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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  Defect - 2016 Honda HR-V
  By Zoe deYoe - March 15 - 12:13 pm

  Love this car, very satisfying all the way around. Im older, in Michigan; I love how it goes in the snow and how much more practical it is, and easier to get in and out of, than my sedan. Big defect though going over tarstrips and bumps while braking sometimes--a kick back, knock, clunk . . . not so much a noise as a feeling in the pedal like dropping a tray of tools, kind of mechanical take-up or loose assembly coming under tension (hard to describe). Took it in right after new and they found nothing; clunking persisted; wrote Honda in case there was a known problem; they said take it back to shop; shop couldnt find anything; wrote to Honda to report shop couldnt fix and said Id monitor it for six weeks and report; no reply; six weeks are about up and have had many significant occurrences; will report to Honda. What will they do? They say three times they cant fix it, its lemon. Do they take my word for it? Will they have an engineer keep it a while? Do they have some way to resolve this defective mechanical problem? The car is a joy but dealing with this complication sure has taken a lot of joy out of ownership of a brand new car. UPDATE: I worked closely with Honda America but they explained a Catch-22 of HRV ownership: They do not diagnose defects that their computer program doesnt recognize. Thus defects such as the brake kick back problem found in many HRVs are acknowledged as existing but not addressed or covered, and owners simply "got a bad one." Honda urges owners of such defective HRVs to keep an eye open for recalls--indicating they have developed repair protocols.

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  Very Pleased - 2006 Honda Odyssey
  By Ron H - March 15 - 6:30 am

  We are very pleased with our Honda. It is the greatest van we have ever owned. Very comfortable. Love the spaciousness inside, the rear seats that fold intothe floor, and the power doors. We travel very often with six adults and everyone talks about how comfortable it is.

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  Very nice car - 2001 Honda Prelude
  By TomR - March 15 - 5:19 am

  I love my prelude. I has very good performance stock. Also you can buy many upgrades to get more power. Its pretty comfortable, sometimes my back starts to ache but maybe its just me cause im 63". Fuel economy is good but im always in vtec so it sucks up gas. Its very fun to drive just becareful for popo. Interior is plain stock but that will be fixed with some new seats. Builty quality is good and its very reliable. I only had 1 prob with tranny. I think it was a faulty part

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  A must look see for Honda Lovers - 2006 Honda Ridgeline
  By ikudbne1 - March 15 - 12:26 am

  For those of you that have wanted a truck but hesitated because a truck bed is not convienient for day to day around town shopping/groceries type activities, then this is the truck for you! The in bed trunk solves all your problems and it comes with the Honda Quality and attention to detail on top of it all!

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  So far, so good - 2017 Honda Accord
  By Jason Green - March 14 - 4:17 pm

