microcarfan
  • Kei car
  • Japan
  • Four wheels
  • Front-wheel drive

Honda Life

Also known as ホンダ・ライフ, Life Step Van, Life Pickup, Life Touring, Life Wagon

Honda’s second-generation kei car lasted under four years before Honda gave its factory to the Civic. It left behind a tall, flat-floored little van, the Life Step Van, which sold poorly and in whose packaging Japanese sources see today’s kei tall wagons.

Yellow small two-door saloon with round headlamps either side of a chrome grille and wing mirrors, on a grey museum floor.
A yellow 1971 Honda Life saloon in the Honda Collection Hall in 2014.Photo: Rainmaker47, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

At a glance

The spec plate

Honda Life

SA saloon · Honda Motor

Built
1971–⁠1974Launched on 1 June 1971; the whole range ended in October 1974
Country
Japan
Maker
Honda Motor
Engine
356 cc water-cooled SOHC twinThe EA, across the front, with a balancer shaft and a timing belt
Power
30 PS22 kW at 8,000 rpm; 36 PS for the Touring of 1972, 21 PS for the Life Town
Wheels
4Engine across the front, driving the front wheels
Price new
¥350,000The cheapest grade, by English Wikipedia; the Step Van ¥376,000 in 1972
Production
358,020New registrations of the whole first-generation range, by Japanese Wikipedia; treat with caution
Top speed
105km/h105 km/h

Not yet recordedlength, weight and seats.

How big is it?

True proportion

Length unknown

No reliable length has been found. The Fiat 500, the Peel P50 and the adult stay, so the gap is shown, not hidden.

  • Wheelbase 2,080 mm (82 in), 80 mm longer than the N360’s1
  • No length or weight for the saloon was found in the sources read
Drawn at true proportion. The track is 3.6 metres long; the adult stands at the same scale. The Peel P50 is the smallest production car, on every page for comparison.

Beside its contemporaries

The Japanese microcars on the road in 1971, on the same 3.5 m scale. Lengths of cars without a page yet come from the census and are unverified.

  1. Daihatsu Midget1957–⁠1972 · Japan

    2.54 m

  2. Daihatsu Hijet1960– · Japan

    2.99 m

  3. Subaru Sambar1961–⁠2012 · Japan

    2.99 m

  4. Daihatsu Fellow Max1970–⁠1977 · Japan

    3.00 m

  5. Honda N3601967–⁠1972 · Japan

    3.00 m

  6. Honda Vamos1970–⁠1973 · Japan

    3.00 m

  7. Honda Z1970–⁠1974 · Japan

    3.00 m

  8. Mitsubishi Minica1962–⁠1989 · Japan

    3.00 m

  9. Subaru R‑21969–⁠1973 · Japan

    3.00 m

  10. Suzuki Fronte1967–⁠1989 · Japan

    3.00 m

  11. Suzuki Fronte Coupé1971–⁠1976 · Japan

    3.00 m

  12. Suzuki Jimny1970–⁠1981 · Japan

    3.00 m

  13. Honda Life1971–⁠1974 · Japan

The story

History

The Life was launched on 1 June 1971 to replace the Honda N360, and it was Honda’s first four-door kei car.2 It was meant as a family car with as much room as a one-litre car of its day.1 The engine was new: the EA, a water-cooled 356 cc twin with an overhead camshaft, whose 30 PS (22 kW) came at 8,000 rpm. Water cooling cured the N360’s weak heater and its smell of oil, and the gearbox now sat end-on to the engine, rather than in its sump.21 Japanese Wikipedia calls the EA the first Japanese car engine with a timing belt; English Wikipedia says it shared the belt with the Civic.21 Its balancer shaft was a patent of the Honda engineer Nakamura Yoshio from his time at Tōkyū Kurogane, the maker of the Kurogane Baby, and other makers followed with engines like it.2 The wheelbase was 2,080 mm (82 in), 80 mm longer than the N360’s.1

