The 2013 Honda Civic has a number of competitors that compete directly and top of the list includes the Ford Focus and Hyundai Elantra. It is also worth noting that the 2013 Chevrolet Cruze, Kia Forte and Subaru Impreza are alternatives as well.

We love the 2013 Honda Civic but you cannot doubt the driving ability of Ford’s 2013 Focus thanks to amazing handling with a comfortable but firm ride.

Today, we wanted to feature an article that rates the 2013 Honda Civic an 8/10 and compares their review to the above-mentioned cars. The only other similar cars to beat their 2013 Honda Civic rating is the 2013 Ford Focus at 8.8/10 and the 2013 Hyundai Elantra at 8.4/10.

Check out this page that features a breakdown of the main specs for each car, the ratings, price and other information. All the key information is contained on one page that makes it easy to compare the models.

2013 Honda Civic review – We have also featured a number of videos within this article, which take a look at each of the cars from different perspectives. The first video above features the 2013 Honda Civic and this visual review runs for just under 15 minutes, which also contains a test of the exhaust, a walkaround and test drive.

The reviewer explains that Honda’s 2013 Civic has been pushed back into the top 3 compact vehicles thanks to fresh styling, excellent fuel efficiency, sporty driving dynamics and generous standard equipment.

2013 Ford Focus review – above you will see two more videos, the first features one of the best compacts from Ford and in the 12-minute review you’ll see a walkaround of the vehicle and a test drive. The 2013 Ford Focus is a cheap commuter car that’s economical, simple and hard to find a fault with. We also included another video featuring an in depth test drive of the Ford Focus ST for those that want something a lot more sporty.

2013 Hyundai Elantra review – finally, we have an in-depth video review of the Hyundai Elantra Coupe SE that takes you through a start up and good look inside. You will also see another video above that delivers a test drive of the GT manual version.

2013 Honda Civic vs. the 2013 Ford Focus and 2013 Hyundai Elantra, what would you say is the best and why?

Now that we are a few days into May it seems that the results for auto sales in April 2013 are in, which has seen the Honda Accord beat the Toyota Camry by just under 2,000 sales. This is a good result considering the former is known as the best seller for cars in the United States.

2013 Honda Accord vs. Toyota Camry April sales figures – Toyota reported that Camry sales for April were exactly at 31,730 and this is just short of the Honda Accord, which reportedly scored 33,538 sales in the same month. Honda also hit the headlines with better than expected 7.4 percent increase in Honda Acura sales.

There are a number of reasons why the Toyota Camry fell short of Honda Accord sales, and one assumption is that some Toyota fans are waiting for a new car to arrive and are very “disciplined” with enticements. You can read a lot more insight into these sales figures and information on Asian brands losing marketshare in this article

Best choice from Honda Accord vs. Toyota Camry – the sales figures for April could be explained by a number of factors, but some people believe the 2013 Honda Accord will always be the better choice.

In fact we found one video on YouTube offering up 4 reasons why you should choose the new Honda Accord over the 2013 Toyota Camry. You can see that video below this article, which runs for just over 3 minutes and has split viewers with their reasons.

Do you prefer the Toyota Camry or Honda Accord? You might also want to read about why Honda favors iPhone and Toyota likes Nokia in their cars.

Just a few days ago Subaru issued yet another recall for their troubled Forester, and we’re sad to say there is now a Nissan and Honda recall, which will affect some models of the 2013 Altima and the 2012-2013 Fit Sport

These Nissan and Honda recalls includes more than 140,000 vehicles in all for the US and Canada. Let’s look at the 2013 Nissan Altima recall first; there are 123,308 affected because of an issue with a pressure regulator, so there is a possibility that some of these vehicles could have an over or under-inflated spare tire.

Once you are notified you will be able to take your affected vehicle to your Nissan dealer, where they will be able to check the tire pressure for you. We’re sure not many of you will even bother to contact Nissan, as they would be able to resolve this Nissan Altima recall themselves. More details can be found here.

Next we have the 2012-2013 Honda Fit Sport recall, which involves 43,782 vehicles in the US and another 2,000 in Canada due to excessive yaw rates when the vehicle is under braking. The reason for this is because there’s an issue with the software that controls the Vehicle Stability Assist.

Honda says that it only affects certain Honda Fit Sport models fitted with a particular tire, although they have yet to inform us what tire this is. Honda will contact you during the middle of May to arrange to have the vehicles stability control software updated to rectify this issue. If you have any concerns then you might want to contact your local Honda dealer, or visit their website.

You can also run a Honda recall check by entering your Honda VIN here.

