2007 Honda Pilot Review

Specifications

Time waits for no SUV. While five years is a long time in the automotiveindustry, it’s an eternity in SUV years. The last half decade has seen midsize and large SUV sales decline in double digits while a plethora of crossovers have come to market, all thanks to rising fuel costs. Still in its first generation except for an extra-mild update this year, the 2007 Honda Pilot debuted for the 2003 model year as the company’s first foray into the midsize SUV market. The Pilot was spawned off of the same platform as the first-generation Acura MDX, which, in turn was based off of the Honda Odyssey minivan, itself derived (albeit heavily reworked) from the Accord. This means that the Pilot features a fully independent suspension, unit body construction, four-wheel disc brakes, and is relatively car-like, at least when compared to truck-based SUVs like the Ford Explorer and Nissan Pathfinder.

Like most Hondas the Pilot does a lot of things reasonably well. It canseat not seven, but eight passengers, features an excellent AWD system, is well equipped at all price points, and is powered by a fuel-efficient 6-cylinder. While none of these qualities stand out individually, everything works together in harmony. The 6-cylinder is Honda’s corporate 3.5-liter VTEC V6 that makes 244 horsepower and 240 lb-ft of torque. It’s mated to a five-speed automatic transmission that’s operated through a column shifter. Although not as raw or raucous as a Civic Si, you can actually hear the VTEC’s cams changeover at about 4,400 rpm. It will also save you a few dollars at the pump as it only requires 87 octane gasoline, rather than the usual 91 octane that SUVs tend to crave. Fuel consumption is better than average for an SUV, but its large tank will still empty rather quickly. I felt its cruising range was a bit short, given the size of the tank.

In general, the Pilot is a hefty-feelingvehicle. The only time I didn’t feel its weight was on the highway where it rides smoothly and quietly, but on pothole-ridden back roads it felt quite clumsy. During a snow squall it didn’t feel nearly that stable due to a pretty high center of gravity, even though it comes standard with stability control. Around town the Pilot is a pretty large vehicle to run errands in, and my wife commented on how she sees mostly women driving them, but she didn’t care for its bulk and felt that her sister’s CR-V is a more manageable size; unless a need to haul larger loads of people and cargo are necessary. Another complaint she had was, for her height she had to climb into the back seat of the SUV to buckle our son into his booster, and she was unable to do this with her feet on the ground.

Like most midsize SUVs, the Pilot is not a hardcore off-road machine, but rather is more suited to rough roads on the way to a cottage or, more likely the case, some under-construction subdivision. It’s more likely that Pilot owners will tow smaller trailers, and for that they’ll be pleasantly surprised with a towing capacity of 4,500 lbs, which is reasonable for a car-based SUV.
Inside, the first thing that struck me is how dated the Pilot’s interior hasbecome. While it’s well put together, overall it reminds me of a late ’90s Accord. Again, things don’t feel cheap and the build quality is excellent, but the layout is in need of a serious refresh. The fact that I’m criticizing a Honda of all vehicles, when it comes to interiors, shows just how far vehicles in this segment, and others have come in five years! It took me a long time to get comfortable, even with the eight-way power driver’s seat, as I felt that I was sitting on the seats rather than in them, not to mention that lateral support is pretty much non-existent. My test Pilot, the top of the line 4WD EX-L Navi, featured a touchscreen navigation system that worked extremely well. It shares its interface with other Honda and Acura products, and like those it was intuitive and easy to use. One of the oddest things is how you can’t option for the navigation and the rear seat entertainment system together. You must choose one or the other; you simply can’t order both.

Fortunately safety features are up to date, some of which include standard antilock disc brakes with brake assist, electronic stability control, front airbags, side airbags for the front seats and side curtain airbags for all three rows of seats. Speaking of those three rows, there is plenty of room in the second row but the third row is tight and best for children. Although neither my wife nor I attempted to fit our son and his booster back there, it’s probably best for children who can clamber back there and buckle themselves in. The third row seat has three adjustable headrests and shoulder belts. Folding the second and third row seats reveals an impressive, mini-van-like cargo hold. With both the second and third rows up, there’s plenty of room for cargo. Still, showing its age, the seats don’t feature headrests that tumble forward out of the way when laying them flat, but rather you’re forced to remove all three rear headrests, leaving them to clunk around in back.

The Honda Pilot starts at $27,095 for the 2007 front-wheel drive model, but, for the top 4WD EX-L Navi (my tester), it extends to $35,445. That sounds like a lot, but its reasonable considering the level of equipment, as well as Honda’s reputation for quality and reliability. Having said that, in the several years it’s been on the market Honda’s competitors have either redesigned existing models or introduced new ones that warrant a serious look. The Pilot is a bit long in the tooth and it deserves the same redesign that the Acura MDX recently received. Let’s hope we don’t have to wait too much longer to see the results of five years of experience.