ACCORD: Completely redesigned for 2008. Available once again as a sedan or a coupe, the new Accord is bigger -- so much so that the EPA classifies it as a large car, rather than a mid-size, based on interior room -- and more powerful, with two four-cylinder engines and a V6. For performance buffs, the top-of-the-line EX-L coupe will offer a 6-speed manual transmission. The Hybrid has been dropped from the lineup for 2008; no word yet on when (or if) it will return.
- 2008 Honda Accord first drive
- 2008 Honda Accord EX-L Sedan test drive and review
- 2008 Honda Accord photo gallery
CIVIC: A new top-of-the-line EX-L trim level offers a leather interior with heated front seats and side mirrors. The Civic MUGEN Si sedan builds on the Civic Si sedan, introduced last year. The MUGEN Si shares the Si sedan's high-revving 197 horsepower engine and adds stiffer shocks, unique 18" wheels with high-performance "summer" tires, body kit, and "Fiji blue" paint. Production will be limited to 1,000 units for 2008 and the price will come in under $30,000. Honda currently has no plans to introduce a MUGENized version of the Civic Si coupe.
CR-V: Fresh from a 2007 redesign, the CR-V marches into 2008 with changes only to the range-topping EX-L model, which gets a power driver's seat, dual-zone climate control, and (for models without navigation) a high-power stereo with subwoofer as standard.
ELEMENT: No changes.
FIT: Honda's subcompact hatch gets a tire pressure monitoring system as standard.
ODYSSEY: See Honda Minivans: What's new for 2008
PILOT: The entry-level LX is dropped, replaced by the Pilot Value Package which offers more standard equipment. The new Pilot SE (Special Edition) slots in above the Pilot EX, offering a DVD player and XM satellite radio, among other features.
RIDGELINE: No major changes.
S2000: The new new S2000 CR (Club Racer) model is designed for close-course racing; it replaces the S2000's folding soft top with a removable aluminum roof and adds a stiffer suspension, upgraded steering gear and tires, body-stiffening bracing in the trunk, and wild (and, apparently, functional) front spoiler and rear wing.
BEYOND 2008: 2009 will be a big (and very fuel-efficient) year for Honda. Along with the second-generation hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered FCX, which will debut some time in 2008 as a 2009 model, Honda will introduce a new gas-electric hybrid family car. The new hybrid will not be based on an existing car (ie Civic or Fit) but will instead be a dedicated hybrid-only vehicle, smaller and less expensive than the Civic Hybrid.
Honda will also introduce its first US-market diesel-powered vehicles, using a super-clean version of the 2.2 liter four-cylinder i-CDTi currently sold in Europe. No firm word on which models will get diesel power; Civic, CR-V and Accord are all candidates, but a three-model launch is unlikely -- Honda plans to start slowly, as they do any time they enter a new market segment.
