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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  Overrated - 2004 Honda Accord
  By rsprinkle - July 11 - 2:00 am

  Accord is overrated, overpriced, underpowered and suffers in reputation from highly aggressive dealer sales tactics. Honda cut a lot of cheap corners by omitting basic items that should be standard on a car this expensive - automatic door locks; heated side mirrors; automatic dimming rear view mirror; auto cutoff for rear defroster. It would not have cost $200 to add these items, yet all were left off to try and bump buyers into the "Acura" version of the same car for $10k more. I get irritated every time I drive it. Alleged 240 hp is laughable exaggeration. Ive had four cylinder cars that had more pep.

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  Nice looking car but very bad city MPG - 2009 Honda Civic
  By Joe - July 10 - 5:10 am

  I had purchased this vehicle after my friends told me it was good on gas. Well I got a civic 2009 EX and the MPG is horrible. I am getting 23 miles per gallon on this car. My tank is half empty with only 110 miles. I wish I can take it back for a more economical one. Not to mention the price. Too high for this car. Honda, youre going cheap to improve gas efficiency on brand new cars. People you will not be happy paying over 20,000 for this MPG. I am not a rough rider either.

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  Unique Truck With Lots To Like, But Not Perfect - 2017 Honda Ridgeline
  By chris - July 10 - 3:26 am

  UPDATED 3/20/17: Still like the vehicle, with a few disappointments. Acceleration is good when mashing the peddle, but low end responsiveness in day to day driving is weak. Transmission never seems to be in the gear I want making precise control of speed difficult. A manual mode or a performance mode to flip the computer to a more aggressive dynamic would alleviate, but alas the only option is a lone button to downshift to D4. Steering/handling remains a Honda strength and is exceptional, as the vehicle steers like a car. It also rides like a Honda, which is to say a bit on the stiff side, but tuning makes it handle great on uneven terrain and a worthwhile tradeoff. Storage is great, you really can fit a golf bag under the rear seat, and the rear trunk and bed are both wide and useful. I hate the touch screen interface, after 6 months I still get lost at times as it is not intuitive. The E trim also states "premium" sound, but the frequency dynamics leave something to be desired, as off the shelf components I installed on my old truck beats this new premium stereo (not by a lot, but by enough to note). MPG is underwhelming and exactly as stated on sticker, no more. Others have noted higher than advertised MPG (even up to 30), but that is a myth, as the average MPG calculator on this vehicle (as well as the 2016 Pilots) overstate by ~2 MPG. I have to wonder if Honda did that on purpose? Suggestion, verify your MPG using a calculator at the gas pump, as the info center gets it wrong on this vehicle. Lighting: I keep getting flashed by opposing drivers with dim headlights on. Not sure if they are aimed to too high or what, but never had that problem on any other vehicle. Instrument cluster is average and has the stuff youd expect on a modern vehicle. The real time MPG in info center is completely worthless though, not granular enough, and difficult to read. If anything should have been digital vs analog, its that. Interior lights are weak and narrow (like a spotlight). Cannot see a large portion of the storage areas of the car at night. Chimes from the cluster are tinny. Power rear sliding window and sunroof work great. Mirror defroster works great (less than a minute). Front seat headrests are poorly positioned (they lean too far forward). I actually had to remove my drivers head rest and swap it with a rear head rest (those are not tilted). Felt like my head was tilted forward 24/7. HVAC is strong, heats and cools quickly, and controls are easy to use. Front ground clearance is more light SUV than "truck", however, the front air dam is a flexible rubber instead of hard plastic, meaning you can scrape the ground and it bends instead of breaks. I tested this out through a creek bed and scraped the air dam (not on purpose, haha) and it came out with some grass on it, but no damage. The USB ports only work with car in ACC or ON. Come on Honda, I cant leave my phone in the car to charge without turning on all accessories? The spare tire (while not "full size") is in the trunk and away from the elements. This may not seem like a big deal until years down the road and you have a flat. Trust me when I tell you not being able to remove the spare tire on your rusted out undercarriage of a truck will have you saying a few choice words, been there, done that. Nice design Honda! Rear camera works and has 3 top down viewing angles to choose from which makes hitching up a trailer very easy, however, the resolution on the camera is poor, and, if its raining it gets wet and blurry. The vehicle tows Ok and pulls my 2500 lb boat easily. The driver assist technology is semi-useful, but a bit gimmicky at the same time. Lane keeper will drive the car for you on "level" pavement, even around moderate curves, however it doesnt work well on sloped pavement as it drifts all the way to the line before correcting. On level pavement, its dead true. It also only stays on for 15 seconds before it makes you touch/grab the wheel for a second (then the 15 seconds restarts). Blind spot detection works but not very useful, however, the backup warning of side traffic works great and has great range. This helps when backing out of spots where its hard to see, or if youre not paying attention. It actually helped me avoid a jogger wearing black at dusk when backing out of driveway one night! The single most useful feature is probably the adaptive cruise, which actually works, but I would like to see more configuration options on distance from preceding vehicle. Road departure not very helpful, comes on after youre already heading into the ditch (i.e. too late). Overall, after 6 months, Ive lowered my opinion of the vehicle slightly due it being advertised as a "truck", but missing key "truck" like features like enough ground clearance to hit a curb without damage, not enough low end torque, no "always on" power port, poor interior lighting, and no positive surprises in regards to MPG.

