2009 Honda Pilot

Review

It's always reassuring when an automaker like Honda launches a product that's

striving to be the best, by offering class-leading space, more power than its rivals and the features that help it not only stand apart from competitors but make the ownership experience that much better. But what really makes a new vehicle successful is when its engineers and designers keep their ears to the ground. Listening to current owners and customers interested in similar vehicles will nearly guarantee a successful showing at year's end, once the figures have been tallied. And while Honda is a brand that's particularly good at gathering public consensus, they've tried extra hard with the new '09 Pilot.

The thing is, you might not necessarily see this the first time you look at this particular ‘ute. It defies what every other entrant is doing at the moment, downsizing, making things smaller, rounder and more streamlined. The new Pilot is bigger - substantially bigger in all dimensions, and has classic sport utility vehicle styling. From the boxy profile, chamfered in-set windows, and especially the solid-looking but ornate grille, the Pilot comes across as looking very macho. And yet, this isn't Honda pulling another Civic out of its collective hat, deliberately going out in left field, flying in the face of current trends, but rather the Japanese automaker is

merely giving Pilot owners what they want.

What exactly do Pilot owners want? It isn't as if they are some strange breed of people. No, they're regular folks that have families who appreciate the functionality and roominess that this SUV offers, not to mention the quality, the fuel economy and the fact that it's able to seat eight people. What they want is more interior room, the ability to fit eight full-size people inside a Pilot for when the children and tweens grow up into lanky teenagers and young adults. And while there's much to appreciate about the Pilot's road manners, reliability and quality, the outgoing version looked a little too much like a domesticated transportation device (i.e. glorified minivan) than a vehicle to take to the wilderness.

Essentially, Pilot owners wanted a vehicle that represented their active lifestyles more accurately, something a little more along the lines of the Ridgeline than the Odyssey, of which the Pilot is based on. Put it this way - unlike a CX-9 or a Highlander that looks best freshly cleaned, the Pilot doesn't look out of place covered in mud, dirt and bugs after a long weekend of camping.

No matter what it is you're packing, more stuff will fit in the Pilot than before, and, in the case of people, although you won't seat anymore, at least they'll now be comfortable when seated in all three rows. As part of its growth spurt, the Pilot has been stretched by about 2.9 inches overall, all of which went between its wheels. Nearly 1.9 inches of that turned up in between the second and third row and 1.1 inches between the first and second row, which makes a third row that's actually friendly for bigger folks. At 5'10” I had no problem fitting in the third row of the new Pilot in relative comfort, and though I didn't spend any considerable time back there, it can no longer be considered a penalty box. Access to the very back is done via the same tilt and slide mechanism as the first-gen model, but with increased bench travel, wider opening doors and a door frame that's considerably taller and wider than before, the process seems vastly easier. An overall increase in width of an inch aids in reducing the likelihood of rubbing shoulders, knees and hips when sitting three abreast.

With the exception of a Suburban or an extended-length Expedition, you

aren't going to be carrying a whole lot of luggage with three row's worth of passengers on board, but that hasn't stopped Honda from trying. Magically, its engineers have been able to squeeze a class-leading 20.8 cu-ft of cargo space in back even with all three rows upright. That's almost three times what Hyundai's Veracruz offers. Fold down the second row and that increases exponentially to 47.7 cu-ft, 5.3 cu-ft more than a Highlander, and if you've been sent out to Home Depot to pick up some building materials for renovations, you won't need to worry about renting a pickup or a cargo van. It has 87.0 cu-ft of space in back when both rear rows are lowered, which isn't quite as much as a GMC Acadia (it offers over 116.5 cu-ft, but the floor space is sufficiently wide enough to carrying 4x8 sheets of plywood, flat. Honda also added four pop-out grocery hooks to the back of the third row and separately opening tailgate glass to allow small items to be dropped in conveniently.

Ultimately, if you transport eight passengers frequently, an Odyssey will be a better bet, and if you transport eight with luggage frequently, it's the van you should be thinking about. Still, these improvements make a huge difference in the day-to-day usability of the Pilot, which owners, current and future, are certain to appreciate.

Building off the success of the most recent Acura MDX, the new Pilot doesn't just look bigger, it really feels bigger, which is most obvious when sitting up front. Despite being just one inch taller than before, the Pilot feels much higher, partly due to the raised height of the driver's seat mounting, the higher belt line and the increased ride height. The extra width makes the Pilot feel physically spacious; the console armrest is wide enough to rival those found in half-ton pickups, and it's a far stretch across the center console.

