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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  Efficient! - 1992 Honda Accord
  By HollyG - August 31 - 2:00 am

  My Accord is fun to drive and has been very reliable. I really value the fuel economy... sometimes I cant remember the last time I had to get gas!

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  Loyal Honda Owner - 2016 Honda Pilot
  By JW - August 31 - 1:57 am

  I love my new 2016 Honda Pilot EX-L AWD. It is powerful and accelerates very nicely. It looks great and handles well. It is comfortable and I love having the sun roof or moon roof, or whatever you call it. This is my second Honda Pilot, I traded my 2004 Pilot (180,000 mi) in for the new one. I also own a 2009 Honda Accord (wifes car). I find that Hondas are well built and reliable. I love the amount of room my new Pilot has, and I love the features of raising and lowering the last row of seats. It handles well, has lots of room, and I love driving it. The down sides are the visibility out of the windows for some reason seems difficult when I am checking traffic during freeway driving and changing lanes. I love the side and backup cameras but hate the fact that "objects are closer than they appear". That is certainly a true statement and if you ask me it takes away most of the advantage of having the cameras. I do find it difficult to look at the screen when changing lanes, I have too much around me to watch and keep track of and rarely have the opportunity to safely look at the monitor long enough for it to be a benefit. So it doesnt provide me much advantage while actually driving but I like it at stop lights and situations like that when I am sitting still and want to see my blind spot on that side of the car. I only use the back up camera to see what is behind me before I start rolling backward. If you try to use it to see where you are going while backing up you will most likely run into things because you will close in on stuff terribly fast. However, the back up camera is a big help in parking lots to see if cars are coming down the isles from left or right before backing out of your space. Controls: I hate... hate... hate... the fact that there is no volume control knob. I thought it would just take some getting used to, but no! I WANT IT BACK!!! Instead of glancing at the knob while reaching for it, and returning my eyes to driving while I adjust things by feel and sound, I have to maintain eye contact with the touch screen on my dash far too long to adjust the volume or to mute the radio. The eyes have to watch the screen while adjusting and I find it and unsafe distraction. I hate that with a passion. Huge down-side and should be brought back. I will never buy a future car that has no volume knob and I hope Honda is listening. The other part about that is trying to adjust something on the touch screen when you turn on your right hand blinker. The right side camera view activates and your touch screen disappears in the middle of you tapping on the screen. Very frustrating. By maximizing the touch screen technology theyve removed some important tactile abilities of driving and overloaded the visual and mental aspects. For the same reason I would never purchase an automobile that removes the gear shift. My version of the pilot has the gear shift, but I noticed the Touring model doesnt. I would never buy a model that removes the tactile sensation of dropping the car into drive without looking at it to make sure it is in "D". I believe the traditional gear lever method that auto stops at "D" when pulling downward (or backward) on the gear shift provides more error-proofing than the simply feeling for buttons and choosing the proper direction like is found on the touring model. The button method relies upon making the correct choice every time, whereas the gear shift method is more of an automatic muscle memory process rather than a decision process that the buttons cause. Again, the tactile ability is removed and adds more visual and mental distractions for the driver.

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  Such a good car but still needs refining - 2002 Honda Civic
  By vw_ev - August 30 - 10:00 am

  This is a great (economy) car! The gas mileage is an obvious plus, engine power is adequate, brakes are excellent, steering is tight and the handling is nimble. What things needs improvement? Interior fit and finish is marginal is some areas (instrument cluster looks cheap, and some plastics dont fit very tightly). Secondly, the automatic transmission (should have gotten a manual...) is horrible! Its shifts are way too slow for this type of car. It resembles that of an old grandpas car than a sporty economy car. Overall however I am very satisfied with my purchase!

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  Honda Coupe LX-S - 2009 Honda Accord
  By HondaTex - August 30 - 7:53 am

  After researching several competing models I settled on the Honda Coupe 4 cyl. automatic. It seemed to offer a reasonable compromise between fuel economy and sporty styling. The ride/drive was uninspiring until adding after market 18 inch wheels and 245/40/18" tires which made the car a much more enjoyable vehicle in most all respects, primarily due to the reduction in unsprung weight (check the weight of the factory wheel tire combo). Im averaging 28 MPG overall, and with the acceptable performance of the 190 HP 4 cyl., I dont feel like Im driving a "econobox".

