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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  Former MDX owner loves the new Pilot!! - 2006 Honda Pilot
  By Ken - November 8 - 8:13 am

  I recently purchased an 06 Pilot after owning an 02 MDX for 3 1/2 years. After considerable shopping I found that the MDX/Pilot was the right vehicle for me. I loved my MDX and thought I would buy another one but when I drove and compared the Pilot I actually preferred it saving $7,000 in the process. There is no doubt that the MDX is sexier but I prefer the ride and handling of the Pilot. The leather seats are a little softer and more comfortable and the interior is more practical. Many MDX features are in the Pilot that the brochure doesnt mention like dual lighted vanity mirrors and speed sensitive intermittent wipers etc. Acura Marketing is slick but the Pilot is a far better value.

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  Best SUV for any Family - 2006 Honda Pilot
  By Shawn - November 7 - 12:13 pm

  I recently bought a 2006 4WD Pilot EX no leather, and had the Tow Package and roof cross bars added. I test drove the major competitors and found the Pilot to drive the best and provide the best value. Standard Side Curtain Airbags and Stability Control were a must for me. I am over six foot and there is plenty of room in the Pilot for me to be comfortable. I already have driven to the mountains and it drove perfectly even though it was full of people and furniture. The only complaint I have is that the wind & road noise seems excessive (for a Honda).

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  The Perfect SUV - 2003 Honda Pilot
  By BuffaloNY - November 5 - 2:00 am

  This truck is a dream come true. It rides more like a car (being a Honda Accord / Odyssey underneath w/unibody construction) than a truck. It seats five comfortably and an extra three in the way back 3rd row comfortably, but with tight legroom. Lots of great cargo space. Lots of elbow room. Great seating position, comfortable front seats. Ergonomics cant be beat. Lots of handy cubbys in which to stuff stuff.

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  awesome suv - 2003 Honda Pilot
  By dicks - November 5 - 2:00 am

  just returned from my first road trip- freeway and oregon coast, far superior to my 99 Grand Cherokee and almost as much fun as my audi quattro.

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  No regrets at all - 2006 Honda Pilot
  By Happy in St. Louis - November 5 - 1:06 am

  The Honda Pilot is everything people say about Hondas and then some. The craftsmanship is superb, and I cant find a glitch with this vehicle. Friends and family alike agree that the car handles the road like a sedan, but then you have all of the utility of an SUV. I knew from prior experience that I could not go wrong with a Honda, but I am even more impressed than I expected. The car speaks for itself, because two of my neighbors, one relative, and one co-worker have bought one since I bought mine.

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  Very Impressed! - 2009 Honda Pilot
  By ejernest - November 2 - 11:10 pm

  After 15 years of mini vans, we finally have a ride I love to drive. We traded in our 06 Odyssey Touring. We test drove pretty much everything in this class with AWD and third row seating. We could not find another SUV in this price range that rode as nice with as much room. We also drove the 08 Pilot and there really was no comparison. The interior design improvements over the 08 probably sold us more than anything else. The additional room is what sold my wife, plus the driving comfort. I never wanted to drive her mini vans but she has trouble keeping me out of “her” new Pilot. At 6’1”, I’m able to sit in the third row seat comfortably. After 500 miles, were very happy and impressed.

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  2016 Touring Review- The Ugly, the Bad & the Good. - 2016 Honda Pilot
  By Zman - November 1 - 1:33 am

