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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  This Is A Honda? - 2003 Honda Pilot
  By jaxson5 - May 9 - 2:00 am

  I so wanted to love this car! But what a disappointment. Much of the blame goes to the service dept. at the dealership who scratched the ENTIRE side of my car when it was in for running board installation. This led to a trip to their body shop, which tore my car apart to repaint. Voila! I was left with a whistling windshield, ill-fitting moldings and clanky suspension noises. Back to the service dept.---> windshield still whistles, & the clanking has been replaced with a bucket-of-bolts-style clicking noise from the brakes. "Pilots are known for this" says the service guy. Lovely. To make a long story short, my Pilots for sale. Im getting a BMW.

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  This car is s-o-o-o-o thirstyÂ… - 2004 Honda CR-V
  By algoro - May 9 - 2:00 am

  This car is s-o-o-o-o thirsty… Gas mileage is horrible… In city (no traffic) – 17 miles/gallon; highway – 23 miles/gallon. I even went on a trip Seattle – LA - Seattle to test/confirm these numbers… Dealer said that it may get better after 7500 miles… Why??? I think I would NOT buy CR-V if I knew about this gas consumption…

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  What comfort in owning a Honda? - 2004 Honda Accord
  By fivetwo - May 9 - 2:00 am

  The ride of this Honda reminds me of the 1968 MGB I had years ago. Choppy, bumpy, feeling every jolt in the road and giving me a headache after an extended period of driving. I know its almost sacrilegious to say anything negative about a Honda, but the ride is inexcusable. My wifes CRV has a much smoother ride. Everything else seems fine, but every time I drive this car I can only think about trading it in for something different.

• 

  Not - 2012 Honda Civic
  By Travis - May 8 - 11:43 am

  This car kills batteries like crazy & the dealership cant figure out what the problem is. They will just keep replacing the battery until the 3yr warranty is over & then its on you. Make sure to have a jump box charged & ready with you to start this car monthly. If you let it sit more that 2-3 days the battery wont start it. The clutch makes a howling or grinding noise when accelerating from a stop in 1st gear. (started at about 20,000k mi) We were able to make this sound happen with a Honda Tech in the vehicle & they still are unwilling to fix the issue without saying well have to pay the tab. The rubber rotted out around the windows in 2 years & we had to fight with them to get it replaced. They said it was from being out in the sun too much in Arizona! In two years please! Then dont sell your crap cars in AZ. We bought this car brand new from Honda 4 years ago it has 40k on it now. Never buying Honda again its our first & last.

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  my review with short time of pilot - 2016 Honda Pilot
  By michael manfredo - May 8 - 5:59 am

  needs some noise reduce while driving when window are open

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  CR-Vibrator - 2015 Honda CR-V
  By James allen - May 7 - 2:24 am

  I have owned my 2015 EX-L AWD since October and I am very disappointed in two ways. Obviously from the title and other reviews you know one issue, and I will not pain you with the details. The other is that I bought the car for the advertised MPG and it is a huge disappointment. I have never seen more than 28 mpg highway driving from Baltimore to Virginia on open highway. I average only 17-20 city on short drives. A family member gets better mileage in an ACADIA. I drove a new Nissan Sentra for a month (with a CVT) and it was smooth compared to the Vibrator. I will take it to the dealer to find out what is wrong but right now I cannot recommend it.

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  Bad Transmission - 2002 Honda Odyssey
  By Enrique Muyshondt - May 5 - 4:00 pm

  I bought this vehicle new, for my wife in November of 2001 the minivan has 27000 miles, and the transmission went bad had to be replaced, fortunately the warranty was still in force. The Honda had a recall for the transmission in July 2004 for a KIT OIL JET that was replaced. The transmission went bad in March 2005 and had to be replaced. The automatic climate control does not operate properly in full auto. The brakes make a clicking noise when you back up the car. I was given a flyer that this was normal for Hondas, later on the brake pads were replaced on 07/04

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  I should have kept my cavalier - 2002 Honda Civic
  By Ineedanewcar - May 1 - 6:19 pm

  I have had the car for about 2.5 years. I have not had one mechanical problem with the car witht the exception of the check engine light. My gas mileage is horrible and the resale value is disappointing. I bought the car knowing that I would put a lot of miles on it and I figured its a honda it will hold its value. NO it doesnt my care is worth about 7500.00 that is rediculous considering other cars are going for higher in the same year and style of this. I would buy a honda again just b/c they are awesome cars and run forever. Just not a Si.

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  Noisy! - 2004 Honda Accord
  By Norfolk, Va guy - April 21 - 2:00 am

  I am so relieved to see some of the reviews complaining about the noise in this vehicle. Driving on the interstate is unbelievably loud unless the stereo is cranked way up. I can sit at a stoplight with the stereo on and all the windows closed and still hear every word of conversation or radio in the car next to me. HEY Honda, ever heard of a little thing called insulation???? Also, my brakes make all kinds of weird noises that the dealership cant explain away. I will never buy another Honda. Cant wait to get rid of this one.

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  Buyers, Beware of the Stereo. - 2016 Honda Accord
  By pjsoni - April 12 - 9:54 pm

  After taking delivery of EX-L NAVI and driving couple of days, I started to notice there is sound re-production is not well so I thought that it might be the audio settings to tune with. I make the changes in sound settings by changing BASS, TREBEL as well Subwoofer. After making changes to the audio settings, still there is an issue with the sound quality. At least Im not expecting this kind of worst sound quality from the premium audio system. After few days, Ive noticed that what settings which Ive made for volume is changed to the lowest level at 10 and I correctly remembered that Ive set to 15. I thought it might be my oversight so Ive continuously observed the behavior. Ive reported issues with the stereo due to the settings were not saved and sound quality is not good specifically with the FM and XM. After investigation, the service advisor reported back that there is nothing wrong with stereo. I was not convinced with the response. After that incident I’ve started continuously monitoring the stereo performance. Again, I’ve noticed that the stereo screens are not changing when I change the channels on the radio. I thought that might be intermittent issue and ignored at that day. On subsequent days, I’ve noticed that the stereo screen is freezing and it does not correctly report currently playing channel. So I took my vehicle to the dealership and explained the service advisor what is happening and showed him a video about the stereo behavior. After the investigation, I got call from the service advisor that my vehicle is ready to be picked up. So I went to dealership to pick up the car. The next morning, the issue again comes up and I went back to the dealership to report the issue. This time, the other service advisor has seen the issue and acknowledges it. He re-opened the previous RO for further investigation. After the feedback from Honda, they replaced the Tuner board in car. After 3 days, the same issue arises and I went to dealership to report the problem and for resolution. The service advisor told me that they have to replace the entire stereo unit. Till now, the resolution is not happened. My advice to every buyer of this model to thoroughly check the stereo prior to making any purchase decision. I believe this is the issue with all models. As most people does have a navigation screen on the main display screen and they may not be able to notice this weird behavior.