2009 Honda Pilot Review

PROS  Lots of passenger room and cargo space, Commanding view of the road, Comfortable ride

CONS  Cut-rate interior materials, Poor rear visibility

The Pilot is Honda's entry into the midsize SUV marketplace. It was first introduced in 2002 and shares chassis and engines with the Acura MDX and the Honda Ridgeline. For 2009 Honda has redesigned Pilot, giving it more passenger space, additional features, and new styling.

Unlike today's new breed of crossover SUVs, the Pilot retains its SUV-like shape. It competes with vehicles like the Chevrolet Traverse, Dodge Durango, Ford Flex, Hyundai Veracruz, Nissan Pathfinder, and Toyota Highlander. Pilot remains a four-door wagon that has a tailgate with separate-opening rear glass and seats for eight on twin front buckets, and split-folding three-place, second- and third-row bench seats.

Compared to the 2008 model, the '09 Pilot is one inch wider and three inches longer. It also rides a wheelbase that's been stretched three inches. Four models are offered: LX, EX, EX-L, and Touring. Sole drivetrain consists of a 250-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 mated to a five-speed automatic transmission. Honda has improved the Variable Cylinder Management on the V6 for '09. This system shuts down two or three cylinders when cruising, coasting, and decelerating to save fuel. When properly equipped, Pilot can tow up to 4500 pounds.

Pilot is available with front- or all-wheel drive. All-wheel drive adds $1600 to the list price of each model and adds a lockable center differential. However, it does not include a low range and is not intended for severe off-road use.

Antilock four-wheel disc brakes with brake assist, traction and stability control, tire-pressure monitor, and dual-front, front-side, and curtain-side airbags are standard on all models. Rear-view monitor and front and rear park assist are exclusive to Touring models.

The LX lists for $27,595 and comes standard with front and rear air conditioning, tilt-telescope steering wheel, cruise control, cloth upholstery, center console, power mirrors, power windows, power door locks, keyless entry, AM/FM/CD/MP3 player with digital-media player connection, rear defogger, intermittent rear wiper/washer, automatic headlights, floormats, rear privacy glass, Class III trailer hitch, and 245/65R17 tires.

The $30,395 EX adds tri-zone automatic climate controls, eight-way power driver seat with lumbar adjustment, heated power mirrors, AM/FM radio w/in-dash 6-disc CD/MP3 changer, satellite radio, universal garage door opener, theft-deterrent system, fog lights, roof rails, and alloy wheels.

The EX-L lists for $33,595 and adds to EX leather upholstery, heated front seats, four-way power passenger seat, leather-wrapped steering wheel with radio controls, power sunroof, automatic day/night rearview mirror, and conversation mirror.

The line-topping touring starts at $36,795 and adds navigation system with voice recognition, memory system (driver seat, mirrors), iPod adapter, Bluetooth cell-phone link, mirror-mounted turn signals, side sunshades, and power liftgate.

As per Honda policy, no factory options are available on any models. However, a rear-seat entertainment system is available on both the EX-L and Touring. All models carry a $670 destination charge and are built in Honda's Lincoln, Alabama, assembly plant.

Get Up and Go  Honda doesn't quote a 0-60 mph time for Pilot but it's easily less than eight seconds. That's fairly quick for a midsize SUV capable of carrying eight passengers. The engine has ample low-end power for cut-and-thrust city driving and good oomph in highway passing maneuvers.

The five-speed automatic upshifts smoothly and downshifts quickly when more acceleration is needed. Interestingly, Honda didn't add a separate shiftgate for full manual operation. This results in drivers not being able manually select all of the available gear ratios.

Thanks to its modestly sized V6 and standard cylinder-deactivation system, Pilot boasts class-impressive EPA fuel-economy numbers of 17 mpg city and 23 mpg highway. Those numbers match up with class leaders like the Chevrolet Traverse and Toyota Highlander.

In routine city driving owners should expect to average 17 mpg. If your daily commute includes a fair amount of expressway driving, that number should improve by a mile per gallon or two. In straight highway driving, it's easy to average 22 mpg. Honda says that the V6 runs fine on regular-grade gasoline.

