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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  Mileage - 2007 Honda Pilot
  By honda lover! - May 5 - 4:44 pm

  A fun car to drive. Mileage is a major issue for someone that has to drive this car on a daily basis. I purchased this vehicle to use for vacation trips, I plan on only using about 6000/year. If I had to use it to commute to work, I probably end up in the poor house

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  Great family car - 2006 Honda Pilot
  By RenaKS - May 5 - 3:17 pm

  Weve had it for nearly 1 1/2 years and have 3 children, all 5 and under. First off, I love my Pilot. That said, the 2nd row is not ideal. The biggest flaw with this as a family car is that infant carseat would only fit in the center where there is no latch! Latched it using the other seats latches but left my other 2 kids latchless. Plenty of power and cargo space. 3rd row for kids only. Nice leather. A touch noisy on highway. Great stereo. Console is very nice. Solid vehicle, runs well. I drove an Audi and would like tighter steering, though. But handles fairly well, doesnt feel too big. Great safety features

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  Blown Engine on New CRV!!! - 2010 Honda CR-V
  By chrism07924 - May 5 - 7:30 am

  At 146 miles, the engine self destructed. The service center told me cylinder head 1 had no compression. When they took the engine apart, they found a part had actually fallen into the cylinder itself, a rod, or something. Now, Im told it will be 3-4 weeks, at least, to get a new engine. I only drove the vehicle for 3 days! Unbelievable. Very disappointed.

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  Great Vehicle! - 2006 Honda Element
  By Jill - May 3 - 5:24 pm

  Highly recommend. Love the interior design and comfort. A little rough on the bumps, but overall, a nice ride. Have over 10K miles and have had no problems.

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  Help where do I put my "stuff" - 2016 Honda CR-V
  By Princess - May 3 - 9:28 am

  Not a lot of storage area verses my pilot. Could use a little more space in the front for change, carry on small items

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  Great Drive Train, Poor Interior Design - 2005 Honda CR-V
  By Mike - May 3 - 2:53 am

  If you want a SUV with good performance and dependability, this is the one you should get. However, if you cares much about internal design, then get another one. This SUV has great engine/trans. and drives smoothly. I dont want to offend any Honda fans here, but the internal design needs quite a lot improvements. The Antenna is old- fashioned, Gas Cap Release is hard to reach, Gear Shift blocks the radio control, Rear Door opens to wrong direction (learned that since it was originally designed for Japanese market), Rear Wiper misses a large area, No Central Console, narrow and deep door pocket makes little things hard to retrieve, Arm Rest is uncomfortable, Fuel Tank is too small ...

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  Great SUV for the money - 2007 Honda Pilot
  By Asim - May 2 - 9:58 pm

  I am a big Honda fan and biased for Honda over any other car company. This is our second Honda and I love it. The engine is silky smooth and near silent. The ride is nice and quiet. The SUV is great for the family with eight passenger seating and room for everyone. I test drove new GMC Acadia, Saturn Outlook, Mazda CX-9 and even new Acura MDX. But Pilot has everything these other SUVs have plus the great price. Great SUV for the price. Buy and treat yourself!!

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  Where is the quality? - 2008 Honda Civic
  By John - May 2 - 12:20 am

  I have been in the automotive business for 15 years. I have owned or leased almost every make vehicle including Toyota, Ford, GM and Honda. This Honda Civic is my 3rd Honda. Of all the vehicles I have owned, by far I have had the most problems with Hondas. The engine and transmission may be smooth and reliable, but the little annoying problems like the constant flickering of the check engine lights (all 3 have had this problem). Very disappointed and frustrating. Ive had less problems on my GM owned vehicles - far less! These vehicles are riding on the reputation of Hondas many years ago. Believe it or not, many American vehicles have surpassed the so called Honda quality. DISAPPOINT

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  The Odyssey after 2 years - 2006 Honda Odyssey
  By dandel - May 1 - 10:40 pm

  This is an update on our new Odyssey after living with it for 2 years. Reliability has been excellent. Ride quality and fit & finish have held up. We took a long car trip in August. The kids had plenty of room, the DVD was great. The Nav system is awesome. We made multiple stops throughout the LA basin and it was incredibly easy with the nav computer. We still love the van. I cant imagine stuffing 3 kids across a single back seat and the van is so much easier to live with than a SUV. The Denali only comes out for towing and snow. But... the pax tires are a problem.

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  Nice quieter ride with some bugs that need fixed - 2013 Honda Accord
  By jetascs - May 1 - 9:30 pm

  Looked at and test drove a 2010 Accord Coupe, it was nice but too much road noise. Was in the market again and the ride, power, and road noise were markedly better in the 13 than the previous Accords. Interior leather and finishes are very nicely done. Getting 32 MPG combined (60% hwy miles). Only problem is the audio system. Having the same issue a lot of others are reporting with intermittent muted / distorted sound. Message boards and forums are saying Honda is providing a firmware fix end of Feb first of March 13. Lets hope so... very disappointing for only having the car 3 weeks!!