2017 Honda Odyssey

While the dominance of small crossovers and SUVs in the past years have seemingly relegated the minivan to the back of the line for families seeking versatile haulers, a new generation of minivans has been getting ready. But while brand new models such as the Chrysler Pacifica, revivals like the Kia Sedona, and stalwarts such as the Toyota Sienna reinvent themselves, they continue to try to play catch-up with the leader of the pack, the Honda Odyssey. But as we’ve seen with Honda sedans like the Civic and Accord, or the extremely successful CR-V crossover, here at Honda they are always a step ahead.

Playing it Close to the Vest

Like a good gambler, Honda has been quiet and careful in revealing its hand for the upcoming Odyssey redesign. It’s even been coy with providing a guaranteed release – while it was originally slated as a 2016 release for the 2017 model year, this may be pushed back to an early 2017 release for the 2017 model year, or even further off to a mid-2017 release as a 2018 model year. Much of this hinges on Honda’s testing on American roads.

That being said, there’s plenty that you can expect from the new Odyssey. To start with, it looks to share the powertrain with the Honda Pilot – a 3.5-liter V6 engine producing in the area of 280 horsepower. It will be front-wheel drive, and utilize an electronic nine-speed automatic that is currently seen in the Pilot. While Japanese versions released earlier this year include a hybrid version and an all-wheel drive version, we do not expect those versions to be available until the 2018 model year or later.

Lightning Doesn’t Strike Twice

As seen in testing pictures, one of the most noticeable changes on the outside is the removal of the “lightning bolt” beltline, a quirky design feature that was also a bit divisive, to be honest. The heavily-camouflaged test model appears to have a more conservative beltline, along with a long, slightly tapered roofline. Proportions have changed slightly as well, with the front end gaining a little bit of height on the fascia.

Sensing a Change

The Honda SENSING suite of advanced safety and driver-assist technologies has made a major impact, and is exceedingly popular amongst Honda buyers – which is why the 2017 Honda Odyssey will make the suite available for all trim levels, not just the upper echelon. The SENSING package includes:

• Lane departure warning
• Lane and road departure intervention
• Forward collision warning
• Forward collision intervention with automatic braking

The Odyssey has long been a leader in minivan safety, and there is no reason these systems should be limited to a specific trim. Put these on top of the fact that the Odyssey regularly earns Top Safety Pick honors from the IIHS, and you have the perfect ride for keeping your friends and family safe.

Here at Honda World, we look forward to the next evolution of the Honda Odyssey. It is a minivan that has proven itself a winner over the years, and we know that it will continue to be one of the safest, most reliable vehicles on the road for years to come. Stop in and talk to one of our sales staff about receiving future updates on the redesigned Odyssey or, if you can’t wait, check out one of the current model year Odyssey minivans we have on site!

To see some sneak-peek pictures head over to Edmunds

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2017 Honda Civic Hatchback

Those of us who have missed having a hatchback choice in the Honda Civic lineup now have reason to cheer. That’s because the Civic hatchback is finally returning for 2017. This all-new hatchback follows the newly redesigned Civic sedan and coupe that were introduced last year, and fills a gap that has been missing in the Civic lineup for more than a decade.

The hatchback design was actually popularized by Honda in the early Civic designs, so this is somewhat of a homecoming celebration for the Civic brand. With a look that’s both sporty and aggressive, this new sport-hatch is certainly the best-looking Civic hatchback ever made. But looks alone won’t get the job done, which is why this new Civic 5-door offers performance and power to match.

Civic Hatchback Performance

The 2017 Civic hatchback will be powered by a 1.5-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine that will put out up to 180-horsepower in Sport trim levels. Minimum power output will be 174-horsepower in the LX, EX and EX-L trims. But maybe the most exciting news is the pairing of a 6-speed manual transmission that is standard in some models, and available as an option on others. In models where the manual gearbox isn’t standard, Honda’s continuously variable transmission will be used instead. For fuel economy, we expect similar numbers to the current Civic sedan with the same engine, meaning highway mileage north of 40 MPG.

Civic Hatchback Trims

The sporty new 2017 Civic hatchback will initially come in five trim levels; LX, Sport, EX, EX-L, and Sport Touring. The Sport and Sport Touring models will receive special tuning that increase output to the 180-horsepower level, while the LX, EX and EX-L are tuned for 174-horsepower. The 6-speed manual will be standard on LX, Sport and EX models, and the CVT will grace the EX-L and Sport Touring trims.

Other feature differences between the trim levels will likely include the Honda Sensing™ suite of safety features as standard equipment on the upper trims like Sport Touring and EX-L. There are also a range of available features that you’d probably not expect on a value-priced car like heated rear seats, LED headlights, rain-sensing wipers, premium audio and more.

