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:

• 

  Good Buy - 2001 Honda CR-V
  By Eil - September 8 - 2:00 am

  Bought it used with 15K miles on it. Its perfect for us. Couldnt understand why everyone gets an armrest except the front passenger, but I got it installed aftermarket.

• 

  Big Improvement - 2002 Honda CR-V
  By pitcher - September 8 - 12:06 am

  Owned 97 CRV for 5 years. New 2002 vehicle is an improvement in ride, comfort, quietness, power and room. Only complaint is a place to put my left foot comfortably. Also the tires are noisy so I replaced them with Michelin X Ones(good for 80000 miles). Now a huge difference in handling and quietness. Also replaced the cheap paper cone speakers , added a subwoofer in rear and amp under drivers seat and have improved the sound 100%.

• 

  great Car - 2016 Honda CR-V
  By Bernard Sussman - September 7 - 7:58 am

• 

  2008 Honda Civic Sedan - 2008 Honda Civic
  By R-U-Cirius - September 7 - 5:30 am

  1st time I drove this car, I was impressed but not sold. After I test drove the Mazda3(base model, manual trans.) 3 days later, I was leaning towards it. I collected my tribe later that day and since wed be driving past the Honda dealer on the way, I decided to give the Civic another look. Boy Im glad I did! We were all fairly impressed with the Civic, particularly the backseat leg room. After the 2nd test drive of the Mazda3 (auto trans this time) we made a unanimous family decision. The styling, particularly the ugly taillight design, tight legroom and general ho-hum design, led us back to the Civic. I couldnt be happier after buying a Civic. Great value, in my opinion the best in class!

• 

  1996 Honda Accord LX - 1996 Honda Accord
  By pamela - September 7 - 2:00 am

  I have owned my Accord for 7 years and am the original owner. I depend on this vehicle to get us everywhere we need to go baseball games, basketball games, football games, vacations, work, etc... I change the oil every 4K and perform all routine maintenance as set by the owners manual. I have 142K miles on this car and it continues to perform just as good as it did 7 years ago. I have a manual transmission and I have the original clutch and brakes. I feel this vehicle will go another 142K. I continue to be impressed with the dependability and resale value of this vehicle.

• 

  2008 EX 4 Cyl - 2008 Honda Accord
  By staple15 - September 6 - 12:13 pm

  This is the first Accord Ive owned since 1993, and we just sold it. We kept it for slightly under 2 years. The motor was strong for a 4 and with such a large car we averaged over 25 MPG combined driving. Our best tank was 31. The road noise was greater than expected. We had the driverÂ’s seat in for repair twice, one for a frame replacement to fix the "power ratchet" issue. Our last item was the brakes. We only got 28,000 miles from our pads and with the replacement they still were not "great". Not a bad car, but not in league with my 1993 or my Toyota.

• 

  Quality Control Lacking - 2016 Honda Civic
  By David W. - September 6 - 4:00 am

  Never buy a first year model is something you hear a lot but never expect to have to worry about with a Honda. However the car looked good upon delivery and I was happy to drive home w apple car play duel climate zones and a sunroof! Not to mention the thought of saving at the pump w good mpgs. Maybe I should have looked at the car more closely but with a new car you dont expect to have to go over the car with a magnifying glass or the white glove treatment esp. w a Honda...I pull in the garage with my new car and discover the front bumper is not lined up on the driver side it is poorly placed and I dont think should have passed inspecting in the factory but it did! also the chrome trim is made up of 3 pieces above the front grille and 2 of the 3 were not on correctly either. The radio also froze on me once. The good is that the dealer fixed or seemed to fix the radio and chrome trim. After 4 trips for the front bumper and having to call customer service and the dealer would not willingly give me a loaner car they only made that problem worse chipping the seemingly thin paint. This was a brand new car w 5 miles on it when I drove it. It also developed a window rattle or some rattle around the car that was never investigated as I decided to return the car for an Accord...problem solved? No because the Accord was also new in dark blue gray trim and I was happy until at home again I found missing paint on the car it was down to bare metal on the A pillar w no paint no rust just silver metal no under coating etc. a poor paint job which had blemishes and other imperfections on the hood and various places. I think drive the car around town and with only 200 miles the cars air bag lights go off and according to the owners manual mean no airbags are working now and I should not drive the car....I called Honda who towed the car to the dealer and exchanged it for now my 3rd car all of these were new. So far almost 4k miles on it and no issues other than the black roof trim that runs along the roof is coming up slightly on the passenger side and the glove box does not appear to be completely lined up correctly basically bad panel gap from the great and mighty Honda. Quality control seems to be lacking at the moment and I dont plan on buying another Honda however they did give me a 500.00 gift card for my troubles from corp. the dealership was not very helpful in actually being able to fix the issues I just had to argue for a 3rd car in a matter of weeks and sell the civic back at a loss. The Accord was just exchanged as they hadnt even processed the paperwork for the blue one due to it being on a weekend lucky me and discovering all of its issues with in a matter of days!

