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 Everything But Headrest! - 2015 Honda CR-V
  By Gay Almquist - September 13 - 12:22 am

  I have had the car for 3 months and I love it! Great value and really pleased with the mpg even though it isnt a hybrid. My only complaint is the uncomfortable headrests! Even with the seat tilted back it pushes my head forward and hurts my neck. The solution I found was I purchased a gel foam cushion for the back of the drivers seat. It brings my back forward about 1.5 inches which is enough to make the headrest comfortable. NOW, I love everything about the car.

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  Its a Honda - 2015 Honda Accord
  By John Smith - September 12 - 8:29 pm

  I bought the 15 Sport in early July and took it on a tour of the North East for most of the month of August with my wife and daughter. Over all ride was comfortable with the drivers seat roomy for my 62 frame. Performance was great with 189 hp a noticeable jump from my old 05 accords 160hp. I found the CVT a bit jerky at a hard acceleration until 35mph or so. Its paddle shifting was fun going through the mountains. Excellent gas mileage with some tankfills averaging above 36. I will agree that the sound system could be better but it is adequate. I will say that when I picked the car up from the dealership, on the ride home down the interstate I felt the ride was a bit rough. When I got home I checked the tire pressures and they were over inflated. Next morning with cool tires I set the pressures per the recommendations and there was a noticeable improvement. If I get 282000 miles on this 15 like I did with my 05 with minimal maintenance I will be a happy camper.

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  Bluetooth - Voice Command prompt randomly turns on - 2015 Honda CR-V
  By JBB - September 12 - 12:44 pm

  Purchased 12/2014. Past couple of months the voice command prompt (that lists the commands you can use) randomly turns on. First time it happened I thought it was because I was using my phone, next time I wasnt touching my phone. The frequency that this happens went from once every few days, to a couple of times a day. I took the car to the Honda dealer, they checked and this is not a software update issue. Taking it back this week to leave it so they can call Honda Tech support to see if this has been reported before. Wondering if this is related to the issues with Apply iPhones and the Honda Bluetooth? Air conditioning takes forever to cool off on a hot day (I think I was spoiled by how good my past two Toyotas cooled off). Have not had any vibration issues. Hate the layout of the fan buttons and temperature control knobs. Wish they had reversed the layout and made the fan speed the knobs and the temperature control the buttons. Sound quality is really bad. Definitely not getting the advertised gas mileage (26 local/33 highway), the only time Ive gotten close to the 33 highway was on a cross-country road trip the month I bought the car where I hit 30mpg. Average highway has been 26, if I do a lot of local driving its under 24mpg (I always leave it in e-con mode). Lane assist, conceptually a great idea, but on long trips, when youre tired, it can actually lead to more fatigue in your arms with the constant correction to stay in the lane where the car thinks you should be. LOVE the blind-spot camera! This should be standard on all vehicles! HUGE safety benefit for highway driving.

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  transmition issues - 2002 Honda Odyssey
  By Julie - September 11 - 10:19 pm

  You may want to consider buying a new tranny the same day you buy this van. Alternator/battery as well. I have 228000 on this van. It has been good overall but is now on the 3rd transmission and 2nd alternator. Gas gauge and temp gauges are all messed up. They bounce around and are never correct. Certainly, I have 228000 miles and you cant expect perfection but it seems that when things go wrong, they are always expensive things...4K per tranny and over 500 for alternator. I do love the comfort and cargo space. Hoping that I get another 100K on the van and than I will sell.

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  Hondas Headquarters nor Dealership offer support - 2015 Honda CR-V
  By Kiml - September 11 - 8:01 pm

  I bought the 2015 CRV in October of 2014. It was the only one on the dealers lot. I didnt notice the vibration when I test drove the car but I certainly experienced it within the first week. Ive taken the car back at the least 10 times for either the vibration or the car shutting off for no reason. I received little to no help from the dealership or Hondas Headquarters. I also ask to either buy back or allow me to swap for something else. I was denied any further assistance and met with sarcasm. Im 100% disappointed.

