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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  extremely reliable - 2006 Honda Accord
  By Jim Mehlich - July 29 - 8:48 am

  I have owned 2 honda accords the current one is a 2006 six cylinder. My wife loves it she feels very safe driving it. She got rear ended in our first honda and walked away with out a scratch. I was totally impressed by that. Jim M

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  Unbeatable Value - 2006 Honda Civic
  By C-bus Hayden - July 27 - 9:29 pm

  I live in South Central Indiana and I purchased my 2006 Civic Ex Coupe in the summer of 2013 from its original dealer in Richmond, KY. This Civic was 7 years old at that time and had just 49K miles on it (avg 7k miles a year). The car was serviced at that dealer and well maintained. I have been extremely pleased with how this vehicle has held up the past 53K miles. The past 2 years my round trip to work has averaged 60 miles a day. Those 2 years include driving through Indianas worst winter in over 40 years and this car was able to make it each day with no trouble on regular tires. This trim level of the Coupe EX has appealing styling and a sporty look. The coupe comes with the premium sound system (over twice as many watts as the sedan sound system) and it is a great value for a car at this price point. The electronics have worked flawlessly and the interior has worn well. In the summer time I love this car because of the sunroof which works flawlessly after over 100K miles now. This car has required virtually no maintenance. Tires and brakes have worn just fine for the miles I put on this machine (over 25K a year since purchase). I would say I take above average care of my vehicles. I am diligent with keeping this vehicle clean, fluids changed, and routine maintenance is done on time. I love searching for cars and often consider upgrading to an Accord Coupe, TSX, or possibly a Tacoma but this Civic has been so strong and it is paid for. If I am smart I will keep it well beyond 200K miles. I would recommend this vehicle to anyone.

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  i love my car!!! - 2001 Honda Civic
  By gab - July 27 - 4:47 pm

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  Best car in its class! - 2015 Honda Fit
  By Don Christiansen - July 27 - 12:08 pm

  This is a great car and I love it! The room in the back with the seats folded down is amazing, and with the seats up, the rear seat passenger room is great. The gas mileage is also terrific. I always get 41 to 45. Have never got below 41! My only complaints are the floor covering is very cheap crap and 6th gear should be higher. The engine is doing too many RPMs at highway speed. Highly recommend it!

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  6k Miles In... - 2015 Honda Fit
  By chase smith - July 26 - 8:42 pm

  My wife and I purchased the new Fit in February, 2015. Living in the northeast, the winter was harsh, but the Fit did great. It makes for a great commuting car, its comfortable (for a reasonable amount of time, see below) and gets great fuel economy. On the highway, its easy to get in excess of 41 mpg. Driving carefully, Ive been able to get upwards of 45+mpg. I dont think Ive ever paid more than $33.00 to fill it up, averaging well over 300 miles to a tank of fuel. Another plus that I really enjoy about this car is the way it handles. I also own a BMW 3 Series, which is one of the best handling cars available, (for under 60k) and this little Fit attacks the curves pretty good in comparison. I was quite surprised at first, I expected a lot of body roll, seeing the car is so tall, one would think it rode top heavy...not so the case. The ride is smooth and I have no complaints with road or wind noise. Theres only a few gripes I have with the car. One seems to be a common trend in the reviews Ive read, and that is the comfort of the seats. They are okay for the commute to work, (35/40 min) but anything over two hours or so, and I start to get rather uncomfortable. Also, the touch screen radio very cool, but not good if you have OCD about fingerprints on your electronics. Its also a little fussy to use and get used to but thats why there are buttons on the steering wheel. All in all, I love this car. I didnt think I did, and we only got it because my wife wanted it and we needed s second car. Now Im the only one that drives it, and we are extremely pleased with it thus far.

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  Impressed with Honda - 2015 Honda CR-V
  By Travis - July 26 - 11:33 am

  So far (700+ miles in), this has been a great car. Ive gone from a pickup getting 18 mpg to 30.5 (all city driving) mpg on my last fill up. I am a big person, but the front seat is very comfortable. I love having multiple adjustments for the seat and steering wheel. I have had open heart surgery so ease of seating, adjustment of steering wheel, and getting in/out, are now top issues for me. Plus by getting and SUV, I dont feel Ive lost much in getting rid of a truck as far as hauling stuff around. I never towed anything anyhow. The vibration issue is non-existent in this car. Ive read about it and seen videos on it. It just feels like a regular 4 cylinder to me. I dont doubt that some folks are getting jostled, though. But mine is just fine. Over time I do wonder about the cloth seats. They are very plush and very soft. I am concerned that over time they will start to show their age, but Ill deal with that when I have to. So far, Ive been very impressed with the overall fit and finish of the car. This is my first Honda and they were never really on my radar. But after deciding to get out of a truck and shopping around, I shopped Chevy, Ford, Nissan and Mazda. The CR-V just made sense. Its a more comfortable ride with better standard features for the price. There is a bit of a learning curve regarding the touchscreen radio, but tinker around for a few minutes and youll have it figured out. We were very happy with how we were treated at our Honda dealership and Im sure this will be our new place to shop.

