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:

• 

  Happy with my first Accord - 2015 Honda Accord
  By Danni - October 15 - 10:39 am

  After my Nissan Sentra flooded this summer, I had to buy something new. After reading reviews and test driving a few cars, we settled on the 2015 Accord EXL. I was a little apprehensive because of all the bells and whistles (did I really need them all?) but after having had it for 5 or 6 months, Im very happy for the splurge. It rides well, its comfortable, the back up and side cameras are very nice additions. The moon roof is nice as well, although living in Houston, it hasnt been cool enough to really open it up yet. The infotainment system is nice and I like that its not a touch screen. Since the screen sits further back, I never have a problem with glare. The wheel-mounted controls are nice as well. The only complaint I have about this detail is that sometimes the Pandora wont connect, and my text messages dont come through the infotainment system like theyre supposed to. The trunk is big, but I do wish the rear seats had a 60/40 split. The only other thing that Ive noticed is that it tends to vibrate a little when it is idling. The Honda service technician said this is because of the air compressor and that its nothing to be concerned about. I do wish the car had more features like tire pressure psi, digital speedometer, etc. A lot of other reviews have mentioned a bumpy ride, but this has not been my experience. Weve taken her on a couple of shorter (5-6 hours) road trips, and theyve both been smooth and comfortable. Overall, I bought Honda for its reputation and reliability. So far, so good.

• 

  What has Happened! - 2012 Honda Civic
  By Jeremy Gaertner - October 12 - 9:23 am

  I have driven a Honda since I was 16, but thanks to Hondas following other auto makers to increase profits and forget about why we buy their products, which was that they used to run forever. My Honda needed new wheel bearings at 50000 miles, road noise is terrible, volume/tuner control knob stopped working by 75000 miles and customer service at my dealership is terrible, I feel like I owe the receptionist at the service department an apology for bringing my car in for repairs and interrupting their day.

• 

  Such a good time - 2002 Honda Civic
  By Blakslee - October 7 - 11:08 pm

  Before I got this car I had a 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9 which I love(d). But once I started grad school and began driving close to 400 miles per week, I needed something more economical but because Im a car nut and feel that my car is a strong reflection of myself the list of cars I could afford, actually wanted and would save me enough money was veeeeery small. I was about to get a Mini cooper when the owners bailed and then I came across a gold 2002 Civic Si on craigslist. Owner was asking $5000 which I felt was a bit high but because it was so clean and very stock I really didnt want to pass it up so I shelled out the money. Being my first stick shift, it took me a few days to be able to drive the car proficiently and really enjoy what an awesome machine it is. Coming from my Jeep which was basically a 4wd muscle car (big engine, crude suspension and really only good in a straight line) to this car was like going from a hovercraft to a go-cart. This thing handles phenomenally well. (My car has lower, stiffer springs on it mind you). The seats hold you in tight and so far the car has only asked me to push it harder. Where my jeep was happiest at 1/3 to 3/4 throttle, the Civic Si is happiest when youre revving the nuts off of it. The car is a bit sluggish from a stop and 1st gear is really short but from then on it is just a blast. Surprisingly it does have some torque steer. I would highly recommend a cold air intake on this car if nothing else just for the induction noise. At about 3k rpm you get the start of a great engine growl what just gets bigger an louder especially once the vtec kicks in. But (on the stock exhaust) its quiet enough for me to finally enjoy some classical music on the highway (when you arent driving like Paul Walker of course). The clutch is nice and light but very squeeky and bites in the upper half/upper third of the travel. The shifter could be notchier and have less play but the car does have 92000 miles on it. It isnt the fastest thing in the world, in fact my old jeep is probably faster, but that is not at all why I bought the civic. Id already had a car that was fast but I found that I rarely ever got to use all the power and because it was an automatic, the only time I really ever enjoyed the car was when I was flooring it (which was almost never). The 2002 civic si is fast enough where giving it the full berries is just as much fun as it was in the jeep but Im not breaking the speed limit...as much. This is going to sound really odd but because the civic si is a bit slower, I can savor the sensation of acceleration and that wonderful induction noise for longer before I need to stamp on the brakes. Not to mention that every time you turn the wheel its like carving a hole in the laws of physics. The trade off of course is ride quality. I would not say it is uncomfortable but you are going to know exactly where the town didnt do such a good job paving the roads. If you value getting to 60 in under 6 seconds, going on road trips with 3 of your friends or being whisked to your destination surrounded by Egyptian cotton and duck down dont buy this car. But if you are someone who says "I GET to drive an hour each way to...", who wants a car that will reward you when you push it and encourage you to push it harder while doing 30 mpg highway and being as reliable as a sun dial on a clear summer day then you really need look no further. If you can find one that hasnt been modded up the yin yang and thrashed by...well me.

