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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  Great Value - Must Buy - 2006 Honda Accord
  By karenpatt - March 4 - 2:32 pm

  Drives smoothly, superior comfort. All conveniences at your fingertips.

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  Excellent Dog Mover! - 2008 Honda Element
  By Robert Wong - March 4 - 9:23 am

  Upgrading from a 97 CRV. I chose this for our dogs. It has flat floors and rear seats that can be removed. Quality is top notch. Power is excellent. It has very good torque from a stand still, much better than what I had. Excellent daily driver. Love the black housing headlights and smoked rear taillights. Sound system kicks, 270 watts will make your internals thump. XM satelitte all the way! It is the only true versatility vehicle on the market. Easy to clean! Im very happy with the purchase. Only complaints would be missing dead pedal, seats need lumbar support, a lot of roll (needs bigger sway bars) & steering wheel comes close to my legs when entering in.

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  the element - 2006 Honda Element
  By element2 - March 4 - 6:53 am

  the element has been my favorite car since 2003 i like the box i thinks it needs gps heated seat and 4 separate doors

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  Honda Pilot - 2005 Honda Pilot
  By Lee - March 4 - 5:20 am

  Best test drive I have ever had. This SUV drives nice and tight, closest feeling to car that I have found in an SUV. The gas mileage seems to be improving as I break the motor in more. Wish I went for the leather, but other than that, no regrets yet. I would buy one again.

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  Great Car - Hybrid? - 2005 Honda Accord
  By mm - March 3 - 8:13 pm

  We had been investigating this car since March, comparing it to other hybrids. This was the one for us and we finally bought it in June. It was sturdier,faster, more like the luxury sedan we were used to. It is also much more fun to drive - and we get to help the environement!

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  2008 Civic LX coupe auto - 2009 Honda Civic
  By runnerdude - March 3 - 5:56 pm

  I have owned my Civic now for almost a year. I find it a fantastic car for the price. It will cruise all day long effortlessly at 70 mph and get me 38-39mpg with the AC off. Now it wont win any drag races but it has plenty of power for my day to day needs. I really like the dash set up and I think the auto transmission is very smooth. Lots of leg room also for my 64" frame. My two kids fit fine in the backseat. The trunk holds more then I had originally thought. I have had no mechanical issues in the 9,500 miles I have driven the car and average 30-32 mpg in my daily driving.

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  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.

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  Performance, Style and Reliability - 2017 Honda Accord
  By Andrew Cummings - March 3 - 3:19 pm

  I was looking to strike a balance between price, performance, reliability, and style. I was considering higher end vehicles... like the Acura TLX. The Honda Accord V6 Touring gives me what I want in a daily driver... at about 10k less. I had an 06 Accord V6 before this... and had such a great ownership experience, it was a no-brainer to get another one. If I had any ability to influence any of the cars design/features... it would be to encourage them to take another round of refinement at the infotainment system. Its pretty good, to be fair, but as a software engineer... its really evident that they CPU theyre using is too slow. If you want to just quickly check your milage while the car is off... it takes about 30 seconds to a minute. The boot time... is inexcusably slow. The Apple CarPlay is wonderful... And... it could use another round of refinement, in terms of integration. I see this is a Honda issue, not an Apple issue. It makes me wish that Apple had written the software for the whole infotainment system. All of this said... this is a fantastic car... Ive only driven it 1200 miles... so its still brand new for me... but Im already clear that I made a great choice.

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  Great Car - 2005 Honda Civic
  By Donna Moore - March 3 - 11:02 am

  I bought my Honda Civic Hybrid over two years ago. I drive 57 miles one way to work, so I needed a fuel efficient car. I have been very pleased with my Honda. I am very conservative in the way I drive. The roads I travel are narrow and winding, so the speed limit is 60MPH. I follow that and average anywhere between 44 and 47 miles per gallon. The only draw back I have seen thus far is the guard that is right under the front of the car. I cannot travel on dirt roads many times because the car hits center and knocks this piece lose. I have replaced this once, at no charge, but I am going to have to do it again and this time it is going to cost about 123.00 and labor. 80,000 miles so far

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  Great Car - 2002 Honda Accord
  By kpthirdmate - March 3 - 8:30 am

  I love my car... I guess if six cylinder came with a manual it would be a better car, but consideringthe whole package it is great. Besides, if I wanted a race car I would ahve gotten a different car