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 Van - 2000 Honda Odyssey
  By akodyssey - November 1 - 2:00 am

  We love our van esp the folding back seat. we have not had any major repairs and enjoy driving it. Wish it was AWD and got better gas mileage we ave 22 on trips over 200 miles.

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  2016 Touring Review- The Ugly, the Bad & the Good. - 2016 Honda Pilot
  By Zman - November 1 - 1:33 am

  Hi, I had an older Mercury villager that still ran great but lacked the looks. Wife and kids wanted bling bling with Nav, DVD, AWD etc. We test drove the 2016 pilot. I drove an MDX a few times which is owned by a friend. That will be my benchmark. Well, The Honda Sensing package was the ONLY reason I was attracted to the 16 Pilot. The shape and other changes in 16 seemed frivolous to me. I wanted a SUV that works great & safe in Chicagos winters. I wanted to get the EX with sensing. Wife wanted leather (EXL), kids wanted the DVD, friends chimed in and we were looking at the Touring. A south side Chicago dealer quoted 2k below list on the phone. We drove 2 hours in traffic to get it. When we were ready to buy, he raised the price by $1799. When I asked he said there were some useless dealer added options (paint stripes and door molding..). I came home and complained to Honda USA Inc about the false advertisement. They said we hope you buy a Pilot from another dealer. That bothered me a bit that Honda Inc. didnt care about that dealer. The Touring MSRP is 43700. Chicago Tax of 10% and extended warranty put it closer to 50k. I still have a sticker remorse heartburn when I think of the price. This thing was hard to get. Lot of dealers added unnecessary options that bump the price higher and most were selling at the MSRP. A dealer nearby quoted 42k (1700 below list) and we decided to buy it. I came to know later that he made up some money on the overpriced ext warranty. Ahhh car dealers. I have been driving the touring now and these are my observations. THE UGLY: The things that I hate was that even Touring does not have blind spot monitoring and does not have parking sensors on the front bumper. Only on the rear bumpers. No blind spot monitoring on a 2016 SUV that people have to shell out close to 50K? You have to go to Elite for that. Come on Honda - Elite is your greedy option. They should have added the blind spot and the front bumper sensors on lower models. Even Subarus have blind spot detection. There is a camera on the passenger side mirror and not on the drivers side. In case it is counter intuitive to look at the right (console) while you want to go to the left lane, how come the MDX has cameras on both the sides? THE BAD: The steering wheel is light and I do not get a feeling that I am driving such a big SUV. Maybe I will get used to the steering. Navigation: I think google maps on the phone are much better, especially when you want to search. The remote start is disappointing. I have to park a bit away at my work and the range is not enough. There is no indicator on the remote to indicate if the car started or not. My old car has a 2 way remote start. Some times it remote starts and other times it wont. Honda saved $50 by making a 1 way remote start. Great Savings Honda;) Noise : We had a storm recently and it was windy. When I drove, the noise was very loud. Could have been better noise insulated. SNOW...ahh driving in snow. While moving the car from the parking spot, the rear parking sensors beeped. Maybe the bumper sensors think snow is an obstruction. The sensors beeped even when I wiped clean the sensors during snow. I was driving about 45 MPH on a highway during snow. There was no vehicle in front on me. Guess what? The auto brake mitigation was activated for a few seconds and the vehicle slowed down from 45 to about 30 MPH. I was able to push the gas and continue normally. It kinda bothered me that it incorrectly detected snow as an obstruction. What if it stops in the middle of the highway? Hope the ones behind you have good insurance. The sound is OK. They should have had a better sound system. FM radio isnt great. The leather seemed OK compared to the leather on the MDX. Mats - Cant they use weathertech like mats? Lane watch - It has its own mind when there is snow on the roads or if the roads are dirty (winter). I guess the lines are not clear enough for the camera. Warranty: For the price they should have at-least 4 year warranty like some other brands. There are too many electronics and you will be forced to purchase extended warranty. The good: Spacious, enough space in the 3rd row. AWD is good. Drives good. Looks good. Handles well. USB!!! Blue Ray DVD player. My wife thinks it is easy to drive even though it is big. The cameras help. Honda Sensing features are very useful. Bluetooth is good. Phone integration is good and fast. 2 drivers seat settings. auto lights. Fog lights. LEDs. Good family car. Mileage is decent. Regular gas. Heated seats. Lot of options on the steering wheel. Keyless start......and more Load it up and go places!

