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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  A Pretty Good Value - 1997 Honda Accord
  By santaman58 - June 11 - 2:00 am

  Our 7th Honda. Overall, we are happy except for the drivers side power window failure that we experienced. Seems many others have the same problem. More road noise than I would like, but the overall value is still good and the dependability is good also. Drive power is adequate and comfort is good. Nice styling, except for the fabric covered side armrest, they would be better in a more cleanable material. Hopefully all these items will be corrected when we purchase our 8th Honda.

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  Best first car .. when youre young - 1998 Honda Civic
  By Rich1234 - June 11 - 2:00 am

  I owned it for 5 years. Still feel excited every time I get behind the wheel. It lets you feel all the bumps on the road.. so will sell it once I have a family. For single guy, it is a great toy (fund to drive) and tool (practical car). The only other car that has more fun, among those Ive driven, is the TT. But its twice as expensive.

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  Got it for a bargain... - 2003 Honda Pilot
  By Kaigoss - June 11 - 2:00 am

  I have only had my EXL for a day but I must say I love it already. Dont get discouraged by some of the reviewers reports of paying at or even above MSRP...Now there are plenty of Pilots around and you can find a great deal. I got mine at $ 75 over invoice, which is about a $3000 discount. This is what you do: Go to Honda.com and get a listing of all the dealers in your state, then go to their web pages and request "special internet pricing". I got about 20 quotes ranging from $1000 - $ 3000 under MSRP. I then took the lowest one to my local dealer and they matched it! I also locked in 3.84% financing for 60 months...What a deal! Good luck.

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  Honda Rocket!!! - 2003 Honda Accord
  By Macman - June 11 - 2:00 am

  For the money you cant beat it! This car is a rocket you wont get tired of. The more you drive it the more you like it.

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  satisfyed - 2003 Honda Accord
  By josefa - June 11 - 2:00 am

  over all exelent car for its class

• 

  Broken off the lot and in the shop for a month - 2016 Honda Pilot
  By Michael King - June 10 - 10:35 am

  Frustrating is the only word I can use to describe my experience with my brand new 2016 Honda Pilot. I don’t know if it was a freak occurrence or maybe I’m just unlucky, but I drove my Pilot off the lot and about 10 miles later the Touch Screen Infotainment system just stopped working. I was ok with that honestly, things break, car manufacturing isnt a perfect process. However the thing that is unforgivable and what warrants a 1 star review for my brand new car is the face that getting Honda to repair it has been an absolute clown show. I’ve owned the car for 25 days and I’ve only had the car to drive for 5 days because the last 17 days the car has been in the shop. So here follow my timeline and make your own decision about whether or not buying a new Honda Pilot is right for you. Day 1: I bought the car and drove it away. The sales process was clean and efficient. I drove 10 miles home and on the way my infotainment touch screen started fading to black. Day 2: Driving the car around town the infotainment screen just stopped functioning entirely. Just a black screen that would show lines. Made an appointment to get the car in the shop the next day. Day 3: After staying at the dealership for 3 hours Honda told me their computers found nothing wrong, and that I should leave the car there and take a loaner while they called Honda Tech support to figure out the issue. This wasn’t immediately possible as I was planning an out of state trip that weekend so I said I would bring it right back on Monday. Day 7: After driving the car all weekend the infotainment system never worked once. It’s a blessing that I could control the radio was from the buttons on the steering wheel. I took the car into the dealership, and drove away with my loaner. All in all I had put about 780 miles on the car (150 miles of which was driving it back and forth to the dealership) They told me they hope to have it fixed in “a few days”. Great. Day 10: Haven’t heard back from the dealership so I give them a call. The tech line said they should just replace the entire infotainment system, it’s on order and they should have the part some time this week. They hope to get me the car in “a few days”. Great. Day 14: The part didn’t come over the weekend. We’re investigating why the part order didn’t go through. We’ll get this cleared up and get the car back to you as soon as we can. At this point Honda has had my car longer than I have. We’re starting to get really upset so we call Honda of America Corporate to see whats the problem. They said the dealership should figure it out and there is nothing they could do about it. They gave us a case number incase there was a problem. Day 16: We’ve ordered the part but it’s on hold. They won’t release it to us yet. At this point we’re wondering if the part even exists. This is where we start pulling our hair out from frustration. Day 17: I get a call from manager for my region at Honda Corporate. He seems just as upset as I am at how this has been handled and assures me that he understands my frustration. He say’s he’ll talk to my dealerships service manager and get the part shipping expedited. He says he’s going to investigate and crack skulls and call me the following Monday Day 21. Day 22: The regional manager from Honda of America calls me back and tells me the part still hasn’t been ordered. That he’ll call me back with an update later this week. This is today. At this point all I feel is silent rage. The car was fun to drive, the features were amazing but how can I feel excited at this point. My brand new car that I paid for now just feels like its a refurbished lemon. We’ve been given nothing but the run around by Honda and NOTHING has been done. THEY HAVEN’T EVEN ORDERED A REPLACEMENT PART SUCCESSFULLY. I’m exhausted. This was the first new car I’ve ever purchased. It’s been in the shop for 17 days and at this point I hope they keep the car in the shop another 10 days so they will be forced to replace or buy it back via the lemon law. It’s just been a customer service catastrophy so buyer beware and pray if your Pilot breaks that the replacement part actually exists.

