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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  I love this car - 1998 Honda Accord
  By VA in GA - February 27 - 11:43 am

  This has been an excellent vehicle and Ill probably replace it with another Honda. Repairs have been minimal and both the exterior and interior have held up quite well.

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  Expensive for a little above average - 2016 Honda Pilot
  By John H. - February 25 - 8:03 pm

  First off before buying a Pilot Elite beware of the following. The Navigation voice activation is useless. After dozens of attempts to utilize voice activation, I have resigned myself to the fact that it just doesnt work at all. I thought that Garmin would have been good, I was mistaken. I t hought the Elite had everything, including dual exhaust, wrong...the CRV does...but not the vehicle that costs 15 grand more. The adaptive cruise control will freak you out when someone enters the lane in front of you in the protected zone. It will panic brake, and thus panic YOU. Again it is useless unless the road is totally clear. I have had issues with the liftgate opening only to immediately close again to clock me in the noggin. In auto headlight mode, the high beams come on automatically when it feels like it. I am not one to use high beams that often. I have owned many different makes of vehicles, and never had as many issues as I have had with this Honda Pilot. Dont make the same mistake steer clear, without the lane keep assist.

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  wonderful car - 2001 Honda Civic
  By eureka - February 25 - 2:00 am

  I have owned this car for 2 years, and have had relatively few problems with it. It is very reliable, gets great gas mileage, and I can always depend on it to get me where I need to go. However, my car gets hit every few months. I dont know if it is the paint that makes it hard to see, or what, but I have been in 3 accidents in it. It has also been hit by hail 4 times in one year. I think the car is jinked. Those are the only reasons the car has been in the shop. It has never let me down, and is fun to drive.

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  Best Bang for Your Buck - 2008 Honda Pilot
  By T&T - February 24 - 10:43 pm

  The 2008 Honda Pilot is a great deal, pricewise (especially with big rebates now) and quality. Honda has had over 5 yrs to work out any bugs from an already solid SUV, so I feel like I own one of the most reliable vehicles on the road. In addition, it has enough pep, is versatile and roomy inside (we love the 60/40 split 3rd row seat for extra passengers when needed without shuffling around the car seats in the second row). It rides like a heavy-feeling, rather sporty car instead of a "floaty" truck- like truck. ItÂ’s a Honda with great resale.

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  Nice, but ... - 2009 Honda Accord
  By joe - February 24 - 5:20 pm

  Car rides nice and looks nice. I find the drivers seat very uncomfortable but hope to get used to it in time. Not sure yet about the user interface with the navigation and bluetooth.

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  Nice little car with a few shortcomings - 2016 Honda HR-V
  By Jay schickling - February 24 - 6:19 am

  I was coming from an 07 rav 4 with 2 wheel drive. I have bounced back and forth between compact vehicles to SUVs. I was looking for the fuel economy of a smaller vehicle, with the safety and AWD options of an SUV. Aside from Subarus, the options were scarce. Im disappointed Toyota doesnt have an option, and was excited about the upcoming Toyota CHR, but after learning it will not have an AWD drivetrain, it didnt meet my criteria. (Im not sure why Toyota would do that). I also considered Mazdas cx-3 which looked promising on paper, but it had a very hatchback feel and drove extremely low to the ground. I found the HRV to have the best blend of what I was looking for and is the first vehicle Ive seen that truly "feels" like a small SUV inside of its cabin, but offers the drive-ability and fuel economy of a compact sedan. The cabin has plenty of space and feels like my RAV4, but it handles like a car and has very responsive steering. No issues with traction of AWD which are requisites in a north-eastern climate. The vehicles continuously variable transmission takes a little while to get used to, and its admittedly under-powered. I didnt find it straining to accelerate on the highway or anything highly noticeable, but its not peppy. The cabin noise was less than my RAV-4 and Im hoping that doesnt change as the vehicle ages. The stock soundsystem and screen in the LX model are garbage and I will replace with an aftermarket headunit and integrate the factory back up camera and steering controls into that unit. Overall Im satisfied with the vehicle, its pretty much what I expected it to be, and was the only option on the market I found to meet all of my criteria to some degree. My biggest disappointment was the factory warranty being slightly shorter than industry standard, and the dealer trying to push a third party warranty from zurich. Im guessing with Hondas reputation for reliability, the warranty is less of a concern from the manufacturers side. I cant yet speak to reliability or cost of ownership.

