2017 Honda Freed spied and patent drawings revealed

The all new Honda Freed patent drawings show the earlier spy pictures are close to the final design.

This would make a cool replacement for the Honda Element that was sold in North America.

2016 Civic Turbo - Chipped to 225 hp

RaceChip Malaysia is offering a plug-and-play engine performance upgrade for Civics that are powered by the new 1.5 litre VTEC Turbo engine. In its factory configuration, the mill provides 173 PS and 220 Nm (162 ft-lb) of torque.

RaceChip claims that it can increase the Civic’s engine output to now produce up to 225 PS and 285 Nm (210 ft-lb). This is done via the company’s RaceChip Ultimate module, which is connected to the car’s FCI connector.

For those that require a little less bump in power, there is the RaceChip Pro2 unit that is said to increase output up to 215 PS and 275 Nm (202 ft-lb). Both tuning chips will also provide improved fuel savings by one litre per 100 km, according to RaceChip.

Note, this forfeits your warranty, and I doubt the CVT can handle the power.

Spied - New Civic Type R video - Testing on Nurburgring

SCOOP - new spy video of the 2017 Honda Civic Type R testing on the Nurburgring in Germany.

 Do we spy a hood scoop?

 Looks like dual exhaust on this spy picture, not the triple seen on previous spy photos.

Civic Turbo vs. Non Turbo real world fuel mileage comparison test

From Car and Driver.

To sniff out the real-world differences, we tested two Honda Civic sedans, each with the CVT, but one with the 174-hp turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder and one with the 158-hp naturally aspirated 2.0-liter. By the EPA’s measure, the turbo Civic holds a 1-mpg edge on the highway with its 31/42-mpg ratings.

On a 300-mile loop of mixed highway, rural, and urban driving, the cars proved equally frugal by averaging 40 mpg. Digging deeper, we measured the steady-speed fuel consumption of the two Civics. Some of our results are astounding, such as the 50-plus-mpg both Civics achieve at 55 mph. The turbo wins across speeds ranging from 30 to 90 mph, with a 6-mpg advantage between 40 and 55 mph.

To generate the power required to maintain a particular cruising speed, any engine—small or large—must pump a corresponding amount of air. With equivalent gearing, the smaller engine requires a wider throttle opening to pump the same amount of air as a larger engine. Because pumping losses are lower with wider throttle openings, a smaller engine is more efficient.

Even at 90 mph, with the tach reading 2800 rpm, the turbo plays a minor role in cruise mode. This is precisely why nearly every carmaker will rely heavily on smaller-displacement, boosted engines to satisfy the fuel-economy mandate that requires a fleet-wide average of 54.5 mpg by 2025.

Spending the extra $1160 for the Honda’s turbo engine does have one clear advantage beyond efficiency: The additional power and torque clip 1.4 seconds from the zero-to-60-mph run and a full second off the quarter-mile time compared with the naturally aspirated alternative. But exceed the gentle, twinkle-toe throttle pressure we applied in our steady-speed tests and all efficiency bets are off. As boost rises, more fuel is injected and mileage drops. Precipitously.

Also from Car and Driver: To Blow or Not to Blow: Turbocharging vs. Natural Aspiration