Is Honda unique?

[dgs49]

Honda does something that no other similar company does. Honda develops unique vehicles, makes them for many years with no significant changes, then puts them to bed. In many cases, nothing else compares with these vehicles, for better or worse. I have owned a couple of them myself.

the Honda Pacific Coast motorcycle was such a vehIcle. It was a medium sized bike, fully enclosed in plastic, including inboard storage that was larger and better than any accessory saddlebags. It required an absolute minumum of maintenance and upkeep. Nothing else like it. They made it for several,years, then quit.

The ST1100 was the same thing. The perfect sport touring bike, sold for more than a decade with no changes. BmW and others make similar types of bike, but nothing very close. The Yamaha FJR was a copy that sold only a fraction of the ST's numbers.

I drive a Honda Element. Again, there is nothing else exactly like it. What else has clamshell doors? No other small ute has anywhere near the utility as the Element. the only reason they stopped making it was because everyone who wanted one had one, and there was no way to improve it.

Look at the Ridgeline. Different from every other truck, unchanged for years.

Think about the Prelude. One could argue that it was the same concept as the Scirocco, but how can you make a sporty car that has the same drivetrain - a four-banger, no less - as a mundane coupe,and sedan? Honda did it for years.

There are many other examples. The VFR, the S2000, the NSX.

What other company does this?

[Jarlaxle]

Think about the Prelude. One could argue that it was the same concept as the Scirocco, but how can you make a sporty car that has the same drivetrain - a four-banger, no less - as a mundane coupe,and sedan? Honda did it for years.

The Scirocco's running gear was lifted intact from the Golf & Jetta. For that matter, the Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V is no more than a Sentra with the bigger engine from an Altima. I recall the Toyota MR2 uses the Celica's drivetrain. The Ford Probe and Mazda MX6 were on the Mazda 626's running gear. Heck, even the little Mercury Capri (built in Campbellfield, Australia) was based on the mundane Mazda 323. The Capri XR2 turbo (a nice little pocket rocket) was based off the rare 323 turbo.

[Econoline]

Mostly agree with you here, Dave (though didn't GM introduce the Avalanche before the Ridgeline came out?)...and I'm surprised you didn't also mention the original (1999-2006) 70 mpg Honda Insight, the first hybrid car available in the US.

[Crackpot]

"Specialty cars" aren't solely the domain of Honda. But most "specialities" fall in a higher price range. (The PT Cruiser is the only other recent low price specialty that comes readily to mind). That being said Honda isn't short on it's long running nameplates either. Perhaps they're just more willing than most totty something new. Hard to say without knowing their sales or marketing strategies.

[MajGenl.Meade]

Perhaps they're just more willing than most totty

Well that certainly would make them unique

[Crackpot]

Damn auto correct

[dgs49]

I guess what I'm referring to is their willingness to do something that is totally different from what everyone else is doing, because (apparently) their independent research has indicated that there is a need and nothing else out there to fulfill it.

The Honda Ridgeline was unlike anything else, and had no significant variations. You got a 4-door truck with a short bed, and a bizarre shape that (I believe) added structural rigidity. It wasn't a copy of what anyone else had, and nobody has copied it since. And Honda has kept it exactly the same for a long time.

Look at the Goldwing. Nobody had ever come out with a water-cooled, opposed-4 for a motorcycle, and nobody has done it since. The idea seemed positively wierd when it first came out, but Honda didn't care. It quickly evolved into a full-dress touring bike that remains absolutely at the top of the heap, and no manufacturer has even tried to copy it.

I'll give you the Ford Probe, but keep in mind that the 4-banger was basically a "secretary's car," and the "real" Probe was the GT. The parallel would work better if the V-6 were not on the options list. The point is that the Prelude was sold as a sporty car but they never seriously tried to give it a pair of balls. They just felt it was right the way it was.

[Crackpot]

The Probe was supposed to be the Mustang but enthusiasts threw a fit over the idea of a fwd Mustang hence the Probe and the extremely long lived Fox body

[dgs49]

I don't disagree. It was unfortunate that they couldn't successfully carry the Probe AND the Mustang (for long), as the Probe was a pretty decent car in its own right.

[Crackpot]

The Probe suffered the same problem most entry level GM vehicles. it looked like crap in it's base configuration.