Bad Credit? No Credit? Finance Thorugh Pacific Honda Anyway!

If you were to visit our dealership website right now and read about our excellent financing department, you’d catch a little nugget in the text making the claim that even potential buyers with poor credit or no credit at all (that means you, first time car-buyers!) can get approved for loans that help them drive away in the vehicles of their dreams.

2014 Honda Civic Coupe

by: Michael Harley

Honda lifted the covers off its refreshed Civic Coupe at SEMA earlier this month, showing off its updated styling and redesigned 18-inch wheels, but didn't unveil its interior or mechanical upgrades until today at the LA Auto Show. Eager to show off its latest arrival, Honda allowed me to check out and drive the new coupe a few weeks ago.

The interior, which was hidden beneath heavily tinted glass at SEMA, features new colors, upgraded seating materials and new technology. The interior themes are now more color coordinated and feature upgraded Tricot soft weave. Black is the standard interior color, with a choice of black or gray seats. A new display audio system is also found on the EX/EX-L trims. The seven-inch capacitive-touch screen, with a matte finish to reduce the annoyance of greasy fingerprint marks, allows users to not only tap once for a function, but to double-tap, slide, flick and pinch - as if they are using a familiar smartphone or tablet. The new infotainment interface not only accepts USB and Bluetooth data exchange, but has also been configured with HDMI for future upgrades. Some of you may have also noticed the exterior mirrors on the SEMA car, as they were fitted with cameras for Honda's blind spot minimizing Lanewatch system. It is now offered on the Civic Coupe for EX trims and above.

Mechanically, the new Civic Coupe rides on an upgraded suspension system that features revised spring rates (front up by four percent, rear up by three percent), a stiffer rear stabilizer (up by 25 percent) and larger 16-inch wheels (wearing 205/55R16 tires). The engineering objective was to improve handling and responsiveness while flattening cornering. According to Honda, the tweaks should give the Civic Coupe better linear steering feel than either the Hyundai Elantra or the Ford Focus.

The most significant upgrade is with the transmission, as Honda has fitted the Civic Coupe with an improved continuously variable transmission (CVT). The new belted gearbox promises improved fuel economy thanks to wider ratios (up 22 percent) and reduced friction. It is also lighter (by 12.5 percent) and its driver interface has been enhanced with the automaker's G-Design Shift control system. The new CVT should give better throttle response and a more linear feel to acceleration. Wheel-mounted paddle shifters (EX and EX-L trims) work in D-range and S-range, the latter simulating a seven-speed gearbox. Lastly, Honda has bumped the output of the 1.8-liter four-cylinder slightly to 143 horsepower and 129 pound-feet of torque (from 140 horsepower and 128 pound-feet of torque) with the help of an exhaust system refinement.

I spent about 15 minutes in the updated and upgraded Civic, driving a big urban loop in Torrance, California where Honda has its North American headquarters.

Driving Notes:

• The Civic's interior was significantly updated for 2013 after lackluster reception of the all-new 2012 model sent Honda back to the design studio to improve things. The alterations for 2014 aren't nearly as dramatic - consider them a further refinement. I suspect few will notice the upgraded seating materials, but the new flat-panel infotainment display is a nice addition. Gone is the round volume/power dial on the bottom left and the small joystick on the bottom right, as all of the raised buttons, rockers and dials have been replaced by digital interfaces. After playing around with the system for a few minutes inside the studio, I welcomed the new display and its added functionality but didn't like the touchscreen. I missed the previous-generation physical inputs that were clearly labeled and responded instantly to actuation. In my opinion, and you can call me old-school, capacitive-touch screens that require the driver to remove his or her eyes from the road to precisely position a fingertip on a glass screen are not an improvement in a moving and jostling vehicle.
• On the road, the new suspension tuning has transformed the Civic Coupe from a soft two-door econobox to a mildly sporty coupe. While it still has a long way to go before it ventures comfortably around a racing circuit, its "fun-to-drive" quotient has earned a few more points and its driving dynamics are finally where they should have been several years ago. My seat-of-the-pants g-meter was telling me that the two-door seemed to behave a bit better transitionally, and the ride was more controlled when the road surface went south. Instead of bounding over the broken pavement, it felt stable and anything but nervous.
• I'm no fan of the CVT gearbox, regardless of the vehicle it is in, as the emotionless transmission fails to stir my enthusiast soul. Yet, I was pleasantly surprised by the refined new CVT in the Civic Coupe. Acceleration was (expectedly) buttery smooth and it responded well when I jumped back on the throttle after coasting. Taking the CVT's many benefits into account, I'd choose it over the five-speed automatic if offered the choice. I didn't have a chance to play with the S-range mode, where the CVT simulates a manual gearbox.
• While I couldn't feel the trivial additional horsepower or torque, the Civic moved very well off the line and up to highway speeds. The CVT felt like a good match to the engine's output and power band. It is no Si model, but those in a hurry will find that the two-door effortlessly sprints across intersections ahead of other cars when the light turns green. Not that I tried, of course.
• After two consecutive years of improvements, it appears that Honda has finally delivered a Civic Coupe that earns solid marks in terms of styling, equipment, powertrain and economy. Third time's a charm, right?

