PSA: Natural gas Honda Civic GX retains California HOV lane access

Autoblog Staff — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 07:57:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Honda

2012 Honda Civic Natural Gas - Click above for high-res image gallery

Californians seeking access to the state's High Occupancy Vehicle lanes need look no further than the Honda Civic GX, a compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicle that's permitted to use HOV lanes until January 2015.

The Honda, which is the only CNG-fueled light-duty passenger vehicle available in the U.S., earns Inherently Low Emissions Vehicle (ILEV) status and therefore qualifies for California's white sticker. These stickers are available in unlimited quantities, unlike the state's yellow stickers that expired on July 1, 2011.

The CNG-burnin' 2012 Honda Civic Natural Gas will launch in the fall and gets, according to Honda's estimates, 27/38/31 miles per gasoline gallon equivalent (that's city/highway/combined). Compared to the outgoing 2011 model, city fuel economy improves by 12.5 percent, and highway mileage is up 5.5 percent.

It's important to note that the latest Civic Hybrid, although it does indeed earn darn good fuel efficiency marks, does not qualify for HOV lane usage.

So, drivers in California seeking access to HOV lanes have a handful of options, including snatching up a a late model Civic GX, waiting for the upcoming Civic Natural Gas, buying a Nissan Leaf or hunting down one of these remaining qualified vehicles.

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PSA: Natural gas Honda Civic GX retains California HOV lane access originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 14 Jul 2011 07:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2012 Honda Civic launches in five flavors

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 15:40:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Budget, Hybrid, Sedan, Honda

2012 Honda Civic Si - Click above for high-res image gallery

That's right, this is the 2012 Honda Civic in all its glory. Though it might be difficult to tell with just a casual glance, this Civic is brand-new, sharing practically nothing but its moniker with the previous generation. As much as we may have liked some additional visual flair, it seems Honda is being conservative and aiming right for the heart of the market with five separate and distinct flavors of its compact offering.

We'll start with the all-new HF model, which, as you may have guessed, is the most fuel efficient of the non-hybridized Civics that will be available in the United States. Honda expects the HF, with its 1.8-liter i-VTEC engine, to earn EPA-estimated fuel economy of 41 miles per gallon on the highway. The HF will share its aerodynamics package with the returing Civic Hybrid, which manages a combined rating of 45 mpg (a four-mpg improvement over the outgoing Civic Hybrid) thanks to its lithium-ion battery - a Honda-first - and 1.5-liter i-VTEC engine and CVT transmission. There's also a natural gas-powered Civic GX.

While those two models aim for the ultimate in fuel efficiency, we imagine that the standard Sedan and Coupe models will make up the bulk of sales. Buyers will find a 1.8-liter i-VTEC 4-cylinder engine underhood with 140 horsepower that scores an EPA-estimated 39 mpg on the highway (a three-mpg improvement over the last Civic). The Civic soldiers on with a five-speed automatic at a time when most of its competitors are packing six ratios.

And then, of course, there's the sporty Si model. As the Civic that's meant to steal the hearts of performance lovers, it's nice to see a new 2.4-liter powerplant with 200 horsepower mated to a six-speed manual gearbox. Perhaps more importantly, the larger mill pumps out 170 pound-feet of torque, a 22-percent increase over the outgoing twist-starved Si. All that and an additional two mpg on the highway (31 mpg estimated) ought to make for a reasonably fun everyday commuter.

And now to the styling. We'll start off on a positive note: the 2012 Honda Civic is not ugly. Problem is, it's also not hugely attractive. In fact, *yawn* it's not really anything. Both inside and out, this latest Civic is barely distinguishable from the previous generation, and as competitors continue pushing their design envelope forward, well... we really expect more these days. Let's hope the driving dynamics live up to our lofty expectations, and let's also hope that Honda accidentally left the shipping blocks in the cars it used for photography - particularly the Si models - or the new model looks a bit high-riding.

In any case, you don't have to take our word for it. See the 2012 Civic for yourself in our high-res image gallery below and feel free to peruse the full press release after the break.

Gallery: 2012 Honda Civic

[Source: Honda]

Continue reading 2012 Honda Civic launches in five flavors

2012 Honda Civic launches in five flavors originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 17 Feb 2011 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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