Brickell Honda Certified Honda Dealership in Miami by Brickell Honda
August 18, 2009
09:39 am | 0 recommendations | Be the first to comment
Miami drivers know how dangerous it can be riding around these busy city streets. That’s why reliability and safety are important aspects for any vehicle to have. Some top known safety vehicles to bless the presence of our streets are the 2010 Honda Insight, Nissan Altima Hybrid, the Honda Civic, and the Honda Accord. Is it a coincidence that three Honda vehicles are known for how safe they are? I would venture to say no. Honda’s philosophy on safety states “As a leader, Honda looks beyond government regulations, studying real world situations to develop new safety technologies for everyone”.
Recent news on just how safe Honda vehicles are came when the 2010 Honda Insight EX earned the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) 2009 TOP SAFETY PICK Award, the organization's highest honor. This award, which is honored annually, recognizes those vehicles that perform exceptionally well in front, side, and rear crashes based on ratings in IIHS tests. Erik Berkman, vice president of Corporate Planning and Logistics said, "The Insight EX is a great example of an affordable vehicle that receives a high rating for safety."
Honda operates two of the worlds most sophisticated crash test laboratories with the objective of developing the highest level of safety design and technology. The Tochigi, Japan, facility was the world's first indoor omni-directional car-to-car crash testing facility and the Honda R&D America's Raymond, Ohio, development center performs testing on all U.S.-developed models.
For more information on how you can purchase the safest vehicle on the market, the 2010 Honda Insight, in Miami contact Brickell Honda at 888-407-9334 or visit them online at http://www.brickellhonda.com.
Recommend This If you liked this, let others know:
August 13, 2009
04:24 pm | 0 recommendations | Be the first to comment
Are you wondering whether to get a Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla in Miami? The better choice of the two proves to be the Honda Civic with its high fuel economy performance, among other things. The Civics high crash test scores prove that it is capable of getting you safely through Miami streets. The Civic is also available as a Sedan or Coupe, each accommodating to specific driver tastes and fads. A much more powerful car than the Corolla, the Civic has a horsepower engine of 140 while the Corolla only has 132 hp. The Honda Civic also comes with extra features that the Corolla doesn’t come with such as a sunroof, rear spoiler, audio control on steering wheel, and subwoofers. The Civic has been named the best small car vehicle in its class.
To get more information on the Honda Civic in the Miami area contact Brickell Honda online at their website and get the latest specials and deals on all Civics and Honda cars.
Recommend This If you liked this, let others know:
August 6, 2009
10:29 am | 0 recommendations | Be the first to comment
From Canadian Driver
New for 2010
- Available 20-inch chrome-clad wheels
- Premium radio includes USB in centre console
- Standard OnStar includes enhanced emergency, OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics and navigation capabilities
For 2010, the Buick Enclave receives minor changes, including available 20-inch chrome wheels, a USB port that enables playing audio devices through the stereo and also charging some hand-held devices, and enhanced OnStar, including the vehicle's StabiliTrak now monitored by the OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics system.
A sister vehicle to the Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Acadia, the Enclave uses a 3.6-litre V6 with six-speed automatic transmission. Both the CX and CXL are available in front- or all-wheel drive. Seating is for seven, with available eight-passenger configuration.
Features on the CX include 18-inch alloy wheels, automatic tri-zone climate control with second- and third-row controls, fog lamps, privacy glass, power liftgate, heated mirrors with integrated turn signals, roof rails, rear spoiler, variable intermittent wipers, variable delay rear washer/wiper, cruise control, floor mats, driver information centre, exterior temperature display, tire pressure monitoring system, auto-dimming rearview mirror, tilt and telescopic leather-wrapped and wood wheel with audio controls, illuminated vanity mirrors, garage door opener, power windows with front express up/down, six-way driver and two-way passenger power cloth seats, second-row Smart Slide captain's chairs, 60/40 split-folding third-row bench seat, CD/MP3 stereo, Bluetooth hands-free connectivity, XM satellite radio, power locks with keyless entry, automatic xenon headlamps, theft deterrent system, and OnStar with Turn by Turn Navigation.
The CXL adds 19-inch alloy wheels, heated mirrors with integrated turn signals and driver's side auto-dimming, rearview camera and rear parking assist, heated washer fluid system, remote starter, 110-volt power outlet, power tilt and telescopic wheel, perforated leather heated seats with eight-way driver and four-way passenger power adjustment, and Bose premium audio system.
