Three words come to mind when I drive the Honda Pilot: Roominess, Comfortand Maneuverability. It is the “gentle beast” of SUVs. In many ways the Honda Pilot is more of a crossover than an SUV, as it behaves like a car more than a rugged Nissan Pathfinder or Toyota 4Runner. The Pilot is, after all, a sportier version of the Honda Odyssey minivan. But don't hold that against it!
The first comment from both of my children was: “Wow, there is so much room in here!” From the outside it's not a huge vehicle. In fact, the Pilot is shorter than the Chevrolet Equinox, which only seats 5. Honda's mid-size SUV seats up to 8, and although the third row isn't built for large adults, they are ample for kids and smaller people. Access to the back row is also fairly simple. On one occasion, I had the auspicious duty of chauffeuring 6 teenagers to the movies. I purposely invited the two tallest gents to sit in the rear and give me a full account. They both agreed that with the middle row of seats pushed forward a bit, legroom was sufficient for the short ride. One of the fellows has a history of motion sickness (much to my relief I found this out after I had successfully made the drop at the Cinemark). He felt that he would have been fine sitting back there for the one and a half hour drive to the local ski hills. I didn't want to test his theory, but I was glad toknow that he was relatively comfortable.
More on the roominess factor: With the third row folded down there is a substantial amount of cargo space for most common loads. A bag of soccer balls, 4 large gym bags, a cooler and a first aid box fit easily with room to spare. One afternoon, having spent a small fortune at the grocery store, I loaded the bags into the back. It looked empty! Surely I must have left some bags at the store. But no, the beast had simply swallowed them up like a whale enjoying a light snack of sardines.
Okay, so the real test of my patience was about to take place. I have a pet peeve about flying groceries. Those flimsy plastic bags are entirely useless at keeping the contents in, and any twists or turns on the drive home usually result in a scene similar to a massacre on the battlefield – fresh loaves of bread trampled by a free-rolling jar of pasta sauce, once unblemished and perfectly yellow bananas beaten and bruised by a missile in the form of a 2-liter bottle of Coke, smaller items getting lost or seeking refuge under seats and in crevices. And all too often there's an accompanyingsound of breaking glass, resulting in some gooey mess accompanied by an acrid smell that even the best detailers can't eradicate ...You get the picture. Happily, however, on this particular trip home the grocery bags stood still and behaved like perfect little soldiers. The cargo net barricade worked flawlessly, and even though there was a lot of room for movement and mayhem, everything arrived intact. Now that is impressive!
Honda also does a great job with its vehicles in the fit and finish department, and the Pilot is no exception. Yes, it's been around since 2003 with very few changes, but I think that the adage “don't fix what's not broken” applies here. The seats are firm and supportive, although a bit of extra side bolstering would be even better. I suspect that the intent with the flat seats was to accommodate our “super size” market (did I say that out loud?), but being on the petite side I tended to flop around from side to side in what seems more like a big comfortable lounger. On the positive, I needed the side bolstering because it handles like a car, which is impressive given its ample curb weight of 4,524 pounds. The weight does cause the vehicle to roll a bit and oversteer when cornering,especially when going downhill, but it could be a lot worse.
Ample torque nicely offsets the weight and gives the Pilot enough power to forge up steep hills with ease. The suspension is geared for comfort, and the ride is quiet. Visibility is excellent, with large windows all around and high seating positions. Even driving in a heavy downpour at night was a pleasure! I never experienced any traction issues, and the firm, steady, powerful brakes worked instantly and flawlessly, without any noticeable lurching in the cabin. All controls and instruments are easy to reach and easy to read. There's no need to refer to the manual for “how to” instructions. Just get in, drive and enjoy the ride!
Surprisingly, this gentle beast is as effortless to maneuver and steer as a much smaller car. One thing I noticed immediately was the tight turning radius (19 feet). I have a knack for finding parking spots on the opposite side of the road, and I often turn the car around to try to grab a spot before it gets nabbed. The Pilot handles this task capably. Power rack and pinion steering contributes to trouble-free handling. I wasparticularly thankful for this feature after I finished a grueling workout at the gym. My arms had no strength left in them, which in my own truck-based SUV would have made getting out of a tight parking spot a harsh continuation of the punishment. Thankfully, the Pilot made my exit gentle and pain-free.
While we're on the subject of parking, I must mention my experience with the rear camera on the EX-L version. This is a feature that I would normally not consider when purchasing a vehicle. I like to think that I am quite proficient at parallel parking, and I usually have a pretty good sense of a vehicle's dimensions. At first I didn't even notice that this particular model was equipped with a back-up camera, as I was concentrating on the side mirrors and looking over my shoulder. It was my 11-year old who pointed it out to me as we were backing into the driveway. From that point on I was hooked. Looking at the screen in front of me was a lot easier than straining my neck and shoulders to peer behind me. I wouldn't say this is a must-have option, because as mentioned earlier, visibility is excellent, but it certainly is a great convenience and could potentially prevent an accident if, for example, a small child was playing out of regular rearward sight lines.
On to other options: The top of the line Pilot EX-L features a navigation system that is intuitive, like everything else about Honda. The touchscreen operation is pretty idiot-proof. I did notice, however, that the voice commands were inaccurate on more than one occasion, and I found it better to drive according to the visual directions and maps, using the audio prompts as affirmations, rather than blindly following the voice directions. Other nice features on this upper crust model include individual automatic climate controls for the front and middle seating positions, leather power-adjustable seats, and a superb sound system with a 6 CD stacker.
Finally, a word or two about style: As mentioned early on, the Pilot has been around for a while. I've read some reviews that criticize it for being boxy and needing an update. For me, the boxiness is one of the characteristics that makes this SUV visually appealing. I find that most new SUVs and crossovers are increasingly moving to curvier lines and softer styling cues. As a result they're all starting to look alike. Not only does the Pilotstand out from the crowd with its bold shape and, dare I say “masculine” design, but its utilitarian profile is more functional in terms of space.
With a price tag ranging from $33,000 to $35,000 this incredibly spacious, driver-friendly, mid-size crossover offers great value, despite getting on in age. It's a Honda, after all, and therefore it's built to reflect the superior standards of quality, reliability, safety and convenience that contribute to the Japanese brand's highly acclaimed reputation. And to those easily wooed by the latest and greatest, do yourself a favor and don't pass by this stalwart family hauler without giving it the respect it deserves. It might not boast all the latest gadgets, but it's still a strong player in an increasingly competitive crossover SUV market.
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