There’s a lot to love about the new 2017 Honda Civic hatchback, including its spacious cargo area. We expect it will be around 120-plus cubic feet. We also hear the rear seat legroom is expected to be best-in-class. As far as tech goodies, look for a big touchscreen, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, navigation and more.

We’re excited to see the new Civic hatchbacks when they begin arriving here at Honda World. We think they’re going to be a huge hit with both families and sport-hatch admirers. And we’re also hearing rumors of a Type-R and an Si version in the near future. So, if you want to learn more about the new Civic hatch, stop by or call and let us know. We’ll put you on the list so that you’re among the first to see this exciting new 5-door when it arrives.

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More Than Just Honda Service, We Repair Any Make or Model

Here at Louisville Honda World, we take pride in meeting our customers’ service needs, no matter what type of vehicle they drive. Our trained and certified automotive technicians are skilled in all kinds of vehicle repair and service types. When it comes to keeping your vehicle running its best, the service team here at Honda World is the one to trust. We know your vehicle is important to you, which is why we work hard to get it fixed correctly and back to you as quickly as we can. And while we aim for fast service, we never compromise or cut corners. You can trust that your car will be serviced the right way, and that we’ll stand behind any work we perform.

Modern vehicles are complex and require highly-trained and skilled service technicians. Here at Honda World, our vehicle service technicians are trained and certified by American Honda Motor Company, under their Professional Automotive Career Training (PACT) program. The techniques taught in this program give our technicians the skills needed to work on almost any modern passenger vehicle.

OEM Parts for Honda, Acura and Other Vehicle Make

A big part of making sure your vehicle is repaired correctly is using only factory authorized Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) parts. This ensures that any part replaced on your vehicle meets the same quality standards and specifications as when it left the assembly line. Getting the right factory-authorized parts for your vehicle is one of the best ways to ensure top performance and continued reliability.

We source OEM parts for almost any foreign and domestic vehicle brand, including Honda of course, but also Toyota/Lexus, Nissan/Infiniti, General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Volkswagen, BMW, Subaru, and more. We also have tires to match the original equipment specs on all of these vehicle makes as well.

Honda World Specials

Here at Honda World, you’ll always find service and repair specials offered on our website. Whether you need a wheel alignment, brake service, timing belt replacement or any of your regularly scheduled services, you’re likely to find a coupon or special promotion to save you money.

We also have specials on batteries and tires for almost any vehicle from any manufacturer. We’ll match the exact specs from your car’s manufacturer to make sure you have the right tires and the right battery for your vehicle.

No matter what service or repair your vehicle requires, we can take care of it for you here at Honda World. Our state-of-the-art service department and highly trained technicians will ensure a quick and accurate repair of your car, truck or SUV. We stand behind our service, no matter the make or model of your vehicle. We aim to be your one-stop-shop for automotive maintenance and repair. Stop in and see us whenever your car is in need of service. We’ll show you the meaning of quality care and superior service.

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Certified Honda Service in Louisville KY

Let’s face it, all vehicles need maintenance and repair at some point. When your car is in need of service, wouldn’t you rather take it to a certified Honda service center? Here at Louisville Honda World, our skilled automotive technicians have gone through a rigorous training program to ensure they know your Honda vehicle inside and out. That’s because they’re certified by American Honda Motor Company and their Professional Automotive Career Training (PACT) program. This specialized automotive certification program is a demanding and hands-on career training facility that ensures graduates are qualified to repair all Honda and other vehicle types.

Modern vehicles are highly technical and complex pieces of equipment. That’s why it’s important that the auto repair shop you select uses only certified mechanics. For Honda service in Louisville KY, that means Louisville Honda World. Our state-of-the-art service center and Honda certified technicians will ensure your vehicle is serviced and repaired to the exact specifications of the manufacturer. They’ll take excellent care of your vehicle no matter what needs to be done. From oil changes to brake service to schedule maintenance and major repairs, you can count on us to provide exceptional service.

Quickly Schedule Your Appointment

We know that your busy schedule demands the most efficient use of time. That’s why we make it easy to schedule a Honda service center appointment using our online scheduling tool. With this convenient online tool you can stay connected to all aspects of your service needs. You can:

• Tell us you’re in a hurry and want the next available appointment.
• Request information about your car and the type of service needed.
• Login and check on the status of your vehicle repair.
• Update your vehicle type and contact information
• Chat with us live, right from your computer.

Of course you can also call our service department directly to make an appointment if that’s easier for you. We recommend for major repairs or for recall appointments that you do speak with a service advisor to make sure all parts are available and in stock.

Quality Automotive Repair for Any Vehicle

Here at Louisville Honda World, our trained and certified automotive technicians work on all types and makes of vehicle. Sure, we specialize in the highest quality care for your Honda and Acura, but our Honda Service Center mechanics are ASE-certified automotive specialists who are qualified to work on all vehicles. This certification is the standard for automotive repair technicians, and is administered by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence.

