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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  Dont buy a 2008 Honda - 2008 Honda Accord
  By Natalie - July 8 - 3:30 am

  Have you ever bought a car just because of the name? Well I did and it was the biggest mistake. I am trying to find a dealership that will take it back. For over 25,000 I expected perfection. The sound of the road is so loud that I can barely hear anyone on the phone. The air doesnt blow as cool when I press the gas. I have to open the door wide just to get out of it without hitting side and I am only 115 lbs. The blind spots are out of this world. I am beyond displeased with Honda. Yes, maybe past models were better, but they have truly ruined their brand in my opinion with this car. Yes, it looks great, but that is about it. I should have stayed in my Altima! Take my word...dont buy!!

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  review - 2000 Honda Insight
  By eejjp - June 30 - 2:00 am

  Overall a great personal vehicle (no back seat). Cant beat the mileage. Has been factory realled 6 times.

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  1999 Honda CRV LX - 1999 Honda CR-V
  By Crackatonic - June 28 - 2:00 am

  This car just flat stopped working around 36000 miles. The engine would die while driving or in idle. The dealer could not determine why. The steering wheel was at an odd angle that fatigued the wrists and hands. The door locks and rear door functionality were poor. The electric windows wore out and had issues (screeching/squeaking) within 30k miles. Tires have poor traction. I would not recommend this one.

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  Our first Honda disappointment and likely my last - 2016 Honda Pilot
  By Rjsale1 - June 25 - 3:23 am

  Dont think for a minute that all that glitz in the showroom means you are getting a highly engineered and tested product. I have owned Honda products since the mid 70s (cars, motorcycles, mowers, snow blowers, small engines) and had high hopes for their new flagship design. The good: mileage better than expected, solid feel, easy and accurate steering, road noise overall low. The bad: soft brake pedal when stopping. It reduces pressure itself and will physically move down away from your foot. Dealer says nothing wrong, (known issue with this vehicle) but they will tell you this is likely the yaw control activating. Have determined that it seems to be slaved into the transmission when it decides to downshift it reduces braking assist which is very unnerving. The radio cuts out sometimes and gives a warning that the "clarionextraframenetwork has stopped working". Apparently this is telling me that it has dropped the Bluetooth connection to my phone. Trying to use the hands free voice dialing system is infuriating sometimes. Its so unreliable that I mostly use Siri voice dialing on my Iphone. Honda dealer has advised the fix is to replace the radio. Honda corporate advises that there is no projected date for the replacement so I am stuck with a $42,000 car that doesnt have a fully functioning radio. Transmission now slamming into lower gear at around 40mph. Honda corporate asks for surveys and then doesnt respond to issues. Last lease was a Ford Edge with absolutely zero issues in 70,000 miles. Left Ford because of poor dealer service. Guess what I am thinking now?

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  Not happy with my civic - 2007 Honda Civic
  By masdolphin - June 25 - 3:13 am

  After a lot of research on many cars of this size we decided to spend the extra money to buy the civic mainly for the gas mileage. We were way wrong in this purchase, the car gets only 19 to 23 miles per gallon, 85 percent highway miles, 15 percent stop and go traffic, the dealer says thats normal and will get better when the car gets 20,000 miles or more on it. That will take us almost 2 yrs to get decent mileage! If we knew we were going to be getting this poor of mileage we would have bought an SUV. The automatic transmission makes weird sounds, when you are slowing down then speed up the car almost dies, the dealer says nothing wrong with it.

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  ditch it - 2000 Honda Odyssey
  By ditch it - June 24 - 2:00 am

  Bought it new and within 6mos the sliding doors were sticking and by 38000mi the brakes weremaking a grinding noise. the tires only lasted 27000mi. Now at 44000mi the crusecontrol quit working and the transmission lever is stuck and will be a major repair. thats right, you cant drive it if you cant get it out of park. i wont buy another one.