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  Best Available Minivan! - 2005 Honda Odyssey
  By J.A.C. - October 31 - 9:23 pm

  I really love my Odyssey. I believe that it is the best available minivan, and better than any SUV also.

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  I love the Insight - 2010 Honda Insight
  By New Owner - October 31 - 8:40 pm

  Ive had the Insight for about three weeks now and I really do love it. Over the first 1,000 miles Ive achieved an average of 51 miles per gallon without really trying. The only thing Ive had to do differently is slow down from my pre-Insight speed of 75 on the highway. I live in the Midwest and my commute is not very hilly. At a speed of 65 MPH I am getting 50 MPG. I have not yet had to use the A/C or the heat, which I expect will bring down the numbers come summer and winter. The auto-stop feature is great on gas, but takes a while to get used to. The gas kicks back on when you release the brake and the result can be a jerky response at the line if you hit the gas too quickly.

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  Best vehicle I ever owned - 2005 Honda Pilot
  By Charleen Fortier - October 31 - 12:16 pm

  I love my Pilot! It is just as good if not better than the Explorers I owned, so much so that I wont go back to Ford. The vehicle is reliable, even when you dont treat it right. It rides like a car, although gas mileage could be better. It got us thru a nasty winter with ease. We would have bought the CRV, but were big folk, and this car fits us nicely. Honda, youve won two more converts!

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  Beware Civic Transmission Problems - 1998 Honda Civic
  By Concerned - October 31 - 1:00 am

  I bought this car used with 66k miles and was the 3rd owner. Make sure to have your tran. checked before buying a Civic. After 13k miles and 7 months, having trans. problems (struggles on hills, doesnt accelerate, jerks into gear). Have had only minor repairs/maintenance. Driving pattern includes a lot of highway, back roads, and stop and go traffic. Only complaints is the ride, you feel everything and it rides like a truck when not on the highway. Overall good car but may purchase new car with A LOT more power.

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  Disappointed... - 1998 Honda CR-V
  By MidNightREX - October 30 - 2:00 am

  Buying a Honda, we thought we were getting a reliable vehicle, but we couldnt have been more disapponited. Weve had many quality issues that are un-Honda-like, 1) transmission was just replaced, 2) rear suspension replaced, 3) steering rack replaced, 4) other minor annoyances like rear wiper NEVER really gets the rain off, the vehicle is noisy at highway speeds, the driver seat doesnt go very far back, the steering wheel is at an awkward angle to the driver, the engine is underpowered, the center console is useless, the cup holders are a joke, and dont get me started on the stupid radio-code needed for the stereo (we bought used so we never had this code) & now we cant use the radio

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  Nice car but whats with the P/W? - 1997 Honda Accord
  By ImportOnly - October 30 - 2:00 am

  We just replaced our 87 Acura Legend Coup with a 97 Honda Accord for my wife and although we love the cars for their overall quality and reliability, whats up with the power window motors burning out? I can understand it on the 87 Acura Legend, but the 97 Honda Accord after having it for only a few weeks that motor on the driver side window stopped working. Honda needs to improve the that power feature of the cars. Everything else is superior to anything else on the road for quality and reliability. Great car!!!

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  happy honda customer - 1998 Honda Civic
  By DANIMAL - October 30 - 2:00 am

  I BOUGHT THIS CAR ON 11/5/98. BRAND NEW. AS OF 10/28/04, I HAVE PUT APPROXIMATELY 126,000 ON IT. I PUT 33,000 CITY MILES ON IT WITH 2 DELIVERY JOBS IN THE FIRST YEAR. THROUGHOUT OWNERSHIP, THE CAR HAS: 1) SEEN BUFFALO NY WINTERS 2) BEEN USED TO DELIVER PIZZAS WITH & 3) HAS SEEN SEVERAL THRUWAY MILES COMMUTING TO COLLEGE CAMPUSES. THIS CAR HAS SEEN A LOT...AND KEEPS ON KICKING. INCREDIBLE RELIABILITY! HAS NEVER BURNED A DROP OF OIL. I ONLY AM GETTING RID OF IT CUZ I WANT TO GET A BIGGER CAR. THIS IS PARTICULARLY PERFECT FOR A STUDENT. GOOD ON GAS..34CITY/42HIGHWAY

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  wonderful ride - 2003 Honda Element
  By juancito50 - October 30 - 2:00 am

  great car fun for a get away on the weekend on the mountains or to go ski . very easy to clean because th efloor can be clean with a water hose (there is no carpet)