Comments on: Honda abandons diesels in favor of hybrids

By: aggie531

aggie531 — Fri, 08 May 2009 00:10:16 +0000

is the Acura grille really that bad?? look at the 07 accord, believe it or not, its the same as the acura grille. sure its not exact but if you go up to one and look at it, it sure is close.

By: Scarface03

Scarface03 — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 18:01:55 +0000

The TSX redesign is actually starting to grow on me–the grille is out there, but not too wildly done. I CANNOT say the same for the TL grille. Similarly themed yes, but they still seem a world’s apart.

As far as diesels go, I never thought it was a good investment for the U.S. Diesel is expensive enough, and championing the diesel cause in the States will just lead to demand that far outstrips the supply, and that means even more expensive fuel. As things are right now, relatively speaking, there are much fewer diesel refineries in the States and the supply has already struck an equilibrium with exports to Europe. Bottom line: the more the U.S. wants diesel, the worse off we all will be.

By: Z06ified

Z06ified — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 16:04:39 +0000

Sounds like they were having problems with their special catalytic converter that was supposed to get their diesel U.S.-compliant without the use of urea injection. It was a good idea on paper, but it didn’t work. This is the Japanese way of saving face. They knew about the U.S. emissions requirements before they started on their diesel project. Honda’s engineering department failed to step up to the plate here.

Good thing the Germans figured it out already, and offer clean diesels in the U.S. now.

By: Mugen Power

Mugen Power — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 13:41:50 +0000

@ Madcapp:

Actually, blame it on whoever’s calling the shots at Acura. The same models that are sold in Japan don’t have those hideous grilles.

By: Need more oil for GM

Need more oil for GM — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 13:17:57 +0000

Like everyone else, I’m hoping Honda abandons car building so thier unreliable sh1tcan vehicles stop littering the roads and highways. I just laugh at all the idiots who are stranded by their imports while I drive happily by in one of my many trouble free GM vehicles that will never ever break down or have a problem.

LOL, stupid import humpers!

Buy American. Buy GM

By: inspire

inspire — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 03:37:15 +0000

I don’t this is a foolish move on Honda’s part (ie not bringing the diesel engines to North America). It will cost too much to make it comply to EPA pollution standards. And how many people (honestly) will pony up the $$$ for a Honda diesel? I would love to drive one … but realistically, I’ll have to go to Europe or Asia to have that experience.

Consumers = 0, EPA zealots = 1.

By: olds307

olds307 — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 00:30:35 +0000

that’s a shame

By: 02WRXPSM

02WRXPSM — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 22:04:24 +0000

CanadaCraig: batteries are almost 100% recyclable, including the plastic casings.

By: 1c3d0g

1c3d0g — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 03:22:19 +0000

Foolish move, Honda.

By: Get Real

Get Real — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 02:45:55 +0000

How hard is it to import the Accord from England……oh yea…..our EPA.

Thanks stupid EPA.

By: bcjohnso99

bcjohnso99 — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 00:46:25 +0000

Now we all know the clean diesel without exhaust treatment was just vapourware for PR.

By: Bubs Solo

Bubs Solo — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 00:05:14 +0000

Hybrids… where the hell are you going to put all those used up batteries? And they give you nut cancer.

By: CanadaCraig

CanadaCraig — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 19:44:24 +0000

That’s too bad. I still think that diesels are the ‘way’ of the future. [Or at least should be] That said – I wonder… do the greenest among us ever consider the environmental impact of all those battery packs filling up our landfills?! Or are they just like everyone else – and only care about the immediate future? Every positive has a negative [No pun intended] that’s just how it works. If we focus too much on the obvious benefits of hybrids – we just might find ourselves regretting the not-so-obvious negatives. Craig

By: Borat

Borat — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 18:11:04 +0000

This is a mistake. Most of Accords (TSX) sold in Europe as diesels and you can’t hear the difference between diesel and gasoline motor. But you can feel the difference on the road.

By: Payton Byrd

Payton Byrd — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 17:01:57 +0000

Bring back the Accord Hybrid! This time, offer it on the coupe. I’ll be the first person in line with a deposit.

By: Hyperion

Hyperion — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 08:32:54 +0000

Stinky007, perhaps I should read up on what the european car mags are saying about diesels. The 45-50+mpg, manual gearbox non-hybrid small cars they have over there just sound very appealing. To me, the argument that diesels aren’t worth the added cost and complexity also applies to hybrids in the USA.

