Honda Fit, Accord and CR-V Named Best Family Cars for 2015

The parenting experts and car experts at Parents magazine and Edmonds.com picked the 10 best family cars and there are 3 Hondas on list: Honda Fit, Honda Accord and Honda CR-V. These three family friendly Honda vehicles earned the top crashworthiness ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.  The experts we also impressed that each vehicle is equipped with a standard rearview camera.  These three models were selected out of hundreds of models because they excel in the key areas of safety, convenience features, performance and value.

The Accord was recognized as one of the top sedans for families for the third straight year.

The 2015 CR-V was recognized as one of the best crossovers for families.

The spacious, fuel-efficient and versatile 2015 Honda Fit was chosen as one of the best budget cars on the annual list.

The full list will be featured in the July 2015 issue of Parents magazine available on June 9th.

End of May is the Perfect Time to Shop for a New Car

Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial kick-off for summer.  It's also one of the best times of year to go car shopping.

According to Jill Gonzalez of WalletHub, "The 2016 editions are going to be out mid-July, so [the dealerships] really want to move inventory.  Also, interest rates are very low."

WalletHub crunched the number on financial offerings at over 150 lenders and found interest rates on new cars at their lowest level in three year.  Don't expect that to last long, though.

"We know they're going to be hiking up sometime in the near future," Gonzalez said, "probably three to four months from now."

Of course, the cost of a car hinges on more than just interest rates. After all, you still must pay for insurance.

WalletHub looked int data from the nation's top five auto insurance carriers and found that premiums on cars in the same price range can differ by as much as 39 percent.  A car's price tag doesn't predict how much you'll pay to insure it.

Take a 2015 Toyota Corolla L and a 2015 Honda Accord LX.  The Corolla's sticker price is less than the Accord, but the Corolla will cost $232 more to insure it every year.

To read the rest of this article on KSL go here.

Interested in getting a new or used car at Ken Garff Honda of Orem? Go here to get an extra $100 off coupon that can be combined with any other discount or sale.

10 Cars That Go Over 200,000 Miles | 5 Are Hondas

For its June issue, Consumer Report ran an assessment of vehicles that are most likely to turn over 200,000 miles.  

As the USA Today put it, "With the average amount paid for a new car now firmly above $30,000, it makes sense to hold on to a vehicle as long as possible in order to squeeze every usable mile out of it before it needs to be traded in. But when it come to the long-mileage derby, the car you choose can make a big difference on whether you'll hit the magic 200,000-mile mark."

So which cars will get you to 200,000? Five are Hondas.  Five are Toyotas.  No other cars or brands made the list. 

The most trustworthy Hondas: 

Honda Odyssey

Honda Pilot

Honda Accord sedan

Honda CRV

and, of course, the Honda Civic. 

Read the rest of USA Today's article here.

Safest Cars for Teen Drivers

By my 10 year high school reunion, a dear friend had passed away from muscular dystrophy.  Wanting to honor him and others we had lost, a former classmate of mine and I reached out to find the names of those lost from our graduating class.  Much to my surprise, we had lost another classmate only 4 months after graduation.  He was killed in a single car accident as he drove north one day toward Salt Lake City.

This story is far too common.  Research conducted by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) found that motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among teenagers.  The good news is, that the IIHS research suggests that the type of vehicle driven has a big effect on the degree of risk.  So the IIHS compiled a list to help guide parents in making safer choices.

2007 Honda Element

Honda pre-owned vehicles earning this first recognition from IIHS as among the best, safer choices for teen drivers under $20,000 include the Honda Accord Sedan (2012 and later), Accord Coupe (2013-14), CR-V (2012 and later), Element (2007 and later) and Honda Odyssey (2011 and later). But not everyone can drop $20, 000 for a teenager's care.  So, additionally, the Honda Pilot (2006 and later) and the Honda Odyssey (2005-10) were included on the list of good choices for teen drivers under $10,000.

2005 Honda Odyssey

According to IIHS automotive vehicle registration statistics, Honda is the most durable, longest lasting brand in its class. 