Depending on the model, available options include a two-panel sunroof, second-row console, heated and cooled seats, DVD entertainment system, navigation system, adaptive headlamps, and trailer towing package.
For more information on the 2010 Buick Enclave in Miami contact Brickell Motors at 786-245-4889 or visit them online at http://www.brickellgmc.com.
Recommend This If you liked this, let others know:
August 6, 2009
09:44 am | 0 recommendations | Be the first to comment
From motor trend
In its continuing effort to green up its products, GM has turned to its full-size pickups: the 2010 Chevrolet Silverado and its twin, the 2010 GMC Sierra. GM's efforts have wrung an extra mile per gallon out of each truck both in the city and on the highway, putting them at the top of their class in fuel economy.
Last year, when the 2009 model-year Silverado and Sierra debuted, they were achieving a measly 14 mpg city and 20 mpg highway. Even the XFE (eXtra Fuel Economy) models were only pulling off 15 mpg city and 21 mpg highway. To improve these figures, GM set its engineers to work under the hood to free up a little more fuel efficiency. To be completely accurate, though, the only traditional wrenching done was actually performed under the bed, where GM's engineers swapped out the old differential for a new, lower 3.08:1 gear set.
The rest of the work was done with a computer, adjusting the shift-points on the six-speed transmission, playing with the valve timing, and tweaking the Active Fuel Management system to keep the engine running on four cylinders instead of eight more of the time. All these little tweaks to the computer programming, along with the new gears out back, helped the Silverado/Sierra pick up 1 extra mpg in both city and highway driving, for an EPA-estimated 15 mpg city and 21 mpg highway on the 2010 models. Even the XFE models got a boost in highway fuel economy, up to 22 mpg for 2010. And of course, if you need more, there's always the Silverado/Sierra Hybrid, which will net you an impressive 21 mpg city and 22 mpg highway.
Those who actually use their trucks to haul things will be happy to know that all of GM's tinkering hasn't affected the truck's capabilities. Horsepower, torque, payload, and trailering abilities remain unchanged on the 2010 models. All the power and better fuel economy? Sounds like a win-win to us.
For reference, the 2010 Ford F-150 achieves an EPA-estimated 14 mpg city and 20 mpg highway when equipped with the 5.4L V-8 and 15 mpg city, and 21 mpg highway when equipped with the 4.6L V-8 and the six-speed automatic transmission. The 2010 Dodge Ram, meanwhile, gets a Ford-rivaling 14 mpg city and 20 mpg highway. Foreign competition is even farther behind, with the 2010 Toyota Tundra getting 14 mpg city and 18 mpg highway with its 5.7L V-8, and 15 mpg city and 20 mpg highway with the 4.6L V-8. Bringing up the rear is the 2009 Nissan Titan (2010 specs haven't been announced yet), whose 5.6L V-8 is only good for 13 mpg city and 17 mpg highway, though running it on E85 Ethanol will get you 1 extra mpg on the highway.
For more information on GM’s full size pickup, the 2010 GMC Sierra, contact Brickell Motors at 786-245-4889 or visit them online at www.brickellgmc.com.
Recommend This If you liked this, let others know:
August 6, 2009
09:37 am | 0 recommendations | Be the first to comment
From Summit Daily News
With a level of largesse that seems straight out of a Presidential entourage, the mighty GMC Yukon went through a substantial refresh a few years back. I actually attended the launch event in early 2006, heading off on a strange ride and drive through the wilds of northeastern Georgia, but having spent much of that year in a slightly altered state, I was left with some fairly dim impressions.
Three years later, straight as an arrow, I stepped back behind the gigantic wheel of the Yukon and I realized that it's a pretty impressive machine, as far as large, imposing SUVs go.
The standard Yukon, outfitted with 4WD and a 320-horsepower 5.3-liter V-8, will do all the things an SUV is supposed to do: Tow up to 8,400 pounds of trailer, haul you and as many as eight passengers around and return a solid 20 mpg highway, maybe 14 in the city.
Those final figures started catching up with GM during last year's fuel fiasco, and this year has seen the release of a hybrid version of the Yukon, which, oddly, substitutes a larger engine (a 6.0 liter Vortec) and a matching electric motor system to double the city mileage (21 city, 22 hwy.) and produce a little more power and torque (332 HP, 367 lb.-ft.).I didn't get to play with the Yukon hybrid setup this go-round, although I did spend a week in the hybrid GMC Sierra not soon afterwards, and can attest that the company's new two-mode gas-electric system is much more livable and less herky-jerky than in the past. Not a Prius, by any means — there's still a building-sized piece of people-hauling metal to move around — but General Motors' award-winning hybrid configuration is a nice idea, especially when you do the math on the total mileage increase. Well, maybe.
