Honda Civic 2018

 

After all, with 228kW of power from its 2.0-litre turbocharged engine what was once a sensible family hatch has been turned into something of a fire-breathing monster. Honda claims it'll hit 100km/h from standstill in just 5.7 seconds and after driving it for a day there's little reason for disbelief because it goes, and goes hard.

Just as many will be attracted to the outrageous styling because you'd better believe it, despite all the pictures and motor show appearances seen so far nothing can prepare even the temporary custodian for the Type R in the flesh.

It is simply festooned with everything that's dramatic: the deep chin spoiler is further extended by a lip that curves up at the extremities to direct air around the front wheels, the extended wheel arches are anything but subtle and the double-decker rear wing is huge. Everywhere you look there are vents, scoops, winglets and mysterious bumps to direct airflow and manage cooling and the result is a car that will never go unnoticed.

eautiful it isn't. Hysterically over-the-top it definitely is.

For those who haven't been following the lead-up – which includes a record-breaking lap for front-drive cars around the full-scale Nurburgring race track in Germany – this hot Civic is Honda's comeback from the dark days of the GFC after which its cars tended towards the meek and mundane.

The company needed something extroverted and outrageous and, while visually and on paper the Type R fits the bill, it also needs to go, stop and handle to prove it has bite as well as bark.

The good news is, after sessions on the race track, Germany's high-speed autobahns and normal urban and country roads the Type R generally comes up smelling of roses.

Starting with performance, the direct-injection turbo engine doesn't just have a mighty power output but with 400Nm of torque it also has plenty of pulling power from the middle of the rev range, at about 3000rpm.

2017 Honda Pilot

With lots of space, a versatile interior and even a bit of off-road capability, the 2017 Honda Pilot is appealing for all sorts of reasons. Capable of towing up to 5,000 pounds and comfortably carrying eight passengers, the Pilot is utilitarian by almost all standards. Getting the kids in and out is relatively easy, and options such as a Blu-ray rear entertainment system turn road trips into a breeze. And for daily commutes, the quiet cabin and smooth ride make the Pilot extremely livable.

Despite all its virtues, the Pilot isn't perfect. Our top complaints include oversensitive safety systems such as the adaptive cruise control, the finicky (but optional) nine-speed automatic transmission, and a not-so-user-friendly infotainment interface. They're small issues, however, and they're not enough to dampen our enthusiasm for this big Honda SUV. If you're in the market for a three-row crossover, we definitely recommend checking out the 2017 Honda Pilot.

Trim levels & Features

The Pilot is a three-row crossover SUV that poses as a good alternative for a minivan. It is offered in LX, EX, EX-L, Touring and the Elite trim levels. All seat eight people, with the exception of the Elite, which has second-row captain's chairs that reduce capacity to seven.

For basic family transportation, the standard LX Pilot makes a lot of sense. It may be the base trim, but it definitely isn't bare-bones. Standard features include a 3.5-liter V6 engine (280 horsepower, 262 pound-feet of torque), a six-speed automatic transmission, 18-inch alloy wheels, air-conditioning, cruise control, a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel and a 60/40-split folding third-row seat. Electronic features include a 5-inch central display screen, a seven-speaker sound system, a rearview camera, Bluetooth phone and audio connectivity, an auxiliary audio jack and a USB port.

If you're looking for a few more tech and safety features, then you should probably step up to the EX. It adds automatic headlights, foglights, LED running lights, heated mirrors, remote engine start, the Honda LaneWatch blind-spot camera, dynamic guidelines for the rearview camera, three-zone automatic climate control, an eight-way power-adjustable driver seat (with two-way power lumbar adjustment), the 8-inch touchscreen interface, HondaLink smartphone-enabled features, and an upgraded seven-speaker sound system with two additional higher-powered USB ports, satellite radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, and Pandora internet radio control. Also included is the Intelligent Traction Management system that adds a Snow mode for the front-wheel-drive version and Snow/Sand/Mud modes with AWD.

Although much of its equipment is the same as in the EX, the EX-L gets several creature comforts that make it worth a closer look. It adds a sunroof, a power tailgate, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, leather upholstery, one-touch sliding second-row seats, a four-way power-adjustable front passenger seat, heated front seats and an auto-dimming rearview mirror. It also keeps the six-speed transmission, which is a big part of why we recommend this trim level.

For some added safety, the EX and EX-L trim levels both offer the Honda Sensing package. It adds adaptive cruise control, forward collision mitigation with automatic braking, a road departure intervention system, a forward collision warning system, and lane departure warning and intervention systems. The EX-L can also be equipped with a navigation system or a rear entertainment system that includes a Blu-ray player with a single overhead screen, HDMI and RCA ports, two additional USB ports for the second row, second-row sunshades and a 115-volt power outlet. Note that these EX-L options cannot be had in combination with each other.

Almost right at the top of the Pilot lineup is the Touring model, which has all of the EX-L's standard and optional equipment plus roof rails, 20-inch wheels, a nine-speed automatic transmission, automatic engine stop-start, additional noise-reducing acoustic glass for the windows, front and rear parking sensors, driver-seat memory settings, ambient interior lighting and a 10-speaker sound system. The Touring is appealing, sure, and much of the equipment is useful, but the nine-speed transmission isn't as easy to live with as the six-speed.

Swinging for the fences, the top-of-the-line Elite model adds LED headlights, automatic high-beam headlight control, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert (replaces LaneWatch), automatic windshield wipers, a panoramic sunroof, heated and ventilated front seats, heated second-row captain's chairs (reduces maximum seating to seven people), a heated steering wheel and HD radio.