Honda has a long history of leadership in the development and application of advanced technologies and designs meant to enhance the safety of all road users, including automobile occupants, motorcycle riders, and pedestrians. Honda operates two of the world's most sophisticated crash test facilities, one in the U.S. and one in Japan, and is responsible for numerous pioneering efforts in the areas of crashworthiness, airbag technology, collision compatibility and pedestrian safety. American Honda leads the industry for 2014 in third party crash test ratings with more models rated TOP SAFETY PICK and TOP SAFETY PICK+ by the IIHS than any other manufacturer.

For added piece of mind, customers who choose a Certified Pre-Owned Honda from an authorized Honda dealership (like Ken Garff Honda of Orem), an extensive limited warranty is included with each sale. 

As my oldest daughter turns 16 this year, I'll have the piece of mind knowing that she'll be driving a Honda, one of the safest vehicles on the road. 

High Time for Hybrid

I left Sugar (my faithful '03 Honda Accord) at home this summer and took a road trip with a friend to Southern Utah.  Sugar and I had made all the big trips over the last few years, and I thought it was someone else's turn to drive.  My friend had just traded his 1997 Honda Accord for a 2003 Nissan Maxima (traitor!!), and I was eager to try it out.

Admittedly, it was cushy: The leather seats.  The miles of leg room. Very. Cushy.

But you know what else it was?  A big ol', irresponsible gas hog.

On every other trip we'd taken south, we'd gas up my girl Sugar once on the way out of town and once on the way home. Splitting gas costs was a breeze.

On the other hand, Big Bertha (as I lovingly named her) drank like a fish.  Every time we stopped for gas, my friend would mutter a few choice words and begrudgingly fill the tank.  In fact, every 50 miles or so, he'd say, "Will you look at that? My Honda had so much better gas mileage! Stupid !*@$%#."  It was a very colorful drive.  (I think he might be having a little buyer's remorse.)

For as long as I we've been friends, the only trade he'd ever talked about was a hybrid.  So when he finally sold his trusty Accord,  the purchase of Big Bertha was a bit of a shock. In fact, when I asked about it, he got cranky... so I'm guessing he considered a hybrid before making a different purchase.

The Maxima he's driving now ballparks at about 21-28 mpg, depending on whether it's in town or on the open road.  The Honda Accord Hybrid runs at a very attractive 45-50 mpg.  And the new Honda Hybrids are plenty deluxe.

So let's take a quick look at just three of the Hybrid Accord's fantastic features:

1. Honda LaneWatch: LaneWatch is an ingenious safety feature that comes standard on all Hybrid Accords.  It's a tiny camera, mounted on the passenger-side mirror that automatically activates when you signal right.  Its live video feed gives you four times more viewing power than using the mirror alone.
2. Earth Dreams Technology Engine: According to Honda, the 2.0-liter, 16-valve, i-VTEC 4-cylinder engine and the electric motor are fed by a lithium-ion battery pack.  They're all channeled through an electronic continuously variable transmission (E-CVT) for a combination of efficiency and performance like never before.  Roughly translated:  The new Hybrid Accord drives more like the Accord you already know and love than ever before!
3. HondaLink:  If you're like me, your car is more than just a driving machine.  It's your home-away-from-home and you need to be connected.  HondaLink is an application-based platform that connects you to your music, podcasts, and vehicle services, news and more!  This is serious (and safe!) connectivity. 

Are you hooked yet?  If you need to explore the Hybrid a little more, click HERE for the full tour.  And when you're ready, pop on over to Ken Garff Honda of Orem to take a little test drive. Any of our friendly staff will help you choose the right car for you.    

Rhonda Still Going Strong | Blogger Contest Runner Up

Meet Rhonda, my Honda. Rhonda and I have been together for 17 years now. I got her when she was brand new, and she has kept me going on all of my adventures ever since. It's hard to believe it's been as long as it has, and as you can imagine, a lot of wonderful things can happen in such a long time span!

Oh the fun that I have had with this car! A simple drive up the canyon to enjoy the beauty Utah has to offer, or a larger adventure to Las Vegas or California! It really doesn't matter where I take Rhonda, she is always reliable. And of course, she is always there to take me on my daily adventures to the grocery store and other errands too. I never have to worry when I drive my Honda. I know that no matter what kind of weather it is outside, my car will always start.

