| It's shaping up to be a great year for Honda. Just last | | | | are getting ready to introduce the Honda Jazz as |
| month in Detroit the 2006 Civic and Ridgeline pick-up | | | | their new introductory sedan. And let's not forget |
| were named North American car of the Year and | | | | about the Civic Si, which offers 197hp, a 6-speed |
| North American Truck of the Year, respectively. | | | | manual transmission, and a limited slip diff. That's a |
| Yesterday, AJAC (Automobile Journalists Association | | | | formula for a lot of fun. In fact, the Civic Si has filled |
| of Canada) named the Honda Civic Sedan and Honda | | | | the void left by the discontinued Prelude. The Civic |
| Ridgeline pick-up as AJAC Car of the Year and AJAC | | | | has raised the bar.Honda RidgelineWow. A Honda |
| Truck of the Year, respectively. Now if that's not | | | | winning three of the most coveted Truck of the |
| enough, Motor Trend Magazine named the 2006 | | | | Year awards. It beat out the newly revised 2006 |
| Honda Civic as the Motor Trend Car of the Year, and | | | | Dodge Ram and Lincoln LT amongst others. The |
| the 2006 Honda Ridgeline as the Motor Trend Truck | | | | Ridgeline comes with some very clever touches. The |
| of the Year.One brand has never been awarded The | | | | storage compartment under the bed, 4 wheel |
| North American Car of the Year and the North | | | | independent suspension, and the tailgate opens like a |
| American Truck of the Year awards in the same | | | | door or can swing down. Honda also put 4 lights in |
| year. Let alone winning the AJAC awards and the | | | | the bed for better visibility at night. These ideas |
| Motor Trend awards. Clearly Honda has designed two | | | | sound simple enough but no other truck puts them all |
| well thought out vehicles which raise the bar in their | | | | together in such a well thought out package. Honda |
| respective segments.Honda CivicThe 2006 Honda | | | | has taken a different approach and made a truck |
| Civic is clearly the dominant player in its segment. | | | | that will satisfy people who need a truck for the |
| With 140hp standard, it offers more horsepower | | | | versatility, but who don't want a harsh ride and poor |
| than the previous generation. Clever engineering | | | | maneuverability. The Ridgeline is one of the rare |
| yields a completely flat floor for the middle backseat | | | | vehicles that will have a big impact on its segment, |
| passenger, and the two tier dash looks great yet | | | | making all of the competition better. And if the |
| serves its purpose by keeping your eyes on the | | | | competition doesn't get better, they won't be able to |
| road. The Civic sedan has morphed into a | | | | compete.Peter Johnson is the chief writer for |
| mini-Accord. This point is not lost on Honda as they | | | | all-about-car-selection. |