2010 Honda: What's New for 2010

2010 Honda Accord Coupe/2010 Honda Accord Sedan: As even Detroit will admit these days (though Toyota would never do so), the standard American car these days is the Honda Accord. It has changed American cars with its lightness, nimble handling and thrifty inline-4 engine, and it has been changed by American cars to adopt a larger size, more spacious interior, exhaustive feature list and the availability of a V6 engine.

For 2010 the Honda Accord features hands-free Bluetooth telephone compatibility for sedan and coupe models with leather upholstery, improved ventilation of the rear seat for EX and EX-L models, and a trunk lining for the EX. Maybe the most important change is a new light-gray tone for the ventilation buttons on the sometimes-confusing control interface on the dash to distinguish them from the darker-tone audio buttons. Hey, that's the kind of attention to detail that defines the Honda character.

2010 Honda Accord Crosstour: Scheduled to go on sale in the fall of 2009, this is the logical evolution of the Accord platform, a crossover utility vehicle that combines a tall, spacious, utility-oriented package with the Accord's easy-to-drive mechanicals. It's a little more wagonlike than other crossovers — more like a Toyota Venza than a Chevrolet Equinox — but this suits not only the strengths of the Accord platform but also the preferences of Honda's audience.

2010 Honda Civic Coupe/2010 Honda Civic GX/2010 Honda Civic Hybrid/2010 Honda Civic Sedan: After a mild makeover for 2009, the line of Civic models remains largely unchanged for 2010 aside from headlight and taillight details, wheel designs and seat upholstery. The natural-gas-powered GX is in full production, the only natural-gas vehicle available to retail buyers in the U.S. The high-performance Civic Si also remains available in both coupe and sedan form.

2010 Honda CR-V: This is the original Honda utility vehicle, the Civic Recreational Vehicle (CR-V). The CR-V also has been substantially upgraded, notably with the installation of a 180-hp version of the 2.4-liter inline-4. This represents a 14-hp increase for the CR-V, which has grown heavier (and more expensive) of late, yet EPA-rated fuel economy has been also improved 1 mpg to 21 mpg city/28 mpg highway for 2WD models and 21 mpg city/27 mpg highway for 4WD models.

The CR-V's new power plant is complemented by a mild styling refresh, which features a new front fascia with a different bumper and grille, a new hood and a new rear bumper. Naturally the wheels are different as well, now with 10 spokes instead of a measly seven. A lot of trim changes have also been made to the interior, especially on the dash, improving the intuitive appearance of the controls, instruments and switches.

2010 Honda Element: The Element will adopt the Honda corporate grille, truck category, as seen on the 2009 Honda Pilot. Look for a new dog-friendly interior trim package for pet owners.

2010 Honda Fit : The only way to improve the Honda Fit is to put more of them on the road, and this is what Honda plans for 2010. Otherwise the practical 117-hp people mover remains unchanged.

2010 Honda Insight: Honda's hybrid sedan continues to offer the fuel-efficiency of the hybrid package at a particularly affordable price. Honda is proud of the fact that the Insight has been recognized for its crash safety by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS).

2010 Honda Odyssey: Aside from color selection, America's favorite minivan (hey, it's even built in Lincoln, Alabama) continues unchanged for 2010.

2010 Honda Pilot: This utility-style package built on the platform of the Odyssey minivan continues unchanged for 2010.

2010 Honda Ridgeline: This pickup truck-style package built on the platform of the Odyssey minivan continues unchanged for 2010.

2010 Honda S2000: R.I.P., as Honda's sports car has been discontinued. It was scheduled to live on in a new guise as the Acura NSX, with its front-engine platform adapted to a V8 engine and the bodywork of a GT coupe, but the troubled economy led Honda to cancel the program.