It's going to be a great year for Honda

By: Peter Johnson

It's shaping up to be a great year for Honda. Just last month in
Detroit the 2006 Civic and Ridgeline pick-up were named North
American Car of the Year and North American Truck of the Year,
respectively. Yesterday, AJAC (Automobile Journalists
Association of Canada) named the Honda Civic sedan and Honda
Ridgeline pick-up as AJAC Car of the Year and AJAC Truck of the
Year, respectively. If that's not enough, Motor Trend Magazine
named the 2006 Honda Civic as the Motor Trend Car of the Year,
and the 2006 Honda Ridgeline as the Motor Trend Truck of the
Year.

One brand has never been awarded The North American Car of the
Year and the North American Truck of the Year awards in the same
year. Let alone winning the AJAC awards and the Motor Trend
awards. Clearly Honda has designed two well thought out vehicles
which raise the bar in their respective segments.

Honda Civic

The 2006 Honda Civic is clearly the dominant player in its
segment. With a standard 140hp, it offers more horsepower than
was available in the previous generation. Clever engineering
yields a completely flat floor for the middle backseat
passenger, and the two tier dash looks great yet serves its
purpose by keeping your eyes on the road. The Civic sedan has
morphed into a mini-Accord. This point is not lost on Honda as
they are getting ready to introduce the Honda Jazz as their new
introductory sedan. And let's not forget about the Civic Si,
which offers 197hp, a 6-speed manual transmission, and a limited
slip diff. That's a formula for a lot of fun. In fact, the Civic
Si has filled the void left by the discontinued Prelude. The
Civic has raised the bar.

Honda Ridgeline

Wow. A Honda winning three of the most coveted Truck of the Year
awards. It beat out the newly revised 2006 Dodge Ram, and
Lincoln LT amongst others. The Ridgeline comes with some very
clever touches. The storage compartment under the bed, 4 wheel
independent suspension, and the tailgate opens like a door or
can swing down. Honda also put 4 lights in the bed for better
visibility at night. These ideas sound simple enough but no
other truck puts them all together in such a well thought out
package. Honda has taken a different approach and made a truck
that will satisfy people who need a truck for the versatility,
but who don't want a harsh ride and poor maneuverability. The
Ridgeline is one of the rare vehicles that will have a big
impact on its segment, making all of the competition better. And
if the competition doesn't get better, they won't be able to
compete.

About the author:
Peter Johnson is the chief writer for
all-about-car-selection.com