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:

• 

  ok - 2007 Honda CR-V
  By SomeOne - March 14 - 6:55 pm

  1 yr and 12,000 miles later: Overall we like the car. Things that stand out and we like: - smooth ride - mpg meter (instant and average) - service reminder. The issues i can think of are: - very hard seats, butt hurts after 2 hrs of long distance driving - have never achieved the rated mpg, even on hwy. Best case is about 26 mpg on hwy, not sure about city. - base sound system could be improved - interior plastic scratches real easy and is very difficult to remove scratches. - car seems to pull to either side very easily depending on slant in the road. My other cars never did as much.

• 

  No More Hondas for this Family - 2006 Honda Odyssey
  By Busy Mom - March 4 - 3:06 pm

  This is our second Odyssey (first was an 04) and it will be our last. Main reason for purchase was improved fuel economy from the VCM transmission and it has performed horribly (avg 15 mpg city) which is where most of the driving is done. Dealership says they need to have it for 3 days to simulate fuel economy before they will evaluate to see if problem exists with VCM, but they wont give us a loaner! Have had both the fuel pump belt and the fuel pump replaced already, and it only has 19,000 miles. We are 5 time Honda owners (two Civics, two Odysseys and a Pilot), and this will be our last. Looking at Toyotas next! Someone needs to introduce a hybrid minivan to the US market!

• 

  2017 Ridgeline; vibration issues due to poor VCM - 2017 Honda Ridgeline
  By Michael Faircloth - March 3 - 5:44 pm

  I have the RTL-T front wheel drive. It is a nice truck, but I started off out the dealership with vibration issues. We fixed several noise issues along the way to figuring out that the truck has an issue with a poor design in the valve control management system (I say this; Honda says it is a feature of the truck). It has been a year now (10k miles) and all I have is a case number with Honda. I also feel the vibration sometimes during normal driving at low speeds, but it really shows up in cruise control. If you test drive one, make sure you find a road with inclines and declines and engage the cruise control. Do this for many miles to make sure your model doesnt do this. I test drove an all wheel model for comparison and the issue was not there. All in all, I like my truck as long as I dont use cruise control; when I do use it, I regret buying it.

• 

  Dont worry, I got the bad one - 2005 Honda Odyssey
  By rotorfitz - March 2 - 2:00 pm

  Where to start? We have to replace the left sliding door seal since the van whistles like a canary. The CD player forwards constantly and will be replaced also; that part has been "on order" for a month. There is a hard knock at 12 mph that cant be troubleshot. The gas mileage is at best 15 city MPG/23 highway. 9,000 miles on it, easy driving conditions, not hauling a.. all over town. This is my 4th Honda (loved the CRX, Civic, Accord) and the 1st I truly dislike. I know it will not break down on me but....this is annoying.

• 

  Good build but MPG bad - 2007 Honda Odyssey
  By gamed - February 29 - 12:40 am

  Cant complain about the build or interior. Very poor gas mileage at 12- 13 MPG city. Been trying to drive like Grandma to see if it improves but even then it barely makes 15 MPG. And yes Im on my 3rd oil change so its broken in. Its a minivan so didnt expect 30 MPG but its no where near what the sticker promised. The transmission is real chunky - shifts are not smooth and doesnt handle hills well which doesnt help the MPG. And handling isnt at all car-like - more like a truck. In this era of $4-5 gas the Odyssey just doesnt make sense - I would have been better off with a Sienna or a Caravan. I am really ticked off that Honda lied about the MPG - first and last Honda I buy.

• 

  Noise - 2005 Honda Odyssey
  By Leslie - February 26 - 6:00 pm

  While so much seems fine we are having a lot of trouble with the exhaust. It seems when the car is at 2000 rpm there is a loud vibration noise under your foot on the gas pedal and under the seat of the passenger side. Weve brought it back to Curry Honda twice and they have said it is a feature with the car and not to worry. However it is extrememly annoying to drive.

• 

  20/28 mpg, not quite! - 2006 Honda Odyssey
  By craig - February 20 - 2:30 am

  Its a pretty decent vehicle, although we miss the comfort of our Chrysler LXI. The Chrysler was quieter and drove more like a car. The brakes in the Honda and other safety features are far superior though. The two things that just frost me are the fact that the sticker mileage was lets just say -- inaccurate. Yea, I know your mileage may vary but I expect to be able to at least compare these numbers with other vehicles. Were getting 15 in the city and 18 on the highway with no execptional demand on the car! Thats less than my gas guzzling neighbors Suburban! I brought it to Hondas attention and they said your mileage may vary