Another great thing about Rhonda? She came with an amazing sound system! Really! I used to be able to impress all the guys with my sound system back in the day. It still sounds great when I crank up the tunes. It came standard too! 

After trading in my single life for that of a wife, my Honda did double duty as a little "truck", helping me move house into that first married apartment. And later, helping both of us move into our very first house. Rhonda became "our Honda", not my Honda. To this day she is my little truck for all of our crazy DIY adventures making this house our home.

What can I say? Hondas are the best cars in the world. Aside from a few minor fix ups like getting new tires and brake pads, and changing the oil, our Honda has run like a dream. And at 17 years old that is saying a lot! I have a feeling this car might out live me!

Honestly I am quite attached to my current Honda. A lot of memories are made in 17 years. It will be hard to part with Rhonda when she finally has to go to the big car lot in the sky. Luckily I know that if I am lucky enough to be able to, I will be replacing her with another Honda when that time comes.

 Aimee Gertsch is a wife, animal lover, and DIY junkie. She blogs at http://4theloveofanimals.com, dhttp://thestylishnest.com, and for Salt Lake Comic Con. Twitter and Instagram: @aimeeroo

Off-Roading with Sugar

Sugar and I packed up and went on a little camping trip with some friends over Memorial Day weekend. Under normal circumstances, neither Sugar nor I would head off into the wilderness to get a dirt under our nails, but sometimes you just need a good adventure.

As far as I knew, we were going to a nice little town a couple of hours away for what promised to be practically-backyard-camping.

I was a little misled.

By the way, the trunk on my Accord is humongous.  I don't know how I keep forgetting that...but I was pleasantly shocked at how much gear I manged to get in there: a tent, two camp chairs, cooler, sleeping bag, air mattress, the kitchen sink... you get the idea. Who needs an SUV?  (Okay, I wouldn't turn down the new Honda CRV or the feisty, new Crosstour...but I digress.)

So off we went—Sugar, the fella, and I—into the woods to get our camp on. Getting to the site wasn't that bad.  By the time we got there, we were just a little dusty and bug-spattered.  Nothing too terrible.  But the next morning we decided to drive up the canyon to take a few pictures of a lake we'd heard about.  The "end of paved road" sign gave me a mild case of heart failure, but the fella is a good driver, so we pressed on (me trying not to think of how many things could go wrong far, far from cell service).

As we bucked and banged our way past truck after 4-wheel drive truck, I was a little bit proud of how Sugar handled herself.  We got some funny looks, for sure, but we never got stuck!  The fella took his car (*cough* not-a-Honda!) into the hills the very next weekend and complained rather loudly about how much he missed Sugar!  That's right... the guy who once called my girl boring is suddenly a fan!  Still, let's just say I'm glad this month is tire month at the Ken Garff Honda of Orem dealership because we were the only 4-door sedan braving the places we went and I'm pretty sure I'm going to need an alignment.

The Salt of the Earth

http://images.cars.com/

Sugar and I took a little trip to the car wash this weekend. (So did everyone else in Utah Valley!)  After a couple of afternoon tries, only to discover that the lines were horrendous everywhere we went, we finally gave up and made it a midnight rendezvous. (I’m lucky I live next door to a car wash!)  Sugar was pretty filthy from a winter’s worth of driving me just being too busy (lazy) to care for her properly.  Still, as I watched weeks of salt a grime slide right off, I felt a little guilty.  You hear it all the time: “Salt eats car paint!” And I suppose I hoped it was just a car wash marketing racket or an old wives’ tale like your eyes sticking “like that” when you crossed them too much as a kid.   But I’ve done my homework lately and discovered that while it’s a huge factor in road safety (like decreasing the number of auto accidents by about 80% in winter conditions), salt really is sort of a monster to your paint job.  

Here are four easy ways to prevent any permanent damage to your car during these long, salty, winter months:

1. An Ounce of Prevention…

… is worth a pound of cure.  One of the best things you can do to protect your car from rust and other road salt damage is to give it a good wax in the late fall before the snow starts to fall.  Waxing helps prevent the road salt from corroding the paint.  You should also have a sealant applied to the undercarriage of the car.  This part of your car is bombarded with road salt all winter long and things like brake lines are very susceptible to rust damage.  So next Thanksgiving add “wax the car” to your to-do list!  