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  31 Year Accord Owner - 2017 Honda Accord Hybrid
  By Dan Ehrman - June 22 - 5:16 pm

  I bought my 17 Accord Hybrid Touring, Blue Sky, on December 30, 2016. This is my 5th Accord in a row and 3rd new one in a row. Performance and comfort have been very good, but I have had persistent and recurring problems with the infotainment system since I bought the vehicle. Todays List, about half way through a 140 mile trip: Voice Recognition failed to work properly 4 times - When I asked it to call my wife, it gave 3 names of people that were nothing like my wifes; twice, after I asked voice command to call a number on my contact list, it dialed an 800 number; 5 times, when I used Voice Command and spoke a phone call request, it responded that no voice command was heard. Radio: Touch screen for volume control is inconsistent. GPS is a nightmare: It is very difficult to get details of a route, including how far it is to the next route or when the next turn is and doesnt give a tone when it is time to make these turns: also, you cannot give route changes while the car is in motion, even if given by the passenger, the car has to come to a complete stop; GPS does not update traffic conditions if there is trouble ahead or suggest alternate routes; it is very difficult to navigate between AM, FM, and Sirius XM. As you can see, I have had persistent and recurring problems with the infotainment system. They are a distraction to me while I am driving and I consider it unsafe when they persist. I purchased this vehicle because I will be traveling 520 miles 3 times a month for 8 months for medical treatments, and I wanted a reliable, pleasurable car. These distractions have seriously contributed to my dissatisfaction...Here are my experiences with trying to have this situation rectified: 4 visits to dealer where I purchased the car, 3 with 2 different salesmen and 1 with the service manager; Several phone calls with the sales and service departments; American Honda which, after having left both a voice mail and an email, took almost a week and a half to respond, only to kick me back to the dealer, where I have gone through more rounds of visits and phone calls; and then this past week, I spoke with the sales manager twice, 3 days apart, requesting that someone at the regional or national level call me about my concerns; both times he said he would call back, but he did not. Today, Tuesday, I spoke at length with the sales manager and once again expressed my concerns, since I had not heard back from him in response to my 2 calls from last week. He spent a short amount of time trying to convince me to return to the dealership once again to see if they could rectify theses problems. I stopped him after a short time and I restated that I was no longer interested in his offers. I have now made a demand that may be unreasonable, but nonetheless, I will not waver on. I am not going to divulge the name of the dealer at this time but once I have been provided a solution to this problem by the dealer or American Honda, I will share it with you.

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  Excessive Road Noise - 2008 Honda Accord
  By Jack - June 17 - 10:13 pm

  This car is not at all fun to drive because of road noise and engine noise. I wonder why Honda overlooked this. If you are planning to buy this car and are concerned about engine and road noise think twice and do the road test carefully. Road noise is really irritating and annoying.

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  Beware Dimming Headlights - 2008 Honda Accord
  By JCLARO - June 15 - 7:33 pm

  After having the car for 1 week I drove fro an extended period at night. The headlights and taillights flicker every 30 or so seconds when the A/C kicks in at all speeds. Not only is this very annoying but also dangerous due possible road rage from drivers thinking you are flashing them or from a trucker passing you thinking that its clear by the flicker from the headlights not to mention problems associated with the taillights flickering. Called Dealership and while they are helpful Honda says that this is normal even though they are working on a fix. Honda has been aware of this and still no fix they say its "normal" because all the 4cyl do this.

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  2007 CRV IS A LEMON! - 2007 Honda CR-V
  By Adam - June 15 - 3:10 pm

  The rear Differential broke 2 times within 2 weeks and 700 miles on the car! The power steering is jittery, They also installed the ski rack on wrong and The bike rack is too high on the car to even put a bike up there. This car is nothing but problems and poor design. Also the extended warranty has about 3 pages of what it doesnt cover, and only 1 paragraph of what it does cover and maybe when you will use the $1000 dollar warranty, it may cover a radio now if youre lucky.. When I got my car back from the dealer it seems like the 4wd doesnt even work.