• 

  Excellent on technology; falters on audio & shifts - 2016 Honda Accord
  By Tim Stockton - February 14 - 6:21 pm

  Overall this is a very good car, but I have two main issues with it: the sound system is poor, and the transmission "jerks" the driver as it shifts. The sound system does not handle highs and lows of sound properly. I expect much more out of the "premium" seven speaker sound system I paid extra to add onto this car. On researching the issue, it is apparently inherent in the output for noise canceling in order to keep the care quiet. But it ends up making the audio terrible. There used to be a solution to this as described on internet forums: what you would do is open up a secret menu on the screen, then set "FLAT" to off. But, in newer versions of the car Honda has taken the ability to modify this feature away. Thus I am stuck with this terrible sound. The second issue I have with the car is the transmission. When upshifting or downshifting there is a noticeable "jolt" or "jerk" to the car. This is FAR worse in cold weather. If you live in a climate that is cold year round, I would avoid purchasing this car. From what I have read, this is somehow due to government requirements to implement shifting to keep gas usage low (supposedly). Besides these jerks, the car with v6 engine does accelerate fast. Otherwise, the main way the car shines is with its tech. The lane sensing ability is pretty good at staying in lanes. If you let go of the steering wheel, the car will beep at you after about 30 seconds to touch the wheel again. You can get the car to fully take on lane sensing by just lightly putting pressure on the wheel but letting it do all the work. Careful on turns and at exits - it tends to lose its way. Adaptive cruise control is a feature I never knew I needed. This dramatically increased safety on the highway, highly decreasing your chances of hitting any car. But if you are in a high traffic area, best to turn it off. The car leaves too big of a gap in that case and lets other cars sneak in front of you. Then the car smashes the brakes to but another gap in between you. Its not too much of an issue once you get to know your car but can be annoying. Theres a right sided blind spot camera thats neat but for some reason not one on the left side. If you accelerate toward a car to fast and get to close, an orange light beeps at you to warn you. Its helpful. The display panel interface is pretty wonky to use, not user friendly. Apple Carplay is an amazing addition (its not easier to use by touch than just using your phone, but it does look very nice on the screen. The integration with Siri comes in handy. I find myself using it to navigate). The car seems to be tight on steering. Overall the car is very quiet. Bottom line, this is a very good car. But the problems with the sound system and transmission hurt its performance. At $30K for a V6 touring Honda Accord, I cant help but think Id be better off with an Audi.

• 

  Not enough power for Texas summer - 2010 Honda Insight
  By In Texas - February 6 - 11:23 pm

  Although I look like sportiness of the car, dont buy it if you live somewhere hot like Texas. When you come to a stoplight, the A/C turns off. You can override by turning off the Econ button, but then what is the point of having a hybrid. Ive also found it doesnt have enough power to accelerate when merging into traffic with the hills we have here. Ive owned Hondas for 25 years and was adamant about not getting a Prius, but now Im regretting it. I do like the ability to see gas mileage and how my driving affects it, and Im getting good gas mileage, although not as good as my Prius friends.

• 

  Last honda - 2011 Honda Odyssey
  By Ian - February 6 - 9:06 am

  Hondas are over rated for some reason. I havent faced any major issues with this minivan but it has a lot of minor issues. I bought it new in 2010 and keep all maintenance current. Cons: 1) Battery management system acted up within a few months of purchase. Honda updated the software and supposedly fixed the issue of constant system warning, but I think they just turned the system completely off. 2) Jerky transmission, just like the previous civic I owned. How can they keep rolling these out of factory with this issue and then issue crappy TSBs and expect me to pay for this non-sense? 3) Climate control has its own mind. Full automated mode works well. AC is not obedient when used in manual mode. 4) Steering noise every 6 months and needs to be greased. 5) Battery drained completely when I left the key in ACC mode by mistake. I owned a 2011 Maxima and that was smart to shut off after 30 mins when engine not running to prevent battery drain. Why such a small battery and not put the biggest battery on this monster van? It has tons of power equipment which drain a lot. 6 ) Worst brakes I have ever experienced. Rotors warped quickly. Upgraded stoptech/brembo rotors worked much better. 7) Worst navigation system that has no touch screen and voice control is just primitive. Pros: 1) Hauls a lot of people and stuff. 2) Decent highway gas mileage. 3) Good highway ride (when tranny not shifting). 4) Seats are comfortable for long rides. Overpriced and overrated just because of its brand I think. Lot of room for improvements. Honda is far behind in innovation and refinement. Their advanced features are far behind competition and designed poorly. I feel sorry to have dished out 40k on this and having to deal with all the crap from American Honda and their Stealerships. Hope this van runs for 6 more years without major issues as I got to live with the minor ones.