2. Weekly Washing

Really?  Every week?  Yep. If you are in an area where rock salt is used to keep the roads safe (and we are!), even if it is mixed with sand, you need to wash your car every 7 to 10 days regardless of the weather.  I’m totally guilty of the old, “but it’s just going to snow again tomorrow” excuse!   That’s how I wound up going a few weeks without tidying Sugar up. But  really, I should wash her again directly following any heavy snowstorms.  This routine will remove the salt residue from the car before it can cause any damage.  Make sure you are thoroughly washing the underside of the car or using a car wash that includes this service.  For best results, try and wash your car when the temperature is above 40 degrees (that’s not always very practical around here, so find a good car wash with a drying cycle).  After you wash the car, open all doors, hatches, and trunks and allow them to dry or dry them by hand to keep them from freezing shut.     

3. It’s Not Just About the Paint

Even though that obvious, crusty, white coating is cringe-worthy, make sure to clean out snow and ice that has become compacted into wheel wells and under or against the fenders, too.  These areas are very susceptible to rust damage and leaving snow and ice filled with road salt increases the likelihood of damage.  Wheel wells packed with snow can also impact the way the car handles and make braking, turning, and maneuvering difficult.  I make a regular habit of kicking the daylights of that snow-pack.  I’m pretty sure my neighbors think I’m strange, but it’s weirdly satisfying.

4. An Inside Job

The outside of the car isn’t the only part that can be affected by road salt.  Every time you step in the car with snowy shoes you are bring salt and dirt with you.  You wouldn’t leave snow and salt all over the carpet in your house, would you? No way.  Make it a habit to vacuum the carpets in your car every time you wash it to prevent long term damage to the carpet and interior of the car. 

Pretty easy, right?  If you want something even easier, let Ken Garff Honda of Orem handle the car washing for you!  Their super sweet Advantage Care plans include car washes, oil changes, and tire rotations!

Muscle

I was shopping at my favorite store (*cough* Target) the other day when I had to do a parking lot double-take. It was like a high school dance… when you catch a glimpse of the “perfect one” from across a crowded room and suddenly time stops and no one else exists.  I did the slow-mo stride toward what I knew was going to be my next great love and on my life, I swear I said something corny like, “Sweet mercy, what is THAT? No way… it’s the new Accord.”   He had the carved lines of an American muscle car (don’t judge…everyone loves a little American thunder) paired with the clean elegance that is oh-so-distinctly Honda. I parked my grocery cart a safe distance away (There was no way I was risking any kind of cart/car mishap!) and did a walk-around.

Will you just look at that smile?  How on earth could a girl resist?  And he was a color I can only call Have Mercy Red. (Honda calls it Basque Pearl… which is woefully unsexy. Obviously no one looked at the color in the afternoon sun. It’s spectacular.)  Now, if I’d had any sense, I would have taken a couple of pictures, but I’d been already gawking for a really long time and my frozen veggies were starting to thaw. Plus there was a fair chance that I was going to get caught drooling over some nice person’s new car.  THAT would have been awkward.  So I bid him goodbye and hurried home to see if I could finagle my budget enough to bring one of these strapping beauties home… tomorrow. 

Trust me when I say you’re going to want to explore one inside and out.  Go ahead... get started here.

Verses

by Andrea Harris

So, I was talking cars with a friend the other day.  He’s in the market for a nice trade-up from his Geo Prizm (seriously, so sad) and of course, I was all for selling him on a Honda.  You all know my feelings about my Accord, Sugar, so it wasn’t hard to get passionate about it.  I mean, I felt like it wasn’t even an argument.  Honda is just a flat out better car, right?  But he wouldn’t budge.  He wants a Dodge Charger.

Dude, really?

My heart broke just a little, despite the fact that I do actually get a real, red-blooded thrill from an all-American muscle car.   But they’re like a Disney vacation… it’s fun to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there.  

The only catch is, this is a guy who does his homework.  He’s an engineer who takes no choice lightly.  We went to dinner once.  It took him 30 minutes to come up with what he wanted to eat.  (Yikes.) So I decided to do a little homework myself.  I wanted to see what my choice of an Accord was up against.  Turns out, not much.  We’d both buy used, so I based my comparison on the J.D. Power Ratings of the  2009 model of each car.