For town drivers there was the Life Town, at no extra cost: a low-compression engine of 21 PS with three speeds and a top speed of 90 km/h (56 mph).1 A three-speed automatic with a column shift followed in July 1971, then a light van in September and, in October, the Wagon, the van for private use.21 The Touring of May 1972 had twin constant-velocity carburettors and 36 PS at 9,000 rpm, and its GS had a dog-leg five-speed gearbox and would reach 120 km/h (75 mph).21 Honda’s release list adds a Life TWIN to the four-door range that August.3 English Wikipedia reports an unnamed period test that found the engine refined, as quiet and smooth as some fours, with 0–100 km/h in 34.9 seconds.1 Four-door Lifes went to Australia from the middle of 1972.1

The Step Van

The Life Step Van went on sale on 20 September 1972. It kept a front engine and front-wheel drive, and behind them stood a tall semi-cab-over body on a flat, low floor, with three or five doors. It cost ¥376,000, or ¥403,000 as the Super DX, and came only with a four-speed manual gearbox.21 It weighed 605 kg (1,330 lb) and carried 300 kg with two aboard or 200 kg with four. (Its working cousins are on our page of micro-vans.)1 The Lane Motor Museum lists its small kindnesses: a slot in the glovebox for posting cheques, a holder for a pen, and a glovebox lid that folds out as a desk.4

The Honda Life Step Van was Japan’s first microvan.

The Lane Motor Museum, Nashville, on its 1973 Step Van (undated).4

That depends on the definition, since cab-over kei vans such as the Subaru Sambar of 1961 came first. Japanese Wikipedia makes a claim that holds up better: the Step Van embodied the packaging of today’s kei tall wagons.2 In its own day it failed. Honda had planned for 2,000 a month, and only 17,165 were built.14 The Life Pickup of 21 August 1973 did worse: no more than 1,132.21

Given up for the Civic

In October 1974 Honda ended the Life, the Step Van and the Pickup, along with the Honda Z, so that its car plant could concentrate on the Civic, which sold all over the world.21 Japanese Wikipedia adds other reasons: the kei market had shrunk since kei cars had become subject to roadworthiness inspections; the cheapest Life cost over ¥350,000, against about ¥400,000 for a Civic; and the two cost almost the same to build.2 By its count, 358,020 Lifes of all kinds had been registered by the month before sales ended, a figure it gives again, suspiciously, for the Life of 1997.2

The name came back in 1997, on a kei tall wagon billed as the Step Van reborn, and lasted until April 2014.2 The Step Van itself has a second life in the video games Gran Turismo 4, Gran Turismo for the PSP, Gran Turismo 5 and Gran Turismo 6.1

Pale grey tall small van with round headlamps and HONDA letters on its nose, beside an information panel on a museum floor.
A 1972 Life Step Van at Honda’s Collection Hall, Motegi, in 2014.Photo: Rainmaker47, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Rear of a green tall small van with its top-hinged tailgate and drop-down tail flap open, showing a Honda cushion inside.
A green 1974 Step Van with its tall tailgate open, at a meeting in Gifu in 2023.Photo: 先従隗始, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
White small pick-up with a short nose, round headlamps and HONDA letters, on a museum floor beside a pale van.
A white Life Pickup, of which no more than 1,132 were built, in Honda’s museum at Motegi in 2009.Photo: Kzaral, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Honda Today

1985–⁠1990 · a record on this page

Little is recorded of the Today. They say only that after the Life, Honda had no kei passenger car until the Today: its commercial version came in 1985, and the passenger car in 1988.21

Pictures

More photographs, old and new

The car 20

  • Weathered white small two-door saloon with round headlamps and a dark grille, on an indoor floor beside a pick-up truck. Opens a larger view

    1 A white 1973 Honda Life GF at an event at M-Wave, Japan, in 2026.

  • Silver-grey small four-door saloon with rally number 68 on its doors and bonnet, driving past a marshal on tarmac. Opens a larger view

