With the rise of crossovers dominating over every other automotive niche, there was a glaring hole in Honda’s local line-up that cars like the Nissan Kicks, the Renault Duster and the Ford Ecosport have been playing for the past few years. That gap has now been filled with the introduction of the Honda HR-V, reviving a nameplate that’s been dormant here since the turn of the millennium.
Honda Middle East has introduced a new entry-level SUV, the HR-V, in their lineup, placed below the CR-V and Pilot. The Pilot also received a refresh for this year, while the CR-V gets some more tech. The 2019 CB1000R motorcycle was released as well, which gets new looks and features. Also, Honda revealed new updated Marine engines with new technology and reduced maintenance times.
Honda figured there is enough room for a new SUV to slot in between the compact CRV and the kinda-large Pilot. Here is the 2019 Honda Passport, reviving a model name from the ’90s.
Our Honda had its last major service at the end of last July. Here’s what it costs at the dealership.
There was a lot of hype surrounding the Honda Integra Type-R when a 1997 example with 2,000 km on the clock sold for a whopping US$63,800 (Dhs 234,000) at auction. Just before that, a similar car with a mileage of almost 100,000 km sold for US$40,750 (Dhs 150,000). And those weren’t even Honda’s most special models, so it was only a matter of time before the S2000 got some attention. A first-year “AP1” model with less than 1,600 km was just sold for US$48,000 (Dhs 176,400) in the United States.
We haven’t been keeping up with updates on our 2007 Honda S2000 because we didn’t drive it much over the past 12 months (apparently less than 700 km as per the RTA inspection). But it had some major work done last year anyway, so the armchair accountants among you will surely be throwing the “cost per km” number at us as if it’s a taxi cab.
We attended the inaugurations of new showrooms for three different brands in the UAE over the past couple of weeks.
Midsize sedans are increasingly being sidelined in the face of the crossover revolution. Many manufacturers are starting to give up on the segment, but there are two that have been consistently successful — the Toyota Camry and the Honda Accord. Both have been launched in all-new forms for the 2018 model year, with launch events held at the same location in Dubai, and only a month apart, as if aligned by some cosmic intervention. These two stalwarts have undergone massive changes, with one bringing back the V6 and the other one going full turbo. Seeking to answer the “which is better”
The Honda Accord has been doing perennial battle with the Toyota Camry and the Nissan Altima. Somewhere along the way, the Accord gained a reputation for being a “bit more premium,” possibly due to higher pricing or because the other two started showing up in taxi fleets around the UAE. But while all previous Accords really were just direct rivals to the other two, the new-for-2018 Accord really does pull out all the stops, and finally justifies its rep as being a “bit more premium,” as we found out on our short drive.
The all-new 2018 versions of the Honda Accord sedan and the Honda Goldwing touring motorcycle have been launched in the GCC, at an event held in the UAE.