Honda Civic only nets two stars on revamped NHTSA side impact test

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is slowly unveiling the results of the freshly updated five-star New Car Assessment Program, and not all 2011 models are faring so well. USA Today reports that the2011 Honda Civic is the latest such victim after the popular compact sedan received an overall score of three stars; down one star from the 2010 model year. The Civic’s score was downgraded due in part to a woeful side impact score of two stars. The female crash-test dummy on the passenger side reportedly netted a four-star score, but the male crash-test dummy driver managed but two stars. On the upside, the Civic netted four-star ratings for front crash and rollover risk.

The Civic isn’t the only popular vehicle among the 55 models tested that hasn’t fared so well in testing. TheToyota Camry and Honda CR-V were also rated at three stars, while the Nissan Versa received only two stars. Luckily for Honda, a newly refreshed Civic is on the way for the 2012 model year.

Honda teases 2012 Civic before Detroit debut

Here’s our first official glimpse at the face of the next-generation Honda Civic. This sketch is intended to give the world an idea of what we can expect from the Civic show car Honda will display at the Detroit Auto Showin January. From the looks of things, the compact coupe will take the look of the current Civic and throw in some additional attitude. Along with some aggressively swept headlamps reminiscent of the European Civic Type R, the sketch also shows off a fascia with more menacing proportions. A large air inlet down low and slit fog lights help pull the car from the throws of anonymity.

Of course, it’s always difficult to tell what will survive the transition between design sketch and reality. We don’t expect to see those huge wheels nor the wildly flared hips make their way to production. Speaking of production, Honda has a long history of rolling out concepts that are nearly identical to the real deal, so keep your eyes on Detroit for what could be the first look at the next Civic.

Honda CR-Z gets the K-Series engine it was meant to have

It was only a matter of time before some inventive soul set about curing what ails the 2011 Honda CR-Z; namely, the anemic hybrid drivetrain. It looks like the crew at LHT Performance have gutted the electrified bits and swapped in an honest all-star from the Honda stable – the K20. If you recall, these guys were among some of the first to pull a similar stunt with the first-generation Honda Insight. According to LHT, their creation is the first successful K-Series CR-Z swap to have every vehicle system work as it should, including power steering, air-conditioning and cruise control, along with stability control and the vehicle’s anti-lock brake system.

Well, nearly every vehicle system. The integrated motor assist didn’t quite survive the transplant, but something tells us we won’t be hearing any sobs over that loss. Right now, the shop has only served up a quick video, and there’s no footage of the car actually tearing up the street or a track, but we’re told more photos are on the way soon. Now, would you rather have this beast or the much rumored 1.6-literturbocharged CR-Z that Honda is supposedly cooking up? Hit the jump to check it out and decide for yourself.