I compared the Pathfinder, 4Runner, and Explorer. The Explorer had the most features for 30k. The 2006 Pathfinder and 4runner were nice but look a little odd with all the flares, grilles, and straight wheel wheels.
The Honda is conservative, but comparable. I have owned a new Ford car and it fell apart around 80k and a Honda car that fell apart at 250k. My last car was a Maxima and it held up great, accelerated, and had a Bose sound system. The Pilot is more comfortable and the sound system has a large sub-woofer, multi disc changer, and controls on the wheel, which is good because the stereo controls are small and the display is hard to read. I was impressed with the acceleration, and the growl of the exhaust sounds good; Of course it should be babied for the first 1k. It is so similar to Acura (independent suspension), that they are revamping that one. It is listed at 17 city and 22 highway. I am getting 15 city and 20 highway, not so great but that is about the same as the maxima. The pilot EX comes with a net to keep the groceries from flying around the back and many metal loops to hook onto. It should come standard with a cargo cover and roof rack crossbars. The dealer wanted $550 for running boards, $250 for roof rack crossbars, etc. These parts can be bought online for about half if you have some mechanical aptitude. The interior is comfy, there are plenty of cupholders, the EX has a fold down section in the middle of the backseat to hold cups and fries. I wish the moon roof was an option and the passenger seat was powered. Also don't like the shifter on the column, haven't had that since my Nova. It does leave plenty of room for an intricate console in the middle to hold a cell phone, cds, gallon of milk,etc.