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  Seats - 2000 Honda Accord
  By Doris - August 29 - 9:16 pm

  I found the seats a little hard. I think Honda should do a survey to new customers after they have owned their cars for about a year and ask what they like the least so they could perhaps improve on it or change it. Overall, Hondas are very good cars.

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  Great little driver - 2004 Honda CR-V
  By Memphisguybo - August 27 - 10:00 am

  This a great vehicle. I have owned it only for 5 months and have just hit the 15000 mile mark. Bought it certified used with only 11124 miles on it. Love the AWD system. Can really feel the difference in the rain. Wish the driver seat would just give a little more behind the wheel. Not crazy about the small gas tank..only 15gals..makes a big difference..getting 21 mpg in the city. A little disappointed in the lack of engine power with the a/c on..having to run premium fuel in the summer.. But over all...man I love it!...

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  Bad Gas Fuel Economy for my Accord - 2004 Honda Accord
  By Sofiana - August 27 - 10:00 am

  Compared to my previous car was a Nissan Maxima. I love the soft quiet ride and the sound system is SUPERB. I love this version of the red color and the styling. The only thing stopping this from being a perfect car is the horrendous gas mileage ( I get between 14 to 16 MPG highway which is 80% of my driving). I learned from the Service Manager at the Dealer that is apparently a common problem with Accords which is contrary to the representations on the sticker and all the literature. To make it worse, I am told that fuel mileage is NOT COVERED by the warranty and for them to work on it could get very expensive fast. All this after spending $20K.

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  Great Smaller SUV - 1999 Honda CR-V
  By Soleil - August 26 - 2:00 am

  Going from a car, this is the perfect starter SUV if you dont want anything big and bulky. This is the first Honda Ive owned and I am very happy with the SUV. I have yet to use the picnic table that it comes with, but its nice to know its there. Id buy Honda again - maybe next time Ill upgrade myself to the Pilot.

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  A Great All-Around Commuter Car - 2016 Honda Civic
  By Xavier Rodriguez - August 25 - 8:29 am

  I had a 2016 Subaru WRX for the past year. Absolutely loved the car, but I was moving to the city and was going to park on the street and I didnt want to bring a sporty car that someone might scratch up/mess with. It hurt, but I knew I had to get something else that was a little more discrete. I shopped around for cars in the same compact size class the WRX (based off the Impreza) and the Civic just hit all the checkmarks. The styling is pretty polarizing and while I like it, Im still getting used to it. I do like that Honda took a bold decision and made it a unique design in a segment with a lot of "bland" cars. Technology wise the car has it all, you get a large touchscreen display with apps, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and then some. The EX-EX-L comes with a 8 speaker 188-watt sound system that sounds decent (coming from a stock stereo WRX this is WAY better). I didnt try the Tourings 10-speaker system with a subwoofer but heard its pretty good. I also got Honda Sensing which comes with some great safety features, even though I think LKAS (Lane Keeping Assist System) is sometimes a bit intrusive but you can turn it off. The power out of the little 1.5L I4 is very solid and with the turbo it does pick up speed pretty well for the segment. Fuel economy is excellent and if you are just cruising on the highway you can definitely get 40+ mpg, on average I get around 36 mpg in mixed highway and backroads driving. Another thing I enjoy is having the keyless access, start and remote start which comes in really handy cooling down the car and once its winter to heat up the car. As a whole, even though I miss my WRX I think the Civic is a great alternative. Its still pretty fun to drive, great fuel economy, plenty of technology to keep us millennials entertained as well as having that Honda quality and reliability. Definitely recommend one!

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  Seniors on the Go! - 2006 Honda Odyssey
  By Russ - August 23 - 4:20 pm

  We travel to our condo in Marco Island. After two years stuffed into our normal car we opted for minivan comfort, plus room for all items we carry on trips. Plus 3 couples can ride comfortably when going to dinner, the beach or bingo!! So move over for the Q-Tip crowd. Minivans are not just for the young !!!!