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All Pilots feature Honda's patented VTM-4 electronically
controlled full-time all- wheel-drive
system, a 240-horsepower V6 engine, and a five-speed automatic
transmission. Two models are available: LX ($26,900); EX
($29,270).
LX offers a range of standard equipment including air conditioning,
cruise control, AM/FM stereo, in-dash CD player, driver
and front passenger front and side airbags, power windows,
mirrors and door locks. The EX raises the ante with standard
aluminum alloy wheels, synchronized front and rear automatic
climate control, a powerful seven-speaker stereo.
Option packages include EX with leather interior trim
($30,520); EX with leather interior trim and rear entertainment
system ($32,020); EX with leather interior trim and navigation
system ($32,520). Prices do not include a $460 destination
and handling charge.
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The Honda Pilot gracefully borrows
key styling cues from Honda's smaller
CR-V  sport-utility.
The grille and headlights are a careful enlargement of the
CR-V's fluid wraparound face, while the body-color moldings
give the Pilot a more refined and upscale look.
The wheel arches are just aggressive enough to offset
any impression this is a toy truck, but subtle enough to be
consistent with the Pilot's likely hangouts in upscale neighborhoods
and parking lots. Large Honda badges on the grille and liftgate
make it clear that Honda is proud of the Pilot, and expects
customers to feel the same way.
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The Honda Pilot packs an amazingly large amount of interior
room into its small overall package. The middle seats are
comfortable for adults, but the third-row seats are strictly
for young children or short trips. Both rows of rear seats
split 60/40 to fold. With both rows folded flat, the Pilot
offers 90.3 cubic feet of cargo
space. That compares to 80.1 cubic feet in the
GMC Envoy, 81.3 in the
Ford Explorer, and 81.4 for the
Toyota Highlander, all with the seats folded down.
The Pilot's front seat is spacious, with two comfortable
bucket seats and a versatile center console. The seats give
excellent access to all the controls. In a particularly
clever move, the largest dial in the center of the instrument
panel is the switch to shift the audio controls from front-
to rear-seat audio. Several observers with young children
immediately recognized that as the control they would use
most, and they appreciated its large size and central placement.
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The headliner-mounted DVD screen does not take up much
space when not in use, and is highly visible to small children
in the second- and third-row seats. The front-seat center
console includes a fold-out cell-phone holder with a power
outlet. Unfortunately, this was the only interior feature
that did not seem to be fully thought out. Whenever the
cell-phone holder was in use, it completely
blocked the two cupholders mounted in front of it in the
console. However, the console provides plenty of storage
space, with a compartment behind the cell-phone holder (where
my cell phone actually ended up most of the time), and a
covered compartment located on the Pilot's centerline provided
more storage in the space between the console and the instrument
panel.
The other instruments and controls will be familiar to anyone
who has ever driven a Honda. The company does not vary much
from the layout that decades have proven to be a model of
ergonomics.
Passive safety features include dual-stage/dual-threshold
front airbags, front side-impact airbags with occupant position
sensing on passenger side.
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