The CarGurus Blog

2013 Honda Civic

In its First Drive review of the 2012 Honda Civic, Car & Driver said,

The Civic lacks the passion, soul, and entertaining driving dynamics of its predecessor. Mainstream buyers may not care, but enthusiasts surely will.

That echoes the theme for the 2012 Civic from virtually all auto reviewers and even led to Consumer Reports revoking the car from its “Recommended” list. It’s a stumble from Honda that used to be unthinkable but seems to be more common with today’s models (specifically the Crosstour and Ridgeline).

To Honda’s credit, it’s been able to act fast and provide an “emergency refresh” for the 2013 Civic, pictures of which were released yesterday and posted on Facebook. Will the quick tweaks be enough to get that lost passion back?

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If you want to see some seriously over-the-top designs and custom work on cars, the SEMA Show in Las Vegas is where you need to go. Massive wings, wide body kits, outrageous colors and more turbos and intercoolers than you can shake a stick at all shout for the attention of show visitors.

This year’s show, just a few weeks away, won’t disappoint the tuner crowd. Especially with the treats being served up in the form of a whole lot of Ford Focus ST variations, and one very special 400-hp Hyundai “Velocity.”

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Ferrari Enzo

January in Detroit.

Winter’s icy clutch casts a cold, gloomy and bleak shadow across the Motor City. There’s not much that can break the spell, except for the eventual, but guaranteed, arrival of Spring.

January 2013 might be a little different. Not because a change in the weather pattern is in order, but because a sudden, unexpected hot streak blowing in from Italy has just entered the forecast.

Suddenly January in Detroit looks pretty inviting.

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I’ve waxed ecstatic about a lot of fun, fast and powerful cars lately. I perk up at the sound of a wailing V12 or the low gurgle of a V8. I could listen to the sound of an Aston Martin starting or a Maserati cruising all day long. These cars create a visceral reaction that releases floods of endorphins and just makes me smile.

Electric cars don’t have that effect.

It’s not that I don’t believe in the cause of the EV, I just don’t feel a passion for them. I get their purpose, and I respect it, but at the end of the day, there’s nothing there to grip me.

The Chevy Volt did nothing to change that. The Tesla Model S might, just because it’s so dang sexy. The Honda Accord Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle, due for the 2014 model year, has a chance to catch on… if it’s priced right. While it’s by no means passion-inducing, at least it seems to have everything the Volt does, plus a healthy dose of whatever it is Honda has that leads to customer obsession.

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Everyone knew the Paris Motor Show would be a delightful blend of new technology, new concepts and revealed production cars.

Porsche surprised us yesterday with the plug-in hybrid Panamera Sport Turismo Concept, but other automakers are ready to make an impact on the international car market, too.

A 73-mpg non-hybrid concept was unveiled, along with a new sports car destined to be a classic, a sleek good-looking car for the family, the supercar of supercars and some fun improvements to an inexpensive RWD coupe.

Keep reading for just a few of the highlights from Paris so far!

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Car Industry News, Car Minded, Car Shows, Domestic Cars, Exotic Cars, Foreign Cars, General Chat, Hybrid Cars 2014 Mazda6, Jaguar F-Type, McLaren P1, paris motor show, Toyota GT86 TRD, Volkswagen Golf Bluemotion

Now THAT’S how to do a Panamera.

The original, and current, Panamera is a fantastic car. It’s fast, comfortable, thrilling and seductive all at once. But there’s one major problem: It might be the most bloated and oddly proportioned car on the road today.

Look at the Panamera from head-on and there’s no problem. It looks decidedly Porsche. But take a glance from the side or the rear, and that’s where the great controversy begins. The Panamera’s got BACK!

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In all honesty, they should probably be discontinued.

Honda, though, remains loyal to its Crosstour and CR-Z, even though they remain two of the company’s slowest-selling models. Instead of letting them quietly fade into automotive history, Honda will give each some much-needed attention and hope car buyers like what they see.

When the Honda Accord Crosstour launched as a 2010 model, no one seemed to know what to make of it. Its odd styling and combination of space, size, pricing and fuel economy never really added up to a convincing value proposition. Car shoppers agreed, and never bit hard enough to help Honda meet its sales projections of 40,000 units per year. Or even come remotely close.

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Tata’s been busy.

The Indian company that purchased Jaguar and Land Rover has effectively made over the entire Jaguar line and injected new life into Land Rover.

While the biggest changes came in the cars from Coventry, the Land Rover Evoque effectively changed the game for luxury crossover vehicles.

Tata’s next evolution of its British brands will include the Jaguar F-Type and, possibly, a lower-cost, smaller version of the Evoque.

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The one ugly concept in Monterey: Bentley EXP 9 F

While I can appreciate the classic cars shown at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, it’s the new and concept vehicles that really get me going. (Though the stunning 1928 Mercedes-Benz 680S Saoutchik Torpedo that won Best in Show would look good parked in my shop!)

This year, the Concept Car Lawn at Pebble Beach served as an all-you-can-eat buffet of exotic beauty. If top-shelf modern metal moves you, then the manicured putting greens of Monterey was the place to be this weekend. It was surely the highest concentration of rare and one-of-a-kind supercars in all of California. Well, outside of Jay Leno’s garage, anyway.

Aston Martin, Bentley, BMW, Bugatti, Infiniti, Lamborghini, Lexus and SRT parked a plethora of  exotic and concept vehicles on the lawn. The BMW Zagato Roadster rubbed shoulders with the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse, while the Lamborghini Urus concept lurked nearby. The Aston Martin Vanquish, though, may have been the best-looking of the bunch.

Keep reading for pictures!

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I like it when teaser pictures reveal everything.

A typical teaser image of a coming vehicle is a vague, blacked-out silhouette or just the line from the hood to the trunk. Other teasers show an extreme close-up of a taillight or a fender flare and hope the image pacifies the public before the car’s official debut. Sometimes teasers show no parts of the car at all. I remember a teaser for the new Ford Explorer that showed only a snow-covered forest.

The 2014 Mazda6 has some teaser images floating around, most of which do a lot more than tease. In fact, they show a nearly full reveal of what’s to come. Keep reading to see the pictures, and be sure to let us know what you think!

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