Step Wagon — or, as it was originally known, Step Wgn — is a highly popular people mover in Japan. Ever since the first version was introduced in 1996, the car has been admired for its user-friendliness and sumptuous interior space. But rivals such as

Toyota and Nissan have risen to the challenge, so Honda's latest compact minivan had to come up with something special again. Now the Civic-based Step Wagon features low floor construction and the same interior height as the previous model. But the vehicle's center of gravity has been lowered, making it even easier to handle. Inside are three rows of seats that can be reconfigured in a number of ways. A cool touch is the optional floor paneling for the second- and third-row seats. There's also a full-length laminated-safety-glass roof. Step Wagon is powered by 2.0-liter, four-cylinder and 2.4-liter, six-cylinder gasoline engines and it comes with a multitude of electronic gadgets, including intelligent cruise control, drive-by-wire electronic throttle and a collision mitigation system.