the first pic is the Intelligent Highway Cruise Control. it is like the Distronic used in Mercedes-Benz vehicles. the radar is mounted on the emblem.

2nd pic is keyless entry and start.

the black civic is a nighthawk black MXST model, the top of the line hybrid in japan. our version is like the MX.

all civic's in japan has a center rear armrest. we don't get that on hybrids. they have better seats. you can also access the rear trunk from the outside without using your remote. there is a button located below the trunk. the MXST hybrid gets VSA along with 16 inch alloy 5-lug wheels. all japanese civic's have LED 3rd brake light. there's also an option for HID xenons. the acura csx is the same copy of the japanese civic exterior wise. you can't get leather on japanese civic's.

 

Wow. First thought was, so Japanese HCH's have most of the same features as the Prius! Very cool. Wish the Prius could get that Intelligent Highway Cruise Control, but at least we have everything else...

 

Here's the option I wish for... :-)

I long for the days when all you needed for a car was a simple key, that fit on your keyring, happily coexisting with all the other keys there. Well, at least the Honda's aren't as bad as volkswagen anyway.

 

and then when some thief steals your car, you wish you had the new keys.

 

I had my '97 Accord stolen last summer when some punk kid (well, I picture it as some punk kid since it was taken on a joyride and dumped the same day, but I don't really know) broke the lock on the door, ripped out the ignition, and hotwired it. Something like $1400 in repairs -- a nasty amount that wasn't enough to bother going through insurance with, but high enough to sting badly (almost as much as the car was worth!). (That was what first got me into looking at a hybrid replacement...)

It made me wish for fancy newfangled keys and engine immobilizers.

Then just after Xmas, someone broke into my parents' house and stole the keys to their much nicer cars (which can't be started without the keys), making off with 3 vehicles (2 of which were recovered thanks to Mercedes GPS-tracking; my brother's brand-new Accord has been written off and the insurance money collected; as an aside, it's kind of too bad I couldn't convince him to even give the Civic Hybrid a test-drive before he bought a used Acura replacement).

It made them wish for old-fashioned keys and thieves who stayed nicely out on the driveway hotwiring cars, rather than invading the house...

Back on topic, I'm rather surprised at the lack of colour options in Canada and the States for the HCH. It's just paint, isn't it?

 

Actually not. Replacing my key now costs almost the same as my insurance deductable on a stolen car. Plus, theft deterrent systems hardly work anyway. If a thief wants it badly they'll get it no matter what I do, so I say let me enjoy my car meanwhile.

 

That's basically the same philosophy my dad always had when I was a kid. He wouldn't bother to lock his car, because he figured that if a thief wanted in they'd just smash a window or something anyway, and at least the window wouldn't be smashed if the door was unlocked. It's not a widely held opinion, and now that he has automatic locks, he's much more likely to lock up now. Probably also related to the fact that he now carries a laptop around, so there's more of value in the car that could be stolen. Before, it was just a radio and some change for the tolls. Anyway, no one ever stole our car, so I guess he was basically right.

 

hardly works? the immobilizer is built into the ecu of the car. try to hot wire that.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/...en_x.htm?imw=Y

 

Yes hardly works. Like the post above, they can break into my house and get the keys as easily as they can break into the car. There's a zillion ways to steal a car and the motivated thieves get it done no matter what the challenges, and frankly I'd rather they hotwire the car and take it than have them break into my house.

So I am not willing to give up a lot of convenience for a largely ineffective attempt to prevent an unlikely theft of my car. One can go to extremes trying to protect themselves from perceived dangers, but I'd rather enjoy life instead. I prefer to keep my personal liberties and accept the "risks" rather than surrender to the restrictive burden of protectionism. This is the same reason I don't carry a gun or have an alarm on my house. I refuse to be a prisoner in my own home (or car) or to walk around expecting to be victimized.

I suppose one could make a similar statement about current politics as well, but that's a discussion for another forum. :-)

 

I wonder if we can order the keyless entry and ignition components from Japan.

Oh yeah, and the backseat armrest...