So, no matter your automotive repair and service needs, you can count on Louisville Honda World and our expert service team to make sure your vehicle gets the care it needs. We also have a fully stocked parts department for those do-it-yourself types. We sell only certified Honda OEM parts. Contact us online or call to set an appointment. We hope to see you soon.

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Honda’s Futuristic Concept Vehicle’s

Concept vehicles are always fun to take a look at. While concept vehicles rarely wind up directly leading to a new model, they can show us where an individual company, as well as the auto industry in general, are headed — autonomous driving

Right now, Honda has laid out seven concept vehicles based on the future idea of “autonomous driving technology.” The idea that vehicles are meant to take us anywhere we want to go, anywhere in the world, and that that they can do so while allowing us to sit back and enjoy the ride.

The design studio Mori Inc. in Japan teamed up with Map design studios in London to design these concept vehicles. Each of these seven vehicles is designed to cross over certain types of terrain. The studios started with the idea of tracing a migration route from Kenya in Africa to Brazil in South America.

While each design is purely conceptual and speculative, they still feature and are inspired by elements from various Honda products and technologies that exist today. The Asimo robot and the Uni-Cub personal mobility device are two examples.

Each vehicle has a traveling mode for daytime travel and a relaxing mode for nighttime and sleeping. The concept vehicles include:

Safari Drifter. This one is designed to be able to cross the African savannah, and has some design references to the Honda Vamos utility vehicle. It incorporates technology from Honda’s robotic lawn mowers, allowing the vehicle to create a new track in the grass. There is a sheltered canopy above the vehicle, providing occupants with protection from the sun as well as animals. The canopy can even rise up above the ground via a helium balloon.

Desert Train. This concept vehicle has various components that connect to form a train. It’s powered by Honda fuel cell technology. Its roll cage gives the Desert Train a very indestructible feel. At night, the train expands into a tent so that you can get a good night’s rest.

Mountain Climber. The name says it all. This is a big vehicle with high clearance to the ground, enabling you to travel on the rough roads of the Himalayas. It features robotic legs inspired by Honda’s Asimo robot, which can be deployed if there is a landslide in order to help the vehicle get through the debris and rocks. There’s even a digger bucket on the rear arm to help dig out of sticky situations.

Island Hopper. This is where a luxury yacht meets the open road. Honda is no stranger to building lightweight vehicles including Formula 1 cars and compact business jets. The Island Hopper features six paddle wheels that push the vehicle along through open water. It’s entirely powered by solar energy, too. Once the vehicle hits land, those wheels work like a tank does, including separate left and right controls to navigate the roads of an island.

Tundra Sled. What do you get when you cross Honda’s Uni-Cub self-balancing technology with a dog sled? You get this vehicle right here. It features six drone wheels that pull the sled along through the ice and snow. The drone wheels also look for cracks in the ice, keeping certain doom at bay.

Road Tripper. Plenty of the journey will include man-made roads, which is Honda’s natural element. The Road Tripper features large glass panels that allow you to take in all of the scenery while sitting on a sofa. The Honda Gyro X steering system, which is a 3-wheel design that offers excellent mobility with minimal fuel use, is featured in this concept vehicle.

Jungle Jumper. This six-wheel truck features deep tire treads, a habitation unit that can be pulled up into the trees at night for safety, and will get you through the densest of rainforest locations.

While these vehicles aren’t going into production anytime soon, they do provide an entertaining look into the future of world travel, courtesy of Honda.

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5 Ways to Avoid Road Rage

Road rage is something people deal with every day as a result of the stressors of driving. Being stuck in traffic when you have somewhere to be is more than frustrating, but planning ahead can help the situation. Learn how to calmly deal with other enraged drivers, and make sure you’re calm before you head into traffic; it’ll make your commute much easier.

Plan Your Trip Ahead of Time

Traffic can’t always be avoided, but you can research in advance what times are the busiest for your particular route. If meetings or appointments can be scheduled to avoid those times, it’ll save you a huge headache. If certain obligations, such as work, require a set start time, try using an app like Waze. It’ll show you alternate routes based on real users reporting traffic they encounter, so you can get to your destination in the fastest time possible.

Defuse Bad Situations

If someone behind you has a bad case of road rage, it’s best to try changing lanes and letting them pass. Never respond to someone who’s tailgating you or waving their hands in the air by making the situation worse. The person is probably already having a bad day, so let them get on with it and forget about you.

Don’t Make Eye Contact

If someone is really trying to get your attention by getting to the side of your car, don’t look at them. They want a reason to get angrier and might take any look you give them as an excuse to become infuriated. Keep your eyes on the road, and hopefully, they’ll lose interest. Some people are just angry at the terrible traffic in general and will forget about you shortly.

