Overview & Reviews

Since its launch for the 2003 model year, the Honda Pilot has helped shape the market for crossover SUVs with three rows of seating. Offering V6 power, respectable fuel economy, a comfortable ride, plenty of interior space and seven-to-eight-passenger seating, the Pilot is exactly the kind of vehicle that appeals to growing families who are leery of traditional minivans. Other crossover SUVs might be sportier to drive or more stylish on the inside, but Honda's three-row crossover appeals to your practical side and packs in a lot of functionality.

Choosing a Pilot is straightforward, as Honda packages equipment in a few basic trim levels rather than offering countless options. Regardless of the year, all Honda Pilots give you three useful rows of seating and lots of storage slots, though early models are smaller and aren't quite as accommodating for teenagers in the third row. Cargo capacity has also increased over the years.

User Reviews:

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  Best value - 2003 Honda Pilot
  By jolsen - March 20 - 2:00 am

  Got mine just below sticker. Excellent handling, very spacious interior, averaging 19 mpg city and highway. If you have an old SUV, you will not believe the difference.

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  03 Honda Pilot-Navi - 2003 Honda Pilot
  By Biren - March 20 - 2:00 am

  Its the best SUV that Honda has come out with--

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  XM great, but discount even better - 2006 Honda Pilot
  By ck - March 18 - 8:26 pm

  Got a Pilot in Oct and quickly became wifes car. The leather seats are very comfy, but 2nd row curves too much on side. Mileage is 17 in city and 24 on highway (in western Los Angeles). XM is great but pricey. After expired I was offered 50% off. This is the cheapest, Japanese brand, 8-passenger car with leather seats.

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  What Hype?? We love ours!!! - 2016 Honda Pilot
  By RoadTrippin - March 15 - 6:21 am

  To begin my review, I dont know what Larry Pines means by hype. No one should be buying a car because of a "hype". Especially a new car...he sounds like he needs a car that drives like a sedan, sounds like a sedan, and feels like a sedan. But I think that might be too much of a hype for Larry and family.. Yeah, the plastic is super glossy. Did you not test drive this thing before you bought it? I put so many fingerprints on the test drive car, I almost felt bad. Whatever...even satin finish surfaces get fingerprints. 9-speed shift? its CVT...it "continuously" shifts. Theres a brochure about it. It might not be the smoothest shifting transmission, but its to save a little bit more on gas, right? anyways, I could go on for what "could" be better about the vehicle. But you know whats so great about it?? Its got room! Its like minivan, but in a SUV body. You dont want sliding doors and look like youre driving a get-away car? this would be it. But it IS a get-away car. I was impressed with the acceleration with econ mode off for how much it weighs. Its a SUV, not a sports car. The entertainment system/panoramic sunroof? Definitely a plus! My daughter loves watching Frozen and she doesnt cry. She likes pointing out birds, and says tweet-tweet. She ca barely say mama or dada on good days. Remote start? Awesome. Auto-idle? yeah its annoying in bumper-to-bumper. But you cant tell me its so hard to press a button thats right next to your finger when youre just cruising down the road...its probably easier, safer, and quicker than checking texts on your phone. Jumping battery? meh...if you can afford auto insurance for the Pilot, Im sure your plan has road-side assistance. Otherwise, carry a screwdriver in the car. boom. problem solved. Horn sounding a bit weak? screw it. high-beams and a finger always work just fine. How about that auto trunk?! I love it. The range of auto start is definitely a plus. It starts the heater or A/C depending on temperature. How cool is that? You want heated seats? How about cooled seats? Have you checked out Toyota highlanders range on their auto start? not cool... Navigation? My daughter loves that the car on the navi looks like a plane. It might be clunky, but that review is all over the internet. Probably shouldve checked it out if the reviews are saying its clunky. I installed running boards. Yes, please. Safety features? You can turn them off...the safety features are for people who are distracted anyways...Honda Pilot is not advertised as self-driving car for crying out loud. The lane thing is pretty cool. I love that I can take my hands off the wheel if I wanted to. But if the car cant see, it lets you know. I dont "fight" anything. A little nudge here puts the car right back where it was. The vehicle is quiet. Its a SUV. Its not meant to be aerodynamic...its not meant to be the best ride you can have in a vehicle. The seats are a bit stiff....that I didnt like. The lumbar option doesnt have as much adjustability as my Hyundai Santa Fe. That might be my only comfort complaint. Oh the steering wheel controls can be re-done..but how many times are you pressing those things while you drive anyways? You want more dashboard car information? get yourself a bluetooth OBD reader and download Torque. Problem solves and youve got whatever information you need/want from your car. Look, the Honda Pilot isnt for everyone. If youre good with the EX-L, then great. If youre good with the Elite, great. The point is, do your homework and make sure you know what youre getting instead of listening to any "hypes". Thats just a terrible way to purchase a vehicle. Im sure the Highlander has some advantages over the Pilot. But it doesnt have what I was looking for, so it didnt cut it. Oh, and try sitting in the 3rd row of the Highlander.