On the Road  Pilot impresses with its car-like demeanor. Where other SUVs pitch and bounce on bumpy roads, Pilot remains composed and comfortable. The absorbent suspension does an excellent job of filtering out small bumps and softening harsh impacts.

Kudos don't stop when talking about handling. Though Pilot is a large SUV, it drives a lot like a traditional sedan. There's very little body lean and the steering is more responsive to input than one might expect. The suspension is firm enough to handle twisting expressway on ramps and sharp corners. Braking response is also quite good.

The Pilot's all-wheel drive system isn't designed for heavy off-road use, but it does an adequate job of transferring power to the rear wheels when the fronts start to slip. It would be nice if Honda improved the traction control system to limit wheel spin a bit further.

It is clear that Honda engineers played particular attention to reducing unwanted noises in Pilot's interior. Wind and road noise are well muted and the engine only intrudes in hard acceleration. It should be noted that Honda utilizes the audio system to actively reduce interior noise levels.

Behind the Wheel  Shaped like a traditional SUV, Pilot's silhouette creates a large and roomy cabin. Unfortunately, most surfaces are covered in hard plastics. Compared to Chevy Traverse, Pilot's cabin comes off as inexpensive, especially when you begin to notice the exposed seams in the dashboard and cheap-looking knockouts for things like the all-wheel-drive-system differential lock.

Thankfully gauges are large, well-marked, and nicely lit at night. The standard radio unit features large buttons and is easy to operate. Navi equipped models have a confusing sea of buttons and knobs that makes for lots of driver distraction. Thankfully the steering wheel has a number of thoughtfully placed buttons that lend easy access to commonly used functions.

Driver and front-seat passenger are treated to nicely padded seats that offer great comfort and good support. Head and leg room are good as well. The tall SUV build makes for excellent forward visibility, however thick roof pillars block the view to the rear quarters and the high stance makes for a tall step-in.

Second-row seats offer better than average head and leg room. The bench seat is somewhat thin on support but comfortable enough. Third-row access is eased because the second-row seats tip and slid forward at the flip of a leaver. According to Honda, the third-row gains almost two inches of leg room and that's much appreciated as two adults now have enough space for medium-length trips.

Pilot's '09 growth spurt didn't add any additional cargo space, but that really wasn't needed as there's ample room if the third row is folded flat. The second row also folds quite easily creating a cavernous load area that's large enough to swallow a 4x8 sheet of plywood. The Pilot also has a separate opening liftgate glass for loading of small items and a pop-up shelf that adds a second tier of storage space when the third-row seat is in use.

Interior storage is spectacular. There are lots of open bins throughout the interior and the center console features a multifunction bin that can be arranged in several different ways. Rear-seat passengers are treated to cupholders and storage bins built into the rear-seat armrests.

Bottom Line  Excuse me while I climb up on my soapbox. . . . For the past decade, large SUVs gobbled marketshare at an alarming rate. Owners loved then because they are versatile haulers, have a commanding view of the road, and are all-weather troopers. Automakers loved them because they commanded a premium price.

The party came to a crashing halt when the gas crunch of '08 caused the bottom to fall out large SUV market. True, most averaged less than 18 mpg in city driving, but these large SUVs were being used inefficiently. Buyers traded economical small cars for large SUVs and continued to drive them for their small-car needs, not considering the fuel-economy disadvantage--until gas hit $4.00 per gallon. Then they cried wolf!

The fact of the matter is simple, if you needed a five-passenger vehicle with a large cargo area, a lot of towing capacity, or the utility of all-wheel drive, a large SUV makes sense. If you don't, then buy a midsize car. . . . Exit soapbox.

Sometimes sequels fail to live up to the original. Thankfully that's not the case with the second-generation Pilot. It's better than its predecessor in almost every measurable way. It has more room, power aplenty, loads of features, a substantially improved ride, and slightly better fuel economy.

The competition isn't about to let Pilot claim "King of the Hill" status though. Chevrolet Traverse, Ford Flex, and Toyota Highlander are eight-passenger competitors that that demand a test drive. In addition, Honda should be ashamed by its use of hard plastic in the interior.

Overall, Pilot offers an excellent balance of SUV versatility without compromising ride comfort. Hondas also have a reputation for solid reliability and strong resale value. Anyone considering a vehicle in this class would be silly to exclude Pilot from their shopping list.