When my friend's family was considering an SUV for under $45,000 (Canadian Dollars), they've looked at the other choices that are offered out there, including the Toyota Highlander, Ford Explorer and the Jeep Grand Cherokee. But they chose the Honda Pilot for a purpose, not really because it offers the versatility of the 8 passenger seating. But it's really for the purpose for refinement as well as the versatility of storage space for your small items. They find that the Pilot has that. Plus, I have the privilege to drive their Pilot too, since I'm registered to an insurance policy that allows me to drive a vehicle that isn't really mine.

But the main reason they chose the Honda Pilot over the Grand Cherokee and Explorer is because, the Pilot isn't as much as a gas guzzler, it has a much more car like powertrain for a much better refinement for highway and urban cruising, since they're not really buying an SUV for off road purposes, but rather using it as a people hauler for vacations, getaways and such.

Compared to the Highlander, the Pilot succeeded in the way that it offers a 3rd row seating bench as standard equipment, how it's much more valued priced for the money given that the Highlander is overpriced for the equipment and that it doesn't possess as much storage space as the Pilot does.

Since the Pilot was bought in Canada, the LX trim is not offered for the nation. Therefore, they chose the Pilot EX with Leather.

Powertrain, Handling and Chassis

The Honda Pilot uses the same powertrain and chassis as the Acura MDX and the Honda Odyssey, which is already as smooth as I've expected from Honda. But the only problem is that during low-revs, there isn't really sufficient power to haul the vehicle itself. Other than that, the 240 hp 3.5L engine does the job very well to haul heavy loads, such as 8 people on the long distance trip. Like the Odyssey, the engine performs very well under any driving condition or environment, quietly and smoothly, unlike some of the other SUVs that are derived under a truck platform, which tend to be noisy and unpleasing during highway cruising.

The suspension seems to do its job very well, by absorbing shocks more readily than most SUVs derived under a car platform. On smooth pavement, it really maintains its form, even with a full load of passengers and their bags. The same goes for rough pavement, but slightly compromised ride quality, as it isn't really designed for extensive offroading, like the Land Rovers are designed for.

The All Wheel Drive system also seems to behave very well with dry, wet, gummy and greasy (snow to be tested this upcoming winter) pavements. Since this SUV is derived over a car platform, namely the Honda Accord, the Pilot offers a permanent AWD system.

With the Anti Lock Braking System provided as standard equipment, it has performed flawlessly in any given pavement condition out there (except for snow, since my friend's family bought the Pilot more recently), but this feature is only used for safety purposes only and it doesn't shorten your braking length.

The body does lean slightly during tight cornering, but it doesn't produce the rollover effects that Consumers Report has reported on with the Mitsubishi Montero, the Acura SLX and Isuzu Trooper. Rollovers are what make buyers not to buy a particular vehicle, because they're vulnerable to accidents and compromise passenger safety. But since they've tested with the Honda Pilot, they haven't really experienced dangers of rollovers, whatsoever.

The Cabin

The interior is very roomy, like the Honda Odyssey; instead it seats 8. The driver's seat is comfortable enough for long trips, especially for traveling through the interstate or the Trans-Canada Highway, this is especially true when the EX is equipped with an 8-way electric driver's seat with manual adjustable lumbar support along with a tilt steering column. For those cold winters and mornings, the Pilot EX with Leather comes equipped with seat warmers for the front seats, to chill out of the cold leather.

The controls are also very easy to reach, particularly the Automatic climate control, which can easily be programmed and it provides enough cooled air during very hot summer days. (Heater to be tested during winter) The stereo with AM/FM radio, cassette and CD players is also very innovative by having the volume control knob on the center of the stereo, instead of the driver's side for easy reach for the front passenger as well as the driver. The audio system isn't the best, but it does the job very well for the intensive FM radio use as well as the CD player. With the standard steering wheel mounted radio controls, I can toggle through radio stations, radio station presets, volume control as well as my CD tracks, all without using my hands to reach the stereo, which could distract my driving.

For the middle and rear seats, they're generally comfortable enough, for the rear seat though, could be too low for adults to really sit comfortably and its more designed for children. But for safety, the headrests for the rear seat are just too low for adults and must be raised to provide effective head support. In addition, the rear seat also has a standard climate control, that they can control how much airflow and the temperature of the rear cabin for their comfort. Together along with the front climate control, it can increase the amount of cooling or warming efficiency by 30% compared to just having the front climate controls active. Even access to the 3rd row seating is very easy by just taking the switch that allows the 2nd row seat on either side to slide and tumble forward.

Available as an option for the US and as a Dealer Installed Option through 3rd party sources in Canada, is the rear seat entertainment system. It adds a flip down 7" LCD screen for the rear seat, along with a DVD ROM at the dashboard to provide endless entertainment for the rear seat passengers, as it comes with a pair of wireless headsets, along with the jacks for addition headphones and video gaming systems such as the Sony PlayStation.

The storage space is almost endless here, as it provides 2 seatback pockets at the backs of the front seats (EX comes with 4), plenty of room for your notepads, pens and many more in the covered storage space in front of the removable cup holders. For the main storage compartment, it features capacity for 13 CD Jewel Boxes, a 12V power socket, a cell phone holder. The neat thing about the main storage compartment, is the hinged door, which you can store your cell phone and you can reach into the storage compartment without disrupting the armrest at all. Don't forget about those storage nets at the sides of the console near the front seats too. Next to it is at the back of the armrest, which features the air vents for the rear seat, climate controls as well as an additional 12V power outlet for laptops or even your video gaming system. That's not even all, as the middle seat armrest provides additional storage, which is ideal for your kid's coloring books and above that, it provides room for your fast food items as well as room for dips. Even the rear door armrests are equipped with cup holders and map pockets for even more storage space for your small items too. As for the rear seat, it provides 3 cup holders (1 on driver's side and 2 on passenger's side) as well as another 12V power socket to power through your stereo or gaming system during the long trips.

With the 60/40 fold down middle and rear seats, this can easily be classified as versatile for cargo hauling. So, you don't have to carry too few passengers, even if you have to haul tons of cargo. Plus, the rear cargo area features 4 bag hooks, for your plastic grocery bags, so that they don't roll over, even during tight cornering. With 16.3 cu. ft. of cargo space behind the 3rd row bench, you can carry plenty for the long haul trip to say Yellowstone park. Remove the 3rd row seating and you've got yourself 48.7 cu. ft. of cargo space. Plus, if you only had the front seats and have 2nd row seatbacks folded and 3rd row removed, you'll transform 48.7 cu. ft. to an enormous 90.3 cu. ft. of cargo space.

The interior materials and overall fit and finish aren't really up to Toyota's standards, but it's definitely comparable to the other non-US vendors though. The car also features a solid structure to stand against the odds and to ensure that the Pilot lasts for the years to come.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I find the Honda Pilot one of the greatest car derived SUVs on the market. With legendary Honda reliability, I can feel a lot more comfortable in making the Pilot have a better resale value and it eliminates all the hassle to haul the vehicle into maintenance painfully for something that is not very unnecessary like fixing the air condition very often or engine repairs.

Starting at $ 41000 (Canadian); $43000 (Canadian with Leather), the Pilot is very competitively priced with the SUVs, especially with the Highlander, Grand Cherokee and Explorer.

Amount Paid (US$): 31000
Model and Options: EX Leather (Canadian Specs)