Just yesterday we looked at an impending recall of the Range Rover Evoque, even though Land Rover has yet to release any details about it, such as when the recalls will begin or the number of models affected. That’s more than we can say for another round of recalls for 2013, which is to affect more than 3.4 million cars.

Honda, Nissan, Mazda and Toyota are set to recall several of their models sold between 2000-2004. The Toyota recall is to effect 1.73 models, the Honda recall 1.13 million vehicles, Nissan around 500,000 and Mazda with about 45,000. The alarming thing is, all are being recalled due to the same air bag issue.

The defective part supplied by vehicle parts maker Takata Corp could in some could cause the airbag to deploy because of a faulty airbag inflator. You have been advised to contact your local dealer, although there’s always another way to see if your vehicle is affected by this recall.

You can run a Toyota recall VIN check here, where you will just need to enter your vehicle identification number. You can also enter your Honda VIN here. However, if you have a Nissan or Mazda, then you still need to contact your dealer.

The models affected by this airbag recall depends what part of the world you live in. In the UK, Toyota is to recall the Corolla and Yaris, Honda the Civic, CRV and Jazz, and Nissan the Almera, Navara, Patrol, Terrano II and the X-Trail.

For those of you in the US, then the models include the Corolla, Lexus SC Tundra from Toyota. The Civic, CR-V and Odyssey from Honda and the Infiniti FX, Infiniti QX4, Maxima Pathfinder and Sentra from Nissan.

While this will come as a blow to all four, it will be particularly tough for Toyota, as they have not had a great few years when it comes to recalls.

We were told the other day that we should not be surprised when a new car recall is announced, with that in mind we now report that Honda and Acura has had to recall 183,000 2005 – 2006 models, with the list that includes the Acura MDX, RL and the Honda Pilot.

The reason behind the recall is due to an issue with the braking system and stability control. It appears that in some cases the VSA control units may have a damaged electric capacitor, which in some cases could apply the brakes at full force without the driver ever putting their foot on the brake pedal, or use unnecessary force when a driver does brake.

There are 101,000 Honda Pilot affected by this latest recall list, along with 60,000 Acura MDX and 21,000 Acura RL 2005 models. There are also a further 800 MDX 2006 CUV vehicles all with the same issues. However, we’re told that the Honda Pilot is under investigation for another issue, but this time to do with a bolt in the VGA system, which could have the same braking problems.

If you are concerned that your model may be included in this recall then you can check your Honda VIN or Acura VIN or phone (800) 999-1009 for Honda owners or (800) 382-2238 for those with an Acura.

For many years now the auto industry has been following other markets along with sporting events to see what they are able to bring to their upcoming cars. Take F1, car manufacturers have been borrowing certain technology and then adapting them for road cars, KERS being the latest example of that. However, just recently we have seen a number of new cars coming with the kind of technology that we take for granted in our smartphones.

With this is mind we can now report that Honda is about to use some technology found in the iPhone 4S/5 and include it to certain models of the Accord and Acura. This tech that we are talking about is Siri, but you’ll need to have those devices above running iOS 6. Toyota will be improving their in-car services in a number of their vehicles by making Nokia’s Here Local Search available to them. According to the press release the technology will be integrated into certain models in Europe, the Middle East and Russia by 2014.

While this may be great news it’s not as good as what Honda is offering, but it does get annoying when they favor the likes of Apple and don’t make it more universal so you can use Android equivalent services as well. However, let’s not take away the fact that this will be welcome by thousands of drivers who will now be able to use voice commands in their Honda and Acura vehicles.

This tech will only be available for a few models, but we can picture an announcement in the future saying that more models will be getting the Siri function. It’s great that a huge number of car makers are keeping up with the technology and incorporating them into their cars, but we do find it strange how Mercedes refuse to install Bluetooth and instead charge extra for a device to support this.

Honda have not had a very good track record when it comes to serious problems with their cars, but a recent 2012 Honda Civic explosion is not a sign of a new recall issue, as this was down to the owners error. When we first saw the image we thought that the Japanese car manufacturer had a serious issue with the Civic range, so those who currently own a 2012 model can rest assured that this is not the case.

A negligent plumber who left his wielding rig in the trunk of his 2012 Honda Civic caused the explosion, and it is worth pointing out that oxygen and acetylene tanks being transported in a closed cabin vehicle is illegal in many states.

The guy was not aware that the acetylene tank had a slow leak that filled the interior of the car, and it was when his girlfriend used her key fob to open the trunk that the mechanism used to open the trunk caused a small spark, which was enough to set off a huge explosion. The end result is very bad indeed but could have been so much worse.