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  Mixed review - 2003 Honda Civic
  By mixed review - July 9 - 3:21 pm

  Bought new in 9/03. Front passenger strut failed at approx 4k. Clutch started making squeaking noise at 25k. At 60k had clutched inspected, not an issue that has to be fixed but would cost $600 to eliminate the squeak. Driver door lock worn out at around 60k making it embarrassing when trying to get in the car if I actually locked the door. Cheap paint chips and scratches easy. Dents really easy. Not having ABS is a little dangerous, and the car for being so lite weight lacks breaking power.

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  Transmission Failed - 2003 Honda Pilot
  By Steve - July 8 - 8:41 pm

  Having owned and driven multiple Honda Accords since a 1979 model, I was expecting a similar non-eventful and reliable experience with a 2003 Pilot that was purchased used. But the transmission has just failed at 140k miles. Sadly, this is standard for the Honda Pilot if you quickly glance around the internet. The same problem extends to other Honda models with the V6: the Accord, Odyssey, and Acura TL. These and other Honda transmission issues have been subject of numerous recalls and class action suits over the years. I am otherwise a Honda fan and enjoy the Pilot, but this one reliability issues is a serious shortcoming that anyone purchasing must be financially prepared for.

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  Great fuel economy, awful seats, noisy - 2015 Honda Accord
  By Bob - July 8 - 4:23 pm

  The car is ok. It doesnt look good, but it doesnt look bad. Fantastic MPG (I regularly get around 42-43 on the highway), but you cant travel for more than an hour at a time because it kills your back and especially buttocks. Its snappy for a 4-cyl and the CVT works fine. Its quiet in the city and loud enough on the highway that you cant always hear the people in the car with you. The trunk is reasonably spacious but the rear seat back comes down in one piece (no 60/40 split) and the opening between the trunk and the passenger compartment is narrower than both the trunk and the seat that limits the cargo space more than you can imagine. It also has some hooks/hinges than come down and wont let the trunk close if its completely full to the top. I would not recommend it, for the first time in my life as a car owner Im looking for replacements less than 2 years into owning a brand new vehicle.

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  Not up to Par - 2005 Honda Odyssey
  By cc - July 5 - 2:23 am

  I have had the van in service dept several times for wind noise which is very annoying. Dealer states they can do nothing as it is a problem with all their vans. I have owned a number of new Hondas but I am very disapointed with this model and response from Honda to deal with the problem.

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  Very disappointed - 2003 Honda CR-V
  By Monie - July 4 - 8:57 pm

  I bought a Honda thinking I wouldnt have any issues. I bought it used but certified. I got the carfax had one owner. I have had the air conditioner blow up twice. I also have had several other issues. Thank god I got the extended warranty that covered most of the problems. I do mean most. They always seem to come up with things it didnt cover. I am about to hit 100k miles and really thinking about trading it in because I cant cover any more problems.

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  Dying excitement on third day!!! - 2016 Honda Accord
  By Arun Mallapareddi - July 3 - 7:34 pm

  Ever since the 2016 accord release we were very excited. We loved the technology, safety and fuel economy, and of course the brand name Honda. Finally purchased one few days ago 2016 Accord EX-L 2.4L black and black. It looks amazing. New wheels style, drl, back led lights makes the car look stylish. I like the infotainment system and luxury looking interiors. However, all this excitement died out soon and now I am actually dreading to drive it already. The front seats are extremely uncomfortable, making my driving experience very poor. First day after an hour of drive I started to feel uncomfortable in the back. Thought I was still adjusting to the new seats. But the problem started to worsen. I have to drive about an hour and a half to my work and just after second day of use my problem is heading towards worse. Now third day and I am dreading to take it for the drive. The problem is with the lumbar support and seat structure itself. I love everything else about the car, but whats the use of a car if it gives me new health problems!!! Just above the lumbar support mechanism there is a band of stiff area which doesnt move, which pinches on the back. This is high up and digs a little into ribs on back. If I use the lumbar support to even it out, that makes it more uncomfortable. The support is too hard and poorly designed. Additionally, the seats back and base are hinged such that it causes strain in the hips. Now my hips started to hurt as well. I have tried every setting possible without any relief. I am 58" with average built and I never had any prior back issues. I used to drive a Nissan altima without any problems and never had any problems with other cars I used to rent for long drives. But I am surprised to see accord is so uncomfortable. This problem is highly unlikely to be surface with short test drives, and accord is not a fleet car and usually not available to rent. So I never realized the problem. I really wanted to like the car but I dont know what to do now. I never thought a car which costs over 30k would be so poorly made. New buyers beware!!! If you have no issues with the seats I think its a great car.

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  2nd Honda, but NEVER again! - 2007 Honda Civic
  By Rich - July 3 - 12:34 pm

  Ive had the Civic since 12/06. In the first 22 months & 14K miles Ive experienced the following problems. Trans has been replaced, replacement tranny repaired, P/S leak, cv boot & joint replaced, new battery, both sun visors blew apart. 3 recalls, low fuel warning light comes on with only .6 gallons remaining, book says it should be 1.9 gallons. Front brakes will need replacing before 20K miles. THE most annoying problem is with the A/C, it cuts out for 10 to 15 seconds when accelerating from a stop. Ive been to all 3 dealers in Las Vegas, & they all told me that Honda designed the A/C to work that way, a power saving feature! UNACCEPTABLE!!