As a community of Honda lovers, in general, what do you think makes Honda better than Toyota? Or what do you think Toyota is doing better than Honda? It could be cosmetics, aesthetics, power, the engines, reliability, costs, maintenance costs, resale value... Anything.

My household owns one Civic, one Accord, and two Toyota Camry's. I've driven all of them at some point. Personally, I like the way Honda's look, sound, and ride. I don't know much about engines and all the specifications that go along with them, so I can't comment on that.

Also, my name starts with an H, so I like to think the H logo on my car was meant for me. ;] And the first two letters in my VIN are HG, which are my initials. It's destiny~

 

Having owned, driven, and repaired several models of each, I tend to think they're both excellent manufacturers. It never ceases to amaze me the thought and engineering that goes into parts that are very insignificant.

Things like the push-button black trim clips in the trunk and the knurled tips on the axles for the cupholder cover are two parts that I've come across on my Civic that impress me to no end. I still have a pair of the front speaker mounts from my old Corolla (totalled) that were these cool ABS-plastic isolators with built-in rubber mounts and a clip for the wiring. On a base-model Corolla.

That being said, I tend to find that Toyotas have no soul, and drive like appliances. The newer cars isolate the driver too much, and older cars had overboosted power steering and clunky shifters. I also hate how the audio system vendors that Toyota chooses never seem to match the illumination of the rest of the OEM interior.

Hondas seem to have a much better feel to them. Even the Odyssey minivans that I've driven were far superior to our friends' Mercedes-Benz R420. Honda just gets it.

 

"Honda just gets it."

I like it!

 

I work with Honda R&D here in Ohio, and while there's no argument that Honda can, and more often then not, does produce an overall great vehicle, there's no imagination or inspiration left, and Mr. Honda would roll over in his grave if he knew the sort of product that we're kicking out.

Let's be serious, the 2012 Honda and Acura lineups are BORING. The civic took a huge step backward for this model year, the Accord looks like any other mid-sized sedan, the Odyssey is nice but costs a ton, and the Pilot has always been ugly. The new ILX is a rebadged Civic with an Accord L4 motor, TL is bulky and boring, and for the price of a new RLX, you could easily go buy a Caddy, Lincoln, etc. with similar features and have some money left over. And lets not forget that brilliant move by Honda with the Crosstour and ZDX. They're classed as a light truck for a reason, they're big and bulky, no rear head room or visibility (in the ZDX especially), and they're butt ugly.

Not to mention that Honda is no longer an innovator, rather now a copy cat company that lets other motor companies do the dirty work by introducing new tech, waiting a few years and seeing if it's a viable option. For example, Honda is just now putting direct injection technology into their V6 line up.........Ford, GM, and Chrysler have been using this for ages!

And while the company's build quality may not have decreased in recent years, it certainly hasn't taken any steps forward. Companies like Kia and Hyundai are putting out stylish, powerful, and reliable options for thousands of dollars less than Honda.

Now, all that being said, I'd still drive a Honda before I'd drive a Toyota.

 

Pre-2001 Honda = win

Post-2002 = a few good motors to swap into the pre-2001 models.

Subaru and Toyota are doing it right. See BRZ/FRS. Fun cars.

 

Sorry to bring this thread back, but Toyota sucks. Have you been inside a recent model Corolla? Its interior is the flimsiest piece of junk i've ever been in. On top of that, I opened the door on my girlfriend's Corolla a little too hard (from outside the car) and the exterior handle broke right off! Luckily it was cheap to replace since its so cheaply made.

The Corolla is supposed to be comparable to the Civic. However, in recent years the Civic is more comparable to the Camry. The Accord used to be comparable to the Camry but now it is better than a Camry. In my opinion, this all makes Honda clearly the better auto manufacturer. Toyota has slipped behind while Honda has moved ahead.

And to zerojett... Subaru designed the drivetrain of the FR-S and Toyota designed the aesthetics. If Toyota did it by themselves it would be a pile of junk. Subaru makes great cars and they are the ones who made the Scion FR-S into a quality car.

 

I was just reading this the other day: Foreign brands shut out Detroit in Consumer Reports

Toyota is about on par with Honda; less "test score", more reliability. Pfft, Hondas definitely trump. But as a whole, Japanese cars are "raising the bar".

 

I was looking on Consumer Reports & it shows the Toyota Camry is a few thousand dollars less than a Honda Civic.
But if I was to buy a new car (which I never will) I would go directly to a Hyundai & buy an Elantra. They are a very nice looking vehicle. They look much more expensive than they are. Neither the Civic or Camry look anywhere as stylish. The Elandra no longer has a rubber band motor. As of 2011 they use a timing chain. A huge selling point for a former mechanic as me.
If there is one thing I hate about my 90 Civi is the rubber band motor. When our Civic dies it will be replaced with a non rubber band motor vehicle.

 

The Elantra has a timing chain, yes... along with pretty much every other new engine... so how is that a selling point? Honda hasn't used a timing belt since 2005.

 

You just taught me something I was unaware of. I don't pay much attention to new vehicles but in 2011 the wife & I saw the then new 2011 Elantra & really liked its look & it was roomy & comfortable. So we looked into maybe buying one, so I started researching it more closely, otherwise I wouldn't of known that.
So with your info, now, if I was to buy new that opens up a whole new world of vehicles.
Thanks for opening my eyes to new facts. That opens up the thought of buying an 06 or newer Honda when I have to replace our Civic. We buy used vehicles these days. I refuse to pay new prices just to drive them off a lot & loose 15% or more. I prefer to let someone else take the hits & buy them when they are much cheaper & still in nice shape.