  Hi, I had an older Mercury villager that still ran great but lacked the looks. Wife and kids wanted bling bling with Nav, DVD, AWD etc. We test drove the 2016 pilot. I drove an MDX a few times which is owned by a friend. That will be my benchmark. Well, The Honda Sensing package was the ONLY reason I was attracted to the 16 Pilot. The shape and other changes in 16 seemed frivolous to me. I wanted a SUV that works great & safe in Chicagos winters. I wanted to get the EX with sensing. Wife wanted leather (EXL), kids wanted the DVD, friends chimed in and we were looking at the Touring. A south side Chicago dealer quoted 2k below list on the phone. We drove 2 hours in traffic to get it. When we were ready to buy, he raised the price by $1799. When I asked he said there were some useless dealer added options (paint stripes and door molding..). I came home and complained to Honda USA Inc about the false advertisement. They said we hope you buy a Pilot from another dealer. That bothered me a bit that Honda Inc. didnt care about that dealer. The Touring MSRP is 43700. Chicago Tax of 10% and extended warranty put it closer to 50k. I still have a sticker remorse heartburn when I think of the price. This thing was hard to get. Lot of dealers added unnecessary options that bump the price higher and most were selling at the MSRP. A dealer nearby quoted 42k (1700 below list) and we decided to buy it. I came to know later that he made up some money on the overpriced ext warranty. Ahhh car dealers. I have been driving the touring now and these are my observations. THE UGLY: The things that I hate was that even Touring does not have blind spot monitoring and does not have parking sensors on the front bumper. Only on the rear bumpers. No blind spot monitoring on a 2016 SUV that people have to shell out close to 50K? You have to go to Elite for that. Come on Honda - Elite is your greedy option. They should have added the blind spot and the front bumper sensors on lower models. Even Subarus have blind spot detection. There is a camera on the passenger side mirror and not on the drivers side. In case it is counter intuitive to look at the right (console) while you want to go to the left lane, how come the MDX has cameras on both the sides? THE BAD: The steering wheel is light and I do not get a feeling that I am driving such a big SUV. Maybe I will get used to the steering. Navigation: I think google maps on the phone are much better, especially when you want to search. The remote start is disappointing. I have to park a bit away at my work and the range is not enough. There is no indicator on the remote to indicate if the car started or not. My old car has a 2 way remote start. Some times it remote starts and other times it wont. Honda saved $50 by making a 1 way remote start. Great Savings Honda;) Noise : We had a storm recently and it was windy. When I drove, the noise was very loud. Could have been better noise insulated. SNOW...ahh driving in snow. While moving the car from the parking spot, the rear parking sensors beeped. Maybe the bumper sensors think snow is an obstruction. The sensors beeped even when I wiped clean the sensors during snow. I was driving about 45 MPH on a highway during snow. There was no vehicle in front on me. Guess what? The auto brake mitigation was activated for a few seconds and the vehicle slowed down from 45 to about 30 MPH. I was able to push the gas and continue normally. It kinda bothered me that it incorrectly detected snow as an obstruction. What if it stops in the middle of the highway? Hope the ones behind you have good insurance. The sound is OK. They should have had a better sound system. FM radio isnt great. The leather seemed OK compared to the leather on the MDX. Mats - Cant they use weathertech like mats? Lane watch - It has its own mind when there is snow on the roads or if the roads are dirty (winter). I guess the lines are not clear enough for the camera. Warranty: For the price they should have at-least 4 year warranty like some other brands. There are too many electronics and you will be forced to purchase extended warranty. The good: Spacious, enough space in the 3rd row. AWD is good. Drives good. Looks good. Handles well. USB!!! Blue Ray DVD player. My wife thinks it is easy to drive even though it is big. The cameras help. Honda Sensing features are very useful. Bluetooth is good. Phone integration is good and fast. 2 drivers seat settings. auto lights. Fog lights. LEDs. Good family car. Mileage is decent. Regular gas. Heated seats. Lot of options on the steering wheel. Keyless start......and more Load it up and go places!

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  Best vehicle I ever owned - 2005 Honda Pilot
  By Charleen Fortier - October 31 - 12:16 pm

  I love my Pilot! It is just as good if not better than the Explorers I owned, so much so that I wont go back to Ford. The vehicle is reliable, even when you dont treat it right. It rides like a car, although gas mileage could be better. It got us thru a nasty winter with ease. We would have bought the CRV, but were big folk, and this car fits us nicely. Honda, youve won two more converts!

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  Great vehicle - 2003 Honda Pilot
  By pjro53 - October 30 - 2:00 am

  Honda has done a great job. I compared the Honda Pilot to the Acura MDX and the new Volvo SUV. The Honda handles nicely, lots of space, nice creature comforts, and everything works. Paid just under MSRP so prices are starting to drop slightly. Compared to the MDX the Pilot lacks the Acura Brand, the Sun Roof, the heated seats, and entertainment system. I put in the PS2. The result was a car that was $9000 less than the Acura w/o about $2500 worth of features. The Brand was not worth that to me. The shape of the MDX is smoother. The Volvo looks great but fully loaded is $4000 plus more than the MDX. Nav system is excellent. Overall a great value.

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  Steady On - 2007 Honda Pilot
  By Old Guy - October 22 - 12:03 pm

  Zero problems after 4.5 months. Very useful storage space. Acceptable boat towing capability except for frequent shifts at highway speeds. Transmission is very smooth, and acceleration is quite good considering the tiny engine. Disappointing highway gas mileage to date has only been approximately 20 mpg. Climate control and audio systems are excellent. People comfort in the first two rows is very good. Third row is folded down for additional storage, and will never be used. Handling is okay. Brakes are easy to modulate, but panic stops require more pressure than any of my other recent vehicles. A very satisfactory but not a spectacular vehicle.