands out because of its utility and less truck-like styling, as well as its road manners.

(c) 2016 The Auto Page Syndicate