Overview & Reviews

Why are Honda vehicles so highly regarded by American drivers? Certainly, their excellent reputation for reliability and quality is a major factor. But it also has to do with the overall driving and owning experience. Read any Honda review and you'll likely notice common themes such as thoughtful design, a friendly nature, better-than-average fuel economy and attention to safety.

Japan-based Honda Motor Company was founded in 1948 by Soichiro Honda. The company got its start making motorbikes. Japan had been rendered cash poor and fuel-starved after World War II, and its citizens were hurting for an inexpensive, fuel-efficient mode of transportation. Honda's first motorcycles mated engines with bicycles to create a motorbike that was cheap to make and operate.

Honda's bikes quickly evolved into vehicles far more sophisticated than small engines stuck into bicycle frames. The manufacturer's 1949 D-Type could reach speeds of up to 50 mph, and offered front and rear suspension. The 1950s saw the launch of the successful Juno scooter, built to steal market share from the Vespa knockoffs that were popular in Japan at that time. In the latter part of that decade, Honda introduced the ultra-successful C100 Super Cub. The motorbike was remarkably easy to operate and featured a crossbar-free frame that made it popular with women. It went on to become the first Honda motorbike sold in the U.S. via then-new American Honda Co. in 1959.

By the early 1960s, Honda had built its first automobiles for the Japanese home market and entered Formula One racing. But it wasn't until 1970 that it exported its first car, the diminutive N600, to the U.S. The automaker initially had a hard time sparking interest among American buyers, but that all changed in 1973 with the introduction of the Civic. The car was larger than Honda's previous models even though it was still very petite compared to compact American cars. The Civic's high fuel efficiency (an important selling point given that decade's energy crisis) and affordability made it Honda's first American success story. By 1976, the Civic had been joined by the Accord, which quickly became a favorite with U.S. consumers as well.

By the 1980s, Honda's success and its reputation as a maker of well-built reliable cars and motorcycles continued to grow. It began building Accords in the U.S. in 1982 and by 1989 had earned the distinction of making America's most popular car. This was also the decade in which Honda created the Acura brand as a way to sell more upscale and luxurious vehicles. Throughout this decade and into the 1990s, the Civic and Accord were huge sellers and considered class benchmarks. Also during this time, Honda continued to innovate through such technologies as variable valve timing, aluminum body construction and improved safety features.

Today, Honda's lineup runs the gamut. Included are fuel-sipping hybrids, a spacious minivan, reliable family sedans, practical SUVs and even a pickup. Although the latest Civic and Accord aren't quite the benchmarks they once were for their respective classes, Honda's brand as a whole continues to be one of the most well respected in the industry, with millions of loyal and satisfied customers.

User Reviews:

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  Title free - 2019 Honda Accord Hybrid
  By Aryn patel - August 9 - 7:29 pm

  Less miles clean car no accidents

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  Hondas brand is not worth it - 2015 Honda Fit
  By Sahdaddyd - January 19 - 8:55 pm

  Ive owned my 2015 FIT for 4 months. It had a recall, and I also brought up a bluetooth issue sigh Spreen Honda. Here is where the fun begins. The bluetooth has software issues that Honda Corporate passes the buck as well as Spreen Honda. If you want a car where you can transport, its fine but dont count on Honda to resolve its known issues. Service manager at Spreen (Jim) concurred with me that the HandsFreeLink has issues. Honda Corporate was pulled in as well, and its a merry-go-round of pointing fingers. When I asked why cant I get the software of the Courtsey car, I was given an excuse that made me laugh. Silence of ones knowledge about programming is worth its weight in gold. Amanda from Honda corporate technical support tried to help, but Grace who I initially had contact with transferred me to a department that can do nothing. Thats what I call pass the buck. As of the date of this post, I remain in limbo. Its a pity that Honda points fingers, and sells inferior quality. Face it folks, audio is part of what you bought. How sorry I am that I every did business with Honda.

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  Dont ever buy the accord. - 2008 Honda Accord
  By Drew - January 15 - 5:04 am

  I brought this car because I needed something good on gas and not 30,000 dollars. - the rear brakes went bad at 40,000 miles - the front bumper stated sagging down from the Hood and headlights - cant get over the road noise. I blast the radio every time I drive it. - the car nudges when acceleration like the car not getting enough gas. Does have good power over 3500 rpm. - the seats are hard. Back hurts after long drives. Feels like you are sitting on a blanket with a piece of plywood on top. I thought when I brought it the seats would break in over time. Not this car. The seats are as hard as the day I got it. Now has 80000 miles on it. - chrome paint on grill is flaking off. Paint on hood started comming off. Looked like it was bubbling underneath the paint then every time I washed it I loosed paint. Has the hood painted at 50000 miles. I still cant get over the hood getting painted. I mean every time you get in the car and look out the window you always see the hood. - overall I still own the car. I wish I sold it to a couple who wanted it more than I did. Ive had Hondas in the past. But this one has the be the least one I like. The others were a 1986 crx. That was the most fun Honda I ever drove. It was fast good on gas everything. Next was a 1996 accord. It ran and drive fine when I sold it. Nothing went wrong with it. All said and done. For new honda owners test driving a car does not tell you everything. I know a lot of cars have the good things and the bad things about them. I brought my honda because at the time were the best selling cars. It looked cool sporty and in my price range. My 1990 mustang looks better and had no problems like the accord. But I dont think Ill buy another Honda. Ever

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  Thumbs down on CRV - 2014 Honda CR-V
  By Chris - January 14 - 5:45 am

  Tinny and unsafe unpredictable driving in New England weather. Slid right through a red light today - braking and AWD useless - no problem though for the little Prius in front of me! This vehicle has been disappointing since day one and is very overrated. MPG is 22.5 at best. Does not hold its value- I owe more than it is worth . Owned Jeeps for 20 years and loved them. Did not consider another one due to Chrysler Corps and local dealership very poor customer backing and service. They do not stand by their customers or honor warrantys so that is why I did not consider doing business with Jeep/Chrysler . Definitely not impressed with Honda though. Probably go back to Jeep - at least I will feel safer while driving in New England winter weather and will not depend on customer backing by Chrysler or dealership.

