By Holly R.

Pros:

• LOVE the white dials/background on the instrument panel
• Really decent acceleration
• Comfortable front seats and the lumbar support is really NICE
• XM® Satellite Radio
• Built-in Bluetooth®

Cons:

• Square shape is great for making more inside storage, but bad for aerodynamics
• Gas mileage is not stellar (made worse with the square-er shape)
• Voice recognition (I am starting to hate these) system
• 3rd row seats are only usable by children or very short people (at 5′6″, I wouldn’t be comfortable for any length of time sitting back there)

Fuel Economy:
Advertised: 16 in the city, and 22 highway (or 18 combined for the AWD Touring Edition).
Actual: 18.7 with my un-aggressive driving style. Sightly better than the combined estimate, but still worse than other 7-8 passenger SUVs on the market.

Introduction:
Wow, the Pilot is ginormous! Okay, I know that’s not really a word, but holy cow! There is a whole lotta vehicle with the re-designed Pilot. It seems that the Honda Element has the more rounded shape, while the 2009 Pilot got the more square shape - they completely traded places! The new Pilot appears to be significantly larger than it’s older counterparts, and the frontal view is now markedly bolder-looking with its unique grill (bad to the bone). The day-time running lights prevent having to figure out how to turn on the headlights as daylight begins to disappear. I think this really adds to the safety factor, even in broad daylight.

Driving Impressions:
The Pilot accelerated really well. I didn’t try to blast through any corners, as I was having some issues with the aerodynamics of the car. It felt a bit top-heavy, and definitely took a bit of road to get it stopped. Other than that, it was pretty fun to drive. I had a bit of trouble parking, as it’s pretty large! Add to that, one of the other reviewers had put their trailer-hitch mounted bike-rack on the back, so not only was I fighting a larger vehicle than I’m used to, but I had about 3 extra feet behind me to deal with! I reverted to a 16-year old, trying to parallel park for the first time. But it was one of those things that you could get used to, if you spent more than 3 days in a car. Due to the size of the car, I could easily see well up the road. The Pilot weighs a good deal, so that, coupled with being able to see so far ahead (well, and Honda’s safety reputation), I felt pretty darned safe. A definite bonus in my book.

Build:
The Pilot felt super solid. You could take it off-road and not be concerned at all about how it would take the conditions. The doors were solid without being heavy. The interior felt solid enough that you could bang stuff around without damaging the vehicle. We had a couple of stationary trainers in the back, behind the 3rd row seats, that were banging around a few times during an hour drive to a bike race. There wasn’t a mark one on the tailgate area, and nothing fell out when we opened the hatchback. The seats fold forward and back into place without struggle and seem like they would last a very long time. The hidden compartments in the passenger cabin are all well-built and you’d not have to worry about them breaking easily.

(Continued on page 2 - Interior Comfort and Ergonomics | Performance | Handling )
(Continued on page 3 - Styling | Value | Conclusion )

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