One of the industry’s top online sources for new-vehicle research—Kelley Blue Book’s KBB.com—recently announced good news for both the Honda family and yours: Backed by the site’s in-depth analysis, three of the automaker’s vehicles have been named to the honor roll of 10 Best Family Cars of 2013.

The Honda CR-V topped KBB.com’s compact SUV comparison test “by offering exceptional comfort, a smooth ride, and an excellent value,” according to the site, which went on to note that, “All of those characteristics, along with some premium items like a leather interior, navigation system and rear-seat entertainment, make the Honda CR-V an excellent 5-seat family car.”

For those who need more room, KBB.com prefers the Honda Odyssey, twice noting that the minivan is proof “Honda understands families.” The Odyssey’s versatile second-row seating system came in for particular praise, but the site further reported: “the same cleverness that designed them permeates the whole vehicle.”

The final Honda name on the list is a familiar one, with the all-new Accord leveraging its three decades of family success to once again stand out from its rivals. While the name remains the same, the Accord itself is all new, “with new looks, more fuel-efficient powertrains and class-exclusive safety features like a side camera that sees where your eyes can’t,” detailed the website.

“Honda prides itself in designing vehicles around the needs of our customers,” said Art St. Cyr, vice president of Product planning and Logistics at American Honda, upon hearing the news. “There’s no better validation for this effort than being recognized for having vehicles that excel in the areas critical to the family buyer.”

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Honda, McLaren

As one of the premier sports cars in the world, the Porsche 911 is always driving around with a target on its rear-engined backside. If a new report is to be believed, the latest automaker with plans to build a 911-fighting sports coupe could be McLaren. Motor Trend is reporting that the recent news that Honda and McLaren are teaming up to build Formula One racecars could bear road-going fruit as well.

According to the article, the unnamed entry-level McLaren coupe may be powered by a Honda-sourced engine, but a detuned version of the 3.8-liter V8 from the MP4-12C is said to be more likely. All in, though, there is no solid information on the car just yet. As a reminder, M/T points out that the last time McLaren partnered up with a mainstream automaker, the world was introduced to the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren.

McLaren pondering Honda-powered 911 killer? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 16:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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An accomplished 16-driver lineup, including two previous race winners and 11 graduates of open-wheel training-ground series, make up the Honda-powered effort for the 2013 Indianapolis 500, as the company seeks its 10th consecutive “500″ victory – and fourth-in-a-row with engine-manufacturer competition.

In 2012, Target Chip Ganassi Racing’s Dario Franchitti scored his third Indy triumph in a thrilling battle to the finish with fellow Honda drivers Takuma Sato and Scott Dixon, Sato hitting the Turn One wall in a last-lap passing attempt for the victory and Franchitti leading Dixon to the checkers in a 1-2 result for Honda.

Last year marked the return of manufacturer competition to the IZOD IndyCar Series and Indianapolis, after six years of Honda supplying engines to the full Indy car field – also the only six times in “500″ history with no in-race engine failures.

Prior to Franchitti’s victory, manufacturer competition last took place at the fabled “Brickyard” in 2005 – a race won by the late Dan Wheldon, the first of his two Indianapolis 500 triumphs with Honda power. Previously, Buddy Rice had scored Honda’s first Indy 500 victory in 2004.

“Last year’s win by Dario and 1-2 finish for Honda was a milestone event for Honda Performance Development,” said Art St. Cyr, president of HPD. “While we take a great deal of pride in the unprecedented record of performance and reliability achieved by HPD during our six-year run as sole supplier, the challenges provided by manufacturer competition validate Honda’s reason for racing. Once again, Chevrolet has presented a stern challenge for our engineers and partner teams, but that simply encourages us to redouble our efforts. We’re looking forward to another exciting race on Sunday.”

Seven teams will utilize the Honda HI13RT Indy V6 engine, which is designed, manufactured, developed and maintained by HPD, the racing arm of American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

The Chip Ganassi Racing organization serves as Honda’s anchor team, and is led by three-time ’500′ winner and four-time series champion Franchitti, All of Franchitti’s 31 career IndyCar wins have come with Honda power, making him the manufacturer’s most successful driver in North American open-wheel racing. He is partnered by two-time series champion Dixon, who also includes an Indianapolis 500 (in 2008) victory among his 29 race wins.

