We’re pleased to welcome Stephen Smith as a new contributor to Streetsblog Capitol Hill. We’ll be running Stephen’s work on a regular basis, and you can catch more of his writing at his home blog, Market Urbanism. Amtrak’s annual ridership may inch over 30 million for the first time this year, but the assault on its [...]

Source: http://dc.streetsblog.org/2011/07/22/amtraks-loco-locomotive-purchase-for-the-northeast-corridor/

Nanni Galli Oscar Alfredo Gálvez Fred Gamble

Filed under: SUV, Truck, Honda

Honda is giving the company's Pilot a mild refresh for 2012. The SUV will ditch its bulky front fascia for a slightly more restrained nose with a three-bar grille replacing the thick-chrome grin of the 2011 model. In addition, Honda plans to squeeze a little more fuel efficiency out of the SUV with a new transmission, saying it will boast the highest EPA-estimated mileage of any three-row crossover. The old five-speed automatic gearbox has been replaced with six-speed unit for 2012.

Honda is throwing in a few interior updates as well. Buyers will be able to enjoy a slightly massaged cabin, complete with an updated navigation system and stereo to match. Finally, new paint colors and wheel options will round out the changes.

In addition to the revised Pilot, Honda has also added a new Sport model to its familiar Ridgeline for 2012. Above the Ridgeline RT standard features, the Sport will get exclusive black 18-inch alloy wheels, black honeycomb grille, standard fog lights, black headlight and brake light housings, and black mirrors and door handles. The 2012 Ridgeline goes on sale November 2011; the Pilot a few months earlier.

See the brief blurbs from Honda for each model after the break. You can also click on either image for an enlarged view.

Continue reading 2012 Honda Pilot to get new gearbox and revised face, Ridgeline adds Sport model

2012 Honda Pilot to get new gearbox and revised face, Ridgeline adds Sport model originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 25 Jul 2011 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2011/07/25/honda-pilot-to-get-new-gearbox-along-with-revised-face/

Jacky Ickx Yuji Ide Jesús Iglesias

Lexus gets serious about sportiness. The GS is Lexus?s answer to the BMW 5-series and the Mercedes-Benz E-class, but it has never quite measured up to those two sedans in sales numbers. As the car enters its fourth generation, Lexus tells us the GS will be sportier and more focused on the driving experience. Keep [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/vpgHGlN2ItU/2012_lexus_gs350-prototype_drive

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Paul Hembery: "Despite the threatening skies, the rain held off, which enabled us to see a great duel from start to finish of qualifying.

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/formula-one-news/f1-formula-one-news/germany-saturday-quotes-pirelli/

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We?ve spied 911s as high up the range as the Turbo and we?ve even ridden in a mule with the engineers. But when can you finally see the darn thing without all the black cladding? You can see the darn thing right now. Okay, so the view of the yellow car is still vaguely distorted by the [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/p9a45PCbFV8/

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Source: http://www.skirtsandscuffs.com/2011/07/under-spotlight-regan-smith-looks-to.html

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Sebastien Buemi has been excluded from qualifying for the German Grand Prix after the FIA discovered an irregularity with the fuel in his Scuderia Toro Rosso car. The Swiss driver had qualified in 16th place on the grid at the Nurburgring, just ahead of his team-mate Jaime Alguersuari. However, in post-qualifying inspections, the FIA found that the fuel in his car did not comply with the regulations.

Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/formula-one-news/f1-formula-one-news/buemi-excluded-over-fuel-irregularity/

Rupert Keegan Eddie Keizan Al Keller

Chevrolet has just announced that some time in 2013, it will launch a diesel-powered version of the Cruze in the U.S. The car will use a variant of the 2.0-liter four that’s installed in Cruzes throughout the world, but the company is otherwise silent on details, providing no further information on pricing, fuel economy, or output [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/VUjB2t3Jb60/

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Honda continues its trend of gentle evolution with the next-gen CR-V. Update 7/18: Our spy photographers have finally caught up with next-gen CR-V, and they?ve captured it from many angles. While these new images show the crossover wearing more camouflage than our initial reader-submitted image, they still reveal a few new things about Honda?s next [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/BykatqGgiHU/2012_honda_cr-v_spy_photos-future_cars

Graham Hill Phil Hill Peter Hirt

Changes to our streets are often the most visible signals of government power in most of our lives. As such, infrastructure decisions are inherently political, and those with greater resources have always held an advantage in seeing their wishes enshrined in concrete and pavement, or whatever the case may be. A meeting about bike lanes turned [...]

Source: http://streetsblog.net/2011/07/22/on-gentrification-and-cycling/

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