• 

  Quality Control Lacking - 2016 Honda Civic
  By David W. - September 6 - 4:00 am

  Never buy a first year model is something you hear a lot but never expect to have to worry about with a Honda. However the car looked good upon delivery and I was happy to drive home w apple car play duel climate zones and a sunroof! Not to mention the thought of saving at the pump w good mpgs. Maybe I should have looked at the car more closely but with a new car you dont expect to have to go over the car with a magnifying glass or the white glove treatment esp. w a Honda...I pull in the garage with my new car and discover the front bumper is not lined up on the driver side it is poorly placed and I dont think should have passed inspecting in the factory but it did! also the chrome trim is made up of 3 pieces above the front grille and 2 of the 3 were not on correctly either. The radio also froze on me once. The good is that the dealer fixed or seemed to fix the radio and chrome trim. After 4 trips for the front bumper and having to call customer service and the dealer would not willingly give me a loaner car they only made that problem worse chipping the seemingly thin paint. This was a brand new car w 5 miles on it when I drove it. It also developed a window rattle or some rattle around the car that was never investigated as I decided to return the car for an Accord...problem solved? No because the Accord was also new in dark blue gray trim and I was happy until at home again I found missing paint on the car it was down to bare metal on the A pillar w no paint no rust just silver metal no under coating etc. a poor paint job which had blemishes and other imperfections on the hood and various places. I think drive the car around town and with only 200 miles the cars air bag lights go off and according to the owners manual mean no airbags are working now and I should not drive the car....I called Honda who towed the car to the dealer and exchanged it for now my 3rd car all of these were new. So far almost 4k miles on it and no issues other than the black roof trim that runs along the roof is coming up slightly on the passenger side and the glove box does not appear to be completely lined up correctly basically bad panel gap from the great and mighty Honda. Quality control seems to be lacking at the moment and I dont plan on buying another Honda however they did give me a 500.00 gift card for my troubles from corp. the dealership was not very helpful in actually being able to fix the issues I just had to argue for a 3rd car in a matter of weeks and sell the civic back at a loss. The Accord was just exchanged as they hadnt even processed the paperwork for the blue one due to it being on a weekend lucky me and discovering all of its issues with in a matter of days!

• 

  No problems here - 2009 Honda Accord
  By flyboy - September 6 - 3:03 am

  I bought my 09 back in Aug of 08. So far Ive driven 5400 miles. Ive had no problems with it. Not once has it been in for any repairs. It does have road noise at cruising speeds. But, coming from a BMW Im use to that. Would be nice if the seats have more cushion. Can get uncomfortable on long trips. I have no issues with the way it drives though. Good gas mileage for this size V6. Overall Im happy with the purchase.

• 

  Cant part with it - 1997 Honda Prelude
  By MiGo - September 6 - 2:00 am

  Aside from needing a new transmission at 40,000 miles (extended warranty, luckily) rattles in the headliner, and fading paint, I couldnt be happier with my car. It is a bit sluggish until the RPMs get going but after that it moves pretty well. Handling is definitely the strong point of this car. It does tend to wear the tires unevenly.