We’re happy to say that no one was injured, although several vehicles sustained damage. We’re not sure how the guy will explain this one to his insurance company, but we bet the warranty does not cover this kind of damage.

It’s always horrible when you hear that a car manufacturer is scaling down production at one of their plants, so it is nice to enter into this Holiday Season knowing that Honda Motor Co. has already finalized that their upcoming Mexican plant will offer three new Honda Fit variants. No doubt these new body styles will helps sales in North America as it gives drivers a bigger choice.

The Honda Fit hatchback is the standard model and was always going to be assembled at the Mexican plant, but it’s the Honda Fit Sedan and Honda Fit-based crossover that has us interested as it’s further proof that the Japanese carmaker is set to push this small car onto the American market, much more than they have in the past. For years North America has been obsessed with bigger is better, but it is finally nice to see that they have now started to embrace these smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles.

Having driven a Honda Fit and taking the car for what it is, I’d have to say that I was pretty impressed. Okay, so it’s not going to win any wards for its performance, but again people’s obsession with speed and throaty sounds from the engine is not what most drivers want these days. The idea of three Honda Fit models has certainly got my interest.

We can already visualize what the Fit-based crossover will look like, as one would assume that it would be something like the Honda Fit Twist (see above), which as some of you will know is already on sale in Brazil. You’ll notice that it conforms to the stereotype of the CUV by standing taller than the hatchback model, along with having a more aggressive front end as well.

Honda had not told the subscription-based website any technical details on the three new Honda Fit models, but let’s hope that we learn more soon because public awareness is a big deal if the Japanese carmaker hopes to achieve the kind of sales numbers in the US that they have projected.

The recall was announced today and will include the 2008 and 2009 model with 45,000 vehicles in total, the models in the list are the Odyssey EX-L and Touring vans. Owners of the affected vehicles will begin to receive notification from March 13, which does seem a little too long to wait for those who are now worried their support rods on their tailgate could fail.

The risk could be serious because if the tailgate does come down on someone’s head it could cause an injury, without these struts taking the weight of the tailgate they are very heavy and will fall with a great amount of force.

According to a recent article there have been two incidents where injuries have occurred, thankfully both were not serious. Honda reports that this is a manufacturing flaw where gas can leak from the struts, so you are advised to be careful if you have reason to believe you have an Odyssey minivan that could be affected by this recall.

Once Honda put the recall into effect owners can check out recalls.honda.com or call (800) 999-1009 and select option 4. If your vehicle has been identified as a faulty model then all you need to do is visit your local Honda garage to get the problem fixed for free. The Odyssey has been involved in two recalls in the past couple of years one in 2010 and another in 2011, the former was for a braking issue (see video below) and the second for windshield wiper issues.

As for the ATVs the list of VIN models can be seen in an article here, which is the two-wheeled drive 2012 Honda FourTrax Rancher. There have been four incidents involving the weld failures on the suspension arm, there have not been any serious injuries expect for a sprained wrist. It’s good news to hear this but we cannot help but fear something worse could happen if action was not taken; you are advised to visit this website or call (866) 784-1870.

The new Honda Civic is the ninth in the series which has been manufactured since 1972. It will begin shipping in January 2012 and is being manufactured at the company’s Swindon plant in the UK. Honest John says the top of the range version of the vehicle, the 2.2 litre i-DTEC EX GT, which features the highest specifications will set you back £26,595 while the basic model costs £16,495.

There are three engines available altogether, the 2.2 litre i-DTEC diesel and the 1.4 and 1.8 litre i-VTEC petrol engines, as well as four trim levels; EX GT, EX, ES and SE. All come equipped with six-speed manual transmission as standard with a five-speed automatic option available for the 1.8 litre petrol model. They will also all feature a fuel-saving ECON driving mode. Even the basic SE models will come already equipped with USB/AUX connectivity, automatic air-conditioning and alloy wheels.

As you would expect, as the trims increase in specs so too does the price. The ES models begin at £18,995 and get automatic window wipers and lights, optional sat nav, dual-zone air conditioning, reversing camera, speed limiter and cruise control all as standard. A premium sound system, heated leather seats and sat nav are added as standard to the EX models, which begin at £21,745 and the top model, the EX GT, gets additional tinted windows, bigger alloy wheels, a panoramic roof, bi-xenon lights, rear and front parking sensors and keyless entry and start functionality for £24,495. A collision mitigating brake system and adaptive cruise control can also be specified for an extra £1,900.

What do you think of the new Honda Civic? Will you be getting one in January?