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  Best Accord Ever!!! - 2015 Honda Accord
  By Michael Yang - July 26 - 1:23 am

  I previously owned a 2003 ex 4cl, over the years I always observed the body style changes and always felt they got uglier and uglier, always glad I had my despite all the improvements on the engine and tech. Only earlier this year I started noticing Accord Sport, how sporty it looked. Even though I liked and thought it worthy of purchasing, I thought Id avoid any unnecessary spending and stick with my car since for the most part it carried me where I need to go and because of its age and condition (I really neglected its exterior care after owning it for only about year) I never cared how I parked it and didnt care if I got door dinged or not. It wasnt until last month or so, my girlfriends family needed to replace a car that they totaled and asked me to help her with haggling over the cost with the dealer. After that got done, all of a sudden everything I thought wrong with my car (mostly performance related) was heightened and I found myself looking at dealer websites and customizing the According Sport on Hondas official page. Then one week I decided I wanted to test drive it so booked an appointment on a Friday at the end of the work week. So I test drove it, not in any critical manner, and saw how sporty and attractive it looked and wanted to own so bad that I negotiated the price and bought it that same night, trading my own car in the process. The price I listed as how much my purchase was the price it wouldve been had I not traded my car. Luckily for me the Sport trim was what I wanted and it was only one level above LX but not any where as expensive as the higher trims with all their unnecessary safety assisting tech, moon roof (which I had on my 2003 but never used), and then some. What I did get with the Sport were 18" wheels and paddle shifters and 4 extra horsepower (not available with any other trim), not to mention, dual exhaust system, powered driver side seats, and its the sportiest and most attractive of all the trims (as most reviews point out). The only one thing I wouldve wanted wouldve been the V6 engine which is not available in the sport. All the other niceties like rear camera and client control apparently come standard. Also, even though leather was not available with this trim I was able to upgrade the upholstery with leather and the standard interior color for the Sport Trim was black. The dealership tinted the windows as was their custom so I have a pretty bad ass looking ride. The performance on the 4cl Sport is surprisingly good with 189 horses. Also it offers a "S" or sport transmission mode that keeps revs above 2000rpm so any acceleration from that point is snappy and quick and requires fewer large downshifts when needing a significant acceleration boost. Compared to a 2015 Camry SE which is the Accords direct competitor, it pales in comparison. Even though on paper it offers almost identical features and one can purchase it for roughly 5K less than the Accord Sport, having driven the Accord and owning it, I would gladly pay the difference. First off, the speedometer is huge in the Accord and at the center of the display console while the accord is small and off to the side. The gaps between each 5 mile marker on the Camry is tiny making it much more difficult to maintain a desired speed when not engaging your cruise control. The front dash on the Camry is also too busy compared to the Accords and the computer controlling the radio and center console controls is very slow. Every setting you choose takes 2 to 3 times longer for the computer to accept, very annoying. The Accord is also roomier inside than the Camry not to mention far more attraction (the Camrys front grille makes look like a Cylon designed it and the parking lights which run vertical along the front sides look like foo man chu whiskers). I love this car on a day I dont leave the house, after a shower just before bed, Ill take it out for a spin.

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  Great first car! - 2005 Honda Accord
  By Ed - July 24 - 1:29 pm

  To be specific, I have the 2005 LX Special Edition Coupe with the 2.4L I4 and 5-speed Manual. Special edition just means alloy wheels and different tires compared to the normal LX I believe. This is the first car Ive actually owned. This is also the first car Ive driven with a manual transmission (and I learned how to drive manual exclusively with this car in a parking lot!). The transmission is pretty slick, the clutch is pretty forgiving as well. The engine is a little weak in the low RPM range but over 3000RPM it has all the power you need in a car this size. Just shift down to fourth if you need to merge or pass on the highway but for normal city driving it should have enough power as long as you arent lugging it. The ride and steering feel are pretty solid for a commuter car, its no sports car but it doesnt have dead steering feel like some other typical sedans/coupes in this size/price range. The interior is pretty solid overall, the cluster is pretty logically laid out (I personally dont like most modern cars which try to be too complicated with soft-touch buttons and touch screens up the wazoo, makes it harder to change the AC/heat without looking!). Cloth seats does the job fine for me, saves me some pain in the summertime after a day in the parking lot sun. My only gripes are that shifting from first to second smoothly is always very slow because first is a lot shorter (in gearing) than second. Also the B-Pillar (behind the door) is pretty much exactly where you want to look to check your blind spot, but after a while you get used to turning your head just a bit more to get around that.

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  Great car with lots of little issues - 2003 Honda Accord
  By Pickandpray - July 24 - 9:30 am

  I got this car second hand and it has many little problems that dont sully the overall satisfaction with driving the car. BAD: door lock actuator failure moon roof limiter switch preventing moonroof from closing dark radio prevents seeing the station or the time tail lights leak water internally rear wheel camber gets negative with wear of rear linkages clear coat peeling GOOD: Very acceptable audio quality (decent bass in factory component setup) Very smooth quiet ride Pretty good handling (not sporty but not floaty either) No excessive wind noise on the highway

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  Outstanding value - 2015 Honda CR-V
  By Dave - July 23 - 2:18 pm

  I purchased the 2015 Honda CR-V EX AWD on July 2, 2015. Previously I had a 2010 CR-V EX so I had a very good means of comparison. Initially I was concerned regarding reviews/reports of excessive vibrations with the new CVT transmission. I can say categorically after 800+ miles that the 2015 CR-V with the CVT does not vibrate any more than my previous 2010 CR-V EX AWD did. The features and functions of the new 2015 EX model are very nice. First the acceleration is excellent. Fuel mileage has increased from 21-22 for the 2010 to 28.5+ for the 2015 model. The backup camera is a real plus. The radio controls take a bit to get used to, however considering Im moving from the old analog radio with buttons to a touch screen its very nice. Overall I believe Honda has produced an excellent vehicle that will more than meet my needs.