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  Not that great - 2005 Honda CR-V
  By Lydia - January 13 - 9:09 pm

  I cant say this car breaks down a lot but it was cheaply made. I was borrowing my moms car for a while and I can say right off that my 1998 Chevy Blazer does way better than it. To start with its not that great in the snow. The four wheel drive does fine, but as far as the ABS goes, its terrible. ABS is supposed to keep a car from sliding in the snow, but this one, pfft, it slides anyway and instead this VSA thing they installed comes alive when its not supposed to which is supposed to help the car when its turning. The other thing about it is safety issues. The breaks arent great either, they dont stop as fast as other cars do. I mean if you live somewhere where there isnt a lot of snow, Im sure its not a bad car. It gets you from A to B doesnt have any horrible engine or tranny issues. But I wouldnt recommend it for snow country.

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  Lots of small problems - 2012 Honda Odyssey
  By Don - December 30 - 8:11 pm

  The oil pan leaked off of the lot, steering column squeaks, the headrest forces your head to tilt down, and the sliding door roller makes a pulsing/tapping sound. This car has been garaged and parts are defective from the factory.

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  Very high maintenance costs and unreliable - 2012 Honda Ridgeline
  By John K - December 21 - 11:11 am

  Very disappointed is several areas. There is always something breaking. -After 2 years the third brake light assembly broke off the truck on the highway. It was out of warranty. Honda USA was no help even though it is a pretty well documented problem on forums. Quote from the dealer $800. Radio never worked well, but found out the antenna was located in the third brake light assembly. - brakes are paper. I do highway driving. 3 sets of brakes in 3 years. I know its operator influenced, but Ive never had this in any other vehicle. - left front axle blew out after 3 years. - timing belt on a truck? really. My bad for not researching more thoroughly. $900 along with spark plugs and valve adjustment due at the same time for an additional $600. - virtually every oil change at is accompanied by either differential, transmission, or coolant change. Why are other vehicles rated for 60-100K between fluid changes? Seats are very rigid and uncomfortable for moderate to long rides. The interior design is perplexing. Why put the Aux cord input in the dash on the passenger side? Also, the space below the middle console is wasted space. You cant get to it without having everything from the top space fall into it. Interior seat material scratches very easily. Would not recommend this truck. Im sure the value is going to drop through the floor once they introduce the new model.

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  glitchy electronics - 2013 Honda Accord
  By sergey kharitonov - December 13 - 11:24 am

  if you buying this car. leave the headlight and hazards on for 4 min. and if it starts then dont worry about it...if it doesnt starts after 4 min..RUN AWAY or carry a jump pack in the car

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  Disappointed to say the least - 2012 Honda Odyssey
  By CN - December 8 - 2:41 pm

  After a dismal experience with a 2011 Toyota Sienna, which we purchased new, we bought the Odyssey in large part based on the 140,000 trouble-free miles put on our 2003 Odyssey. Initially, all was well. But, in two years and a tad under 50,000 miles, we had to replace the power steering pump and transmission (though that took four trips to the dealer before Honda relented). There was also a chronic grinding/whining noise that intermittently came from the a/c compressor and was never fixed. Not wanting to risk more failures, we traded it in for a 2014 Odyssey before the warranty ran out. Eighteen months and 31,000 miles into the 2014 model, it has been trouble-free, just like the 2003 model.

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  Vibration - 2015 Honda CR-V
  By Reed - December 6 - 7:00 pm

  I purchased a new 2015 Honda CRV in August 2015. I had read a review that stated it was the SUV of the year and some other publications seem to echo good quality... However it turns out there is a known issue with the 2015 version of the CRV that causes the car to vibrate. Its a issue with the new CVT and engine combination they used in the 2015 version of the CRV. I only test drove the car for a short time and did not notice the issue but it turns out that if you have the lights on and the AC on full you will not notice as it forces the car to be in a higher RPM range (all the time). I test drove this in the summer and so the AC was on. The day I went in to sign the final paperwork for the car I asked about the vibration issues as I had read some real reviews from real customers complaining about it and was told its nothing to worry about. Well turns out that when it got colder I started to have more and more of the vibrations. I took the car in multiple times to have them try to fix it. None of the fixes completely resolves the issue it just makes them less noticeable. I even had the newest fix done in December 2015 where they had to replace parts of the car... to try and fix all 3 modes of the issue... Still not fixed this car was too expensive to just deal with. A 30k car should be basically perfect, thats premium car price range. If I had been told the about the issue by the dealer I would not have purchased this car. I would have happily purchased the HRV or maybe even an accord. Now I have lost hours and hours of my life researching this issue and taking it in to get it fixed and its still not. I also asked the dealer if they would trade the CRV and they said they would not since they would then have to deal with it. They also just told me to talk to Honda directly. (I am in contact with Honda directly now we will see where that goes...) So to be fair this is in part Hondas issue but it was also the dealer that did not disclose the information to me. Otherwise the dealer did a decent job... price was average and they were nice enough but that does not matter given my car is not what I expected. I cant stand the vibration personally (some people claim to not notice). I am now going to have to take a loss of thousands of dollars trading it in on something else that does not vibrate. Take a look at what people on crvownersclub.com search form for "CRV 2015 vibration" I am not the only one...