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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  LOVE THIS CAR! - 2011 Honda Accord
  By steve may - October 9 - 4:50 am

  This car is great. It drives nicely, handles great and gets great mileage. The SE trim is perfect - just the few bells and whistles we wanted and nothing else.

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  Such a good time - 2002 Honda Civic
  By Blakslee - October 7 - 11:08 pm

  Before I got this car I had a 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9 which I love(d). But once I started grad school and began driving close to 400 miles per week, I needed something more economical but because Im a car nut and feel that my car is a strong reflection of myself the list of cars I could afford, actually wanted and would save me enough money was veeeeery small. I was about to get a Mini cooper when the owners bailed and then I came across a gold 2002 Civic Si on craigslist. Owner was asking $5000 which I felt was a bit high but because it was so clean and very stock I really didnt want to pass it up so I shelled out the money. Being my first stick shift, it took me a few days to be able to drive the car proficiently and really enjoy what an awesome machine it is. Coming from my Jeep which was basically a 4wd muscle car (big engine, crude suspension and really only good in a straight line) to this car was like going from a hovercraft to a go-cart. This thing handles phenomenally well. (My car has lower, stiffer springs on it mind you). The seats hold you in tight and so far the car has only asked me to push it harder. Where my jeep was happiest at 1/3 to 3/4 throttle, the Civic Si is happiest when youre revving the nuts off of it. The car is a bit sluggish from a stop and 1st gear is really short but from then on it is just a blast. Surprisingly it does have some torque steer. I would highly recommend a cold air intake on this car if nothing else just for the induction noise. At about 3k rpm you get the start of a great engine growl what just gets bigger an louder especially once the vtec kicks in. But (on the stock exhaust) its quiet enough for me to finally enjoy some classical music on the highway (when you arent driving like Paul Walker of course). The clutch is nice and light but very squeeky and bites in the upper half/upper third of the travel. The shifter could be notchier and have less play but the car does have 92000 miles on it. It isnt the fastest thing in the world, in fact my old jeep is probably faster, but that is not at all why I bought the civic. Id already had a car that was fast but I found that I rarely ever got to use all the power and because it was an automatic, the only time I really ever enjoyed the car was when I was flooring it (which was almost never). The 2002 civic si is fast enough where giving it the full berries is just as much fun as it was in the jeep but Im not breaking the speed limit...as much. This is going to sound really odd but because the civic si is a bit slower, I can savor the sensation of acceleration and that wonderful induction noise for longer before I need to stamp on the brakes. Not to mention that every time you turn the wheel its like carving a hole in the laws of physics. The trade off of course is ride quality. I would not say it is uncomfortable but you are going to know exactly where the town didnt do such a good job paving the roads. If you value getting to 60 in under 6 seconds, going on road trips with 3 of your friends or being whisked to your destination surrounded by Egyptian cotton and duck down dont buy this car. But if you are someone who says "I GET to drive an hour each way to...", who wants a car that will reward you when you push it and encourage you to push it harder while doing 30 mpg highway and being as reliable as a sun dial on a clear summer day then you really need look no further. If you can find one that hasnt been modded up the yin yang and thrashed by...well me.

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  North to Alaska! - 2001 Honda Odyssey
  By Lisa - October 7 - 5:28 pm

  We purchased this 2001 Honda Odyssey Van used with approx 130,000 miles on it as we had outgrown our older vehicle. We have only done routine maintenance to it and it has been virtually bullet proof for us. We did have problems with the sliding doors...the plastic rollers just wore out (3 kids growing up with soccer, baseball, basketball, ranching, vacations, etc. equals LOTS of door openings and closings.) One door actually fell off when I opened it due to the roller breaking but that was around the 225,000 mile mark. We ordered the replacement parts and my husband changed them out and now it works fine. It has over 263,000 miles on it now and we are beginning to shop for another vehicle. My one really big dislike is the defroster! It takes FOREVER for the windshield to clear... bad engineering.

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  Great car - 2015 Honda Accord
  By John Marcus - October 7 - 3:22 pm

  The car is great. No regrets at all and we are a Toyota / Lexus family. Very happy. The edmunds price promise was the best of any deal I found.

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  A great little car on a serious budget - 2015 Honda Fit
  By Quick - October 7 - 2:34 pm