Photo Credit: Autos.yahoo.com

It’s pretty obvious there’s no real competition.  Honda outranks the Dodge in nearly every single category. So while I give the guy full props for buying with his all-American soul, the ratings speak for themselves. I’ll be taking my bragging rights now.  

I Call Her "Sugar"

by Andrea Harris

It was the kind of morning that made me want stay under the covers and forget all about my morning commute.  The snow and ice were piling up fast on the roads for the bazillionth day in a row and despite the new tires I got for Christmas (that’s how you know you’re an adult, by the way: tires for Christmas!), I was fishtailing just trying to get out of my own parking lot.  I had two choices: I-15 or Geneva Road.  The freeway, I reasoned would be cleaner.  Surely the state would have plowed it better and it would have been well-travelled in the morning rush.  Geneva Road on the other hand, has a slower speed limit and there were fewer cars. The fact that I was already 15 minutes late for work and it would be a dicey commute either way made my choice for me, I had to go the faster route.

I carefully made my way to I-15 the on ramp, noting my good fortune that the line was short and that everyone else was queueing up in the lane to my left.  I wondered momentarily if they knew something I didn’t.  Before I could give it too much more thought, the light turned green and off I went.  Half way down the ramp, I realized that I made the wrong choice, but once you’re on that ramp there’s no turning back.  I tried frantically to right myself as my back tires skidded dangerously and I was suddenly sliding down the ramp sideways and backwards.  I could see the faces of the others drivers in expressions of sympathy and fear as they swerved to miss me.  All I could think was that I should have taken Geneva Rd.

Adrenaline pumping, I entered the freeway.  “Ok,”  I thought to myself, “all you have to do is get to the next exit and you’re good.  Just stick right here in the slow lane and you’re home free.”  It would have taken a crowbar to get my hands off the wheel as I picked my way up the farthest right lane.   But I was starting to fishtail again.  It was true that the freeway was clearer than the residential roads, but the only place to push snow off the freeway is to move it to the sides.  And there I was, right in the thick of it.  I couldn’t have been going more than 40 mph, but to be honest, I don’t really know.  The lane to my left was obviously clearer and I made the split second decision to get out of the murk. Suddenly, I was spinning out of control.  The concrete barrier came up before I had time to even react. I hit it head on and came to rest headed south in north bound traffic.

I’ve been hit enough times to know what damaging impact sounds like.  It was bad. I mean, I’m not really a math person but a car moving at 40 mph + concrete wall = disaster.  Still, I didn’t dare get out of the car in the lousy conditions to look.  I only had to wait about 10 seconds before an officer pulled up, obviously responding to the 3 similar accidents I could see in my rearview mirror.  He made sure I was ok and took a quick look at the car before he asked if I knew where the Highway Department building was.  I did, and he blocked traffic while I got myself headed the right direction.  

Sitting in the parking lot, I called my boss to tell him I wouldn’t be coming in. I was pretty sure I had destroyed the front end of my car and really thought I was better off getting the paperwork dealt with and just going home.  The officer in the office came out to take a look at the damage to assess whether I should be cited for damaging city property.  I’m sure he’d looked at enough smashed up cars to be able to tell what sort of mark I’d left on the barrier.  We waded through the ankle deep snow to take look at what I’d done to my poor Sugar. (Yeah, I’m the girl who names her cars...and let’s be honest, that little red Honda was so sweet on the lot, I just had to have her! The heated seats, sun-roof, perky little spoiler, fuel economy.... I could go on and on... It was love at first sight!)  I wasn’t pleased. There was a gash in the bumper deep enough I was pretty sure I could see daylight through it and it was pretty well torn off on the passenger side. Still, it could have been worse. Then I noticed that hood was obviously crooked. It and the front end were no longer exactly parallel. Ugh. I knew what that meant: the frame was probably bent and the car could be a total loss.  It had been as bad as it sounded. I might have just murdered my girl. The officer was kind enough not to cite me and the wounded Sugar and I dragged ourselves home.

