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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  Nice but.... - 2015 Honda Odyssey
  By SW - December 16 - 3:55 pm

  This is our second minivan for our family of five. We had a Toyota Sienna for 10 years (2005) and just upgraded to a 2015 Odyssey. It has very hard for me to go to Honda over Toyota, but in general, I liked the appearance and features of the interior better than the Sienna (dash was very "truck" and I wanted a bit more luxury). My husband loves the way this drives - quick and sharp handling. The three boys fit great, and we have room when needed for long trips. HOWEVER, we bought it September 3. It has been to the shop for a torn sun visor, weather stripping on a sliding door falling off (after 2 months of terrible wind noise at my ear, I was glad to have it fixed), two blown fuses for interior lights, AND now the wind noise is starting to be very bad at the drivers door. Thats a lot of visits to the repair shop for a 39K vehicle. Perhaps we got a lemon and most dont have these issues? But for me, I have had buyers remorse, and have thought more than once "shouldve stayed with Toyota" as we had one issue in ten years with that van. Looks good. Drives good. Functional. Im just thankful for the new car warranty to cover all these small, petty issues!

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  hesitation - 2013 Honda Pilot
  By Don Wagner - December 16 - 12:30 pm

  This Honda model has a terrible hesitation problem. Often it will quit running and let you sitting in the middle of an intersection, and sometimes it just quits running altogether. I had to have towed to the dealer recently and after having the vehicle two days thet told me it had a bug, the size of a gnat in the air/fuel mixture chamber. Told me it was repaired, but it still has the same problem.

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  Great SUV for a single man - 2009 Honda CR-V
  By calicorkication - December 15 - 9:53 am

  This car has been great for my needs. Mainly, I use it for car camping. I removed the back seat and use the extra room for moving furniture and large items. When I bought the car, it had a tow hitch already installed. I have used it to pull several U-haul trailers and a flatbed trailer borrowed from a friend to move sofas, love seats, etc and it has worked great for all purposes. Also, I added a roof rack and a cargo box that has worked great for my needs. The original tires that were on it when I bought it used lasted for 85,000 miles. I tend to get 24 mpg with a mix of city and highway use. If I travel at 70 mph on the interstates and/or take back road highways at 55 mph, I tend to get the 27 mpg that Honda states the car can get. Otherwise, if I drive 75 mph I tend to get 24-25 mpg. My main complaints are the drivers side power window is not always reliable but the others work fine up to this point. Also, the moon roof has not opened in nearly 3 years. I have tried to reset it following online instructions and I can hear a sound like a motor trying to move it but it goes nowhere so I stop to avoid breaking it further.

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  Funky styling to stand out - 2015 Honda Civic
  By Paul B. - December 15 - 2:38 am

  I love this little coupe but I would definitely save the money and go for the new 2016 coupe. I have two complaints with the car. Getting in and out is a hassle as the doors open very wide, but that comes with the territory of a coupe. The CVT isnt a favorite transmission. It is constantly hunting for a good RPM to keep speed and jerks like a normal automatic transmission. It becomes very annoying on the highway with cruise control on. The touchscreen is clear and easy to use and I love the Passenger side LaneWatch camera. My Civic has been very reliable, coming from a very unreliable 2014 Dodge Dart. I will own this car for a few more years before I trade up to a new Civic SI or an Accord Sport.

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  Dancing mini-van, my car can shimmy at 65mph! - 2014 Honda Odyssey
  By tom roach - December 14 - 11:56 am

  The brake rotors wear choppy causing high speed vibration(over 60 mph) in the steering . Dealer claims it is normal and nothing to be addressed!

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  Fuel system reserve - 2015 Honda Fit
  By Deid dierks - December 13 - 7:49 am

  The fuel system low fuel light comes on when fuel quantity is 25% remaining. When the light illuminates I can only fill approx 8.2 gal. I then decided to carry a couple gallons with me and run the system to empty. When the lite came on I reset the tripometer. When it registered 33 miles the gas gauge indicator had no bars and the "miles to empty" read zero. I continued until tripometer displayed 105 miles. At that time I filled up with 10.55 gal. This confirms the 10.6 gal fuel tank and also the suspected 25% fuel remaining when the "low fuel" indicator illuminates, and also shows the fuel gauge is not accurate for "empty" and the"miles to empty" is also not accurate. Im averaging over 43 mpg with 6 speed manual.