    2 A silver 1973 Honda Life Twin Super Deluxe at the 35th Toyota Automobile Museum Classic Car Festival in 2025.

  • Pale green small four-door saloon with round headlamps, auxiliary lamps and a chrome grille, a notice on the dashboard. Opens a larger view

    3 A green Honda Life Deluxe four-door at a show in 2011.

  • White small two-door saloon with round headlamps, a slatted grille and silver bumpers, on a polished floor among classic cars. Opens a larger view

    4 A white first-generation Honda Life at an indoor show in 2010.

  • Silver small four-door saloon with round headlamps and a chrome-edged grille, parked beside a white saloon. Opens a larger view

    5 A silver Honda Life GFL four-door, photographed in 2014.

15 more picturesFewer pictures
  • White small four-door saloon with a chrome grille, round headlamps and bronze wheels, in front of a green car and a blue tent. Opens a larger view

    6 A white Honda Life four-door with bronze wheels at a show in 2009.

  • Beige tall small van with a white roof and bumper and a white grille surround, parked by a stone wall and hedges. Opens a larger view

    7 A beige Honda Life Step Van on a street in Japan in 2012.

  • Side view of a white small pick-up with a tall cab and black wheels, behind red cones and a chain in front of a green wall. Opens a larger view

    8 A white Honda Life Pickup in profile.

  • Pale blue-grey small four-door saloon in side-on view before a glass-fronted building. Opens a larger view

    9 A pale blue Honda Life Super Deluxe four-door at M-Wave, Japan, in 2026.

  • Rear quarter of a green small estate with a road-safety poster in its rear window, parked on gravel among other cars. Opens a larger view

    10 A green 1972 Honda Life Wagon from the rear quarter.

  • Rear quarter of a dark green small three-door van with a number 21 on its door, on a lawn with classic cars behind. Opens a larger view

    11 A 1974 Honda Life Van Deluxe from the rear quarter.

  • Rear quarter of a white small two-door saloon with alloy wheels and tall tail lamps, on a polished floor, visitors behind. Opens a larger view

    12 A white first-generation Honda Life from the rear quarter in 2010.

  • Rear quarter of a black small four-door saloon with gold wheels and a GFL badge, visitors and other cars behind. Opens a larger view

    13 A black Honda Life GFL from the rear quarter, at a show in 2013.

  • Rear quarter of a white small pick-up with a short load bed, parked behind a traffic cone and a chain in front of a green building. Opens a larger view

    14 A white Honda Life Pickup from the rear quarter, showing its short bed.

  • Rear quarter of a pale blue-grey small four-door saloon parked on concrete, a man with a phone by steps behind. Opens a larger view

    15 A blue Honda Life Super Deluxe four-door from the rear quarter in 2026.

  • Rear quarter of a tall grey boxy small van with a large tailgate window, parked on grass with picnic bags beside a wheel. Opens a larger view

    16 A Honda Life Step Van from the rear quarter at Japan Classic Sunday in the Netherlands in 2023, with its tall tailgate.

  • Tall grey boxy small van with a short nose, round headlamps, a white bonnet panel and Honda lettering, parked on grass at a show. Opens a larger view

    17 A grey Honda Life Step Van, registered in 1975, at Japan Classic Sunday in the Netherlands in 2023.

  • Red small four-door saloon with round headlamps, a black grille with the H badge and fog lamps, a show number on the windscreen. Opens a larger view

    18 A red Honda Life Touring GR at a show in 2010.

  • Turquoise and white small pick-up seen from behind, towing a small two-wheeled trailer in the same colours across a car park. Opens a larger view

    19 A blue and white Honda Life Pickup towing a matching trailer at a car meeting in 2008.

  • Yellow small two-door saloon with round headlamps, behind stanchions and a chain on a museum floor, with other classic cars around. Opens a larger view

    20 A yellow 1972 Honda Life at the Motor Museum of Western Australia in 2019.

Inside and details 6

  • Small car cabin: black dashboard with round dials and a radio, thin steering wheel, tan door panels and seats, a cloth on the dash. Opens a larger view