As for the old-fashioned (but admittedly flex fuel-capable) Yukon, feeling large and in charge is both a good and a bad thing. Hit the remote starter, clamber up into the cabin and … almost instantaneously, you find yourself swaggering like Kid Rock and driving like a distracted Highlands Ranch soccer mom. Look out, everyone.
It seems impossible to commandeer a Yukon in a subtle fashion; maybe its birth in a GM assembly plant in Arlington, Texas has something to do with that. But to the big machine's credit, it absolutely and completely effortlessly got me through the final day of snow back in the spring here in the Front Range, absolutely secure in 4WD despite the impressive mass of the machine.
And even in “base” Yukon guise (the Yukon Denali bumps things up to near-Escalade interior finery), it's a comfortable, leathery-cabined experience that includes a substantially powerful Bose stereo system, ferocious three-zone heating and cooling and just a bit too much fake wood trim and plastic for 50 large.
GM's six-speed automatic transmission with an adjustable sequential switch on the lever imparts more control in harnessing the power; the slightly thin steering wheel is festooned with an ungainly array of buttons.
Second-row seats rather loudly and powerfully flop and crash forward to gain access to a full and comfortable third row of seating, while a touchpad activates the power rear liftgate. Looks are equally big and brassy, from the huge, chrome-clad wheels to the gigantic, chrome-rimmed grille and the washbasin-sized headlamps.
For more information on the Yukon visit Brickell Motors in Miami online at http://www.brickellgmc.com or call them at (786) 245-4889.
Recommend This If you liked this, let others know:
July 29, 2009
04:01 pm | 0 recommendations | Be the first to comment
With all the summer sales events and clearance specials going on this year, Honda dealerships all over South Florida are finding ways to bring in more customers. South Honda is offering same great summer deals as well as other Local Honda dealership like Braman Honda, Potamkin Honda, and Largo Honda. But only one local Miami Honda dealership is offering low payments plus new car buyer incentives. For a limited time only, new Honda car buyers will receive a free 42” plasma TV for buy a Honda in Brickell Honda. New car buyers that shop at Brickell Honda will also be eligible to win a free 5 day cruise. Now if that doesn’t sound rewarding, Brickell Honda also gives away customer rewards through it’s Brickell Plus program. Brickell Honda is the only Honda dealership in Miami to offer such a promotion. Through Brickell Honda’s Brickell Plus program, new car buyers will receive up to 60,000 miles of free oil changes.
To find out more about Brickell Honda and their BIG summer specials visit them online at www.brickellhonda.com or call them directly at 305-856-3000.
Recommend This If you liked this, let others know:
July 29, 2009
11:23 am | 0 recommendations | Be the first to comment
By Jason Kavanagh, Engineering Editor Email | Blog
Psychologists have said that consumers have a three-week memory of fuel prices. If prices stay constant for more than three weeks, the buying public's decision-making ability becomes myopic and they act as though prices have never been different from what they are in the here and now.
And at this very moment, fuel prices have been below two bucks a gallon for about six weeks. Fuel is so cheap that we're considering igniting 55-gallon drums of the stuff in our front yards just for kicks.
Now, we don't know the hippocampus from a hippopotamus, but our instincts remind us that good times don't last forever. An increase in fuel prices in the near future is practically inevitable, and those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.
That's where the all-new 2010 Honda Insight and 2009 Toyota Prius fit in. By shopping for fuel misers like these while gasoline is still cheaper than designer-bottled sugar water, savvy shoppers will dodge long dealership queues in the future and avoid forking out a premium for such cars — like they did in the summer of 2008.
Follow the Follower
You might remember the original Honda Insight. When introduced in 1999, it was the first hybrid vehicle sold in the U.S.A., an affordable technical tour de force that achieved spectacular fuel economy by adding a battery-assisted electric motor to the powertrain. But as a diminutive two-seater, it certainly wasn't a car for the masses.
It took Toyota's introduction of the Prius to stamp the word "hybrid" into the public consciousness and swell the ranks of hypermiling wonks. Boasting an extra pair of doors and a rear seat compared to the early Insight, the Prius was a real car suitable for families. That it looked the part of a hybrid sealed the deal among the socially conscious, and Toyota has ridden this wave of success to new heights, selling 181,221 examples of the Prius in 2007 alone.
