This is the latest Honda Pilot
The Pilot represents their flagship SUV which means the biggest, most power, and most stuff you can get
So we’re going to break down the highlights both good and bad of this new Pilot
This is the newest Pilot from Honda
This new Pilot is the minivan for people who dont want minivans…and yes I mean that as a good thing…but nothing’s perfect
So Today we’re talking about the best and the rest of the new Honda Pilot…starting with the rest
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Bad:
1 – 3rd row
It’s bigger than it was and it’s a nice improvement, but it’s still not great for adults
I felt like i had more room in the Telluride and palisade
But you have loads more room back here than you do in the highlander
2 – 2nd row
Again, it’s improved from last year
Space isn’t really the issue, though it does feel a little smaller than the koreans
You get climate vents, you get chargers, you get heated 2nd row
But you get all those things in the Pali and telly…with cooled 2nd row
3 – no OTA updates
Your head unit is nice
It’s the 9 inch unit with wireless ACP and AA…but the Accord gets a bigger head unit
But the issue here is the system isn’t future proof – you see a lot of cars getting enabled with OTA updates so their car can stay as modern as possible
You’re getting that in a lot of the new Toyotas so it seems Honda is lagging behind a little bit there
4 – fuel economy
In a world being thrusted into EVs it’s strange to see a new generation Pilot debut with a single engine choice
It’s even stranger when that engine choice is a 3.5L N/A V6
And then it gets even stranger when the fuel economy rating goes DOWN from last year
Of course this is due to the Pilot being more boxy, less aerodynamic, and bigger and heavier
Also these offroad tires hurt
18 city, 23 highway on these A/T tires
19/25 on the normal tires
5 – no more VTEC
The V6 here is new and gets rid of VTEC
It’s still a J Series engine, but now it goes to dual overhead cams with cam phasers
It’s got cylinder deactivation
Forged crank shaft
And other nice stuff…but RIP to VTEC
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Good:
1 – same chassis as MDX
This won’t come as much of a surprise to anyone, but it’s a great thing to have because the MDX is really nice
This borrowed chassis means the Pilot is more refined, more rigid, and has less road noise
Helps on-road and off-road
Of course the pilot is modified from the MDX with things like strut front suspension and less sound deadening
2 – handsome exterior design
I really like the look of the new Pilot
It manages to look muscular and tough in this trailsport trim..while still being sophisticated enough to look elegant and expensive in the Elite trim
You’ve got a huge front grille
Full LEd headlights
LED fog lights
Silver accented lower fascia
On the trailsport you have rel skid plates
Your trailsport also gets unique 18 inch wheels
A/T tires
1 inch lift w/ 8.3 inches of clearance
It also gets black accents for the door handles and window treatments and roof rails
The profile shape is more geometric and muscular
And the rear is clean and expensive
The pilot spelled out in black
Crab grab taillights
And another silver bumper cosplaying as a skidplate
Looks great is pretty much every trim i’ve seen
3 – towing
Whether it’s a boat or a trailer or a camper it’s nice to see the towing figure max out at a solid 5,000 lbs
4 – the space
The minivan for people who don’t want a minivan
Your front cabin area is nice and roomy with storage everywhere for water bottles and anything else
The rear seats are bigger and more practical
You can get this in 7 or 8 seat configuration…but captains chairs only for the trailsport
In a couple trims you can rip out the middle seat in the 2nd row AND stow it under the trunk floor…it’s that big
And the third row is bigger too and comfortable for people up to 6 feet
PLus there’s more chargers and vents and cupholders than you’ll know what to do with
The dash is low, the visibility is great, it’s the best parts of having a van…without being seen in a van
Although i still maintain vans are sexy
5 – interior design
The dash design is great – it’s modern it’s clean, and it looks expensive
You’ve got a 10 inch digital cluster on the Elite
You’ve got a 9 inch tablet style infotainment
The steering wheel looks great
You’ve got physical climate controls
And your center console maximizes storage space
It perfectly balances style and practicality
6 – trunk space
The trunk, much like everything else is a bit bigger
But it’s actually bigger than you might think because there’s a secret cubby under the floor
This is fairly common, but i’ve never seen one this big and this deep
It;s so big that you can store a whole chunk of seat from the 2nd row under the floor here
7 – reverse camera on wiper stalk
I don’t really know why, but i like this..i like this a lot
8 – the AWD system
All AWD equipped Pilots get the torque vectoring differential
The trailsport gets one specifically tuned for offroading which means you can send 5% more power to the rear
So you can send up to 75% of the power to the rear wheels AND 100% of THAT power to one side
This acts as kind of a LSD to help send power to the wheel with grip if you’re tripodding on the trail
BUT on the road it also makes this thing feel way sportier than it has any business being
It borders on feeling RWD or like it has rear wheel steering
It makes this big SUV feel small and sporty and fun to drive
9 – the driving experience
And then building on that, you’ve got the driving experience as a whole
The engine may not have VTEC and it may get worse fuel economy than last year
BUT it still feels really peppy and powerful
0-60 in under 8 seconds
The 10 speed automatic feels sharp and im thankful it isn’t a CVT
The suspension isn’t adaptive but feels perfectly tuned
The ride is smooth and supple and would be even better on street tires
This thing handles super well
This is probably the best driving experience in a 3-row that isn’t from Europe
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Overall i have to say im really impressed with this Pilot and while it’s not perfect,
it’s competitive with the benchmark koreans in places it needs to be
And behind the wheel it’s noticeably more fun to drive
Well done Honda
And thank you to Russ Darrow Honda for letting me have ago so i could show you this new Pilot