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  Love my Fa5 - 2009 Honda Civic
  By Bryguybruins13 - September 11 - 4:41 pm

  I love this car!!!! Everything about it is truly amazing! The k20z3 engine is a true gem. The car feels pedestrian below 5,800 RPM however, rev it past 5,800 all the way to its 8,000 RPM redline and and you will be treated to aural ecstasy courtesy of Hondas infamous vtec technology. When i-vtec engages the car sounds like a high revving v8, pulling hard all the way to the redline. The i-vtec helps deliver top notch performance (for an N/A four cylinder) while maintaining great gas mileage and drive ability. The high revving k20 engine is pared with an unbelievably smooth short throw six speed manual gearbox. The combination of the engine and perfect shifter make this car a pleasure to drive. However, the cars practicality set it apart from other sporty car options. The seats are comfortable and will hold you snug, the air conditioner is ice cold, and the additional two doors really make life easier. Interior materials are of excellent quality and the faux suede seats with red Si stitching look great. The red gauge lighting and aluminum pedals are superb touches. Other great features include an auxillary and usb port. The car is also well equipped in the storage department. Now, the car does have its issues and those issues are why I didnt give it a perfect rating. For one, the tranny is complete garbage, which is a shame considering how smooth it shifts. My second and third gears grind on a weekly basis. They are fine under normal driving conditions however, under spirited driving they tend to grind. My second gear loves to grind when I accelerate to the redline in first gear. This has caused me to bang off of the rev-limiter on multiple occasions in an attempt to shift into second. My second gripe with this car is the paint. Like wtf Honda? My car is a 2009! There is absolutely no excuse for fading paint on a six year old car! What makes it worse is that this problem isnt unique to the Si either. My brothers red 2009 Honda Fit is starting to turn pink :(. My last issue with this car is a performance issue. I used to own a 2000 Honda Prelude prior to buying my Si. The Prelude was miles ahead of the Si in terms of handling. The Prelude was more well balanced and neutral when attacking corners. The Si? Well, the Si feels like a wet sponge in the corners. The cars body roll and understeering tenancies are pretty noticeable and are downright scary at times.

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  2005 TO 2015 - 2015 Honda Odyssey
  By rescuegal - September 10 - 9:45 pm

  Yes, traded my old lady for a new version. Have had my LX for a few weeks and am happy with it. Runs very quiet and smooth. As for a comparison to my 2005: The drivers seat is ok but would prefer the old version and no adjustable seat. Just not a good trade off for me. With less padding, I feel the new seat fabric will wear out faster and it is not as comfortable. I miss the center console in front that you can actually reach. The new one is on the floor. (safety factor) The standard wheels look cheap. You can get better Honda wheels but you might need a second job. It is time to have the ability to fold the middle seats into the floor and have a flat storage surface. Tired of storing seats in the house. (dog friendly issue) Manual is a little hard to read. Taking the above into account, I still feel that the Odessey is the best van out there.

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  First Honda and love it. - 2013 Honda Accord
  By John - September 10 - 8:50 pm

  Have had the car for for a few weeks and then her I have it the better. Car handles well and is decently enough quick. I feel like it accelerates better at higher speeds. Lots of features and love the dual screens and paddle shifters. Love the looks inside out. The rear end is hot. The mpg is great. The biggest downfall is the road noise which isnt awful or great. Only things I would ha he is make it a stick and a little faster.

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  Danger awaits unexpected acceleration - 2015 Honda CR-V
  By Ron Walli - September 9 - 4:12 pm