In response, Honda has retooled the Insight formula for 2010 into a four-door package that paints a target dead smack on the Prius' nerdy forehead. The Insight's sheet metal is said to be shaped by the wind tunnel, but the general proportions and detailing are far too Prius-like to be coincidental. Honda's intentions with the Insight appear obvious — scale the heights of hybrid sales success by following in the Prius' footsteps.
The Cars
Often found clogging up the passing lanes of freeways all over the country, the Prius is now a common sight on public roads. The 2009 Toyota Prius we tested will blend right in, as it is largely unchanged from earlier models, right down to its 110-horsepower powertrain with its 1.5-liter engine and sophisticated hybrid system comprised of two electric motors and planetary gearsets. (A revised Prius is on the horizon for 2010, but it remains under wraps.)
Our Prius boasted its fuel economy of 48 mpg city/45 mpg highway on its price sticker and it was equipped with the $3,280 Package #5 option, including a navigation system, premium audio, satellite radio capability, Bluetooth, a back-up camera, stability control, cruise control and a few other items. This car is well-equipped but not the most fully loaded Prius variant available and checks in at $27,643.
The all-new 2010 Honda Insight merges an updated version of Honda's Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) hybrid system with a 1.3-liter, eight-valve inline-4, and the powertrain produces a combined output of 98 hp and 123 pound-feet of torque. The IMA system slots a 13-hp electric motor between the engine and continuously variable transmission (CVT) and it is juiced by a nickel-metal hydride battery pack behind the rear seats. Lithium-ion batteries would have cut the space requirement in half, chief engineer Yasunari Seki says, but were quickly rejected on the basis of cost.
And cost is the Insight's trump card. Honda's hybrid system is more basic than the Prius' NASA-grade hardware, yet its more affordable cost is the key to delivering the Insight's dirt-cheap sticker price. At least, we think it's dirt cheap. Pricing hasn't been formally announced, so we're going on whispers and hints from the Honda brass. But you can count on the Insight's official EPA fuel-economy rating of 40 mpg city/43 mpg highway, plus the fact that the car will be formally released on Earth Day, April 22, 2009.
Our scrutiny of Honda's marketing data makes us pretty confident that the model we drove — a fully optioned Insight EX with navigation — will sticker for very close to $22,170 with destination. If we're wrong, then we only request that you wait at least three weeks before composing your hate mail.
Static Electricity
When you climb inside a Prius, you're confronted with a decidedly unorthodox dashboard layout. There are no conventional gauges; instead the speed readout and general operational information peek out from a narrow slot at the base of the windshield. The climate control, audio and navigation controls are all embedded in a single, centrally located multifunction screen. Even the "gear" selector sprouts from the dash immediately to the right of the steering wheel. The Prius is a hybrid, darnit, and it won't let you forget that fact.
The Insight, however, trades a little zoominess for much improved function. There's a real gauge cluster in front of the driver and non-virtual heating and ventilation controls that fall immediately to hand. The Insight's cabin also places you in a driving position that's more natural than that of the Prius, and this is further enhanced by the Honda's telescoping steering wheel and height-adjustable seat.
These two latter features aren't available in the Prius, yet it desperately needs both of them. The Toyota's driving position seems scaled to Japanese bodies, not corn-fed American ones, so you can never place the tilt-only steering wheel in quite the right place. Simply put, you sit on the Prius and in the Insight.
If you think this means the Insight has the superior cabin, you'd only be half right. Full-size humans can find space and comfort in the backseat of the Prius, whereas in the Insight they will find only cramps. Your knees have to splay to accommodate the front seatback, while the tumblehome of the Insight's roof eats up precious headroom. You could say that swelled heads fit better in the back of the Prius.
Behind the backseats, it's pretty much a draw in cargo capacity, although Honda claims a bit more volume by the numbers than the Prius. It can also claim more volume of the acoustic variety, as the Honda is noticeably noisier than the Prius, and it doesn't come close to isolating its occupants from road roar and wind hiss in the way that the Toyota does.
Hedonists take note: The Prius boasts a back-up camera, HID headlights and keyless ignition, and you can't find these goodies on any Insight.
Nothing's Shocking
Economy with speed is as common as gravy-flavored ice cream, and these cars proved no exception once we placed our testing equipment on them. The Prius' 110-hp combined output propels it from a standstill to 60 mph in 10.4 seconds (10.1 seconds with 1 foot of rollout like on a drag strip), followed by the Insight in 10.9 seconds (10.5 seconds with 1 foot of rollout like on a drag strip). Off the line, however, neither of these hybrids feels as glacial as these numbers suggest thanks to the boost in low-end torque provided by the electric motors.