• 

  North to Alaska! - 2001 Honda Odyssey
  By Lisa - October 7 - 5:28 pm

  We purchased this 2001 Honda Odyssey Van used with approx 130,000 miles on it as we had outgrown our older vehicle. We have only done routine maintenance to it and it has been virtually bullet proof for us. We did have problems with the sliding doors...the plastic rollers just wore out (3 kids growing up with soccer, baseball, basketball, ranching, vacations, etc. equals LOTS of door openings and closings.) One door actually fell off when I opened it due to the roller breaking but that was around the 225,000 mile mark. We ordered the replacement parts and my husband changed them out and now it works fine. It has over 263,000 miles on it now and we are beginning to shop for another vehicle. My one really big dislike is the defroster! It takes FOREVER for the windshield to clear... bad engineering.

• 

  Little less than 20k and many electrical problems - 2015 Honda Pilot
  By New Piloteer - October 7 - 2:11 am

  At less than 20k miles - Driver power seat only moves back and forth plus lumbar support, up/down and recline stopped working - just found out today Passenger side up/down stopped working- just found out today glass hatch stopped working (door button/remote/button on the rear door)- fixed by dealer 3-zone climate control stopped displaying the setting status on the middle display. The rear still works fine. - waiting on dealer ordered parts The car is pretty loud on highway, but nice in town and city express ways. Its bulky but relatively easy to maneuver because of its tight turning angle and responsive steering. This car wont win any drag race but the target buyers wouldnt care about it either. It has enough power with the responsive transmission to easily move around the towns and cities. Tried the 2016 Subaru Forester and 2015 CR-V, but are much smaller with adequate power. But the CVT they have making the acceleration hectic and less predictable, which is horrible on stop and go city traffic, or making left turn on intersections. The MPG figure as pointed out by so many already, not very green or Honda like (CR-V come to mind). But theres nothing new here, even the 2016 new Pilot is still horrible in this department. If you care about MPG, this is not your car for sure. The main drawing power for me is the square boxy look and feel (while driving) of the yester-year. Its truck-like road manner matches the look as well. This is what my family happens to appreciate - the quiet and smoother and longer mini vans and Mazda CX 9/Highlanders give them sea sickness. Also, I found the Pilot easier to handle on highway than Toyota Highlander and Camry. The Toyotas are bit over sensitive to steering and make driving it a bit nervous on crowded multi-lane highways. Pilot somehow feels more stable in similar situations, as clumsy and boxy as it is. As for alternatives, the 4-runner is less practical for our purposes, too expensive and we are not into off-road. The GMC/Ford/Chevy are much bigger than we need and more expensive as well, with questionable reliability (had many Americans in the past to prove my doubts). But, the recent sleuth of electric problems on the Pilot makes me wonder about Hondas reliability. I do hope that these problems are just my one time bad luck and things will be rosy from here. I am holding my breath with fingers crossed...

• 

  rotor problem - 2013 Honda Pilot
  By scott - October 6 - 12:23 pm

  Im generally happy with my pilot but Im miffed currently. This summer the truck started to vibrate while braking on the highway. A quick Internet search found many complaints of warped front rotors at low mileage. Hondas position is that repair isnt covered under the warranty. The dealer charged $180 to cut the front rotors. Honda should do right by its customers and issue a recall to cover these defective parts.

• 

  Started off trouble-free, but... - 2007 Honda Pilot
  By krazykarguy - October 6 - 8:55 am