Within a few days, I was visiting body shops to see what could be done.  I was more than prepared to have someone tell me it was all over for her.  I must have visited at least 5 places gathering quotes.  Every single one of them told me exactly the same thing.  Sugar had done exactly what all Hondas do: performed perfectly in an accident.  The bumper had taken all the damage and had come off in a way that didn’t even ruin the brackets that held it on.  “Oh, yeah,” one body guy had told me, “take a look under here.” He pulled back the torn part of my bumper and handed me a flashlight. “Can you see the foam in there?  It’s not even crushed. Hondas are great if you’re going to get in accident.  They design them so that all this just breaks away and your engine doesn’t take any of the impact.”

I confess I was surprised. I had gotten my Honda knowing it had a great safety rating but I didn’t really think there was that much of a difference between how my pretty little Accord had fared and the way any of rest of the cars on the road would have done in similar circumstances. Later that week, though, I was talking to a friend about what had happened. I was grateful, of course, but bemoaning a little the $1,000+ it was probably going to take to get Sugar back to her glory.  “Are you kidding?!” my friend asked, shocked.  “A couple of years ago, I got in a little fender-bender in my Corolla and it cost me $4,000 to fix!”  I suddenly felt even luckier to be a Honda owner. Not only had Sugar kept me safe on that snowy morning, she was so well-designed that even though I’d done my best to bash the life right out of her, fixing her would cost a fraction of what I might have paid if I’d gotten one of the other cars I’d considered... She really was the perfect car and I fell in love with her all over again.                   

Stephanie Hansen of The Daily Blarg Reviews the 2013 Honda Accord

I fondly remember my very first brand new car, don’t you?  It was a 2002 Honda Accord and I was in love.  That is why I couldn’t turn down the luxury of test driving a brand new 2013 Honda Accord EX-L from Ken Garff Honda of Orem…for 10 fabulous days.  You may have seen us using the #HondaTestDrive (hashtag) on Twitter and Instagram documenting our (okay… MY) hijinks.  Which may or may not have included adorning the car with unicorn-a-plenty.

We are currently owners of one mid-size SUV, that is my primary mode of transportation, and a mid-size sedan that my husband drives for his daily commute.  For me to switch over to a sedan for 10 days was a bit of a change.  And while I only have 2 kids… I may not be ready to switch over to a sedan quite yet, even if it is as sweet of a ride as an Accord.  It may be a mental block but I like the extra space in an SUV.  However, my husband definitely has the Accord in his vision for our next commuter car purchase.  And trust me…that says a lot.  He’s pretty loyal to his current brand and for him to have second thoughts means the 2013 Honda Accord EX-L really made an impression.

To read the rest of her (hilarious) review go here. 

Whatever you do, you must see this video.  I died laughing.

Honda Is Tops in Holding Value

2013 Accord

American Honda Motor Company wins ALG's 2013 Residual Value Award for Best Mainstream Brand, besting competitors in long term value.  What that means for you (and me) as Honda owners, is that Honda retains its value even as it ages.  When it's time to trade-in, or sell your car,  you'll get far more for your Honda vehicle, than your friends who own some other make.  (Something I noted in this post on getting the most for your trade-in.)

2013 Odyssey

"Long-term value and reliability are both hallmarks of the Honda brand and we are honored to be recognized by ALG as the industry leader in these key qualities," said Michael Accavitti, vice president of national marketing operations at America Honda.  "The Honda engineering philosophy not only delivers immediate value to our customers, but will pay off in the long run as well."

The Honda brand's award of Best Mainstream Brand, recognizes the entire Honda lineup for exceptional vehicle quality, strong brand desirability, and long-term reliability.  In addition, The 2013 Accord, the Honda Odyssey and the Honda Fit, all received top honors in their individual categories, which were Best Midsize Car, Best Minivan and Best Sub-Compact Car, respectively.

2013 Fit

ALG determines winners through study of the competition in each segment, historical vehicle performance and industry trends.  ALG publishes the Residual Value Guidebook and is a leading provider of insights and consulting services to the automotive industry.

 I have to say that I love it when we win!  It makes me proud to be part of a Honda dealership.

Happy (Hilarious) Honda Days

I'm an advertising junky.  You know the kind, they like the Superbowl commercials better than the actual Superbowl.  So I was eagerly looking forward to the release of the new... drumroll ... 

Happy Honda Days commercials.  And let me tell you, they do not disappoint!  

