Here's a recent customer review on Honda of Gainesville:
"The dealership is set nice for customers with good food and a nice waiting room. Honda is the car I drove to the dealership that I had bought their five years before."
Thank you for your continued feedback! Customer service will always be our top priority.
The 2012 Honda Odyssey offers a strong performance, a versatile and spacious interior, and the reliability that only comes from Honda. Check out our selection of this model and more by visiting us online! http://bit.ly/LZm9cS
A shiny new blue Honda Fit EV arrived in my driveway on Monday, for a one-week test drive. I haven’t yet put the car through its paces in terms of range and efficiency, to see if EPA’s assessment of the Fit EV proves accurate in real-world driving. The EPA pegs the car’s efficiency at 118 MPGe, and 82 miles of range on 20 kWh battery pack—making it the most efficient car in America. But there are two innovations that already stand out to me as something that all EV-makers should seriously consider.
Driving Modes
The first innovation is use of a set of three driving modes: Normal, Eco and Sport. Obviously, this is not a new concept, but Honda’s execution is impeccable. As I experienced when I first drove the car last year in Japan, normal mode feels a lot like daily driving in the LEAF. It’s a good middle ground between decent range and a nice brisk ride. Then, there’s Eco mode. If you know that you’ll need every electron to make it to your destination, then use Eco mode to extend range and back down on acceleration—an acceptable compromise for getting safely from Point A to Point B.
But punch the Sport mode button, which gives the dash a red hue, and the Fit EV comes to life. At this stage, any shortcoming of the Fit EV's economy feel, such as thin seat cushions and plastic interior details, is immediately forgotten. If you know that you only need 40 or 50 miles of driving for the day, then why not have some fun? (Fifty miles is a guess for now, but I’ll test out a day behind the wheel in Sport to see what it produces.)
The Fit EV in Sport is an absolute blast to drive (maybe even dangerous when it comes to speeding tickets). Except for my brief time with a Tesla Roadster, it’s the most fun I’ve had in an EV. It’s every bit as engaging (or more) than the BMW ActiveE.
The main point here is to give drivers a choice, and that’s what the Fit EV’s modes offer.
SOC Gauge on the GO
The other innovation is the key fob-thingy, on the same keychain with the regular key that you turn to start the car. Push a little power button on the side of the remote unit, and presto—it shows you battery state of charge. There are apps and websites that will do this for other EVs, but the convenience of having it right in your hand before you leave the house, or while sitting at your desk, is fantastic. (I’m not yet sure how far away you can be from the car, but it works well from any location in my house). The fob also allows you to engage climate control or start charging—but it’s the SOC meter display that I most appreciate.
Is seeing SOC right on the key a make-or-break function? No, but little things can sometimes make a huge difference. This innovation reflects a thoughtfulness that adds to the overall EV ownership experience.
-Courtesy of PlugInCars
Cars.com, the premier online resource for new- and used-car buyers, announced today that the 2012 Honda CR-V is the winner of the Compact SUV Shootout. The shootout pitted six compact SUVs under $25,000 that also get at least a 30 mpg highway rating against each other in a series of tests.
"This was a competitive shootout of an important segment, and we were impressed with all of the vehicles," said Patrick Olsen, Cars.com editor-in-chief. "The winning Honda CR-V is a great choice for compact SUV shoppers because of its impressive lineup of standard features, great comfort and overall ride, all combined with Honda's history of strong reliability."
The Shootout featured testing by experts from Cars.com, USA Today and "MotorWeek." Additionally, a Chicago-based family tested these six vehicles to determine which one fit their needs of comfort, reliability and efficiency.
Vehicle testing included:
A 200-mile drive ranging from urban streets to a wide-open interstate.
Driving of every vehicle by every expert over the same course to test for overall ride, handling, acceleration and braking.
One day of testing by a family in the market for a new vehicle; they joined the experts to give their impressions on the six compact SUVs.
"With fuel efficiency and affordability becoming top of mind for many car shoppers, the compact SUV segment is quickly becoming one of the most popular categories," said Olsen. "Not only does every vehicle we tested get a minimum of 30 mpg, but the segment in general is becoming more affordable than ever and coming with an impressive lineup of standard features."
Other vehicles tested included the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox, 2013 Ford Escape, 2012 Hyundai Tucson, 2013 Mazda CX-5 and 2012 Kia Sportage.
Here's the latest customer feedback on Honda of Gainesville:
"He was very helpful. Easy to deal with. He knew what he was doing. He cared about his customers. Wanted to please his customers. I would reccomend him to others."
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Here's what one of our customers has to say aboout Honda of Gainesville:
"I had recently purchased a car from Toyota, and it was a Honda CRV. I had to end up going to Honda of Gainesville to get them to tell me about the vehicle I purchased. When I got to Honda, Chris Irvin greated me with a smile and was so friendly. I ended up purchasing a 2012 Honda CRV from them the next week. The manager, Dan Likes, came out and spoke to me personally. I wil not go to another dealer. Honda of Gainesville has all my business from now on. Thank you Chris and Dan for the excellent customer service."
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Honda let the cat officially out of the bag today, revealing details about its new HondaLink infotainment system that will be featured in the new 2013 Accord. The new midsize sedan doesn't launch until the fall, but the Japanese automaker is clearly eager to start building momentum for its long-awaited new model by addressing one of the company's long-running deficiencies: connectivity.
HondaLink will feature Aha Radio, a cloud-based digital content service that uses the driver's smart phone data connection for streaming through the vehicle's audio system. The interface uses a radio station model, with users creating content presets. Besides music, news, podcasts and other traditional audio content, Aha will allow drivers to listen to Facebook and Twitter feeds. While the video Honda released today plays more like a commercial than a tutorial, we're looking forward to getting our hands on the system. The big question is whether it can vault Honda to the front of the mainstream infotainment pack, or merely put them where Ford was three years ago.Courtesy of Autoblog