  We bought our sixth -- and last -- new Honda in March 2015. We drove the CRV-EX AWD just 1,600 miles before trading it for a 2015 RAV4 because we experienced unexpected acceleration on several occasions and received no help from Honda. I was stunned. I couldnt believe how a longtime loyal Honda owner could be treated so poorly by Airport Honda in Tennessee and American Honda. I wanted American Honda to buy it back and told the representative that I would gladly pay for the mileage. Heres what happened: I took the car to Airport Honda on Aug. 26 so they could check it out. Since the problem was intermittent, I halfway expected that they wouldnt find a problem, especially given the way they treated me upon arrival. Despite showing them Internet reports of unexpected acceleration in CR-Vs, they said that they had never heard of such a problem. I explained that theres no way I would make this up since it caused me a lot of trouble taking off work and driving 40 miles (round trip) so they could see if they could "replicate" (wink, wink) the problem. The best I could get was a car that functioned properly. After keeping the car for two days, of course they told me the car was fine. So when it became obvious that the service department was of no use, I tried to trade the car for either a 2016 Pilot or another CR-V, although that prospect scared me somewhat because I didnt know if I could trust another CR-V. They said theyd call me with a trade figure, but they never did as they obviously didnt want the absolutely pristine gray CR-V with the added $500 options of a hood deflector, mud flaps and a sunroof visor -- all genuine Honda parts installed by Airport Honda. I called them back and spoke to Bruce Wayne (no kidding), and he wouldnt provide a trade figure many hours after he said theyd have those numbers in a few minutes. In the end, I lost several thousand dollars and all respect I had for American Honda and Airport Honda. Our RAV4 with a conventional six-speed transmission is rock solid and the dealer, Fox Toyota, is perhaps the most honest and best in America. Reports of Hondas decline certainly dont seem to be exaggerated based on my experience. Oh, and I forgot to mention how the CR-Vs engine sent vibrations through the cabin with the car in drive and the brake pedal depressed. Airport Honda acknowledged that problem but said there isnt a fix at this time. Anyway, I just hope no one gets killed in a CR-V when it takes off.

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  2008 Element SC - Yes, the hard to find SC. - 2008 Honda Element
  By Angus Young - September 9 - 2:48 pm

  Very practical and useful car and at $22,500 (Had a Honda $1500 end of year discount and the dealer came down another $1600 or so), its not too much cash. Yes, a BOX ON WHEELS. I always get looks from other ELEMENT Owners because I dont think many of them knew about the SC version. I didnt like the ones with the flat black fenders (LX) and the flat black bumpers (EX). The SC has no flat black body panels. I bought it new in late summer of 2008 and it was HARD to find an SC! There are 6 or 8 HONDA dealers within 20/25 miles of me and only 2 had SCs. And only ONE dealer had every color. The other dealer had ONE black and ONE blue one. Thats it. I have 110k miles on the car and aside from a problem with the Throttle Position Sensor at about 80k, the car has been flawless. 110k miles and just that one repair (outside of the usual brakes, tires, battery) Seats are comfy, the doors open a full 90 degrees for easy loading and unloading, and with the rear seats removed there is quite a bit of room. THE AC is powerful as is the heater. The XM radio sounds great, especially with the 8 or whatever speakers this thing has and the sub-woofer up front. Its the newer 2.4 Liter engine used in the Accords and CR-Vs with a TIMING CHAIN, not a BELT! Thats a maintenance saver right there. Timing Chains rarely wear out. Just had new plugs put in at 103k miles and while driving out of Chicago on the Expressway, I just noted to myself that his car drives as good as it did when new. My original Honda tires lasted about 68k miles. My original brakes up front and on the rear last about 75k miles. I am still on the original discs with 110k miles but I suspect Ill need new discs in about 4 to 10 k miles and it may be time for brakes again. With the SC package and the wider, lower profile 18" tires it grabs the road good and corners well. Brakes could be a bit better. My last car was a 4800 lb SUV and it stopped better. The only drawbacks I see are the ride, the MPG, and the quality of plastic used inside. I have the SC, which has lower profile tires, stiffer springs, and is a bit lower to the ground than the other Elements. So, not sure if the other models (EX and LX) ride better but the SC has a jarring ride at times. Where I live (Northern IL) the roads are pretty crummy. Lots of trucks and snow and salt. The Element SC seems to go over the bigger holes good but some of the smaller dips in the road are really noticeable. My wifes 20 year old Civic with 20 years old shocks has a better ride on the roads with these little dips in them. I get about 23 MPG city and 26 on the highway. I am getting 1 MPG better or so than the sticker indicated but I would have figured a small engine like this would get a few more MPG. Second, the interior plastic scratches quite easily. I have hauled a few things and it does not take much to scratch/gouge the plastic inside. It only seats 4, which is sometimes a pain if my kid has more than 1 friend that needs to be brought someplace, that one has to sit in the front. But, on the bright side, the rear seats have plenty of room AND THEY RECLINE! My daughter loves reclining the seat a bit on long drives and relaxing. The Vehicle Stability control is a joke. The SC only comes Front Wheel drive so this may seem like a valuable feature but and Im able to maneuver and drive better in the snow with the VSC OFF.