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:

• 

  Good but needs some work - 2005 Honda Pilot
  By Mr. G - November 3 - 1:03 am

  I am surprised about my honda pilot. What is surprising me is the extremely carlike performance. The brakes are excellent as well as the acceleration. I quite simply enjoy my vehicle. The navigation system is very easy to use and helpful. There are only two complaints that I have about my pilot.They are about the gas mileage and the transmission. I simply feel that the gas mileage in the city is HORRIBLE, especially when u take into consideration that the engine, while plentiful in horsepower and torque isnt as big as some of its competition. My only other complaint is about the transmission. It seems as though my pilots transmission seems to quikly downshift under acceleration on the road.

• 

  Excellent SUV - 2007 Honda Pilot
  By SatisfiedOwner - November 2 - 11:20 pm

  The 2007 Pilot is very comfortable, has excellent performance and handling. It could use a little better heating and cooling controls for use between the front and rear areas. Also when the windows are all down the reverberation is so bad it just about takes your ears out. These two problems are minor and overall I would definitely buy another and would recommend it to anyone who wants a comfortable SUV with room for 8 and a good compromise between size and economy. I get about 18.5 to 19 back and forth to work and about 22mpg on the freeway with the cruise on 80mph. No larger than it is I would think that Honda could make the vehicle get 22 around town and about 25-26 on the highway.

• 

  Auto-Idle is a dud! - 2016 Honda Pilot
  By Jim - November 2 - 12:00 pm

  Purchased 2016 Honda Pilot Elite in September, 2015 and now has 6,700 miles on it. The auto-idle quits working and I have had it in for repair 4 times. The last two times I have been told that the system thinks my battery is low but when the battery is checked I am told it is excellent. They then have to reset it and it then works fine for a short while. Dealer said they cannot do anything about it until Honda does a software upgrade to fix the problem.

• 

  Dashboard - 2007 Honda Pilot
  By Dick - November 2 - 11:23 am

  Recently acquired the car. Overall I like the car. What I do not like is the layout of some of the info on the dash control panel. The temp. is located with the mileage indicator. Need to reach around the steering wheel to put on. The clock is on the radio which is located by my knee. The heater has the temp. showing all the time. It is located in the middle of the control panel. This the least used info.

• 

  Truly the #1 - 2003 Honda Pilot
  By Saibal Sen - November 2 - 2:00 am

  I bought this vehicle without even test driving it. The recommendations from Consumer Reports and Edmunds were enough for me. And I was not disappointed. I picked it from the dealer and drove 60 miles to my home on a stormy day. It was rock steady against 50 mph winds on the freeway. I had a tough time finding this vehicle and the color that I wanted at MSRP.

• 

  A happy Pilot owner - 2003 Honda Pilot
  By SJMNC - November 2 - 2:00 am

  We took the Pilot on a 1,100 mile trip through the Mohavi desert. The trip was a little long. But, the car performed beautifully and did not give us any disappointment. We got about 22-25 MPG on average - very respectable for such a large vehicle. The handling is great.

• 

  Pile in the Pilot! - 2006 Honda Pilot
  By Littsplace - October 31 - 10:06 pm

  We love our Pilot! We have an 11 year old son who plays every sport known to man and a 3 year old daughter who still requires a car seat and a weekly McDonalds trip. Our family can easily pile in our Pilot for a trip to the city or just to the baseball field in our home town. We can even take our two labs if we want! I traded my Honda Odyssey for it and I no longer feel like the un-hip mom in the van. Its fun to drive the Pilot! It looks hip/cool and my kids love it too!

• 

  2016 Pilot has exceeded our expectations - 2016 Honda Pilot
  By Pete Rubinas - October 31 - 11:04 am

  I took my time purchasing the new Pilot because of the questionable reviews early on, particularly around the transmission, entertainment system technology, and fit/finish. We have been very pleased with the vehicle overall. I took the car for a lengthy test drive to ensure that I was comfortable with the transmission. While it has a slight lag from a full stop while in Economy mode, I dont feel that is excessive, perhaps because Ive owned other fuel efficient vehicles that dont provide immediate acceleration. It does accelerate just fine once it does take off. And I have not experienced any of the gear-searching that early reviewers mentioned. The active safety technology is pretty incredible, particularly for longer highway trips. Auto high-beam headlights, auto wipers, blind spot information system, and adaptive cruise control/lane-keep assist system all make the driving experience almost effortless. Problems with fit and finish from early on appear to have been addressed, as our vehicle has no such issues. The only thing that does feel somewhat unrefined is the Auto Engine Off idle stop functionality, which can be turned off, albeit impermanently. If it is particularly hot or cold, you will likely want to turn off the Econ mode to maximize heating or cooling from the HVAC system. And I still prefer Google Maps on my phone to the Nav system. All in all, we are very happy with our purchase.

• 

  2005 Honda Pilot - 2005 Honda Pilot
  By Bill Bailey - October 30 - 2:33 pm

  The Pilot is a very solid feeling vehicle. It is roomy and the interior fit and finish is impecable. It is suprisingly agile and is fun to drive. It is extremely quiet around town, but there is some road noise at highway speeds. Hondas reliability has always been exceptional and the Pilot should be no different. I would recommend this SUV to anyone.

• 

  Ok but not up to what I expected - 2008 Honda Pilot
  By Steve - October 28 - 1:48 pm

  I sold a 4-runner when getting this, and despite it being a Honda, it has been far more problematic than it should be. Ill start with the pros though... Pros: Comfortable seats, roomy, third row, good view out, good power. Cons: Handling is boatlike around corners, road noise is more than I would have wanted, the interior has so many squeaks and rattles that Ive given up having it at the dealership to fix them, various delivery defect: tire belt problem, warped rear brake rotor, multiple key FOB problems. I am hoping that the long term reliability outweighs the various downsides.