It's not just in acceleration that the Prius pips the Insight. The Prius also brakes shorter, coming to a halt from 60 mph in 120 feet, 5 feet fewer than the Insight. It also produces a quicker slalom speed, 61.8 mph compared to the Insight's 59.3 mph. Despite the numbers, the Prius' brake pedal feels like a lumpy mattress underfoot as the transition from regenerative braking to pure mechanical braking is clumsy, while the electric-assist steering responds with all the enthusiasm of warm tapioca.
Ride quality is an area where the Prius gets the nod, as it glides over pavement compared to the choppy springiness of the Honda. The flip side of the Honda's firmer suspenders comes in routine handling maneuvers, where it is more alert than the Prius. Likewise, the Insight's quicker and more naturally weighted steering imparts lots of confidence even in everyday driving. This transparency in the feel of the controls paired with the more user-friendly driving position help give the Insight a thin edge in our scoring evaluation.
Fuelish Behavior
The numbers most relevant to these dromedaries relate, of course, to their frugality with fuel. To that end our two drivers hashed out a driving loop of nearly 100 miles, consisting of a mix of city and freeway driving conditions. They topped off the fuel tank of each car at the same fuel pump and drove the loop. Then they switched cars and drove the loop again. They then refilled them at the same fuel pump and recorded the dosage.
To make a long, boring story short, the Prius netted 54.4 mpg to the Insight's 51.5 mpg during our driving loops. These results are considerably better than the EPA estimates for each car since our driving style was conservative to minimize variables in performance and to ensure the cars remained nose-to-tail for the entire drive. Hard-core hypermiling wonks will undoubtedly top even these results.
Perhaps the most loudly voiced objection from both drivers is that the Insight's cruise control consistently undershot the target speed when in Eco-Assist mode. Like a nun armed with a switch, this mode modifies the Insight's behavior to favor fuel-efficiency over drivability and comfort. The Prius, which needs no such supplemental mode to achieve its stellar fuel economy, exhibited no such untoward tendencies.
When Being Green Reduces Your Green
Some of us will make a choice between these two cars based solely on superior fuel economy. But if you're really interested only in the contents of your wallet, some careful assessment of the cost/benefit equation will be illuminating.
It turns out the additional $5,473 required for the privilege of owning a Prius instead of an Insight can buy a lot of fuel. At today's fuel prices, the actual monetary savings earned by the Prius' edge in fuel economy is miniscule, working out to a paltry $70 per year. Paying off the Prius' extra tariff in sticker price with the savings in fuel purchases would require more than 75 years.
Even if fuel prices were to leap to $5 per gallon, a Prius owner would have to drive his car for nearly 413,000 miles just to break even. These calculations use the EPA combined fuel economy numbers — plug in the higher fuel-economy results we measured and the payoff period is measured in lifetimes.
This simple math exercise demonstrates how deceptive a 5-mpg difference can be. Among fuel-sippers like these, this is one occasion where it doesn't pay to be green. It turns out that the 2010 Honda Insight's emphasis on affordability as well as fuel economy puts more dollars in your pocket than the 2009 Toyota Prius.
There's a certain irony in the Insight's victory. In its desire to create a car that wears its hybrid-ness on its sleeve, Honda examined its rival to such a degree that the Insight and the Prius are nearly indistinguishable at a glance. Yet Honda's final product is no Prius clone, and its lack of hybrid-style compromises in the way it drives works to its advantage in this comparison.
Consider the Prius outsmarted. For now.
For more information on how you can purchase a 2010 Honda Insight in the Miami area, contact Brickell Honda online at www.brickellhonda.com
Recommend This If you liked this, let others know:
July 29, 2009
10:30 am | 0 recommendations | Be the first to comment
0
false
18 pt
18 pt
0
0
false
false
false
Step One:
Visit BrickellHondaDirect.com to receive a quick quote on
the Honda of your choice. BrickellHondaDirect.com is Miami’s fastest-growing
way to buy a new Honda, and is an absolutely necessary stop for the serious car
shopper in Miami.
Step Two:
Visit Brickell Honda and trade in that old clunker and get extra low payments on your new Honda vehicle purchase.
