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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  LOVING MY NEW HONDA - 2004 Honda Pilot
  By Luvin my Pilot - July 21 - 10:00 am

  Ive only owned my Pilot for 1 week, but I love it so far!! Its only four of us, but the third seat is great for having friends over!

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  Great Honda - 2004 Honda Pilot
  By mgabo - July 21 - 10:00 am

  So far so good. I bougth the Pilot on May 2004. The overall quality of the car is excellent. The leather seats and the DVD audio system and the third seat row make an excellent, confortable and greate looking car. I am looking foward to driving this SUV for the next couple of years.

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  Dont buy the hype! - 2016 Honda Pilot
  By Larry Pines - July 20 - 10:20 pm

  Short version of my review: Honk the horn, if you have no problem with the horn (as it is small sixed for a moped) then look at what is involved in jump-starting this vehicle. If the procedure for jumpstarting the car is not an issue… then buy your pilot, as you most likely won’t notice the issues I noted below. If you take exception with the horn or the need to disassemble the car to jump start it……well the rest of the car like that. It’s way over Hyped or …… over promised and under delivered. It’s like a bowl of good sour cream. Nothing more - nothing less. Long version of my review: I have wanted to write this review for some time now, and today I just need to sit down and write the review. I am one who got sucked into the Hype of this vehicle, and I wish I didn’t. My 2016 Honda Elite (“The PIG” don’t ask me why, but the name just fits) has just under4,500 miles on it, and it is for sale. The Good --Honda has spent a ton of effort getting the this car perform in the new overlap IIHS crash test https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMtOcKK6I4o. The result of this test is a true work of art. Especially when compared to others vehicles in the class. Size –this is a big car there is plenty of room in it. The Sunroof is huge. The size of the rear doors are larger than other SUVs, it makes getting into the third row easy, and the auto tumble of the second row captain seats are very helpful for getting in the third row. USB charging stations – are all over the vehicle. Maybe even in the third row! Great job Mileage – Believe it or not, at one point I was getting 28 MPG on the freeway in this car. That may be due to a recall that fixed a small problem where the car would “add” miles to the odometer I currently get 23 MPG on a tank of gas….Winter gas? Software update….i don’t know but it’s not what it used to be. The Bad The car drives around corners/ Auto braking systems – Well it just follows the lines on the road, when it gets confused, or mistakes the sealant on the road for the painted road….well you get to fight the car. And pray that the auto braking doesn’t kick in. (Just imagine if you and your spouse both had access to steering and the pedals.) For me, when I first experienced it I was traveling about 70 MPH on the interstate and in an instant I was doing 45 then the system “recalculated” and I was able to drive again. As a result, we were almost rear-ended. The Ugly The 9-Speed transmission – Holy Hannah, will this thing take a chill pill!? For example, at low speeds it’s like an amusement park ride. 5th gear at 20MPH, no now its 4th gear no upshift to 6th. It’s crazy! At low speeds the transmission is like a Jack Russel Terrier. Auto Start feature –This feature simply shuts off the car’s engine when you come to a stop. When this activates you will need about a second or a second and a half to feel like the car is ready to go again. This is unreasonable at busy intersections. You can turn this “feature” off but you have to do it every time you start the car. I have tried to get the dealer to disable this “feature” but they say they can’t. Trust me it’s a pain in the rear. The Premium Stereo – This is a HUGE disappointment. This stereo is just strange. I have the bass and treble settings maxed, and on the best of times it sounds ok. But, most of the time it leaves me wondering where is the other half of the song. For example, you can be listening to XM radio and one song sounds “ok”, then the next song sounds like the stereo doesn’t know how to decode signal. The vocals are very weak and fade in and out. Subwoofer is nonexistent. The Touch Screen –Disappointment. The Very glossy glass (or plastic) shows fingerprints very easily very the system is very complex to use. No way to set a priority on phones To change what phone is connected from the main screen is no less than 5 button pushes and takes 40 seconds to accomplish. Voice Command – Useless. Instrument gauges –The lack of information/customization of the gauges can’t be ignored. Talk about just under delivering. The placement of buttons in the car – are Just wrong, you have to hunt and search for buttons in this car. It’s just wrong. Resale value – I have been trying to sale this auto for a while now, while I am ok taking a $3K hit on it, I am not willing to take a $7K hit on the PIG. I was hoping to have sold this car before reviewing it however; I just can’t sit back and keep reading reviews from folks who say it’s a perfect vehicle. I often question the legitimacy of some of the reviews, like they were written by those with an interest in selling these cars. Regarding Happy Wife = Happy Life. The wife had to use the Pilot for her primary vehicle for several days. She is MORE THAN OK with taking the loss on this car and getting another vehicle. We give Honda, till March 1 to push out a major software update to this car; else we trade the PIG for something else.