Source: Autoblog

2013 Honda Civic Is America's Best-Selling Compact Sedan

October has been in the rearview mirror for a few weeks now, but sales of the 2013 Honda Civic last month have left us with a pretty interesting discovery: the Civic is now officially the best-selling compact sedan in America, besting some competitors that have long given Honda headaches.

KBB names 2014 Honda Accord Plug-In Hybrid the PHEV with best resale value

By: Sebastian Blanco

A number of automakers proudly touted their vehicles' inclusion on the 2013 edition of the Kelley Blue Book's Best Resale Value list this week. But only Honda can say (and did, of course) that the 2014 Honda Accord Plug-In Hybrid is the PHEV with the best resale value. Even though the car only went on sale in January 2013 and we don't expect too many to be available on the used market any time soon, KBB puts vehicles on the list that are "expected to maintain the greatest proportion of their original Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) after five years of ownership." It's a futures thing.

The Accord PHEV was one of four Hondas on KBB's list – the others were the 2014 Honda CR-V (top ten finalist), the standard Accord (best mid-size car) and the 2014 Civic Si (best sporty compact car) – and there were many more from other automakers. You can read more over on Autoblog.

This is the first year (we think) that KBB has had a special PHEV category in its best resale awards. Last year, the 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid was named the best hybrid/alternative energy car. And the year before, the 2012 Honda Civic Hybrid was named the best hybrid car.



Official Press Release:

American Honda received four Best Resale Value Awards from trusted vehicle valuation source Kelley Blue Book www.kbb.com. The 2014 Honda Accord, the all-new 2014 Plug-in Hybrid Accord the restyled 2014 Civic Si, each earned the top award in their respective segment for projected resale value after five years of ownership. Additionally, the 2014 Honda CR-V was honored as one of the overall Top 10 Best Resale Value vehicles in America.

2014 Honda Vehicles Honored with Kelley Blue Book Best Resale Value Awards

2014 Honda Accord – Best Resale Value: Mid-Size Car
2014 Honda Accord Plug-In Hybrid – Best Resale Value: Plug-In Vehicle
2014 Honda Civic Si – Best Resale Value: Sporty Compact Car
2014 Honda CR-V – Best Resale Value: Top 10

"Honda vehicles are engineered to provide a fun-to-drive experience as well as overall value for the money," said Michael Accavitti, senior vice president of automobile operations at American Honda. "With a continued focus on quality, fuel efficiency and premium content, we have always believed that a Honda provides every buyer with added value, and we are honored to be recognized for our efforts by valuation leader Kelley Blue Book."

Kelley Blue Book's Best Resale Value Awards are based on projections from the Kelley Blue Book® Official Residual Value Guide. These prestigious awards honor vehicles expected to maintain the greatest proportion of their original Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) after five years of ownership. Since depreciation (or loss of value) is typically a car buyer's primary expense during ownership, these awards are designed to help consumers make more informed car-buying decisions.

"Honda earns three segment awards this year and a seat in the Top 10 with its impressive lineup," said Eric Ibara, director of residual consulting for Kelley Blue Book. "Repeating their category wins for the 2014 model year, Honda Accord, CR-V and Civic Si live up to its high expectations, continuing to dominate among competitors."

For more information about Kelley Blue Book's Best Resale Value Awards, please visit: http://www.kbb.com/new-cars/best-resale-value-awards/.

Source: Autoblog

With Love, From Bolton

Honda On Top

The Toyota Camry may lose its title as the best-selling car in the US next year and the Honda Civic has already managed to outsell the Toyota Corolla to become the top-selling compact in the US, but it looks like the domination woes have just hit Toyota on its own turf. Bloomberg reports that the all-new Honda Fit carries the distinction of being the best-selling car in Japan for October – the Fit's first full month on sale – outselling the popular Toyota Prius and Toyota Aqua (our Toyota Prius C).

Unlike the Camry's 16-year reign on US car sales, Japan's race seems a little tighter with the Fit most recently topping the sales charts in May 2011. Since then, though, the two Toyota hybrids have been the top two cars in for sale in Japan. The US won't get the next-gen Fit until the third quarter of 2014, but this new hatchback should be another solid option for buyers in the increasingly popular subcompact segment.

Source: Autoblog

2014 Honda Accord Among Finalists for Green Car of the Year Award

We can say with absolute confidence that Honda prides itself on being one of the “greenest” automakers on the face of the planet. Considering how much time, money, and energy goes into making Honda vehicles so efficient, we know that the engineers who make these things happen would love to be nominated for the Green Car Journal’s annual Green Car of the Year award.