Each spot opens with someone thanking Honda for giving their friend or relative a great deal on a new car.  The narrator gives a detailed account of why the car is such a great purchase, hilarity ensues.  

Enjoy.  

Steven's Pilot

Lisa's Odyssey

Samantha's Sister's Civic

Dad's Accord

Honda Safety Feature Ranked #1

Edmunds Inside Line ranked their favorite new car features introduced on 2013 cars.  Their #1 favorite feature?  Honda new LaneWatch introduced on the 2013 Honda Accord.

Photo credit: Insideline.com

It looks like Edmunds and I agree!

Edmunds is even predicting that United States Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood, will include this feature on "his wish list of future mandated safety technologies."

Safety Experiment You Never Want

When my husband and I bought our first Honda Accord, one of the big factors was Honda's superior safety rating.  It was a fundamental thing that I was taught as a child--that you want to be safe. When I was a kid--in the days before airbags and booster seats--my parents still insisted that we wear seat belts, even if we were in a friend's car and we had to dig the seat belts out of the crack all covered in crumbs. So caring about safety has always been a big thing and a big part of why we bought a Honda.

One day, home with our two young kids, I got the phone call no one wants.  It was from my husband's cell phone but I couldn't hear what he was saying. There was something strange in his tone and I frantically tried to call him back over and over with no answer.

When he finally got ahold of me--on someone else's phone--he told me that he'd been in head-on collision.  As my husband approached a green light, a guy, thinking he had a green arrow, turned suddenly into my husband's lane.  Only he didn't get very far before the two vehicles--both Honda's--met head on.

Our 1994 Honda Accord was totaled in 2001

Both drivers made a trip to the hospital for a precautionary check-up, but both men walked away from the accident with nothing more serious than whiplash and seat belt bruises.  My husband's cell phone didn't survive the accident and the car was totaled, but that night we went to bed really grateful.

See, we'd been driving a loaned beater (obviously, not a Honda) as our second vehicle.  It was the one my husband usually drove, but that day, knowing I didn't have anywhere special to go, he took the Accord on his errand.  It was a little miracle for our family, but to Honda engineers it wasn't a miracle at all.  It was exactly the way they'd planned it--with everybody going home after the accident safe and sound.

Taking Care of Your Blind Side

Did you see that movie, Blind Side?  You know the one with Sandra Bullock about the kid from the projects who goes on to professional football fame?  His position is left tackle and his job is to protect the quarterback's blind side.  Left tackle has become one of the big money positions--one professional football teams save top draft picks in order to get the best one.  And the teams that have a great left tackle, tend to be really good late in the season.

In your car, your blind side is on your right.  It's the spot you have to look the furthest to see--across your entire car, then over your shoulder.  Your side view mirrors help a lot, but they still leave you with a blind spot.

According to a recent study from Johns Hopkins, more than a quarter of a million car accidents occurs each year because of faulty lane changes. Anything that blocks the vision including people, visors, even the build of the vehicle can contribute to blind spot related accidents.

Enter the new 2013 Honda Accord with Lane Watch.  This little camera is like your left tackle--except it's on your right side.  With the camera on (which happens either when you turn on your right turn signal or when you press the button at the end of the turn signal lever) the display, just to the right of the steering wheel, shows the whole right side of the car with tremendous accuracy.

This first picture was what I could see using just my right side-mirror.  

This next picture is the Lane Watch view.  It's amazing how much more you can see.  I can even see the garbage cans that my kids forgot to bring in.

In an article on blind spots, Construction Exec magazine said, "Until mechanical vision systems such as blind-spot detection systems become standard, blind spots [will continue to be] a serious problem for every driver."

Thanks to the 2013 Honda Accord, Honda buyers now have the option to not have blind spots be a problem anymore!  Like one of those the "big money" players in the NFL, this is a quality product that's worth having.  And it's the kind of product that will even help us "later in the season."

Test Driving the Sleek 2013 Honda Accord

I have finally gotten behind the wheel of the brand spankin' new, super sleek, completely amazing 2013 Honda Accord EXL-V6.  I know I'm gushing, but it really is something.  The new Honda Accord is a luxury car, without the luxury pricing.