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  More than expected - 2009 Honda Pilot
  By rick dachille - July 20 - 2:16 pm

  It was worth the wait. There is no vehicle that can match this, or even comes close

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  Boring and predictable - 2016 Honda Pilot
  By David Lastname - July 20 - 3:03 am

  Dont expect any bells and whistles with this. Its a well built but totally bland SUV. Everything feels exceptionally well built and sturdy but some of the design is poor. The head unit it tilted too far up and gets smudged easily, the dead pedal under the parking brake is very small, and the cabin height is quite high for a vehicle with such little ground clearance. Road feel is good but not exceptional, car feels very large because it is. If you want something more fun to drive, get an Outback, if you want an SUV that both mom and dad will like, get the Pilot.

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  2006 honda Pilot 4wd leather interior - 2006 Honda Pilot
  By Rai - July 19 - 9:36 am

  This was a replacement car for 1998 Honda Odyssey. We bought this car because of the reliabilty of a Honda. The Pilot we purchased had great off the road features and does well on snow roads as well as rain. My family of 6 enjoy very much riding in this vehicle as this vehicle sits 7 adults comfortably. We had looked at toyota Highlander seating and the drive was not as good the highlander offer limited space the drive was bumppy. The honda offer more space with a comfortable ride. For a six cylander this does get great gas milage. The safety features are great on this car. I think it is best buy for ones money. I know from experience in owning a honda previosly customer service is great.

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  Great family SUV thats worth every dollar - 2016 Honda Pilot
  By Hank - July 19 - 6:59 am

  Like many reviewer, I have also researched heavily on-line and test drove many SUVS such as MDX, Infinity, Highlander, BMW X5, Mercedes GLE, Volvo, and after considering the value, performance, 3rd row seating, appearance, convenience, cost of own, and more I decided on the 2016 Pilot Elite. PRO: - Great new look. I hated they way previous pilot looked. - Roomy 3rd row seating. New Pilot actually can accommodate adults on the 3rd row and enough to carry some cargo. - New 8" touch screen with Gamin Navi works well. - Blue Interior lights and ventilation seats - Built-in remote engine start (I use it all the time) - Updated Technology with functional display in the instrument panel - Comfort (remember, this SUV is built for suburban family life style) CONS: - No power folding mirror. Why ? My 2007 sienna has it which cost $10K less than this SUV - Transmission. As other reviewers mentioned, it does shift up sometime on a downhill where the transmission thinks the car is accelerating even if I have my foot on the break slightly. However, it does not happen all the time but happens only at particular speed like 30mph. I live in NJ and there are plenty of hills and it does not happen enough to bother me. - Audio power button. The touch screen is located at the top of the dashboard and audio button is also located in the touch screen. When the car is moving, it is difficult to press the audio button with accuracy since my arm must be in the air. This causes me to either hitting the audio power button twice or miss it entirely. - Touch screen is finger print magnet. - Theres no exterior light illuminates when unlock the door as you approaching the car middle of the night. Door handle or lights under the side view mirror would have looked good and helpful !

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  Honda Got It Right - 2005 Honda Pilot
  By Jax101 - July 19 - 5:56 am

  This vehicle puts the "sport" in SUV perfectly. Very fun to drive. Plenty of room, numerous safety features, a great design, and very practical. Add that with Hondas build quality, and the fact that Hondas hold their value so well, and you really cant go wrong. Cheaper than a 4-Runner, and better than the rest.

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  Givers Remorse. - 2016 Honda Pilot
  By Don Thompson - July 17 - 9:51 am

  We gave away our 2004 EXL Pilot with 210,000 miles on it. We had remorse. We missed our Pilot. I particularly liked the new styling of the 2016 Pilot. Looks similar to the more expensive Infinity SUV. My wife and I like everything about the vehicle. From the camera on the right hand mirror,the back up camera with 3 options, the cargo space which easily handles 4 sets of golf clubs, instrument panel, moon roof, lower insurance cost than our trade-in 2012 Toyota Highlander SE,dual blue tooth--handles two phones, and more features. Only 400 miles on the vehicle at this time. Cant comment on maintenance costs and reliability, however if it performs like our 2004 Pilot I will be very satisfied.

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  Best of Class!!! - 2005 Honda Pilot
  By Craig - July 16 - 9:33 pm

  No buyers remorse with this purchase! Amazing acceleration for such a heavy weight vehicle. Many complaints about mileage but what can you expect for 255HP with 4400lb. Great alternative to the true large scale SUVs for passenger and cargo capacity. I dont consider this an SUV as ride, suspension, wheels, etc are geared toward a car chassis. I kept my 4Runner, body on frame construction, for off-road ventures.