Spy shots: New Accord based CUV could arrive by the end of the year
Currently, all of Honda's crossovers are of a more traditional upright style like the Element (if you can call that traditional) and Pilot. What Honda hasn't offered in the U.S. in more than a decade is a wagon body style. That looks like it might change by the end of 2009. Apparently, the gang in East Liberty, Ohio is cooking up a challenger for the Toyota Venza, Nissan Murano, and Subaru Outback. The mule that has been spotted uses the body of the European market Accord Sport Tourer (aka wagon) with the front clip of the current North American Market Accord.
It's not clear if this is the final body style that will appear, but the car actually has quite handsome proportions. Power will likely come from either the current Accord 2.4-liter four and 3.5-liter V6 engines, or possibly the Acura RDX 2.3L turbo. It's unfortunate that the 2.2L i-DTEC diesel is dead in the water for America because that would actually be an ideal candidate for such a vehicle. John Mendel, executive vice-president of American Honda confirmed to a dealer meeting over the weekend that a new product is coming for the brand this fall. The new CUV is expected to debut at the LA Auto Show in November.
[Source: Temple of VTEC]
Once I started looking at those 1:32 scale Dekotora model kits, I knew I was in danger of being dragged back into the cruel, eyestrain-inducing vortex of Model Car Hell.
While a genuine Revell Deal's Wheels kit would be a lot of fun- you can't argue with the awesomeness of High Bloatation tires- the prices are pretty steep. Anyway, I've got my own full-sized Hell Project to deal with, no time for Model Car Hell. Well, that's what I thought until I found this 1:16 scale RHD first-gen Honda Civic kit on eBay last week. Not only is it a non-worshiped car in a weirdly large scale, it comes with a nicely detailed CVCC engine! No time to build model kits, uh-uh, no way, nohow, I told myself repeatedly… and somehow I refrained from buying it. Big mistake- some lucky bidder picked up The Coolest Model Kit Ever for under 30 bucks, and I'm kicking myself.