2011 Honda CR-V Front View

2011 Honda CR-V Photos

2011 Honda CR-V Side View

2011 Honda CR-V Images

2011 Honda CR-V Interior View

2011 Honda CR-V SUV

2011 Honda CR-V Rear View

2011 Honda CR-V Pictures

2011 Honda Odyssey front view

The biggest changes in the redesigned Odyssey are obvious at first glance, as it no longer looks so much like a conventional minivan. The venerable compact is still the most complete and fluid execution of modern Honda design language, and what it lends to the Odyssey works to make Honda’s largest vehicle appear smaller and sleeker.

2011 Honda Odyssey front view 2

It helps that the Odyssey has a lower and much wider stance, having been stretched over two inches across. Honda clearly wants to make the back of the bus a more desirable place to ride, and it’s come up with some enticing new features to serve the rear-seaters’ needs.

2011 Honda Odyssey side view

Up front, the cockpit is functional and the controls are similar to any number of other Honda or Acura vehicles (save for a dash-mounted shift lever). If the Odyssey drives more like a minivan than a station wagon now, it certainly doesn’t accelerate like one.

2011 Honda Odyssey rear view

Honda’s 3.5-liter V6 makes 248 horsepower in the 2011 Odyssey, along with 250 pound-feet of torque. It revs quickly and has great throttle response, and Honda has done a masterful job of matching the gear ratios of the new, optional six-speed automatic transmission to make the Odyssey move.

2011 Honda Odyssey interior

Honda has also included its Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) system as standard equipment. This shuts down two or three of the V6′s cylinders when they’re not needed, improving fuel economy.

2011 Honda Odyssey interior 2

While this HDMI port is bound to get video game geeks excited, it’s more of a way for Honda to future-proof its van than anything else. The screen in the Odyssey is still pretty small, making most modern video games designed for widescreen, high-definition displays difficult.

2011 Honda Odyssey engine

Odyssey with the six-speed automatic seems a wee bit dear. That’s an exceptional amount of money when the base model costs just $27,800.

2011 Honda Odyssey rear seats

2011 Honda Pilot 4WD Touring front view

Though most automakers have gone crossover crazy, Honda has made due with a simple two-CUV lineup. The perennially top-selling CR-V takes care of those who desire a smaller footprint, smaller price tag and higher fuel economy, while the larger Pilot takes on the three-row crowd.

2011 Honda Pilot 4WD Touring front view 2

When the Pilot first hit the market in 2003, Honda’s CUV was competing mainly with quickly aging body-on-frame Sport Utility Vehicles like the previous Ford Explorer and Chevrolet Trailblazer.

2011 Honda Pilot 4WD Touring side view

That first-generation Pilot’s 240-horsepower, 3.5-liter V6 and relatively nimble chassis made those SUVs look outdated in comparison, and buyers took notice. One appealing aspect of buying a Honda Pilot is the simplicity of its available options.

2011 Honda Pilot 4WD Touring rear view

For example, our $41,175 4WD Touring model came equipped with Bluetooth, a navigation system, leather seats, rear-seat DVD and a power liftgate. The Pilot’s exterior screams “utility vehicle,” and that theme carries over inside this crossover’s large cabin.

2011 Honda Pilot 4WD Touring interior 2

We mentioned earlier that some feel the interior of the latest Pilot was actually downgraded when the vehicle was redesigned in 2009. hat’s a lot of hostility aimed at the Pilot’s cabin, but there are some areas where the boxy Honda shines. First and foremost is comfort. We love the Pilot’s front-row seats (the second row is a bit low to the ground).

2011 Honda Pilot 4WD Touring interior

They’re big, comfy and upholstered with high-quality leather. The steering wheel, too, feels very posh. And then there is the Pilot’s cargo-hauling capability. The Pilot makes up for its lack of power and so-so fuel economy with a rock-solid chassis that tackles bumps and other imperfections with little fuss.

2011 Honda Pilot 4WD Touring engine

Its rack and pinion steering is linear and nicely weighted as well, though there’s not much that can make this big ‘ute feel sprightly when turning into a curve.

2011 Honda Odyssey. Honda’s cylinder deactivation, 3.5-liter V-6 standard is now on the list, with output up to 4 hp and 5 Nm of torque, thanks to a two-stage intake and reduced internal and equipment losses. Apparently not satisfied with the offer of a single drive system for all Odyssey, Honda introduced an additional forward gear for a total of six for the Touring and the new top-spec Touring elite. The six-speed helps friends scattered wring a little more of the engine along with some touring-specific aerodynamic mass gery provided by the models, a 1-mpg advantage in the EPA ratings on the five-speed manual-equipped LX and EX models. All 2011 Odysseys get a pretty remarkable 2-to-4 mpg in EPA city and highway numbers.

The interior is where the magic happens in minivans. (Or their need for the outcome of the magic has already happened?) The decor, unlike the previous Odyssey was designed by Americans for Americans. The dashboard layout is cleaner, simpler and more symmetrical, and the selector lever is moved slightly. Thoughtful touches the above removable center console are a destination target ring garbage for empty containers from the 15-bottle and cup holders and a cooler under the center console offers.

Honda expects to sell about 40,000 annually Cross Tours empty nests, have refused large crossovers still need some versatility. Billed as the premium model in the Accord range, prices start at $ 30,380 for front-drivers-three great with a V-6 Accord sedan and $ 37,000 for an approach like our test car with all-wheel drive and navigation. Similar venzas both similar and encouragement from above, but also offer four options for the thousands of small and includes standard four-wheel drive Subaru.

The 2010 Insight, at first glance, fits almost perfectly into the Prius mold. The body has the same high-tail fastback silhouette, surely dictated by aero drag considerations. At 172.3 inches, the Insight is nearly three inches shorter than the Prius, 2.5 inches lower, and about an inch narrower. The space inside, as expressed by EPA passenger volume, is substantially less than in the Prius (85 cubic feet versus 96) and makes for a tight back seat with limited headroom. But cargo volume, at 16 cubic feet, is larger by 10 percent.

So much for the similarities. The behavior of these two hybrids is very different. “Hondas must drive like cars,” one engineer explained to us, citing a very specific difference: When you key on the Insight, the engine always starts. But when you power up a Prius, a ready indicator will glow on the dash even though the engine may choose not to start if it’s already sufficiently warm. This difference goes back to each company’s fundamental ideas about hybrids. Toyota’s hybrid is more complex, is more costly to build, and is capable of higher fuel economy in urban driving. The payoff of that technology, in fact, is sufficient to boost the Prius’s city mileage above highway mileage; Honda’s hybrids, like conventional cars, do less well in metro motoring.