The four-car Ganassi lineup is rounded out by veterans Ryan Briscoe and Charlie Kimball. Briscoe, the Indy pole qualifier in 2012, rejoins his former team for this year’s “500″, in addition to his full-season role with the HPD-equipped Level 5 Motorsports team in the American Le Mans Series. Kimball is making his third Indianapolis start for Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing after a strong eighth-place finish in 2012.

Current IZOD IndyCar Series Championship points leader and Long Beach race winner Takuma Sato will be making his fourth Indy start, but his first driving for the legendary A.J. Foyt’s Texas-based team. He is joined at A.J. Foyt Racing by second-generation racer Conor Daly, making his first start at Indianapolis.

Veteran Justin Wilson made his Indianapolis debut in 2003, but not on the famous 2.5-mile oval. Instead, Wilson’s first race at Indy was on the circuit’s road course, in the U.S. Grand Prix, driving for the Jaguar Formula One team. Now an established IndyCar veteran with seven career wins, most recently at Texas Motor Speedway in 2012, Wilson returns to the Brickyard with Dale Coyne Racing. He is teamed in 2013 by a pair of Indy Lights graduates, Ana Beatriz and Pippa Mann.

Alex Tagliani will be seeking to follow up his 2011 pole run at Indianapolis with his first trip to victory lane at the speedway. He is once again driving for Team Barracuda-Bryan Herta Autosport. Another strong single-car entry is fielded by Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing, with one of 2012′s outstanding rookies, Josef Newgarden, making his second start at the “500″.

Simon Pagenaud, the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year, returns with Schmidt Hamilton Motorsports for his second Indianapolis start, and is partnered with one of 2013′s outstanding rookies, Tristan Vautier, and Katherine Legge, also making her second “500″appearance.

The Honda effort at Indianapolis is rounded out by Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, fielding Honda-powered Dallaras for Graham Rahal, a third generation racer and son of team co-owner Bobby Rahal, and veteran British racer James Jakes.

Honda has been a fixture in North American open-wheel racing since 1994, and has played an active role in the growth of the IZOD IndyCar Series – as both a Manufacturers’ Championship competitor and single engine supplier – since joining the series in 2003.

The company scored its first Indianapolis 500 victory in 2004 with Buddy Rice; Manufacturers’ Championships in 2004 and ’05; and became engine supplier to the entire IZOD IndyCar Series in 2006. Honda supplied racing engines to the full, 33-car Indianapolis 500 field every year from 2006-2011, and for a record-six consecutive years, the ’500′ ran without a single engine failure. The 2010 Indianapolis 500, won by Dario Franchitti, marked Honda’s 100th race win as a manufacturer and engine supplier in IZOD IndyCar Series competition.

Founded in 1993, HPD is the technical operations center for high-performance Honda racing cars and engines and operates at race circuits around the world from its headquarters in Santa Clarita, California.

In addition to its efforts in Indy car racing, HPD spearheaded championship-winning efforts in the 2009, 2010 and 2012 American Le Mans Series; 2010 Le Mans Series; and triumphed in the LMP2 category at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in both 2010 and 2012. HPD offers a line of race engines for track applications from prototype sports cars to karting; and showcases “fun-to-drive” products for professional, amateur and entry-level efforts.

Filed under: Podcasts, Spy Photos, Technology, BMW, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Design/Style

2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class, BMW 2 Series, People trust autonomous cars

Episode #334 of the Autoblog Podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth, Zach Bowman and Jeff Ross talk about the 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class, the BMW 2 Series recently snagged by spy photographers, and a new study that indicates public support for autonomous automobiles. We wrap up with your questions and comments, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. You can follow along after the jump with our Q&A. Thanks for listening!

Autoblog Podcast #334:

Topics:

• 2014 Mercedes Benz S Class
• BMW 2 Series
• People (apparently) trust autonomous cars

In the Autoblog Garage:

• 2013 Nissan Juke
• 2013 Honda Civic

Hosts: Dan Roth, Zach Bowman, Jeff Ross

Runtime: 01:35:28

Feedback:
Email: Podcast at Autoblog dot com

Review the show in iTunes

Continue reading Autoblog Podcast #334

Autoblog Podcast #334 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 16:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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