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American Honda to turbocharge, electrify 2017 Accord and CR-V

What does a turbocharged, electrified future look like for Honda owners?
Smilling_Honda_Accord_Sport

As announced Wednesday by Honda Motor Company President and CEO Mr Takahiro Hachigo, 2017 Honda Accord and CR-V SUV, the best selling SUV in North America will come to market with a turbocharged engine option.

Regardless of the present unrealistically low pump price of unleaded gasoline, those in the know, Including the research guys at A.H.M.C., realize that when it comes to commodities, what goes down, must go back up to maintain the market momentum. And then there’s that C.A.R.B. target of sooner than later ZERO exhaust particulates emissions -- all pointing to a super low emissions, high to no fuel efficiency future,

Honda Motors fully intends to meet or beat the emissions target by averaging near zero emissions achieved through the implementation of small displacement, high output turbocharged engines, as found in the all new 2016 Civic Coupe. Also promised by president Hachigo is stateside delivery of the manufactured in Japan 2017 Accord gasoline/electric hybrid -- my personal favorite Accord.

The advantage to the consumer is two fold: Higher engine performance, greater fuel efficiency -- something that Honda continues to do very well.You may read Mr. Hachigo’s statement here.

And then there’s the timely launch of the next generation Clarity FCEV. (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle) It’s all going to happen, first in Tokyo, then in Los Angeles. As I said, sooner than later. What’s even a bit more exciting for this gearhead is the Honda, General Motors co-development of the next generation fuel cell generator. GM’s looking to 500,000 units on the road in the next decade.

According to Honda, by the target year 2030, 70 % of the Honda Fleet will be electrified, in one way or another. I’m looking to plug in electric vehicles to comprise most of the fleet. Presently, less than 5% of all Honda offerings are electrified.

Will 2017 Honda CR-V be electrified?

While there’s talk of a possible hybrid 2017 CR-V making it to North America, I doubt it. Looking to present CR-V average MPG, the highest in the compact class crossover segment, utilizing the 1.5 Liter turbocharged Earth Dreams ™ VTEC gasoline engine for 2017 CR-V motivation would not only increase CR-V horsepower and torque specifications, but most likely increase fuel efficiency by a percentage point or two.

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Comments

James Moore (not verified)    March 17, 2016 - 4:02PM

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The 1.5 L turbo engine in the civic = 174hp/162 lb torque. The current CRV = 185hp/181 lb torque. The engine would not increase hp or torque over the CRV current engine. Unless referring to a different engine.

Tom Eisenmenger (not verified)    April 19, 2016 - 1:57PM

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Turbos generally generate more usable torque at lower RPMs. The new EarthDreams 2.4L four in the Accord has less hp and torque than its predecessor but has noticably better acceleration due to the torque coming in lower in and more consistently throughout the powerband.

don (not verified)    March 25, 2016 - 12:06PM

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downsized turbo engines never hit their advertised MPG. Putting a 1.5T in a CR-V is just going to have it on boost sucking gas constantly for normal driving.

I had a 2.3T RDX that was supposed to be more efficient because it was a turbo 4 instead of a 6, but it sucked gas like no tomorrow. And shockingly, the newer RDX went back to much more efficient NA 6 cyl, which is a gem in both power delivery and relative economy.

Parks McCants    March 28, 2016 - 3:05PM

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Welcome don. Actually, the 10th generation turbocharged Civic CVT Touring has a higher average MPG than the normally aspirated 1.8 Liter 9th generation Civic. Engine/transmission technology continues to evolve. As you may know. 2017 Acura MDX will come to market with a turbocharged/hybrid propulsion unit claiming an increased +7 mpg city. It will be interesting to see what the future brings. Thanks for your thought provoking comment.

Chris (not verified)    April 12, 2016 - 1:13PM

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I have to agree with Don, while a small turbo will indeed get a better EPA rating a slightly larger normally aspirated engine will often perform better in the real world. This can also carry over to vehicles with over worked 4 cylinder engines versus a V6. Good example of this was the last generation Toyota Rav 4 when the V6 was still an option.

I currently own a 2014 Accord EX with a manual transmission and it actually beats the EPA ratings on a regular basis and I enjoy the torque off the line that turbo cars usually lack. I know I am in the minority, but I would love to see a performance version of the Accord Sedan with a manual transmission. (no, the current Sport doesn’t qualify) Take the EX-L trim with a V-6 and add a manual tranny and call it “sport touring” and I would buy 3 of them to last the rest of my life.