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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  Pastor - 2016 Honda CR-V
  By Pastor Robert Henry - April 24 - 1:51 am

  The car is not made efficiently! I have 7,000 miles on the car today. I took the car back to the dealer for noise and vibration. I was told that they replaced the rear Heat shield and that the car was quiet. The car still vibrates at 1200 or less RPM. When I accelerate the noise of vibration is consistent until reaching above 1200 RPM and it runs with plenty of get up but then when descending down a slope the car vibrates and the noise is loud. I have yet to feel comfortable in the car after adjusting the driver seat up and down tilted forward or backward. It simply is not comfortable. There is road noise as well in the cab of the car! Its like driving with the windows open which is not advisable since I live in central Pennsylvania and the temperature is 32 or less. I am totally disheartened by the purchase of this vehicle. I am frustrated every time I have to drive this car. I am totally disappointed and feel cheated in pursuing a new car that I could retire with and not have these concerns and issues. I would not recommend to anyone the purchase of this car and this is my second Honda. Bob Henry

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  Very overrated - 1998 Honda Accord
  By Colin Higgins - April 17 - 10:00 am

  The car is difficult for me to get into because I am tall. The suspension is lousy, and it is very underpowered. Repairs include 1. 4 brake jobs (and I dont ride the breaks), including rotor replacement and drum replacement. The breaks are still lousy and the car shudders when breaking. 2. Doors out of alignment, causing alarm to go off and window to stick - even though the car has never been in an accident. 3. Car hesitates when changing gears, indicating a transmission problem. Car has 83k miles on it, but the whole reason for purchasing a Japanese car is to get better engine reliability -this is no better than a Ford Escort.

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  Voice recognition and Navigation are TERRIBLE - 2016 Honda CR-V
  By Steve - April 16 - 12:01 pm

  The Voice recognition and Navigation 0n 2116 Honda CRV is TERRIBLE. Its hard to use and wont work the rest of the time. Even the service department and sales department cant figure it out . Service Dept. told me to have Sales Dept figure it out, Sales Dept told me to have Service fix it. This is the only Honda I have ever bought that I have regretted buying.

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  WORST Car Ever - 2015 Honda Odyssey
  By Jorge Rosendo - March 28 - 5:22 pm

  I owned a 2015 Honda Odyssey, I is the worst car that I had ever owned. When driving it has so many noises coming from the sliding doors, the front of the car and from the rear that it feels like I am driving a 1990 minivan. The dealership has checked the car for over 12 times not finding the problems, I contacted Honda of America and their answer was to get an appointment at a different dealership. It is amazing that after paying close to 34k and in less than a year I owned a junk instead of a Honda. Wont recommend Honda to anyone, not even to my worst enemy.

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  Not a fan!!!!! - 2017 Honda Accord Hybrid
  By Michael Saporito - March 15 - 11:47 pm

  Just bought this car today..... I hate it already. The Stereo and information center is difficult to use and a large distraction since there are no buttons and the unit isnt aimed at the driver. There is a stability issue that seems worse when in EV mode on the highway. The car sways back and forth causing constant correction even tho it isnt windy. Overall extremely disappointing car. On top of I had to deal with typical draler bullshit. I am regretting buying this car big time the only plus is if I drive cery gentlly I get good gas mileage but then it takes 60 seconds to get to 30mph and people try to run me off the road. Also the battery never fully charges....

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  Worst Car Ive Owned - 2001 Honda Civic
  By Anonymous - March 10 - 10:17 pm

  Maybe I was one of the unlucky few who got a lemon, but this is by far the worst vehicle Ive ever owned. Im currently driving a Toyota and would never go back to a Honda out of pure fear. We purchased this car used in 2014- we had to have it rewired immediately after purchase. $200. 2000 miles later all the valves bent while driving on the 101 and stalled in the middle of the freeway. $500. 2000 miles later the spark plugs went out. Began overheating. $75 3000 miles later the transmission started slipping and going out. The Engine light turned on. Read as a misfire to cylinders. Over heating was off/on. 500 miles later head gasket blew. Overheated stopped. $500. 500 miles later began over heating again. 200 miles later head gasket blew again and the radiator, fan, and switch needed to be replaced $400. 2000 miles later the radiator began to leak and we had to fill the car up with water up to three times a day. The car had been maintenance by my mechanic: oil changes every 3k miles, tire rotation every 6k miles, topped off fluids after every oil change, etc. The car broke this fast after so little use. We did end up selling it after only driving it 10,000 miles. The appearance of the car, however, was spotless! Easy to clean and maintain- the car looked brand new up until the day we sold it. This car and I had a love/hate relationship. I loved it when it worked- when it didnt I hated it. Will personally stick with my Toyota! Im sure Honda Civics are lovely cars, but I would personally stay away from the 2001 model.