Step Three:
Buy your ’09 Honda Civic, Fit, Accord, Pilot, Odyssey or CRV
at Brickell Honda. Brickell Honda of Miami is currently offering all these
models with available sign & drive deals, and/or no money down, with
special deals from.
Step Four:
Get a FREE 46” Plasma TV with your new Honda.
Step Five:
Laugh after you realize that anyone else who has brought a
new Honda overpaid and didn’t get nearly as good a deal as you got… think about
it as outsmarting the competition.
Step Six:
Spend the rest of your summer enjoying your
brand-spanking-new Honda and your big-screen 46” plasma-screen TV!
If you want to enjoy your summer like this, too, then hurry
to Brickell Honda to take advantage of these offers before it’s too late!Visit Brickell Honda online for more information on these special summer deals.
Recommend This If you liked this, let others know:
July 29, 2009
09:44 am | 0 recommendations | Be the first to comment
2010 Ford Fusion SE- Third Place
Even with a face inspired by a Lady Schick razor, the Ford Fusion is one of the most hopeful signs of life on planet Blue Oval. “Even if we had 10 cars in this comparo, the Fusion would still be in the top three,” gushed one editor.
The updated Fusion has already made headlines, thanks to the achievement of its new hybrid version, rated tops among mid-size gasoline-electrics by us [“Long Rangers,” February 2009], as well as the EPA (41 mpg city/36 highway). The boring old gasoline Fusion has no similar claim to greatness and is overshadowed in this comparo by two best-in-classers.
Nevertheless, functional updates such as 15 additional horsepower from a new 175-hp, 2.5-liter Duratec four, an engine that is shared with the Mazda, make this face-lifted Ford—it still has the blades to make your legs silky smooth—more pleasant to live with than its predecessor and put it several rungs higher on the mid-size ladder.
Note the word functional. We think Ford’s designers didn’t do the Fusion any favors with their latest cosmetic decisions. The bright three-bar grille that became Ford’s new design face has, for example, increased in size and acquired winglets that extend over its new headlights. With the possible exception of beluga caviar, more of a good thing inevitably becomes too much, as this new grille demonstrates.
Inside, the Fusion’s dashboard and door panels are clad in plastic with a graining that’s somewhere between the look of ostrich skin and walrus hide. It’s too coarse, and too much, to our eye. The material of the cloth upholstery was also underwhelming. Even making allowances for this car’s preproduction status, the upholstery looked cheap.
From a functional point of view, though, the Fusion stacks up well. It matched the Honda and the Mazda in ergonomics, the secondary-control backlighting was welcome at night, and if the blue-and-white instrument illumination seems a little too lurid in a showy Las Vegas way, it’s certainly a vividly distinctive feature.
The front bucket seats deliver the best lateral support of the three cars, although we think Ford’s power-seat policy—it retains manual adjustability for the seatback—is the wrong place to save money. In back, the Fusion offers good room for two adults, although it’s knees up, owing to a low H-point. It’s tight for three, but that’s the case, in varying degrees, for all mid-size sedans. The trunk space is 17 cubic feet, same as the Mazda’s, both of them bigger than the Honda’s 14 cubes.
Dynamically, the Fusion got our vote for the car to be in when you’re stuck on 40 miles of bad road. Easy does it. The suspension tuning was the softest of this trio, and hard cornering produced more up-and-down motions. A little more rebound damping might improve the Fusion’s responses without sacrificing much of its smooth ride. On the other hand, the steering was nearly as good as the best in this group, and the car was absolutely devoid of nasty surprises.
That soft suspension didn’t help the Fusion in the emergency-lane-change test, where it finished third, but it tied the Honda for braking, although stopping in 180 feet from 70 mph is nothing to brag about. It also ran neck and neck with the Mazda 6 in our acceleration tests, and the throws of its six-speed manual transmission, though long, were exceptionally crisp.
The Fusion tied with the Accord for fuel-economy honors, at 25 mpg overall, in driving that wasn’t exactly mpg minded. It was also the most affordable of the cars—lowest base price and the lowest tab as tested.
But as good as it is, the Fusion doesn’t register a high score on our fun meter. “A perfectly decent car,” concluded one crew member. “But it’s soft for intense motoring and might be better suited to someone whose needs include quiet operation and a softer ride.”
Second Place: 2009 Mazda 6 i touring
Behold the four-door RX-8, says the new Mazda 6 with its styling. Right. Behold the plus-size Mazda 3, we say after driving it. Either way you call it, the new Mazda 6 continues to be the rowdy, spirited stud of the mid-size pack.
