Honda Pilot Review

2009 Honda Pilot LX SUV

Honda has a knack for creating vehicles that hit a sweet spot in their market segments. Take the Honda Pilot: One of the most family-friendly sport-utility vehicles in its price range, the Pilot tucks eight-passenger seating into an easy-to-maneuver midsize SUV body. A standard V6 provides ample acceleration and above-average fuel economy. Interior accommodations are straightforward and comfortable, and the third-row seat folds into the floor in a convenient 60/40-split arrangement.

Rather than forcing buyers to wade through options lists to get popular convenience and safety features, Honda has made all the essentials standard equipment on the Pilot. The only items you have to pay extra for are leather upholstery, a rear entertainment system, a navigation system and all-wheel drive.

As a result of this near-perfect packaging, Pilot sales have always been strong. Although consumers shopping for an SUV with seven- to eight-passenger seating now have many candidates to consider, the Honda Pilot remains one of our top recommendations to families of four or more looking for a midsize model with a reasonable compromise of space, comfort and economy.

Current Honda Pilot

Introduced for 2003, the Honda Pilot has always come standard with three rows of seating and eight-passenger capacity. Currently, buyers have their choice of LX and EX trim levels. The LX comes with all the necessities, including reclining, 60/40-split seats in the second and third rows; separate front and rear air-conditioners; full power accessories; a CD player; cruise control and alloy wheels. The EX adds a power driver seat, automatic climate control, an upgraded audio system with steering wheel-mounted controls, darker-tint glass, auto-off headlights, foglights and Homelink.

Going with the EX also gives you access to the leather, entertainment and nav options. Additionally, all leather-equipped Honda Pilots (EX-L) come with a sunroof and, starting in 2006, satellite radio. If you're shopping for specific safety features, there are a few things to watch for on used Pilots. Although ABS and front-seat side airbags have been standard on Honda's midsize SUV since its debut, a three-row side curtain airbag system with a rollover sensor was added for 2006. Stability control has been standard on EX models with leather since 2005; Honda made it standard on all Pilots for 2006. For 2008, the LX was replaced by the Value Package and a new SE trim debuted that slotted above the EX and added a sunroof and DVD player.

A 3.5-liter V6 is the sole power source, and it's matched to a five-speed automatic transmission. Pilots from '03 and '04 made 240 horsepower. For 2005, a new 255-hp, 3.5-liter engine arrived. The adoption of revised SAE certification procedures in 2006 saw this engine's horsepower rating changed to 244, but actual performance was unaffected.

All Pilots sold from 2003-'05 were all-wheel drive, but Honda began offering front-wheel drive on both the LX and EX for 2006. Front-wheel-drive Pilots have a cylinder deactivation feature that improves fuel economy during highway travel. The all-wheel-drive system, which Honda calls VTM-4, has a center differential lock feature to provide extra traction on dirt roads and in the snow.

Even this late in its model cycle, drawbacks to the Honda Pilot remain few. Probably the biggest annoyance is the fact that you can't get both the rear DVD player and the navigation system. Also, when driven back to back with some of the newer SUVs in its price range, the Pilot feels a bit less nimble. Finally, if your family tows a trailer, you'll find the Honda's 3,500-pound maximum falls well short of competing sport-utility vehicles, particularly those with a V8 option.

Past Honda Pilot Models

The Pilot is still in its first generation, but Honda sold another midsize sport-utility vehicle called the Passport from 1994-2002. A rebadged version of the Isuzu Rodeo, the five-passenger Passport has little to recommend it other than low pricing on the used market. Performance, cabin accommodations and reliability are all below average.

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* Edmunds.com maintains vehicle data as far back as 1990.