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  Worst Car Ive Owned - 2001 Honda Civic
  By Anonymous - March 10 - 10:17 pm

  Maybe I was one of the unlucky few who got a lemon, but this is by far the worst vehicle Ive ever owned. Im currently driving a Toyota and would never go back to a Honda out of pure fear. We purchased this car used in 2014- we had to have it rewired immediately after purchase. $200. 2000 miles later all the valves bent while driving on the 101 and stalled in the middle of the freeway. $500. 2000 miles later the spark plugs went out. Began overheating. $75 3000 miles later the transmission started slipping and going out. The Engine light turned on. Read as a misfire to cylinders. Over heating was off/on. 500 miles later head gasket blew. Overheated stopped. $500. 500 miles later began over heating again. 200 miles later head gasket blew again and the radiator, fan, and switch needed to be replaced $400. 2000 miles later the radiator began to leak and we had to fill the car up with water up to three times a day. The car had been maintenance by my mechanic: oil changes every 3k miles, tire rotation every 6k miles, topped off fluids after every oil change, etc. The car broke this fast after so little use. We did end up selling it after only driving it 10,000 miles. The appearance of the car, however, was spotless! Easy to clean and maintain- the car looked brand new up until the day we sold it. This car and I had a love/hate relationship. I loved it when it worked- when it didnt I hated it. Will personally stick with my Toyota! Im sure Honda Civics are lovely cars, but I would personally stay away from the 2001 model.

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  Brakes defective - 2017 Honda Ridgeline
  By Bob Akins - March 1 - 9:49 pm

  2017 and presumably 2018 Honda Ridgeline have poor brake rotors. Over heat and warp quickly. Entire vehicle shakes.

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  Hate to give it two stars, but... - 2016 Honda Odyssey
  By Russell - March 1 - 3:08 pm

  ...Im heavily biased towards comfort and the Odyssey falls short. THE GOOD: Repairs are only slightly more expensive than American vehicles, and infrequent. Subjectively, I think it has the best exterior styling of the minivans on the market. We get great fuel economy: 18-19 real world MPG purely city in Houston and 25-26 MPG highway @ 75 MPH. For comparison, I drive a 2007 Volvo S80 6-cylinder sedan that has consistently returned 17-18 MPG city and 24-25 highway on premium fuel. Plenty of space inside, well-laid-out, and plenty of options. THE BAD: Problem is we cant use it the way we intended. We came from a 2014 Toyota 4Runner 4x4 Trail Edition. It wasnt a Volvo, but three-hour road trips to see my parents down in Corpus Christi resulted in only minimal road fatigue. The captains chairs in the Honda are awful ergonomically, road noise is so bad that front seat passengers cant hear each other talking at normal volumes, and ride quality is the harshest Ive had. We have a two-year-old and a five-year-old and (now that theyre old enough to handle longer car rides) wanted to start going on more road trips. That wont happen. I have a bad back and cant be in the van more than an hour and a half at a time. Even my wife says her back is sore after only a couple hours behind the wheel. FWIW, Im 510" and 275 lbs. My wife is 411" and 115 lbs. I really wanted to like the van. Dropped $800 on some good Michelin tires and $600 on Monroe shocks to improve ride comfort and noise, but it still measures a whopping 85 db at 75 MPH on Highway 59 South. The 4Runner, which was a brick pushing air, only checked in at 78 db while my Volvo is 75 db. If youre not planning on putting any real miles on the Odyssey, just shuttling kids to soccer practice a few miles away, theres nothing wrong with it. Its just not designed for comfort.

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  HR-V not worth it - 2016 Honda HR-V
  By Brian - February 26 - 4:19 am

  I bought a 2016 HR-V in December 2015. I drove it for 18 months and put 30,000 miles on it. This car is a big rattle trap! Driver seat squeaking, rattles from the rear end, rattles from the dash, rattles from the sunroof, and several more that I care not to get into. It didnt matter if the road was smooth or bumpy, the issues were prevalent. I finally had enough and traded it for a 2017 Honda Civic EX-T Coupe. I figured that since my daughter has a 2016 Civic EX-T sedan since December 2015 with excellent gas mileage and no issues, I would give the Civic a try. So far, I LOVE IT!