[ HONDA CARS ] [ HONDA SUVS ]

Honda — a Japanese automaker with extensive design and production facilities in North America — offers a variety of passenger cars including coupes and sedans, a racy roadster and small city car. Honda's 2008 line highlights a new generation of designs for the best-selling Accord series of mid-size sedans and coupes. Multiple variations of the compact Civic series features the slinky Civic Si coupe. Additionally, Honda's small city car, the Fit, is a five-door subcompact hatchback. The rear-wheel-drive (RWD) roadster — S2000 — gains traction this year as well with a club-racer edition.

Accord Series
Honda rolls out the eighth generation of designs for its best-seller flagship sedan, with a coupe variation following later this year. Exterior styling for the Accord appears sleek, but angular and edgy with a squared-off prow and classy beveled grille. The front-wheel-drive (FWD) powertrain comes in a 2.4-liter four-cylinder with 268-horsepower and 3.5-liter V6. The V6 adds Honda's i-VTEC (intelligent variable value timing and lift electronic control) technology plus the next generation of variable cylinder management (VCM) to conserve fuel by deactivating half the cylinders. Accord's five-passenger cabin also expands in size and upgrades its content.

Civic Series
Honda's compact-class four-door sedans and two-door coupes feature slick aerodynamic packages and a generous five-seat cabin. Safety features includes frontal air bags, plus front torso side air bags and curtain-style air bags tucked into roof rails above side windows. The Civic's 1.8-liter, four-in-line engine with drive-by-wire throttle and i-VTEC valve controls achieves 140 horsepower. A five-speed manual transmission or five-speed electronic automatic are both available. The Civic trims out to the entry-level DX, uplevel LX and loaded EX, plus a new EX-L that stocks leather seats and a leather-wrapped steering wheel.

Civic Si Coupe
This one's a rakish hatchback coupe with sporty manners and a strong engine on tap. The Si Coupe's unique exterior styling encompasses a wing topping the rear deck, aero cladding on the nose and a tail. The cockpit carries sport bucket seats with big side bolsters and bold red fabric stitching. The powertrain is a 2.0-liter i-VTEC four-pack pushed to 197 horsepower with a close-ratio six-speed manual shifter and helical-type limited slip differential. The Si rolls on 17-inch alloy wheels capped by 215/45 tires.

Civic Si Sedan
Honda's hatchback coupe, enriched by sporty drive manners and a high-tech engine, spins off a four-door dubbed the Civic Si Sedan. Based on the Civic platform, the four-door wears unique body parts and aero cladding added to the prow and tail. The cockpit contains sport bucket seats with big side bolsters. However, the powertrain remains the same with a 2.0-liter Honda four-pack. Look for 17-inch alloy wheels and four-piston brake calipers aboard the new Si Sedan.

Fit
This itsy-bitsy, five-door hatchback — with quick styling lines and a fuel-efficient engine tucked below a streamlined prow — works as a small-scale city car with surprising cabin space and affordable price points. Fit's FWD-oriented powertrain is a thrifty four-cylinder engine linked to a manual or automatic shifter drawn from five-gear systems. The 1.5-liter, in-line-four with Honda's VTEC valve technology produces 109 horsepower. The Fit's cabin contains twin bolstered sport buckets in front of a split bench called the Magic Seat. Interior seatbacks dive down and bottom sections flip up offering a variety of passenger and cargo configurations.

S2000
In classic format, Honda's two-seat roadster offers a front-mounted engine that directs all the power to the rear wheel. The S2000 uses a rigid monocoque chassis, four-wheel double wishbone suspension, precise rack and pinion steering system, disc brakes with anti-lock controls and a race-type six-speed gearbox. A high-tech, 2.2-liter aluminum four-cylinder engine creates 237 horsepower. The new club-racer inspired S2000 CR is factory-tuned with aggressive suspension settings, a stiffer body with excess weight pared and an aerodynamic body kit to reduce lift. A pop-off hardtop made of aluminum replaces the standard convertible soft top on the newest two-seat roadster.

For more information on Honda cars.