  Ive owned this vehicle for one month now, and so far it seems to be a good investment. Driving is easy, and acceleration is very smooth: engine RPMs barely get above 3k when accelerating from a stop light, and the car gets up to speed easily with very little struggle (compared to my previous 2013 hybrid that red lined while accelerating to 45 mph). The interior is very quiet and comfortable with good visibility. Love the Honda sensing with the camera on the passenger side - very helpful when passing vehicles on the highway or making sure youre parking close enough to the curb. I wish I had a camera on the drivers side as well! Adaptive cruise control works great - the furthest distance setting provides a very comfortable 3-second following range which is a bit far in some driving situations. The closest distance setting is also comfortable, giving about a one-second following distance. Love the lane keeping system - when off, it gives you a visual warning when you are departing your lane; when on, it helps to gently guide you to the center of your lane - the car almost drives by itself! And the lane departure is a gentle reminder - some cars I test drove nagged at you when you started to leave your lane, and it could be quite distracting. It has pretty good smartphone integration - if I plug my Android phone into the USB port, I can use Google navigation thats on my phone (and it automatically shows up on the console screen) - that saved me a few hundred bucks since I didnt have to buy the trim with navigation (and Google maps is generally more user-friendly than most car navigation systems). I also have access to music on my phone and Amazon music. You can also use Pandora or other streaming services or use Hondas "A-Ha" music app. I can get phone calls through the car speakers, but I havent figured out how to get text messages read to me (possibly a limitation of my phone and not the car). Android Auto will also read my emails to me once the vehicle is parked. Overall, very good technology and integration that Ive only just begun to explore. Other notes: - Fold down rear seats are only operable from the trunk, and you cant access the trunk from the back seat. This provides the opportunity to securely lock the trunk so the valet driver cant get in without the key. You can also lock out the glove compartment so you need the physical key to get in. - Rear seat room is comfortable, even for a 63" adult. - This trim level has two center dashboard screens - the upper screen cycles between music info, trip info, or an uploaded photo & clock. You also have the option to combine music info and trip info on the same screen. The lower display is a touch-screen where you can control music, cell phone, Android Auto features (e.g. navigation) and trip info (trip mph and duration, including previous trips) - seems a bit redundant though to have the same trip or music info displayed on both the upper and lower screens. - Below the bottom touch screen are simple, easy to operate dual-zone climate controls that keep the passenger compartment very comfortable. - Car has a number of driving modes. The transmission itself has "Drive" and "S" (which I assume means "Sport," but its not defined in the owners manual as a "Sport" mode). "S" gives you a little more power for faster starts, probably at the expense of fuel economy at highway speeds. "S" is also used for models with paddle shifters, for towing, for increased engine braking, or in hilly terrain. Drive, I assume, gives you the advertised 185 hp and 181 ft-lbs torque. You also have an "Econ" button: Econ mode restricts both the climate system and engine power to maximize fuel economy. The A/C doesnt blow as hard, and it takes a bit longer to cool the vehicle on warm days. I suppose you could drive in Sport mode with Econ activated, but it seems like it would be counter productive. I generally leave the car in drive with Econ mode activated, and it seems to do fine, even on the hottest summer days. Ive had no problem with acceleration or speed while in Econ mode, though Ive noticed that with cruise control on, the vehicle slows a bit when going up hills, and it doesnt return to the ordered speed as aggressively. I suppose if you want something a little more responsive, either dont use Econ mode, drive with the transmission in "Sport," or buy the V-6 or sport model. With about 900 miles on the car, Im getting around 38 combined mpg (its advertised as having 27/36 mpg & 30 mpg combined). Most of my driving is on the highway. Overall, a very good mid-size sedan. While it doesnt have all the luxury features that are out there, it is very well equipped, and very well made. And if buying a domestic vehicle is on your agenda, my previous Ford was built in Mexico, but this Honda was built in Ohio. I probably put more groceries on tables in America with this car purchase than with my "domestic" Ford.

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  Lots of Good Stuff - 2008 Honda Accord
  By Rajkumar - March 14 - 4:00 am

  Driving the 8th Generation Driving Machine is not too smooth (like Altima or Camry) but feels the same good old Accord (the manly drive feel). Lots of power in the new machine at 2600 RPM I made 80 MPH (of course more power) than the previous Accords. Wonderful to drive.

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  Spectacular Car - 1994 Honda Prelude
  By Dw - March 14 - 2:40 am

  The reputation of this car speaks for itself, I searched high and low before deciding on this one, and looked at all the usual suspects (Eclipse, F-Body), as well as more specailzed sports cars (300ZX, MR2, SVX). No other car could match the Prelude as far as performance and reliablity, the MR2 was my second choice, but I need at least some backseat.

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  Should be called a GLC - 1999 Honda CR-V
  By fotoefek - March 13 - 5:05 pm

  The Mazda GLC stold the name for this car. Its the best all around vehicle since sliced bread. Decent mileage, good handling, decent power and never let me down. Plenty of room for 4 and stuff. I plan to buy another when or if this one wears out.

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  Great Value - 2012 Honda Civic
  By thumper16 - March 13 - 4:24 pm

  Hard to beat these things for value. Traded in a 2009 civic exl with 30,000 only because I have to be the first to buy anything updated. Cost me 4500 or 1500 per year. Lota nice new in electronics, softer handling and little less road noise. Downside......no standard xm in exl and the cupholders redesigned for cups that I dont have nor have yet found in stores. The center consel in my 09 was deep and big, this one is small and shallow. storage sleeves on doors have also been downsized. Have 1700 miles and at 32.9 mixed. I drive aggressively and seldom engage econ, also live in hilly area of western Pa. Aside from the storage issues love the car and would buy again.

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  2000 CRV - 2000 Honda CR-V
  By vannstar - March 13 - 2:47 pm

  Careful design makes it a delight to drive and own. Quality is top flight. Gas mileage could be better.