Ken Garff Honda of Orem has had some trouble keeping the 2013 Accord on their lot.  Just as soon as they get one in--it's sold!  So when I finally saw the car I'd get to drive I was stoked.  It's a beauty!

After being thoroughly walked through all of the bazillion new features, I was on my own.  Looking at the view the backup camera provided,  I pulled out of the parking spot and onto the road.

Back up camera view

The ride is incredibly smooth, the engine--though powerful--is super quiet, and the leather seats felt like they'd been specifically designed with my back in mind. I loved the blind spot camera that comes on whenever your right blinker does.

I drove immediately home to take pictures (and get marshmallows to placate my four-year-old, so I could drive for awhile).  One of my goals on this drive was to test out all of the various new beeping features.  Honda has installed a system--the Forward Collision Warning--that beeps if your front bumper gets to close to something (i.e. you're at risk of a collision).

A few family members and I were musing if this system would drive you crazy and go off all the time.  So I may have revved up to the back of a few cars trying to make the thing go off.  It didn't. See, I wasn't about to put myself, my four-year-old son, and the brand new 2013 Accord in actual risk.  And the Forward Collision Warning system can, apparently, tell the difference.  Since I wasn't in actual danger of collision--no beeping.  It put those fears to rest: you won't have to improve change your driving to enjoy this car.

Leather seats, mmmm.

I did, however, get FCW beep when a car suddenly pulled out in front of me.  It wasn't a particularly close call, but it did require a little aggressive braking on my part.  What was interesting for me, was when the beeping went on, I instinctively began braking harder. Among safety features available, I really like this one.

The next system that I had to try was the Lane Departure Warning.  In this system, when you drift from one lane to another without a turn signal one--the LDW beeps at you.  After turning left onto a wide, empty stretch of State Street, I gave it a go. Drifting to the left, the beeping went off!  I drifted back to the right and more beeping!  With a turn signal on--no beeping.  It worked exactly as advertised.  In all of my swerving up and down various roads in Orem, only once did it not go off.  Honda explains, "LDW only alerts drivers when lane drift is detected without a turn signal in use.  LDW may not detect all lane marking or lane departures; accuracy will vary based on weather, speed and road condition. Driver remains responsible for safely operating vehicle and avoiding collisions."

There are so many things to love about this car.  From the Blue Tooth connection that lets you talk to people without ever looking at your phone, having your text messages read to you in a cool computer voice, having Pandora stop the moment you arrive somewhere and pick up--mid song--exactly where you left off, the amenities are jaw dropping.

As someone who has a serious problem losing her keys, I LOVED the keyless entry and start.  I stood in my driveway locking and unlocking the car.  To lock, you only have to push a button on the door handle.  To unlock--this is the coolest part--you just reach out and grab the handle.  Seriously.  It's like being in a sci-fi movie.  It made me feel kinda of powerful, like, "Hah!  This car obeys my commands."  As long as you never lose your purse, or briefcase, you never have to even get your "keys" out again.

The list of what this car can do and why it is so cool, goes on and on.  In reality, it deserves another post, but I'll wrap up this post with the eco button.  Everyone I know wants to be eco-friendly, right?  I recycle, donate used items to charity and generally like the idea of saving the earth.  But I don't like to do it if I have to sacrifice comfort.  I have ignored, for years now, the plea of our local power company to switch to the euphemistically labeled "energy efficient service" because, in large part, that means that my air conditioning won't come on during the hottest part of the day because everyone else's AC is already on.  "It'll save you money!" they say.  "You won't even notice the 5 degree temperature increase," they insist.

Perhaps I should give it a chance, but I like being cool in my house in the summer and we live in a desert for crying out loud.  So, I was a bit worried about the leaf-looking "Eco" button on the new Accord.   I was informed that it pulls power from the AC to increase gas milage.  Even though I had my misgivings, I gave it a shot anyway.  Initially, my AC lowered in power a bit, so I turned up the fan.  Problem solved. The entire time I drove around I was perfectly cool, in fact my four-year-old eventually said he was cold so I closed the vents in back.

I love the thought that, by pushing a button, I can increase my gas milage from the already impressive 36 MPG Highway rating (27 MPG City) without sacrificing a thing.

 Edmonds.com and I both agree that Honda has restored the old magic to the new Accord.