    21 The dashboard and tan seats of a Honda Life SA four-door.

  • Black dashboard with a large two-spoke steering wheel, round dials and air vents, a yellow door panel and blue seat at the side. Opens a larger view

    22 The dashboard of the 1972 Honda Life at the Motor Museum of Western Australia.

  • Green-painted cabin with a thin steering wheel, a long flat dashboard tray and black and white seats, seen through the open door. Opens a larger view

    23 The cabin of a green Honda Life Step Van, with its flat dashboard shelf.

  • Open bonnet over a small engine with a large round orange air cleaner, a battery and hoses, the bodywork weathered. Opens a larger view

    24 The EA twin in the engine bay of a 1973 Honda Life Twin Super Deluxe.

  • Engine bay with an orange round air cleaner and a yellow cam cover, blue wiring and a battery, the paint rusting at the edges. Opens a larger view

    25 The EA twin in the engine bay of a Honda Life Pickup.

  • Chrome Honda H badge above a Super Deluxe script plate on mustard yellow paint, beside a door shut line. Opens a larger view

    26 The Honda and Super Deluxe badges on a yellow Life saloon in 2024.

Variants and relatives 5

  • Green small three-door estate with round headlamps and a chrome grille, parked on a gravel field next to a blue car. Opens a larger view

    27 A green 1972 Honda Life Wagon Super Deluxe at a show in 2014.

  • Dark green small three-door van with round headlamps and a chrome grille, parked on a dry lawn, a man walking behind. Opens a larger view

    28 A dark green 1974 Honda Life Van Deluxe at a show in 2014.

  • White small pick-up with a short nose, round headlamps and a tall cab, parked behind red traffic cones and a chain. Opens a larger view

    29 A white Honda Life Pickup in Japan in 2021.

  • Tall white boxy small van with round headlamps and a slatted grille with Honda letters, a notice on the dashboard, a red car beside it. Opens a larger view

    30 A white 1974 Honda Life Step Van at a show in 2023.

  • Pale green tall small van with a white stripe on its nose and a Japanese plate, parked on grass with a bag beside it. Opens a larger view

    31 A green 1974 Honda Life Step Van five-door at the Onkochishin spring meeting in Gifu in 2024.

Picture credits (31)
  1. 1 TTTNIS, CC0
  2. 2 TTTNIS, CC0
  3. 3 Ypy31, CC0
  4. 4 TTTNIS, Public domain
  5. 5 TTTNIS, Public domain
  6. 6 Ypy31, Public domain
  7. 7 Liquid buffer, CC BY-SA 3.0
  8. 8 Tokumeigakarinoaoshima, CC BY-SA 4.0
  9. 9 TTTNIS, CC0
  10. 10 TTTNIS, CC0
  11. 11 TTTNIS, CC0
  12. 12 TTTNIS, Public domain
  13. 13 TTTNIS, Public domain
  14. 14 Tokumeigakarinoaoshima, CC BY-SA 4.0
  15. 15 TTTNIS, CC0
  16. 16 Rutger van der Maar, CC BY 2.0
  17. 17 Rutger van der Maar, CC BY 2.0
  18. 18 Ypy31, CC0
  19. 19 Tennen-Gas, CC BY-SA 3.0
  20. 20 ZidaneHartono, CC BY-SA 4.0
  21. 21 Ypy31, Public domain
  22. 22 ZidaneHartono, CC BY-SA 4.0
  23. 23 先従隗始, CC0
  24. 24 TTTNIS, CC0
  25. 25 Tennen-Gas, CC BY-SA 3.0
  26. 26 先従隗始, CC0
  27. 27 TTTNIS, CC0
  28. 28 TTTNIS, CC0
  29. 29 Tokumeigakarinoaoshima, CC BY-SA 4.0
  30. 30 TTTNIS, CC0
  31. 31 先従隗始, CC0