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  Is Honda the best?????? - 2017 Honda CR V
  By David - February 24 - 12:09 am

  This is in response to "John R on 06/14/2017" on the ACC issues that he is having with his 2017 CRV. My wife and I purchased a 2017 CRV EX-L without Navi on a Wednesday and that Saturday our ACC shut down. We took it to the dealership and they claimed that the factory did not set the system up correctly. After 3.5 hours at the dealership we where on our way out the door. The very next Saturday we had the very same thing occur again. We have our Sun Pass for automated toll payments just under the forward sensing system module which is right behind the rear view mirror, for which the dealership stated has been known to cause issues with the ACC system. They moved the Sun Pass and re-calibrated the system again (Claiming that there was another update for the system) and out the door we where. 35 days into ownership my wife was driving on a toll road when the shadow of an eagle on the road caused the ACC system to bring the vehicle to an emergency stop in the middle of the highway. Thankfully she was only one on the road at the time. (Speed limit on road is 65 MPH) 44 days/2300 miles into ownership on the CRV I was going through GA up I-75 when my ACC system shut once again. I contacted the dealership that the system had shut down again and they stated for me to bring it to them so they could trouble shoot the system. The Service writer had also informed me that 2 other CRVs at that dealership where having the same issue and they had to replace the transmissions to resolve the issue with ACC. I returned to my home town took them the vehicle, and they now have had my vehicle for 4 days and with a few parts replaced they are claiming to have corrected the issue this time. (the fix, they had to replace the forward monitoring module and camera which is behind and below the "H" on the front of the vehicle). We are currently working with the dealership to take back the CRV because my wife and I have lost our confidence in the safety system of our CRV. The dealership has been great. The service writer did state that all of the data that he has seen through Honda that the 2017 CRV is the only vehicle having this issue with the ACC and it is only a hand full of them. The fit and finish could be a bit better, ex. heated seat dont get very hot/anemic power ($700 through Hondata will fix this)/leather seats are not all leather seating surface/carpeting is very thin and very cheap (just offer the Poly Weather Tech mates and call it even)/paint is very thin (bugs on front for 2 day and now the paint shows marks where the bugs were/waxing the vehicle you must use extreme care because you can buckle the hood and some of the body sides. (seems like stretched aluminum foil). Headlights fog up ALOT and chrome finish accents for headlights does not seem to fit right.

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  07 Element EX AWD MT review - 2007 Honda Element
  By Alaskan_Toaster - February 23 - 2:31 pm

  I have had my E for almost 7 months now. Included in my 16000 miles is a 6300 miles across the US trip from GA to AK (yes, Alaska). I towed a 1500# trailer behind it the entire way. I have absolutely no complaints about the comfort of the seats (even after 10-12 hours). The creature comforts and convenience items were well placed, easy to reach, and worked wonderful. The utilitarianism (is that a word?) of the vehicle is fantastic. We have made the decision to buy a second one to replace our other small SUV. IMHO - you wont regret getting one.

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  Ms. Odyssey - 2016 Honda Odyssey
  By L.W - February 23 - 11:31 am

  Shop various buyers programs for the best possible cost.

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  Back to basics - 2007 Honda Fit
  By cKr - February 23 - 1:50 am

  Nice little car. It gets back to basics. There are no map lights, no dimming of the dome light. In fact there is no dome light control on the dash. You have to reach up and flip the switch. No heated side-view mirrors. Very basic. Less stuff to break or wear out. For 16k, its a good buy. I dont regret my purchase after 1.5 years. This is a quality car you dont need to pay $500 a month for the next 7 years.