By: Stinky007

Stinky007 — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 06:58:47 +0000

@3 2 1 GO:
The US has stricter emission rules when it comes to diesels than Europe. The US considers diesels and gas engines to be equals so their emissions need to be close. Europe, being diesel’s b1tch, tolerates more from it. For example the current Euro 4 rules do not require a diesel to have a particle filter. Many manufacturers have chosen to ditch bringing diesel state-side as the costs of upgrading one to meet the US emissions laws would be too much. I don’t blame them, I think 20 years of investing in diesels to bring them up to gas performance was too much money thrown out the door. All those billions could have been spent on developing electric cars and the required infrastructure or used to make gas cars more economical.
@Hyperion:
If you prefer a small displacement turbo, than you should probably know these are the ones that actually don’t make economic sense from the customer’s perspective. The performance is mediocre, since diesels are mostly cast iron, so there’s a difference in weight. A 100kg weight difference in an S-class might not count, but a 100kg difference on a small car does! Most European magazines tests have shown that small diesels are not worth the price difference, as the relative fuel economy compared to equivalent gas engines is canceled by higher maintenance costs.

By: zoomzoomer

zoomzoomer — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 01:20:38 +0000

As far as I know, Honda has never marketed a diesel in the US, and now it looks like they never will. Considering Honda’s history in pioneering numerous engineering firsts, including the first production hybrid (before Toyota took it to the next level by allowing passengers to actually fit inside), I find it strange that they have taken this long to come up with a 2nd-gen Insight!

By: Hyperion

Hyperion — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 23:44:46 +0000

Wow. I guess now I’ll never know how good their diesels are/were. When was the last time they even sold one in the United States?

I’d prefer small displacement, diesels, turbos and lighter weight than more hybrids. I suppose they’ll kill their manuals in a few years too.

Diesels are indeed needed for medium and large trucks but they also do very well in modern cars. Why so much hate toward them? There are such technologies as biodiesel now and it’s not like diesel fuel is going anywhere in the short term.

Honda has killed all their visceral cars in the NSX, S2000, Prelude and Integra/RSX) and now they will kill diesels. Great.

By: save saab

save saab — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 23:15:55 +0000

Ok, I guess Mazda went with diesel while Honda did the opposite. Oh well, I was waiting for a diesel TSX, but I guess not .

By: 3 2 1 GO

3 2 1 GO — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 23:14:38 +0000

Doesn’t Honda already offer diesels in Europe? Are their euro-diesels so dirty that they wouldn’t comply with North American standards? Seems to me that they’re missing out on a market here, even if only for the short term. People are falling all over themselves for the VW diesels, and I think it might be the same for a Honda diesel, even though I do like the smoothness of their gas engines.

By: Jas Is Evil

Jas Is Evil — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 21:49:19 +0000

@Madcapp

I think it’s the sake.

By: johnnycanuck

johnnycanuck — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 21:37:30 +0000

This makes sense. Honda is renowned for engines that are silky smooth. It just wouldn’t be right listening to the sound of loose change in a washing machine.

By: Kaizen

Kaizen — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 21:29:59 +0000

Making future cars that solely depend on a non-renewable resource is old thinking. Therefore it’s reassuring that Honda got the message. Also, it makes it easier to transition into electric and hydrogen because all of these platforms will have some type of regenerative system built into their operation.

By: JakeK66

JakeK66 — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 21:23:07 +0000

THANK YOU HONDA!!!!

I knew they were one of my favorites for a reason!

I’ve done tons of research on this concept – numerous reports for a variety of places on Hybrids vs. Diesels and everytime I’ve concluded that diesels should be left for medium-duty trucks. Why base your future on something that is going to be made extinct as soon as hybrids can be made with even better batteries and cheaper?

By: jackjimturkey

jackjimturkey — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 21:19:00 +0000

bad Idea.
I’ll be in the much-vaunted “TL SH-AWD” next week.

By: Madcapp

Madcapp — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 21:18:52 +0000

Honda really needs to abandon that absurd grill. You just can’t let the Japanese do the design/aesthetic work…they aren’t happy unless they make it look tacky. I’d like to know what causes that.