Variants

Six bodies and engines

The first Honda Life, 1971–⁠74
VariantYearsWhat differsHow many
Life saloon (SA)1971–⁠74Two or four doors; EA twin, 30 PSIn the 358,020
Life Town1971–⁠72A low-compression engine of 21 PS and three speeds, for town use, at no extra costNot found
Life Van, Wagon (VA, WA)1971–⁠74Three doors; the Wagon the van for private useNot found
Life Touring1972–⁠74Twin carburettors, 36 PS; the GS with five speedsNot found
Life Step Van (VA)1972–⁠74A tall semi-cab-over van with a flat, low floor; four speeds only17,165
Life Pickup (PA)1973–⁠74A pick-up carrying 350 kgNo more than 1,132

Specification

The Life saloon of 1971 unless noted

Engine and drive

EngineHonda EA, water-cooled four-stroke SOHC in-line twin, with a balancer shaft and a timing belt21
Capacity356 cc (21.7 cu in)1
Power30 PS (22 kW) at 8,000 rpm14Touring 36 PS at 9,000 rpm; Life Town 21 PS at 6,500 rpm
GearboxFour-speed manual, set end-on to the engine; a three-speed automatic from July 197121Five speeds for the Touring GS, three for the Life Town
DriveFront wheels21

Body and chassis

BodiesTwo- and four-door saloon, three-door van and wagon, Step Van with three or five doors, pick-up21
Wheelbase2,080 mm (82 in)1
Length and weightNot found

The Life Step Van of 1972

EngineEA, 356 cc, 30 PS, four-speed manual only14
Weight605 kg (1,330 lb)1
Payload300 kg (660 lb) with two aboard, 200 kg with four1
Price¥376,000, or ¥403,000 for the Super DX14

Performance and running

Top speed105 km/h (65 mph)1120 km/h for the Touring GS; 90 km/h for the Life Town
0–100 km/h34.9 seconds, in a period test English Wikipedia does not name1
PriceAbout ¥350,000 for the cheapest grade21

How many were built?

A total, and two small counts

About 358,000 registeredJapanese Wikipedia gives 358,020 new registrations for the first-generation range, counted to the month before sales ended. It gives the same figure again for the Life of 1997, which makes it suspect, but it sits more naturally with the first generation, and we state it with that caution. The Step Van’s 17,165 comes from English Wikipedia and the Lane Motor Museum, which agree but may not be independent.

  1. 358,020all first-generation Lifes, new registrations, 1971–⁠74One source

    Japanese Wikipedia2

  2. 17,165Life Step VanOne source

    English Wikipedia1

  3. 17,165Life Step VanOne source

    the Lane Motor Museum4

  4. no more than 1,132Life PickupOne source

    English Wikipedia1

  • Two sources agreetwo good sources give the figure
  • One sourcea good source, alone
  • Unconfirmeda lead only, not yet checked

Famous for

Three points

  1. The tall van

    The Step Van of 1972 foreshadowed today’s kei tall wagons.2

  2. Four doors

    Honda’s first four-door kei car, and, Japanese Wikipedia says, the first Japanese car engine with a timing belt.2

  3. Given up

    Ended after under four years, so that Honda’s plant could concentrate on the Civic.21

Survivors and collecting

Today

Neither a survivor count nor an auction result has turned up. Nashville’s Lane Motor Museum owns a 1973 Step Van.4 The photographs on this page show Lifes at Honda’s own museum at Motegi and the Motor Museum of Western Australia, and Step Vans at meetings in Gifu and in the Netherlands.

Sources

Numbered as in the text

No period road test was read; Honda’s own press releases could be read only as a list of titles and dates. The history rests on Japanese and English Wikipedia, with the Lane Motor Museum for the Step Van. Sources are given as plain text; the links are on the Credits page.

  1. English Wikipedia, Honda Life, the first generation, the Step Van and the Pickup, read in full.
  2. Japanese Wikipedia, Honda Life (ホンダ・ライフ), the first-generation section, read in full; it cites Honda’s press room.
  3. Honda, press-release archive, Life (1971–), the list of release titles and dates only.
  4. Lane Motor Museum, “Honda Life Step Van – 1973”, collection page, read in full.