A prototype of the next-generation Honda Pilot is being unveiled at the 2008 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, American Honda Motor Co., Inc., announced today.

The prototype conveys design features of the more boldly-styled 2009 Pilot, set to debut in spring 2008, which emphasizes authentic SUV styling, clever and more accommodating interior packaging and advanced technologies for safety, fuel efficiency and convenience.

“The Pilot’s pioneering formula improves for 2009 by enhancing its combination of refinement and efficiency with even more traditional SUV strengths,” said John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda. “A powerful exterior design communicates strength and allows for more space inside.”

Functional eight-passenger seating, a hallmark of the Pilot, becomes even easier to access in the third row as key dimensions for legroom, cargo and occupant space increase in all seating positions. A redesigned platform allows even more refined handling and ride comfort to exist seamlessly with all-weather and medium-duty off-road capabilities.

To further enhance safety, the Pilot will feature the Honda-exclusive Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE®) body structure and the most extensive use of high-strength steel in any Honda product to date.

The ACE body structure enhances frontal collision compatibility with vehicles of different sizes and bumper heights. A pedestrian injury mitigation design in the front of the vehicle is designed to help absorb energy in the event of a collision.

A crossover SUV platform underpins the Pilot to provide the best of the car and truck worlds by integrating the refined traits and packaging advantages of a unit body car design with the utility and capability of an SUV design. A V-6 engine introduces the latest generation of Honda fuel-saving Variable Cylinder Management™ (VCM®) technology that operates in 6-cylinder mode for power and 4- and 3-cylinder modes for efficiency, an improvement compared to the existing Pilot’s available VCM system that works exclusively in 6- and 3-cylinder modes.

Three rows of seats provide a high degree of adaptability for people and large cargo loads. The first row provides a commanding view of the road from two captains’ chairs. A wide center stack and center console form the styling anchor for the interior with a design that emphasizes spaciousness and power, while allowing for convenient access to navigation, entertainment and climate-control systems.

The 60/40 split second row, now more spacious, slides further forward for increased ease of access to the third row. The 60/40 split third row, now supplies enough knee room for an above-average-sized adult male to fit comfortably, making the Pilot’s third row among the most practical in the industry. Each side of the second and third row independently folds down for cargo. A flat floor is created when the second and third rows are folded down.

The Pilot originally debuted as a 2003 model in July of 2002. Design and development of the 2003 Pilot and the 2009 Pilot were carried out at Honda R&D Americas in Raymond, Ohio, and Torrance, California. The Pilot is assembled* at Honda Manufacturing of Alabama in Lincoln.

Among its numerous accolades, the Honda Pilot has earned Car and Driver Magazine’s prestigious “5Best Truck” award on six consecutive occasions (2002-2007). The current-generation 2008 Pilot is also among an elite group of vehicles to receive both a “Top Safety Pick 2008″ from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and a 5-star crash safety rating for frontal and side collisions from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)**.

* Honda products are produced using domestic and globally-sourced parts.

** Government star ratings are part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA’s) New Car Assessment Program (www.safercar.gov. Model tested with standard side-impact airbags.)

Additional consumer information is available at 2009-prototype-Pilot.honda.com.

February 8, 2007

MotorWeek released their list of winners of Driver’s Choice Awards at the Chicago Auto Show. As we reported earlier, the new Hyundai Entourage won the best minivan and was announced as this year’s Driver’s Choice Award in the minivan category.

Best of the Year: Honda Fit
Best Small Car: Honda Fit
Best Family Sedan: Saturn Aura
Best Minivan: Hyundai Entourage/Kia Sedona
Best Convertible: Volkswagen Eos
Best Luxury Sedan: Lexus LS
Best Sports Sedan: Infiniti G35
Best Performance Car: Ford Shelby GT500
Best Small Utility: Honda CR-V
Best Large Utility: Chevrolet Tahoe/GMC Yukon
Best Crossover Utility: GMC Acadia/Saturn Outlook
Best Pickup Truck: Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra
Best Eco-Friendly: Toyota Motor Corporation
Best Dream Machine: Jaguar XKR, Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, Porsche 911 Turbo

Filed under Other posted at 9:25 pm.

What is it about cars and music?

If you look at the biggest pop acts of the last fifty years, almost every one has written a song about cars or driving.

The Beatles had “Drive My Car”, the Rolling Stones had “Route 66” and the Beach Boys “Little Deuce Coupe”.

Then there was Wilson Pickett’s “Mustang Sally”, the Eagles’ “Life in the Fast Lane” and even the Cars’ “Drive”. And who could forget John Travolta’s “Greased Lightning”.

Don McLean drove his Chevy to the levy, Hot Chocolate sang about heaven in the back seat of a Cadillac and Janis Joplin begged for someone to buy her a Mercedes-Benz.

More recently there was Prince with “Little Red Corvette”, Tracy Chapman with “Fast Car” and Meatloaf with “Paradise by the Dashboard Light”.

A few Aussie bands have also got in on the act. Mental as Anything sung about a Hemi Pacer in “Looking for Bird” and the Ted Mulry Gang had a huge hit with “Jump in My Car”.

But the biggest award for revhead rockers goes to Radio Birdman for this love song written by Denis Tek about a 455-SD Trans Am.

“I got a dream machine from the Promised Land, got a ‘71 Trans Am

Got a Hurst T-stick in my hand, Borg Warner 4-speed says I can

Do the standing quarter mile in 12.5, run it through bring tears to your eyes…”

Music to my ears.

What are your top ten songs about driving?

Richard Blackburn

I have found what I believe to be is the perfect blend of sports and utility. And no, it’s not a sport utility vehicle. It’s the Audi S4 Avant. For those of you not aware, Avant is Audi’s term for station wagon. Not exactly sure what it means, but it was introduced several years ago when the term ‘station wagon’ was a bad thing.

Audis seem to keep popping up on my “I wish I owned one of these” list. The last one was the amazing RS4, and now this one.

Basically, Audi has taken a 340-horsepower all-wheel drive sport sedan and put an enclosed cargo space on the back.

The V8 has a powerful growl that sounds good at any RPM. The 6-speed manual can be shifted incredibly quickly. And the Audi’s quattro all-wheel drive system combined with a very stiff chassis makes this wagon handle as well as, if not better than, many sports cars.