  We purchased this car in 2010 with 55k miles. We were shopping for a lower-end EX or even an LX, but the wife didnt like the colors of the other Pilots on the lot that were EX/LX. We ended up with the [more expensive] EX-L because of the color. The car was initially operated in RI, and we used it in VT. It was involved in an accident that showed up on CarFax prior to our ownership (which was disclosed by the dealer), but was repaired to a high level, so I was OK with the purchase. We expected a growing family, so we wanted a larger vehicle, with high safety ratings, and large cargo capacity. We also wanted to tow a pop-up camper with it in the future. AWD was a must because of the snow that was expected annually in Vermont. We quickly noticed that the Pilot was a great long-distance cruiser, and very comfortable to boot. The engine was a little overwhelmed at times due to the large bulk of the Pilot, but overall was up to the task. Fuel economy was around 18-19 mpg all the time - maybe 20 on the highway if you were really gentle. AWD was great in the snow, especially with a set of snow tires (a prerequisite for VT winter driving). Towing, however, was another matter. Hills were to be feared, and the engine was over-taxed, all the time. Acceleration with a 1,700 lb trailer was unacceptable. The brakes always seemed to be soft and not incredibly powerful, pedal pressure seemed not in line with braking power. This, of course, was amplified while towing. Also worth noting - when adding a tow hitch - be certain to clean the threads on the RH side before attempting to install the bolts - if the bolts get bound up, then you have a high likelyhood of breaking the welded capture nut loose on the inside of the frame rail. To correct this issue requires removal of the entire 2nd and 3rd row of the interior, and making a 3" hole in the cargo area floor to access the loose nut. Maintenance was relatively simple, and the minder on the dash made it easy to keep track of. I performed all of the maintenance on the car, and my only complaint was that when the oil filter was removed, the oil would drain on the front subframe, making a mess. All other maintenance (including the timing belt/water pump at 105k) was straightforward and uncomplicated. I did NOT like needing to replace the rear VTM-4 differential fluid every 15k miles, though... that seemed really excessive - especially since it requires a GALLON of Honda fluid at $40 a gallon. Now, on to the problems: 1.) While every car in Vermont will develop rust from the salt eventually, the Pilot did a relatively decent job at resisting it. When we finally traded it in, the underbody was pretty clean for a VT car. However, the door moldings retained dirt, sand, and filth really badly, and I dont want to know what the steel doors looked like underneath. 2.) June, 2014 - At about 120k, the lower portion of the right rear knuckle on the car fractured, leaving the lower mount of the shock dangling in place. Had I not noticed it immediately, it would have cut the tire. Honda did not have a single replacement part anywhere in the country, and I was forced to replace it with a used component. The replacement of that component required removal of all of the suspension and brakes in that corner of the car and a $900 repair bill. Keep in mind that this is a cast-iron part, and should be good for the life of any vehicle. 3.) November, 2014 - At 130k, the power steering rack began to leak badly, despite two proper fluid maintenance services having been performed since 2010. Replacement of this component is also excessively labor intensive - requiring 15 hours of labor to remove. I was not happy about this. This was a $1700 repair. 4.) January, 2015 - The final nail in the coffin for the Pilot was that the rear differential began to howl at any speed above 35-40 mph. This was despite the fact that the fluid changes had been performed regularly, with the expensive Honda fluid. Research showed that this would be a $1000-$1500 repair, with a used differential. We got rid of it for a 2011 Kia Sorento SX.

• 

  Burning oil @ 150K 13yr old 400miles / 1qt - 2002 Honda Accord
  By chris - October 1 - 7:35 pm

  how frustrating wanted another 3 years to get to go from 156K to 200K but it seems I will only make it another 5-10,000 miles. Everything else is running well but at 14 years you gotta be realistic. Havent done an engine flush yet, no tailpipe smoke and engine runs well but the oil just disappears. Changed PCV and air filter and spark plugs are next. Blue book is $2500 thats an engine job easy. Any suggestions on oil flush? Been filling with Castrol GTX high milage for past 4 quarts and will continue. Will try to do $20 oil changes every 2000 miles to see if high milage is cleaning piston ring areas. Would go and buy new but live in CT and they tax you for the NADA value of your car EVERY year!! Not cool having a 700-800 tax bill decreasing every year.

• 

  High Speed Vibration Annoying - 2015 Honda CR-V
  By Jay R - October 1 - 6:54 pm

  I have driven many CRVs over the past half dozen years while making dealer trades and really liked all of the ones I drove. I never drove one that had a vibration problem at speed. I purchased my wife a new 2015 CRV Touring model in July and quickly discovered that there was a vibration in the steering wheel beginning about 70 mph. I took it back to the dealer and the dealer tried rotating tires and even tried different wheels to no avail. The problem remained. I asked to drive another new CRV Touring and found the condition on that vehicle as well. Our CRV now has about 2600 miles on it and the problem remains. It is more an annoyance than anything and certainly doesnt belong on a brand new $34,000vehicle. I have been waiting for a fix from Honda and am very disappointed that I have heard nothing to date.

• 

  Great car but transmission problem - 2003 Honda Accord
  By Ankit Patel - October 1 - 6:24 am

  I love my car, when i bought it did not know there is transmission issue going on with this car. I bought it used and i drove only 105k and transmission failed. other maintenance is cheap and reliable.