- A First Look at the made-in-Canada 2023 Honda CR-V
- Canadian pricing for the 2023 Mazda CX-5
- Driver in B.C. fined for allowing dog to ride freely in truck bed
- Florida politician caught speeding in Ferrari tells police, “I run the county”
- Honda reveals fastest-ever 2023 Civic Type R
Welcome to our roundup of the biggest breaking stories on Driving.ca from this past week. Get caught up and ready to get on with the weekend, because it’s hard keeping pace in a digital traffic jam.
Here’s what you missed while you were away.
A First Look at the made-in-Canada 2023 Honda CR-V
2023 Honda CR-V Photo by Stephanie Wallcraft
At the recent Honda Indy Toronto — which recently made adjustments allowing for hybrid powertrains to be used in its events — Honda took the opportunity to debut the 2023 CR-V. The brand’s Alliston, Ont. plant will be the lead production facility for the CR-V in North America, building two available powertrain options, including the first hybrid model in Canada despite it being available in the U.S. since 2019.
The new pure gas-powered Honda SUV uses the tried and tested 1.5L turbo four-cylinder that makes 190 horsepower and 179 lb-ft of torque. Honda says it has been revised in part to improve efficiency, but fuel consumption estimates are still TBD. The 2023 CR-V hybrid bears a similar unit to that found in the hybrid Accord: a 2.0L Atkinson cycle four-cylinder paired to two front-mounted electric motors, one acting as a generator for the other which drives the wheels, and the gas engine filling in wherever required. This setup produces 204 horsepower and 274 lb-ft of torque, which is more than any other CR-V in history.
Canadian pricing for the 2023 Mazda CX-5
2023 Mazda CX-5 Signature Photo by Mazda
The 2023 model of the best-selling Mazda in Canada, the CX-5, is slated to arrive this fall with an opening price of $30,900 (plus $1,950 delivery) and a top price of $43,900. That’s just $400 more than the base GX trim from 2022, but it now comes with a cylinder deactivation feature that cuts some engine cylinders when full power isn’t needed to save fuel, plus a new paint option, Rhodium White Metallic.
All-wheel-drive comes standard on all eight 2023 CX-5 trim options, as does a two-year subscription to connected services, and the maker’s suite of driver-assist programs including adaptive cruise with stop and go, automatic high beams, lane keep assist, and more. And power will come from either a 2.5L four-cylinder engine making 187 horsepower and 186 lb-ft of torque and mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, or from a turbocharged 2.5L engine that makes 227 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque on 87-octane fuel, and up to 256 horsepower on premium-grade fuel. More details at the link above.
Driver in B.C. fined for allowing dog to ride freely in truck bed
B.C. driver fined for traveling with dog in pickup truck bed Photo by BC Highway Patrol/Twitter
The B.C. Highway Patrol are reminding motorists that dogs and other pets should not be transported as loose cargo in the back of a pick-up bed. The RCMP tweeted a photo of a black lab standing inside of the bed of a black pick-up with all caps red lettering overtop of the image that read, “NO!!”
If you love your pet, taking its safety into consideration seems like a no brainer. Still, these dog days of summer mean more people are taking road trips with their pets and some of those folks seem adamant on letting their animals ride freely in the truck bed, despite the ticket. Police went on to explain that not only is this an infraction that comes with a $109 fine in B.C., but it can also be dangerous — and deadly — for the animal. Instead, RCMP recommend putting the animal inside of a kennel and securing the kennel to the box.
Florida politician caught speeding in Ferrari tells police, “I run the county”
Florida County Commissioner Joe Mullins is pulled over for speeding in this screenshot from a Fox35 YouTube clip Photo by FOX 35 Orlando /YouTube
Video of Florida County Commissioner Chairman Joe Mullins being pulled over for speeding in his red 2014 Ferrari 458 Spider has gone viral after he allegedly tried to pull the ‘politician card’ to get out of the ticket. And it wasn’t even his first time.
The officer in the video is explaining to Mullins how he usually gives warnings for speeding but won’t be in his case when Mullins interrupts him. “I run the county, so I know how that works,” he says before receiving the citation and speeding off. “I’m the chairman of the county commission.”
Reports of other instances of Mullins being caught speeding have now also surfaced, with one such report indicating the politician literally flashed his business card in an attempt to convince police not to bother him for something as trivial as breaking the laws of the road. Dispatch notes suggest Mullins attempted to bully his way out of that ticket by telling the officer that “it would be a career-ending move if [he] arrested him for failing to obey a lawful order.” Well, he might be right about a career ending…it’s just probably not the one he thought.
Honda reveals fastest-ever 2023 Civic Type R
2023 Honda Civic Type R Photo by Honda
Honda executed something of a soft reveal for its 2023 Civic Type R last week when it released images and details on the 30th-anniversary of the hot hatch, but chose not to showcase any figures on power, fuel efficiency, or price. Despite the lack of numbers, Honda insists this Type R is the fastest and most powerful Type R ever produced — it’s also longer, lower, and wider by an undisclosed amount.
A “more powerful and responsive” version of the 2.0-litre engine found in the 11th-generation Civic sits under the hood and is paired to an “improved” six-speed manual transmission with rev-matching. The car has also been made lighter and more rigid, and also has improved steering, all of which combined to make the 2023 Type R the fastest new front-wheel-drive production car around the Suzuka Circuit in Japan.
In the gallery of images provided, we see a Type R with plenty to connect it to its base Civic brother, inside and out. It’s got a honeycomb grille, large front fender grilles, a new spoiler, a reworked bumper housing the triple round exhaust and a new diffuser, flashy red seats, and a serialized Type R plate on the dash. Paint options for 2023 include Rallye Red, Sonic Gray, and Historic Championship White.
Keyword: News Roundup: Honda’s hybrid CR-V and 2023 Mazda CX-5 Canadian pricing