For all its rousing spirit, the previous Mazda 6 lagged in sales a bit, primarily because it was perceived to be a little small by mid-size-sedan standards. Mazda addressed that perception with its 2009 redesign, which is bigger in every dimension. (The Accord is still bigger, though just barely.) The key question here is whether that size increase has diluted the esprit that made the previous car an enthusiast favorite.
We’ll get to that in a minute. First, let’s take a look at the nondynamic elements. Styling, for example. Although we were far from unanimity on some elements of the scoring in this test, there were no arguments about which car would win in a beauty contest. There’s a hint of RX-8 in the front fenders, the fast rear roofline and backlight suggest speed, and the sheetmetal is wrapped tightly around the 17-inch aluminum alloy wheels. The previous Mazda 6 was a wallflower. This new one is a rose.
The good looks don’t stop at the door. The Mazda’s interior design is clean and elegantly simple, enhanced by quality materials, although the flimsy inside rearview mirror is out of step on this score. We can’t say we’re sold on the look of the major gauges, with their pulsing blue halos, and we were a little surprised that the bolstering on the front seats wasn’t more aggressive, considering the sporty message conveyed by the exterior. Short bottom cushions, too.
On the other hand, the Mazda has a nifty touch we haven’t seen anywhere else in this class: a three-position switch for adjusting headlight level—ideal for occasions when you’ve filled the trunk with heavy stuff such as cement bags or your mother-in-law.
Like the Fusion, the Mazda’s standard transmission is a six-speed manual, a satisfying piece of equipment with short throws and positive engagements. The Mazda’s four-cylinder is up from 2.3 liters and 156 horsepower to 2.5 liters and 170 horses—168 in PZEV (Partial Zero-Emission Vehicle) California editions such as our test car. Although the Mazda’s powerplant comes up seven horses short of the Fusion’s, it registered identical times in our benchmark sprints: 0 to 60 in 8.0 seconds, the quarter-mile in 16.1 at 88 mph.
On our impromptu handling loop, and on the run to and from a lonely stretch of beach west of Lompoc, the Mazda showed that its ability to zig and zag hasn’t been diminished too much by its size increase. But if that’s true, how did it wind up second on the scoreboard?
First Place: 2009 Honda Accord EX-L
A big ol’ golden-years glider like the Mercury Grand Marquis is what comes to mind when you hear the words “full-size sedan.” That’s how the EPA defines the new Freightliner-sized Accord, but we’re not buying it. Not when it moves with the light step of a running back.
Even though the new Honda Accord is longer and wider than the previous generation, it’s actually nowhere near as grand as the Grand Marquis. That government full-size rating has to do with interior volume, and there’s just enough to nudge the Accord sedan (but not the coupe) into the realm of the bigs.
And the Accord was the biggest car in this test, but not by much—less than a half-inch more than the mega-Mazda in any dimension. It wasn’t heaviest—the Mazda and the Fusion scaled in 20 pounds higher. That weight distinction is obviously academic, but here’s the point: The bigger Accord doesn’t drive big. It’s at least as agile as its predecessor—smooth, unflappable, and polished—with suggestions of an inner tiger when the revs spool north of six grand.
Before we get to the Accord’s dynamic credits, we must list some demerits. As noted, the Accord wins this one on a split decision, and the dissenting crew member marked it down severely for a couple of what seemed to him to be unforgivable laws. “Too big,” he complained, displaying a keen eye for tiny dimensional disparities. “And it’s ugly,” he added.
On this second point, the majority voters didn’t argue with much vehemence. Okay, perhaps “ugly” is much too strong. Let’s say it’s mildly misshapen in the same way that North Dakota is mildly flat.
Our dissident also cited noise, and it’s true that the Accord’s four generated a healthy power crescendo at wide-open throttle. But at freeway speeds, its sedate 68-dB reading was identical to the others.
Still, there were negatives that showed up on all the tallies. One you’ve heard before—a center stack studded with buttons, some for our test car’s optional nav system, some for the audio, some for the climate controls. Our gripe here is that the climate controls are split into two groups that flank the rest of the array—for symmetry, no doubt, but certainly not for any functional advantage.
A bigger black mark goes to the transmission. Not for function—like other Honda manuals, the Accord’s is a pleasure to use, with crisp engagements and a sweet clutch. But it’s short one gear—this five-speed should be a six. Power from the Accord’s 190-hp 2.4-liter is robust, and its screaming 7100-rpm redline was highest of the group, but there’s a significant hole in the gearing between fourth and the very tall fifth, and acceleration in fifth is languid at best.