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  Mostly Improved Over Previous Years - 2014 Honda Odyssey
  By CN - December 8 - 5:56 pm

  Weve had this one for about 18 months and 31,000 miles now. We bought it to replace a 2012 Odyssey that was a disappointment on many levels. So far, it has been trouble-free. Around town we average about 24 mpg and on the open road we can count on 29-30 mpg running at 70-75 mph. While the 2012 and 2014 are essentially identical, most of the improvements are behind the scenes in that Honda has generally improved how systems operate. The auto headlights, for example, have better logic for the day/night mode switching, and the instrument lighting switching has been separated from the headlight switching. The cylinder shutoff system (VCM) is less noticeable (the 2012s was abysmal). Having the built-in vacuum is a nice touch, though we wish it were a bit more powerful. It also seems a bit quieter than the 2012 was (better active noise control?). On the downside, like the 2012 (and our 2003 as well) before it, front brake rotors warp too easily. Personally, I think they are undersized for a 4,500 lb. vehicle. The transmission is smoother than the 2012, but Honda has yet to figure out how to make a smooth-shifting transmission...on any car they sell. Cold operation is particularly lousy. Our biggest beef, though, is with the infotainment system. Migrating the radio/CD player to a touchscreen while keeping the joystick/knob controller was a mistake. The system response is slower and the programming changes they made to the navigation system make it harder to enter a destination. It also resulted in the loss of the pull-out cupholder/drawer, which was a nice feature to have. In those regards the 2012 arrangement was better. Overall, we are happier with the 2014. Hopefully, it will continue to give trouble-free operation.

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  Midlife speedster - 2012 Honda Civic
  By Bob - December 5 - 6:49 pm

  Test drive it get into the drive and see this handle its fun its great on gas only when your being good... Very hard to do. I bought this car for me and wife nobody sits in back.. Lol no tickets

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  Navigation system the worst - 2015 Honda CR-V
  By Tom Goodwin - December 5 - 12:39 pm

  The Navigation system is terrible. It takes us the long way to get to a location. It shows unverified routes when we are on city streets and county roads. It still shows them as unverified even after traveling on the road many times. The manual shows that you can turn the voice commands off or down. It will not turn down. Very poor GPS system.

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  2014 Honda Sport - 2014 Honda Accord
  By sns - December 5 - 12:09 pm

  I use my car all day in my sales job, so I am in the car for many hours per day. This is my third Honda Accord (2009, 2012 & 2014), the reason I trade my cars often is due to my job. Each Accord has improved each time for me, however the front seat comfort has not. Im constantly adjusting the front seat to find comfort or to change my position. If Honda would fix this issue, they would have the greatest car. I have the Sport model and the front seats have a "cupping-like" affect causing a hyperextension of the back and neck, resulting in muscle soreness and pain, so much so I have had to pull out the head rest and face it toward the rear seat. This solved my shoulder pain because the head rest pushes the head so far forward it was unnatural. Also, to manage my back discomfort I have had to place a bed pillow length-wise to get relief. I also deal with hip pain because of the way the seat joins to the back piece. And cushioning needs improvement. The engineers at Honda seems to model the front seats after a Formula One car or a door gunner in the Millennium Falcon, way too aggressive for normal everyday driving. I am now ready to purchase a new car. I like the Accord styling with its "BMW like" exterior, but my body cant take it anymore after six years. I tired of taking Advil to ease the pain. With sadness, I now have to leave Honda. I have researched the competition and have decided to switch solely due to front seats discomfort. Why wont Honda react?, They know there is a problem. If they modeled their seat after a Nissan Altima, the Accord would be perfection and I wouldnt be in this position. FYI, I have tried a Subaru Legacy Limited test drive and the seats blow Honda out of the water. I prefer Honda exterior styling, but like I said before my body cant take it anymore. I believe I going to get the Subaru Legacy, besides the resale value beats Honda. If any Honda Engineers are reading this, please take it to heart. Change the front seats to those of an Altima or Legacy, and you will have the greatest car and I will return.