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  Great family vehicle!!! - 2006 Honda Pilot
  By dkdriver - March 11 - 10:36 am

  Its a luxury vehicle while being a family hauler. The navigation is awesome, and I love the drive experience. The seat adjustments are excellent, even if the interior is a little less dashing than would be desirable. Its a smooth riding comfort SUV for a large family such as ours, all for a very reasonable price given all the features. Also very safe.

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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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  Caution: Adaptive Cruise Control/Collision Avoid - 2017 Honda Pilot
  By Preston L Jackson - March 6 - 11:18 am

  According to the dealer 2017 was the first year Honda offered Adaptive Cruise Control an any of its vehicles. We bought the car in March 2017. On our first trip to Oregon from Utah, my wife and I, found the system to be dangerous. We set the system to begin braking at level 4 of 4 which is the longest distance detection setting. The system would allowed the car on the freeway and at freeway speeds to approach another vehicle in the same lane at high speed then when within an unsafe distance (less than setting 4 should allow) the vehicle would slam on the brakes, reduce speed from 75-80 mph to under 60 and then hesitate accelerating while the vehicle in front would pull away. The hesitation caused vehicles behind to brake or change lanes quickly to avoid collision. After the first encounter I tested the system several more times. The situation did not occur every time, but enough to let me know not to trust the system. In Adaptive Cruise our Pilot would also detect vehicles in the lane to the left of us and would not accelerate to highway speed. Adaptive Cruise on our Pilot would also read across lanes when in a left turn on the freeway and apply the brakes at freeway speeds to less than 60 mph causing vehicles following in the same lane to apply brakes. The system is way too sensitive! The condition seems to worsen when the vehicle is in ADC and Collision Avoidance. We stopped using the ADC and Collision Avoidance systems for the rest of the trip. The regular cruise control seems to work well, but in regular cruise if you brake before changing lanes the system turns off and you then change lanes (so far so good), but when you push resume the vehicle only accelerates at 10 mph which takes forever to get out of the way of approaching vehicles. Be prepared to accelerate and get out of the way using the gas pedal. We used the Collision Avoidance system for the first 1,500 miles then turned it off because the brake warning light would come on approximately every 50 miles for no reason at all. I took it to the dealer and they looked at it for a couple of days then called and said all systems checked out ok. I took it home then got a call from the dealer saying they would like to look further into my concerns. They kept it for about a week. The dealer called and said it appeared all was working as designed. I personally believed the car to be to dangerous to drive unless you dont use ADC or Collision Avoidance systems, which I paid for or you are prepared for the deficiencies. I wouldnt let my wife drive the car and I couldnt in all moral conscious sell it to someone else knowing it was dangerous so I turned it back to the dealership in August 2017 after 5 months with 4,560 miles on it. I had to take a $9,791 loss, but the company is now responsible for the vehicle.

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  Embarrassing FM stereo quality, customer service - 2016 Honda Pilot
  By Rochelle Webb - March 5 - 8:53 pm

  Similar reports have shown up in many varied places concerning the embarrassingly horrible sound quality of the FM radio on several 2016 Honda Pilot models. Despite this, what is more troubling is that Honda seems to be giving owners with this issue terrible customer service, ranging from denying there could possibly be an issue, to assigning case managers who eventually deliver a message that nothing can apparently be done about the issue. This type of services is unacceptable. Had we been aware of this issue and the lack of concern for it from Honda, we would most certainly have looked at other brands. Our 2008 Odyssey had a better radio! Regardless of speed or setting, including the SVC setting, the volume fluctuates up and down randomly every 5 to 60 seconds on any FM station. The sound is great while using a bluetooth connected device or SiriusXM. It is only the FM radio sound quality and volume that is terrible, regardless of station, radio setting, or speed of the vehicle.

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  Serious problems with Sound System and Navigation - 2016 Honda Pilot
  By JI - March 5 - 8:29 pm

  Purchased July 2015 - Problems started in September 2015 with navigation and sound system. Navigation screen would go blank - and display a Clarion Extraframework has stopped error. Dealer performed update to navigation system - error has not appeared since but sound system sounds terrible - sounds like an AM radio from the 1950s. Dealer tells us Honda is aware and working on problem - but still no fix and it is now July 2016. Sound system has this problem on XM, FM and memory stick.

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  Happy Pilot Owner - 2006 Honda Pilot
  By Happy Pilot Owner - March 3 - 9:48 pm

  We purchased the EX-L with Navigation. Navi is great and easy to use. Very helpful when traveling in an unfamiliar city. The ride is smooth and engine is very quiet. Back-up camera is great also (lots of little kids on our street running around). Have had some problems with the audio not having sound at times. Still working on this, but Honda did extend our warranty.