This is just my opinion, but no one auto manufacturer is better than any other; they all appeal to different people for different reasons. Regarding your question, I believe why some people hold Honda in higher regard than BMW is because an average Honda is less expensive to buy, own, and 'tune'. Acura has received accolades recently for being one of the most refined upscale car manufacturers. Honda ranks in the top 5 for quality overall. However, BMW is right behind them and in fact BMW beats Acura in recent quality surveys (http://www.jdpower.com/autos/ratings...ngs-by-brand). If you were to look at performance and the less-quantitative fun-to-drive quotient, the average BMW beats the average Honda hands-down. Don't believe me, go for a test drive and decide for yourself. BMW's engineering is truly top-notch and they have a longer racing heritage than Honda. The greatest distinction in my opinion is that BMW targets a specific demographic of buyers while Honda aims to build cars for the masses, and this compromise is transparent in every aspect of both makes.