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What's new from Honda?
By Lucy
Lazarony • Bankrate.com
 Reliable,
dependable Honda is really shaking things up this year with a radical redesign
of its best-selling Accord, the introduction of an eco-friendly version of its
Honda Civic and two brand-new sport utility vehicles, the full-sized
Pilot and the youth-oriented Element.
The Honda Accord, the best-selling passenger
car in America in 2001, gets the most dramatic redesign in its 27-year history
in 2003.
What's so different about the 2003 Accord?
How about a sleeker exterior, more powerful
engine -- a 240-horsepower V-6 engine is available -- loads of luxurious touches
and more space inside?
Accord |
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Interior enhancements include heated front
seats, dual-zone automatic climate control and an upgraded audio system. As
for safety, a front anti-lock braking system comes standard on all 2003 Accords,
which start at $15,800.
The 2003 Accord is available in coupe or sedan,
each with a very distinct look. The only styling feature the two models share
is the headlights.
A Civic Hybrid may look like a Civic and drive
like a Civic, but under its hood you'll find Honda's patented gasoline-electric
Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) technology. The result? Impressive gas mileage
and squeaky-clean emissions.
Thanks to its 1.3-liter, four-cylinder gasoline
engine and 10-Kilowatt electric motor, the Civic Hybrid can squeeze 650 miles
from a single tank of gas. Introduced in April, the new Civic hybrid sedan achieves
gas mileage of 46 mpg in the city and 51 mpg on the highway. The five-passenger
Civic Hybrid comes with an automatic or manual transmission and has a starting
MSRP of $19,550.
Honda's takes aim at Generation Y with its
boxy, rugged and unconventional Element sports utility vehicle. The all-new
Element is almost all 90-degree angles, and includes a removable sky light,
side cargo doors and a clamshell tailgate that opens wide enough to accommodate
mountain bikes, surfboards and camping gear for four active twentysomethings.
Its wash-and-wear seats, which adjust to 64
different positions, and its easy to wipe floor are designed for the mess and
the chaos of an active, outdoor lifestyle. It arrives in December.
Honda takes a much more traditional tack with
the introduction of its all-new 2003 Pilot, its first full-sized SUV. With seating
for as many as eight passengers and lots of storage space and compartments inside,
the Pilot is targeted toward active families on the go.
And how's this for a nice touch? There's theater
seating inside so little folks sitting in rows of seats behind the driver can
see the road too. As for power, a 240-horsepower V-6 engine is available. Prices
for a 2003 Pilot start at $26,900.
-- Posted: Oct. 1, 2002
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