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  1.5T= POWAAAA! - 2017 Honda Civic
  By HR34 - June 10 - 9:13 am

  This is just a first impression/ short term review so far.Civic Hatchback LX Orchid White. I only had the car about 2 weeks and have 465mi. My work is just north of 1 mile away and I just want to break it in already! For a base model car its not very... basic. Although the wheels arent the prettiest, I appreciate that Honda didnt slap on a set of steelies w ugly hub caps. I originally wanted a Sonic Grey since my neighbor has one and it looks fantastic! Anyway, the wheels- they look best on the orchid white. I am actually not a big fan of the ex wheels so I am glad those arent on my car. What I like- 1.5T= POWAAAA! light weight, Piano Black trim, back up camera, huge side mirrors, practicality. What I dont like- OEM Bulbs ( halogen in a projector= dim lighting), arm rest padding ( they couldnt just use soft plastic instead of cloth? ), rear window is always foggy, no foot or hand brake, muffler tips or lack thereof ( dual exhaust and theyre hidden... why?), front windows are slow going up and down, Dirt easily gets between the windows. Ive already ordered a set of Phillips Crystal Vision from Amazon and that will pretty much remedy my biggest gripe about the car. What Ive done to it- purchased floor mats to match the beige interior, seat covers, window visors. What I plan to do- 35-55% tint, muffler tips, OEM mud guards, brighter headlight bulbs. It may seem like I have a few gripes about this car but at the end of the day; Its the best car Ive ever had. If anything, I would say that the LX is actually the best bang for your money within the Civic and hatchback segment.

• 

  1.5T= POWAAAA! - 2017 Honda Civic
  By HR34 - June 10 - 9:13 am

  This is just a first impression/ short term review so far.Civic Hatchback LX Orchid White. I only had the car about 2 weeks and have 465mi. My work is just north of 1 mile away and I just want to break it in already! For a base model car its not very... basic. Although the wheels arent the prettiest, I appreciate that Honda didnt slap on a set of steelies w ugly hub caps. I originally wanted a Sonic Grey since my neighbor has one and it looks fantastic! Anyway, the wheels- they look best on the orchid white. I am actually not a big fan of the ex wheels so I am glad those arent on my car. What I like- 1.5T= POWAAAA! light weight, Piano Black trim, back up camera, huge side mirrors, practicality. What I dont like- OEM Bulbs ( halogen in a projector= dim lighting), arm rest padding ( they couldnt just use soft plastic instead of cloth? ), rear window is always foggy, no foot or hand brake, muffler tips or lack thereof ( dual exhaust and theyre hidden... why?), front windows are slow going up and down, Dirt easily gets between the windows. Ive already ordered a set of Phillips Crystal Vision from Amazon and that will pretty much remedy my biggest gripe about the car. What Ive done to it- purchased floor mats to match the beige interior, seat covers, window visors. What I plan to do- 35-55% tint, muffler tips, OEM mud guards, brighter headlight bulbs. It may seem like I have a few gripes about this car but at the end of the day; Its the best car Ive ever had. If anything, I would say that the LX is actually the best bang for your money within the Civic and hatchback segment.

• 

  1.5T= POWAAAA! - 2017 Honda Civic
  By HR34 - June 10 - 9:13 am

  This is just a first impression/ short term review so far.Civic Hatchback LX Orchid White. I only had the car about 2 weeks and have 465mi. My work is just north of 1 mile away and I just want to break it in already! For a base model car its not very... basic. Although the wheels arent the prettiest, I appreciate that Honda didnt slap on a set of steelies w ugly hub caps. I originally wanted a Sonic Grey since my neighbor has one and it looks fantastic! Anyway, the wheels- they look best on the orchid white. I am actually not a big fan of the ex wheels so I am glad those arent on my car. What I like- 1.5T= POWAAAA! light weight, Piano Black trim, back up camera, huge side mirrors, practicality. What I dont like- OEM Bulbs ( halogen in a projector= dim lighting), arm rest padding ( they couldnt just use soft plastic instead of cloth? ), rear window is always foggy, no foot or hand brake, muffler tips or lack thereof ( dual exhaust and theyre hidden... why?), front windows are slow going up and down, Dirt easily gets between the windows. Ive already ordered a set of Phillips Crystal Vision from Amazon and that will pretty much remedy my biggest gripe about the car. What Ive done to it- purchased floor mats to match the beige interior, seat covers, window visors. What I plan to do- 35-55% tint, muffler tips, OEM mud guards, brighter headlight bulbs. It may seem like I have a few gripes about this car but at the end of the day; Its the best car Ive ever had. If anything, I would say that the LX is actually the best bang for your money within the Civic and hatchback segment.

• 

  Incredible Fun - 2000 Honda S2000
  By Hsuman - June 10 - 2:00 am

  If you do not need 4 seats and a large trunk - I can squeeze 2 golf bags in it - you cannot buy more fun on four wheels.