  Im going to try and keep this review short by trying to skip over all the technical specs youve already read and just get straight to the good and the bad, but first I think it is important that I give you som e background. Im in my early 20s just graduated college and my previous car was an ultra-plush 1997 Pontiac Bonneville. (Think of it as your favorite recliner on wheels.) The Bonneville was great, but it was quickly turning into a money pit and it was time for a new car. Ive owned the car for about six months now, and Im still in love with it, but it does have a few downsides. First of all, the car is rated 38/40 mpg (city, hwy), however I drive mostly highway miles and in order for me to actually get my average mpg per tank below 40, Ive got to drive around in sport mode approximately 15% of the time and drive pretty aggressively. On average, I get between 42 and 45 mpg. Ive gotten 47 - 50 before on long road trips, or by driving extremely conservatively. Needless to say, the mpgs are great. The car has a pretty stiff suspension, and the base model lacks a lot of the sound-dampening materials of the higher end models, so there is a good bit of road noise. The stiff suspension also gives you a powerful incentive to avoid any and all bumps in the road as they do not absorb much of the impact and Im always afraid of hurting my precious automobile. I did have to drive down one particularly terrible country road that was absolutely full of potholes, and now there are a few light rattles in the seat belt columns, which is pretty vexing since it is a brand new car. The car is extremely easy to drive. The steering wheel turns with very little effort, acceleration and braking is smooth. Acceleration is kind of sluggish, especially if you are coming from a full size sedan like me, but I dont really mind it as its still a fun drive. Sports mode basically just makes the engine rev higher and provides a noticeable increase in responsiveness. Economy mode is a more dramatic change, with extremely sluggish acceleration and reduced A/C performance. Personally, I only use it when travelling on the highway. The car will get extremely hot out in the sun, which is to be expected with the all black interior, but the A/C can take care of it in a matter of seconds, so its not really an issue. The seats are comfortable, but dont really cradle your body, so you have a tendency to slide a little in the turns. Additionally, the center console "armrest" is completely unusable because it is practically on the floor. The radio sounds like every other normal car stereo, except for the Bluetooth. Im not sure if it is just my phone or what, but the sound quality there is pretty bad. Its like using a payphone. The last, and maybe most important, thing to note, is that my particular car seems to have a few quality control issues. A few of the dashboard panels dont line up quite right. The window trim on one door seems to stick out further than all the others, and the front bumper seems to have too large a gap in the panels on one side. When it gets hot, the rear window squirter leaks and leaves a nearly impossible to remove streak from the soap on the window. These are all things that Ill have to ask the dealer about when I go for an oil change. Final verdict: despite its few flaws, I absolutely love it and feel that I made the right choice.

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  Little less than 20k and many electrical problems - 2015 Honda Pilot
  By New Piloteer - October 7 - 2:11 am

  At less than 20k miles - Driver power seat only moves back and forth plus lumbar support, up/down and recline stopped working - just found out today Passenger side up/down stopped working- just found out today glass hatch stopped working (door button/remote/button on the rear door)- fixed by dealer 3-zone climate control stopped displaying the setting status on the middle display. The rear still works fine. - waiting on dealer ordered parts The car is pretty loud on highway, but nice in town and city express ways. Its bulky but relatively easy to maneuver because of its tight turning angle and responsive steering. This car wont win any drag race but the target buyers wouldnt care about it either. It has enough power with the responsive transmission to easily move around the towns and cities. Tried the 2016 Subaru Forester and 2015 CR-V, but are much smaller with adequate power. But the CVT they have making the acceleration hectic and less predictable, which is horrible on stop and go city traffic, or making left turn on intersections. The MPG figure as pointed out by so many already, not very green or Honda like (CR-V come to mind). But theres nothing new here, even the 2016 new Pilot is still horrible in this department. If you care about MPG, this is not your car for sure. The main drawing power for me is the square boxy look and feel (while driving) of the yester-year. Its truck-like road manner matches the look as well. This is what my family happens to appreciate - the quiet and smoother and longer mini vans and Mazda CX 9/Highlanders give them sea sickness. Also, I found the Pilot easier to handle on highway than Toyota Highlander and Camry. The Toyotas are bit over sensitive to steering and make driving it a bit nervous on crowded multi-lane highways. Pilot somehow feels more stable in similar situations, as clumsy and boxy as it is. As for alternatives, the 4-runner is less practical for our purposes, too expensive and we are not into off-road. The GMC/Ford/Chevy are much bigger than we need and more expensive as well, with questionable reliability (had many Americans in the past to prove my doubts). But, the recent sleuth of electric problems on the Pilot makes me wonder about Hondas reliability. I do hope that these problems are just my one time bad luck and things will be rosy from here. I am holding my breath with fingers crossed...

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  I wont buy another Honda - 2014 Honda Accord
  By Mandy - October 6 - 9:06 pm

  Very poor quality vehicle

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  $$$ if your transmission goes out - 2011 Honda CR-V
  By Chris H - October 6 - 4:52 pm

  Beware if you need a new transmission. Mine went out at 125,000 ( my Honda Civic made it to 300,00 without issues). The bill to put in a new one $3,600. The is much higher than many other models of SUV

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  Great car. - 2013 Honda CR-V
  By TREY - October 6 - 3:24 pm

  2013 honda crv lx has 40,000 miles Ive had no issues with the car. One dislike was road noise from the factory continental tires so I found some ex l 17 inch wheels and bought a new set of michelin latitude tires. Its amazing what a difference that made. Another dislike is that there is no arm rest for passenger driver. Other than that it gets great gas mileage and has plenty of room for size.

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  Great little ride! - 2015 Honda CR-V
  By Fran - October 6 - 3:23 pm

  What a great SUV.....handles well, good fuel economy, easy to enter and exit, turning radius is amazing, roomy and great styling. Love the ease of getting in and out of this car. Honda has also done a lot to quiet the road noise since I bought my 2008 Accord. Driving this vehicle is a dream.....no blind spots and the camera for backup and right turns is outstanding. The passenger space is wonderful.....my grandkids love the extra space for their backpacks. Trunk/cargo is wonderful and the auto feature to put the seats down works great. My only issue is working the entertainment system.....Im pretty computer literate but it takes a while to get this system right and the manual is a little short on explanation. I would recommend to anyone to get your price through the internet first and then go in and see if you can get any extras.