Our test car might have been hobbled a bit by newness—just over 100 miles on the odo when we picked it up, a last-minute substitute for the car originally scheduled (which cost $4000 less). New engines generally perform better once they’ve accumulated a little mileage. But even so, the Accord was tops in standing-start acceleration, a half-second quicker than the next best to 60 mph, and tied the Ford for fuel consumption during the test (25 mpg overall). It was so-so on the skidpad at 0.82 g, but it was quickest in the emergency-lane-change exercise, partially because its stability control could be disabled completely.
The Accord scored well in expected areas—fit and finish, front seats, and ergonomics, that battalion of center dashboard buttons notwithstanding. And as we also expected, its rear cabin felt bigger—in head, leg, and shoulder room—than those of its rivals.
If the steering was a little light, it was also as precise as laser surgery. One logbook comment summed it up best, citing the Accord’s “intuitive path control—you can place the car with complete confidence, right up to the limits of adhesion.” In a very close finish, it was the Accord’s willingness to unwind a winding road that prevailed.
We’re talking subtle distinctions here. Brake-pedal feel, for example, wasn’t quite as positive as in the Accord. The Mazda turned in readily, the Accord decisively. The Mazda’s freeway ride was good, but it verged on harsh when we operated on patchy pavement. Its suspension tuning was more overtly sporty than the Accord’s, but the Honda held a tangible edge in transient response while delivering a more supple ride on just about any surface.
It came down to a question of refinement, and after three decades and eight generations, the Accord has more of it.
Still, if styling is a high priority, the Mazda 6 looks like a winner. And we don’t think there’s much chance that it would disappoint its owners in matters of fun to drive.
For more information on the Honda Accord in the Miami area, contact Brickell Honda online at www.brickellhonda.com.
Recommend This If you liked this, let others know:
July 28, 2009
10:38 am | 0 recommendations | Be the first to comment
By Rob Douthit
Taken from the New York Daily News
Small cars are all the rage these days, thanks to their infrequent need to visit the gas pump. But many of today's gas sippers have other great qualities to appreciate. Such is certainly the case in today's matchup: the Honda Fit and Ford Focus. The sportiness isn't just skin deep. The Focus, built in Europe where it's sold wearing the Opel badge, is fun to drive thanks to taut steering and a tight suspension.
ROOMINESS
You want a small car, but you don't want to feel cramped. The good news is that with both of these, you can be comfortable. The Focus has nice head and leg room up front, and the back seats aren't too bad. The Fit's seating room is also good, but the interior feels just a tad more narrow.
ADVANTAGE: Focus
GAS MILEAGE
During our recent test drives of these cars, gas was running around $3.50 a gallon. That's far from cheap, but it beats the heck out of the $4 we have seen. Combine that price break with the terrific mileage we got from both of these and our wallets were feeling a little thicker than usual those few days. (Didn't last long, though).
The Fit has EPA numbers of 27 mpg city and 33 highway. In mostly city driving, we got a robust 29.
The Focus that we had, with a 2.0-liter engine and five-speed manual transmission, gets 24 and 35, according to EPA. We got about 26.
PERFORMANCE
We had driven the Fit a couple of years ago, after it first came out, and it exceeded our expectations with its acceleration and rigid suspension. We had the same reaction with the Focus. Some of the small cars on the market today have an acceleration that feels like they're towing a boat up a steep hill. Not so with these, which can take off swiftly on a moment's notice. Handling and braking were very good for both, as well.
ADVANTAGE: Even
LOOKS
The Fit is a five-door sedan that could be called cute. The Focus we drove was a four-door sedan that had a little bit of stylish flair, including some chrome accents on the sides. The interiors for both were practical, but not all that fancy.
ADVANTAGE: Focus
PRICE
The Fit, which had automatic transmission and a navigation system, was marked at $19,430. The Focus was $17,348 without those two goodies. Hard to say which really produces the most value. But if you look at quality of materials and resale value, you might give a slight edge to Honda.
ADVANTAGE: Fit
THE WINNER
An exceptionally close race, with the Fit finishing ahead by less than a nose. We preferred the design of the Focus, but with a little bit better gas mileage and a miniscule edge in value, we chose the Fit.
For more information on the 2009 Honda Fit in the Miami area, contact Brickell Honda at (888)407-9334 or visit them online to view lease specials.
Recommend This If you liked this, let others know:
