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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  Loved our first, but this one was a mistake - 2016 Honda Odyssey
  By David Sharkey - August 11 - 7:01 am

  There is less room up front on these newer models both passenger side and driver side. Removing the rear seats is still extremely frustrating, but the technology on the van is what is most frustrating. I generally give up any anything I want to do that involves the electronics including adjusting heating and cooling, music, radio, video etc. I can normally figure these things out quickly, not on this vehicle. Also, you get wireless earphones for the video play. They have never worked right. The plugs for earphones are on one side of the car in the back. So my boys need to share earbuds and one has to sit in the middle seat in order for them to reach. Our first Odessey was great, I really regret buying this car. It makes my blood boil every time I get into it.

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  Dont Buy if you want to pull the 5,000lb limit - 2016 Honda Pilot
  By Debbie - August 11 - 6:11 am

  We bought the 2016 Pilot Touring thinking it would be a good upgrade from our 2013. However, even though they advertise that it will pull 5000lbs, all the towing equipment is extra, unlike our 2013. (We only had to put a electric harness on it.) First our salesman told us that the hitch, and harness are all separate add-ons now. Then we get a call telling us that the radiator has to have a special cooler installed for another $500. Guess what folks, they havent made the cooler yet. We have been waiting since July for our new Pilot. It finally came on Sept. 3, but we are still waiting for Honda to develop a cooler for it. Of course the warranty would be void if you pulled without it. We love our Hondas but this ridiculous. Very disappointed with Honda this time around

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  Reliable - 2002 Honda Accord
  By Owner Experience - August 9 - 12:54 pm

  At 110K and going strong. The car is reliable. I have replaced brakes - front (1) and rear (2), and tires. I have come to expect reliability in vehicles and have not been disappointed in any I have owned. This is no exception.

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  Buyers Beware - 2014 Honda Accord
  By PJ - August 4 - 12:59 pm

  The battery AND the starter had to be replaced and the car only has 40,000 miles.....not under warranty because Hondas warranty expires 3 years or 36,000 miles. The starter was around $900 and it only has a 12 month/12,000 mile warranty. So in within 2 months, Im out $1100 for repairs. Ive owned 5 Hondas and this has been the worse one. Ive read that a lot of people are having the same problems with Honda models years 2013-2015. I will be getting rid of this car before the starters warranty expires. Also, theres a lot of wind noise in this Honda when driving on the freeway. Has good gas mileage. I traded in a Kia Optima for this Honda and Im sorry to say this but I should have kept the Optima.

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  Transmission - 2003 Honda Civic
  By James E. Veitch - August 4 - 11:10 am

  Make sure to check transmission every 25,000 miles. Mine went out at 140,000 Mi. Honda doesnt stock them one week to a month to get a replacement. They do not rebuild CVT transmissions, $3,000.00 to replace and $375.00 shipping. Front struts also go out easily.

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  Nicely designed from the exterior, not interior - 2016 Honda Accord
  By imdlink - July 29 - 4:02 am

  One of the things that drew me to this car was the refreshed exterior for 2016. Hands down, to me, it is one of the best looking mid-size cars out right now. I have had my Touring edition for a little over a month now and I continue to get compliments almost daily on the looks of the car. Even when I see one on the road, I have to admire how good it looks. Exterior wise, this car looks perfect with his sculpted lines, curves and LED headlights, tail lights. Honda really has made this Accord stand out in the looks department in comparison to other mid size cars in the same price range. I took the car on a few test drives before making the decision to trade my 2011 Camry SE V6 in for the Accord Touring. When test driving you really dont get as acquainted with the interior unless you really own it as test drives are too short of a time to really settle in to a car. Below are my issues with the interior of the Accord. - Door panel construction- Seems very, very thin. When resting your elbow against it, it pushes in with very little force. This feels very flimsy. I am used to resting my elbow on the door panel while driving. This can not be done in this car due to how the panel is designed. For me, this makes for an uncomfortable driving experience. - Center console construction - When resting your elbow on this, it pushes in, similar to the door panel. It feels like there needs to be more plastics to harden the feel of the console as it does not feel solid. The console is also very, very small. In fact, this is the smallest center console that Ive even seen or used in car. There is very little room to place anything of decent size in it without filling the entire console. - Cup holders for driver/passenger - To me, these were designed very poorly. They are too deep for smaller sized cups. When ordering food/drinks, if you opt to get a small cup, the cup will almost sit flush with the top of the cup holder. This makes it difficulty to sometimes grab a hold the cup without popping the lid off inadvertently. It is too deep to the point that you almost have to put some type of padding in the cup holder to bring the height up for a cup to sit and be grabbed properly. The cup holders also sit further back than they should. It is somewhat awkward to grab a cup, as it sits right next to the center console. - Glovebox - This is the smallest glove box that I have ever used in a vehicle. You can only place a few items in it before filling it up. Also, when closed, it doesnt line up very well with the rest of the paneling. It is off by a few centimeters and is very noticeable. I have heard of this issue with Accords but didnt think I would have this issue on a brand new 2016. - Interior rattle- I cant quite seem to determine where this is coming from. I want to say it is emanating from the passenger right side or right rear door. It is somewhat embarrassing as it can easily be heard when no one is talking or if music is not playing. I noticed this within a week of owning the car. This could be related to the fact that the car has a rough, stiff ride due to its suspension and 19" rims/tires. I still feel that this rattling should not be occurring. - Stereo system - The stereo in the accord leaves a lot to be desired. Coming from a JBL system in a Camry, I may be a little spoiled in this area. Even with the sub and bass turned up the highest setting, the audio still seams weak. Ive tweaked just about every setting possible, but still cant seem to get a rich, deep sound from the system. I stream mostly via Bluetooth. When connected directly via Apple Car Play, the audio sounds even worse. The sounds seem muffled and distant when directly connected. Overall, Im just not happy with the audio system of this car. It is unfortunate that there is not an optional premium audio system to choose from for this vehicle. - Seats - I don’t know whether it’s just me or if there really is a problem with the seats. I have tried all sorts of configurations and can’t seem to sit comfortably in the car while driving. I’m 5’9” so I’m not terribly short or tall. - V6 Performance - Perhaps the Camry SE v6 has spoiled me in this department as well as that car had plenty of power and pep when needed. The V6 Accord is just tuned differently I guess. It seems to be little sluggish initially but when it gets going, the power eventually comes. It just doesnt feel as lively and peppy as I think it should be. Perhaps my Accord needs to be looked at, not really sure at this point. Dont get me wrong, when the shifter is put into Sport mode, the car behaves very differently. When not in this mode, it just seems to be a bit unresponsive and sluggish. I do love the fact that the car is very fuel efficient on the highway as I typically average about 31/32 miles per gallon when driving long distances at highway speeds. Overall, the Accord is a nice car, just not the car for me. I will be trading it very soon.

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  Idle Vibration - 2015 Honda CR-V
  By Jason Cai - July 28 - 7:34 pm

  I bought the CRV EX AWD a week ago, on the way driving the car back home, I noticed the vibration when I stopped at a traffic light. I went back to the dealer this past Saturday to report the issue, the sale person told me to go back on Monday, so they could take a look. I went back yesterday, he told me he talked to their service manager and they are aware of the issue, but nothing they could do but wait for Honda to release a fix. Before Honda commits a fix for this issue, I would not recommend to buy this car.

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  Dont Trust the Mileage - 2007 Honda Civic
  By kitsinni - July 23 - 6:53 am

  Dont buy this car for the gas mileage. My car is getting 19 MPG 50% Highway 50% City driving. Dealership says not their problem, Honda of America says not their problem either even if the actual mileage is half the estimate it is not their problem. Extreme glare from the dash on the windshield. IF you buy this car you better be lucky, some get 35 MPG some get 19 MPG and if your one of the lucky ones to only get 19 Honda doesnt think there is any problem. I owned a 2003 KIA Rio Cinco before this and it got better gas mileage then this car, cost $10,000 brand new and was only rated at 25 city 32 highe .. and it got better. Do NOT buy this car for the mileage you will be sorry

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  Go for Jetta NOT Civic - 2009 Honda Civic
  By Fremont CA - July 20 - 6:10 pm

  1. Leather Seats are not good. I already see wrinkles - Bad quality leather 2. Bad pickup. 3. Mileage is not as promised. 4. Has 6 Speaker and 1 woofer but woofer is very bad (Honda or the Dealer continue to claim its good but its not good). Creates buuurrrr sound at volume 9. 5. Definitely need re-engineering in all aspects. 6. Buy EX-L if the on-road price is $14,000.

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  Worst Infotainment System in History! - 2016 Honda Pilot
  By Diane Larkin - July 16 - 2:11 pm

  I love many things about the Honda Pilot Elite, but I absolutely "hate" the Infotainment system after 7 weeks and 1,300 miles of usage! It is cumbersome, slow to respond and in no way aids the driver in safe and efficient access to information. When driving, you cannot access the phone book, speed dial (more than the first 3 listings), call history (more than the first 3 listings), touch tones (for automated attendant inputs) and many other features without pulling off the road and stopping the vehicle. VERY DANGEROUS!!! The "rear audio" screen is completely useless other than pausing a DVD. I have found the navigation system to be confusing and missing many standard points of interest. I thought my Garmin database need to be updated, however, Honda in-car tech support was unable to walk me through the update procedure using a thumb drive and USB port as described in the manual. The nav screen will indicate that you need to "take a right" when it is clean you need to take a "left"?? Very poor accuracy and slow to catch up while driving. I spend way to much time "touching the screen" as opposed to looking at the road. Again, VERY DANGEROUS!!! I have used several Infotainment systems and this is absolutely the worst! Voice commands are almost non existent for many screens. My other vehicles would allow me to give voice commands for any topic displayed on the screen or to access a main topic (Nav, FM radio, Map, Phone, Phonebook, Speed Dial, Next Screen, etc.). A dynamic voice command system would alleviate the need to constantly be looking at the screen and touching the screen. There is also many inconsistencies in what can be accessed through the touch screen while driving and what cannot be accessed. The driver is constantly "guessing" about whether to use voice activation or touch or being locked out of the selection. Very poor design, confusing and very user unfriendly. Would not have purchased this vehicle had I known how deficient and cumbersome the Infotainment system is. I cannot understand why Honda would take such a "giant" step back in Infotainment technology, yet take such a giant step forward in all other aspects of the Honda Pilot safety features.