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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  Like it, but Disapointed - 2005 Honda Pilot
  By Robetp - March 11 - 12:06 pm

  We love the interior room and body style of our Pilot. We arnt happy with the placement and style of the controls, namely the gear shift leaver / wiper lever, igniton key placement- have to look for it, tilt wheel lever- clumsy- make it spring loaded,guage cluster visibilty- with wheel in driving position cant see spedo numbers. Creature features - no auto door lock, NO compass?? front seat bottoms are a little short for taller folks. DONT like the trans, notable downshift, sometimes stays in alower gear than should- causing higher RPM. OUR REAL disapointment is FUEL MILEAGE - 13-14 city 17-18 Hwy. even driving easy its terriable. We sold our Expedition because it got 12 & 16, consistently

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  Initial Quality Slip - 2003 Honda Pilot
  By David R. Chang - March 8 - 2:00 am

  Ive bought many Honda products in the past 27 years because of the excellent quality. However, this Pilot EX-L came with 2 defects, the unbalanced Goodyear Integrity Tires caused steering wheel vibrated and the 5-10 second ignition strat in the cold winter (Vancouver, BC, Canada; inside my garage with temp around zero degree C). The vibration problem is improved after dealer trip, now still some inconsistent vibrations during 120 km and up. The dealer promise to replace the iginition problem after Honda come with new improved designs in 2004. Overall, Honda Pilot is a good SUV fitting our family life with reasonable price. I like it very much!

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  Still new, but so far so good - 2004 Honda Pilot
  By Kenm - March 8 - 2:00 am

  Ive owned the Pilot just 2 weeks. so well see, but so far so good. Dealer, Coral Springs Honda in Fl was very good to work with. If Im allowed I will post further in a few months. The Pilot seems to have great build quality, good fit and finish. I like the interior layout very well, its sensible with lots of storage.Very quiet running, except on freeway. I havent punched it all, as manual advises not to in first 600 miles. 17.5 mpg on first two tankfulls, 50/50 mixture of city/highway w/o a/c running.

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  my car - 2004 Honda Pilot
  By bens mom - March 8 - 2:00 am

  I love this car

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  My opinion! - 2005 Honda Pilot
  By LARRY - March 7 - 8:36 pm

  Needs a more distinct look from the CR-V.

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  2009 Honda Pilot: A Great SUV - 2009 Honda Pilot
  By Trish - March 7 - 5:36 pm

  I love everything about my new Honda Pilot. It is fun to drive and is a great car for families. It is very spacious inside, including the third row.

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  Smooth - 2003 Honda Pilot
  By pohboy - March 7 - 10:00 am

  was looking for a Toyota Highlander but saw the pilot and was much happier with it on the test drive. More room and has the features you really need, and not all the extras dealers put on the Highlander. Beware of dealers telling you that Honda is charging them an extra $4 - $5K to sell them, buncha bull, got mine for $1000 less than MSRP after hours of haggling.

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  Very Good Midsized Option - 2003 Honda Pilot
  By Mark Moulton - March 7 - 10:00 am

  It was a hard choice between the Pilot and the Pathfinder. The Pathfinders ride was more supple, the interior was of a higher grade material, it had more traditional SUV rugged yet svelt styling and the standard equipment list was much better. Pathfinder also has a better choice of exterior and interior colors and allows buyers to negatiate price, I was ready to buy 1 at 1K below invoice with rebate! In the end though, i chose the the Pilot for its much better gas milage, more room, and far superior expected resale value. I also had some concerns about a pending complete redesign of the Pathfider.

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  This is not an - 2003 Honda Pilot
  By ewc - March 7 - 10:00 am

  I have owned an Acura MDX for 5 months which I absolutely love. As a result, I ordered a Pilot. I was surprised at the $31K price, which is within $4K of my MDX, despite the fact that the Pilot has no sunroof and 1 year/14,000 miles less warranty, etc. The exterior looks like an oversized CRV. The quality of the interior was not even in the same universe as the MDX (too many things to list, just compare for yourself). It did drive comparably to the MDX. In my opinion, the Pilot is a total rip-off compared the MDX. Before you buy a Pilot, check out the MDX. We ended up with a new Sequoia for only $750 more.

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  Rides like my E300 - 2003 Honda Pilot
  By acirfa1 - March 7 - 10:00 am

  Solid feel, and quiet - low road noise.This beats out the ML320, Discovery II, X5, Explorer and Pathfinder...and I tried ALL of them! I feel like I was in my MB E300 again. Unfortunately the dealer didnt give me a break on the price - for obvious reasons.