Listen to Music or Audiobooks

Music can be therapeutic, so if you’re prone to road rage, play music that you know will calm you down. If there’s a book you’ve been meaning to read, see if you can get it on audiobook. This will keep your mind engaged on something much more interesting than the tail lights ahead of you and all the honking around you.

Practice Kindness

Practice being calm while on the road. Slowly count to 10 to allow yourself to calm down while taking deep breaths. If you recognize that you’re not the only one who is frustrated in traffic, you might back off from that car in front of you. The last thing you want is to allow your anger to cause you to rear-end someone.

Dealing with road rage is part of life, but being prepared can save you a ton of stress. Try to deal peacefully with others who have road rage, and never make the situation worse. If you tend to succumb to road rage, mentally prepare yourself ahead of time and have something of interest like good music or your favorite audiobook on hand to distract you from getting angry at other drivers. Anything you can do to help your commute be less stressful will be worth the effort.

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3 Most Popular 2016 Honda Models Available

Top-selling vehicles usually share the same types of assets. Affordability, versatility, and safety are a few of the most relevant specs, and thankfully, Honda has a number of models that foot the bill. If you’re in the market for a highly rated, modern, and stylish vehicle, look no further than some of the latest offerings from Honda.

Accord

The Accord continues to improve on its winning formula year after year, and both critics and the public noticed. In 2015, the Accord was Honda’s top-selling model and was the third-best seller in the country. No matter which trim level, body style, or other options you choose, it’s sure to please.

Perhaps its most interesting feature is under the hood. The Accord sports a peppy 185-horsepower, 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine that lends itself to excellent performance and superb fuel efficiency. With this motor, the Accord gets up to 27 miles per gallon (mpg) highway and 27 mpg in the city, as well as a zero-to-60 time of just 7.0 seconds. For the performance enthusiast, the coupe and sedan both offer a 278-horsepower, 3.5-liter V6, which accelerates from zero-to-60 in a mere 6.1 seconds.

Inside the cabin of the Accord, Honda’s inclusion of convenience and entertainment features make it more enjoyable than even prior models. At the heart of this transformation is Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which are two innovative new platforms that help integrate smart phone and vehicle. This allows drivers to stream music, use navigation, employ voice recognition, and answer phone calls without any distractions.

For the safety conscious, the Accord contributes a plethora of both active and passive safety features, resulting in the top rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

Civic

Much like its larger sibling the Accord, the Civic continues its popularity thanks to brilliant features. However, 2016 also ushers in a shockingly beautiful redesign. While it does have some sleek and elegant new curves unique to the small car market, most of the Civic’s new specs come under the body. With a new suspension, a light-weight chassis and frame, larger wheelbase, and improved steering, the Civic handles like a car that costs twice as much.

The most intriguing and pivotal change from these traits is the light-weight, yet durable chassis and frame, which lends itself to a top-notch safety rating. In crash tests conducted by the IIHS, the Civic earned a Top Safety Pick Plus rating, which is the top honor bestowed by the organization. Drivers can also add the Honda Sensing suite for a marginal price. This preventative system contains features such as lane departure warning, lane keeping assist, road departure mitigation, and adaptive cruise control.

Drivers also won’t have to choose between sportiness and fuel economy on the Civic. It comes in two engine choices, and each has their own set of perks. The first option is the 158-horsepower, 2.0-liter four-cylinder that delivers an impressive 42 mpg highway and 31 mpg city. However, a slight price increase brings the 174-horsepower, turbocharged 1.5-liter four cylinder. Despite its decrease in engine displacement, the turbocharged beast decreases fuel economy by only 1 mpg, while boosting acceleration to an insane 6.6 second clip on the zero-to-60 test.

All in all, the Civic’s safety, performance, and handling are its best attributes, but nothing else, inside or out, seems to lag behind.

Pilot

For the driver that loves the versatility of added room, or someone who just likes the look of an SUV, the Pilot is king. With available third-row seating, the Pilot comfortably handles up to eight passengers with 16 cubic feet of cargo space in the rear. If drivers need the extra room to haul something, the seats fold down to expose an industry-leading 83.9 cubic feet of space. No matter what the task, the Pilot is up to it.

Because the Pilot is the poster child of impressive versatility, it doesn’t end its features with cargo space. It also provides available all-wheel drive that makes tough terrain such as mud, snow, and sand feel like a finely paved road. The Pilot also has a 280-horsepower, 3.5-liter V6, allowing it to go a sizzling 114 miles per hour with a zero-to-60 time of just 6.1 seconds. Although this power sounds like it’s a possible detriment to fuel-efficiency, the Pilot still achieves a respectable 26 mpg highway and 19 mpg in the city.

One of the best things about these Hondas is that their popularity isn’t like a homecoming queen. They aren’t suddenly nice to you one day and forget all about you the next. Instead, they’re in it for the long haul. You may just have to see it for yourself.

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