Overview & Reviews

User Reviews:

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  Excellent, but not exciting. - 2017 Honda Pilot
  By Returning Honda Owner - November 24 - 11:18 am

  What Honda does well is create vehicles that are solid and dependable, but not necessarily fun to drive, with certain exceptions. I have a 2017 Pilot EX-L and it has a very nice interior that has many features and comforts which add to a smooth driving experience. It is very spacious, both for passengers and cargo and has a lot of safety measures and technology that are on par with anything in its class. On the highway, this car is as smooth as can be. My only two complaints are the following: It isnt terribly engaging to drive. I just lost a 2006 Jeep Commander that drove like a car and hugged the road. The Pilot feels "safe" and almost boring to drive. I felt that the Toyota Highlander handled better, but I went with the Pilot because of other things that beat out Toyota. It handles more like a van than an SUV and I feel that the driving "experience" is less than exciting. Its fine and it drives nicely, but I want a little more engagement. The second complaint is that the touchscreen is not terribly intuitive, which is not only annoying, but is distracting to use while driving. Yes, some of the controls are also on the steering wheel, which helps, but even for the passenger, the screen isnt the easiest (although I hear it is an improvement over the last model). There is no volume button or dial and therefore you have to locate the touch volume and tap it repeatedly to change the volume. There is no need for that, as a dial is far easier to use while driving. Technology should make things simpler, not more difficult. I have a 2010 Audi A4 with outdated technology, but it is much easier to use. Those two things aside, the car is very comfortable and grows on me the more I drive it. The traction in snow is excellent, as is braking and it is a very well made vehicle. If Honda could add a little more excitement to the car, it would really increase the overall excitement. No regrets, thus far.

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  Won on technical merits forgot to consider styling - 2017 Honda Pilot
  By Phil Larson - October 6 - 6:25 pm

  Needs USB ports in back seat area. Needs volume control. LKAS needs to be better. ACC is a really great feature but should be smoother. I think I would like to be seen more in a Jeep Rubicon, or even a Jeep Grand Cherokee but the Pilot beat it, the highlander, and the Explorer in all the measurable categories.

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  WHERE DID ALL THE STORAGE GO? - 2017 Honda Pilot
  By Adriana_Honda - May 12 - 1:13 am

  From someone who owned and loved a 2007 Pilot for 10+ years I am super dissapointed in the interior design of my new 2017 Pilot. The storage in the dash/console is TERRIBLE! Basically just one giant deep bucket to throw everything into and never to be seen again. I would say this vehicle is a family car, but obviously a male with probably no kids designed the dashboard/storage. The 2 previous models of the Pilot were much better. A few other complaints... the parking brake foot pedal gets in the way when trying to get a comfortable position on long drives. I never had that issue with my 2007 Pilot. Also, there is really no bumper on this new version, which means you cant reach up on top of the car from standing on the rear bumper if you ever use a roof rack. Not to mention saving the cost of repairs if you ever back into something, you will be smashing your back door along with the non-bumper. Some feedback on the radio, I would have loved to still have had some buttons for controls along with the touch screen. The touch screen is not very user friendly, and I consider myself a tech-savvy person. I was so excited to buy my new Pilot after reading so many great reviews, and it wasnt until I started driving it I feel there are so many let downs on this new design. Im keeping my fingers crossed they will listen to their customers and make the design better in the future.

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  Could be improved - 2017 Honda Pilot
  By Liang Zhang - May 1 - 12:36 pm

  Touch screen not easy to use when driving. Acceleration not good enough when ECO on. If turn off ECO MPG lower to 10 or less. Backup camera vision is poor. No option of blind spot radar in all trims. Right turning camera is useless.

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  Loving my Pilot! - 2017 Honda Pilot
  By Carla Guido - March 9 - 12:11 am

  I went from an 2007 Honda Odyssey EX-L to a 2017 Honda Pilot EX-L and I am very happy with my purchase. Honda makes a great durable family vehicle with lots of bells and whistles for an outstanding price. Sure, there are things I miss from my odyssey like the ability to remove the middle seat in the second row (touring offers captain chairs) , large deep cargo space and passenger ceiling vents for quicker temperature comfort. You can still find those options with a mini van but I was ready to make the switch. Ive owned 3 Honda vehicles in my 26yrs of driving and by far they are the best made.

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  Price bargain is a challenge. - 2017 Honda Pilot
  By H Choi - July 5 - 5:48 pm

  Request quotes from multiple dealers to ensure the lowest prices.

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  Less than 1000 miles - 2017 Honda Pilot
  By Mike Martin - August 13 - 8:47 pm

  This is the first new car that I have purchased that I am thinking of trading after less than 1000 miles driven. I bought the Pilot AWD Touring package because Honda forces you into that package to get some of the options. I knew when I bought this SUV that I would hate the push button transmission and I do. It has too many gears and at times, especially at lower speeds, it seems to get confused as to what gear it should be in. I can really feel it when I turn down into my subdivision and kind of coast. It seems to hunt for the right gear when you dont need to put your foot on the gas. The default setting for Hondas gas rating is to turn the engine off at stops. What a pain this is and I wonder what this will do in the long term to the starter and battery. You can defeat this, but you have to remember to push another button every time you push the drive button. Would be a great SUV if I could get over the transmission. Buyers remorse, wish I had gone with the Highlander or bought the EX-L without all the options that I thought that I wanted. You dont really need all those options.

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  So far so good - 2017 Honda Pilot
  By Guy Slade - June 6 - 7:08 pm

  This Pilot is a joy to drive...quiet, comfortable, and will get up and go when asked. The active safety features such as lane assist and active cruise control take some getting use to and can be a little intrusive but works relatively well. I spent some time negotiating an out of the door all inclusive price via email so I did not have to deal with the usual sales process and it worked out well. No regrets so far.

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  Solid family car for when a minivan wont do - 2017 Honda Pilot
  By Chris Glazner - July 26 - 7:03 pm

  With my growing family and constant trips to a mountain cabin, we needed more space that we had in our old Forester, but couldnt give up solid AWD and high clearance to make it. The Pilot does this well--good power, clearance, and traction, with a ton of room. Its a larger vehicle, though, so if you put things on your roof, youll need to be tall or carry a step stool, since there are not good external steps. Im not a fan of the roof rails for attachments, as it means I cant reuse my older Thule setup. Finally, Im not crazy with the entertainment system--it can be easy to get lost in different contexts. For example, switching from listening to the radio to Spotify is a multistep process that can take some getting used to.

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  What I expected and a little more - 2017 Honda Pilot
  By Mike Mirage - March 2 - 8:06 am

  Good comfort and expected performance since I was a 2005 Pilot owner. New features such as back up camera and passenger side camera for lane change and blind spot are great. Too bad it didnt include drivers side as well. Side mirrors fold back on this model is something that I wish was electronically adjustable as I fold them back every day manually. Plenty of room and great console. Plenty of compartments on the doors and back areas. Love the hatchback open ability from the key ring. Easy to open and close without having to do it manually. Touch unlock on the doors and key less start a big plus. Getting used to the higher ride for distance estimating in front takes a little getting used to. You cant really see the front of the car to judge how close you are. Bluetooth match up fine for our two Android phones however the interface for playing music from our phones doesnt have the flexibility for selecting songs, albums or playlists that the phone does. Using google maps from the phone interface works fine.