Honda interiors are functional and well-built, but up until recently they haven't been particularly interesting. You can't say that about the Pilot's new cabin, which might just be its most curious aspect. The interior draws heavily from New York's Pilot Prototype, and while the materials and colors aren't the same, Honda hasn't shied away from applying different textures, materials and a cabin-brightening two-toned scheme. The light blue frosted plastic that backs the controls for the stereo system looks as if it were

inspired by a ‘90s compact shelf stereo, the sort of thing once sold by Panasonic, while the readout for the mileage and fuel economy appears similar to digital displays of that era. The white-faced gauges with black numeral outlines are unusual too; they're perfectly legible, but it turns out that the numbers are merely printed on a a clear surface with the day-glo orange revolving underneath. Under direct sunlight, mind you, the numbers cast a shadow that makes the actual figures hard to read.

A column shifter was an unusual feature for the previous Pilot, a token to an earlier SUV era. The new Pilot moves away from this old-fashioned location, but the lever itself is never far away from the driver's hand. Like the Odyssey and Element, it sprouts out of the console, keeping the floor space free for storing things. Behind the roll-top counter is an absolutely cavernous storage bin so wide and deep that it ought to come with its own cargo tethers. Deep cup holders easily and securely swallow Big Gulp-sized beverages and extra-tall tumblers, while a convenient cut-out on the low side of the dash is the right size for slotting in a cell phone. Under the armrest is

yet another storage bin, with a 12-volt plug, aux-in jack, and, if so equipped, a USB input and a 115 volt power outlet.

Being behind the wheel of the Pilot isn't a particularly exciting experience, not so much because it's a boring vehicle, but because it's not specifically designed to tantalize the driver inside like other Honda products, or more accurately, some of its performance-biased rivals. It is, however, a very quiet and relaxing drive, albeit slightly truckish. Sharing its frame with the MDX bags the Pilot a more rigid structure that offers up better strength front and side, as well as improved compatibility with other cars. It's stable too, with wider tracks, and the suspension has been tuned to be comfortable over the long haul without feeling spongy or wallowy.

There are many reasons why the new Pilot is a very quiet vehicle, incidentally. It's partly because it packs more sound insulation than before, and partly because it's suspension subframes are stronger to better absorb the shock of dips and bumps. The new Pilot also happens to have active noise cancellation, which masks the noise made by its engine when it's not running on all six cylinders.

All models of the Pilot are powered by the same engine, a 3.5-liter SOHC V6, just like the previous model, but the engine has been enhanced with VCM cylinder deactivation. Although VCM was available on the previous Pilot, it could only be had on the base 2WD model, and it shut off half of its cylinders, much like the original Honda Accord Hybrid. The new 3.5-liter ups the ante by being able to run on three or four cylinders as well as all six, and VCM is now standard across the board whether the Pilot is equipped with two or four wheel drive. Mounted on active engine mounts, and with timing that changes between the different cylinder modes, the Pilot seamlessly shifts between running three, four and six cylinders, the only indication being the green “Eco” light that illuminates on the dash. The relevance of a two-stage cylinder deactivation

system is that it allows the VCM system to remain engaged and therefore saving fuel while traveling at highway speeds or on various uphill grades under slightly heavier loads. It certainly helps - in the city, the new Pilot makes a one mile per gallon improvement versus last year's 4WD model, and two miles per gallon better on the highway. The FWD model posts 17 city, 23 highway versus last year's 16 and 22 mpg. As before, it features a five-speed automatic. As an added bonus, the 3.5 also makes a bit of extra power; 250 horsepower and 253 lb-ft of torque compared to 244 hp and 240 lb-ft.

Towing capacity has remained the same for the Pilot at 4,500 lbs for the 4WD version (3,500 lbs for FWD), which ties it with the bigger Lambda quadruplets, though if your load is greater than 3,500 lbs, Honda suggests the use of premium fuel (regular will otherwise do).

Equipped with Honda's VTM-4 four wheel drive system, which is able to transfer up to 70-percent of power automatically to the rear wheels,

the Pilot will go further off road than most crossovers, but it isn't what you'd call a true off-roader. Its higher ground clearance of eight inches and knobby Goodyear Fortera HL tires will have no trouble getting you to the dirt track for motocrossing, but don't contemplate taking it over any logs or large rocks; it lacks skid plates to protect its underside components and a low-range transfer case. Still, the Pilot has more ability than most users will ever need, and the fact that it doesn't detest setting a tire off pavement means that its sturdy styling doesn't promise anything it can't live up to. One new feature for '09 is Hill Start Assist, which prevents the vehicle from rolling back when starting on steep inclines.

Honda also listened to what its buyers had to say about pricing, and, despite the fact that the new Pilot is a bigger and better than the vehicle it replaces, its price has stayed the same. Dollar for dollar, the price of the base model has stayed constant with the old SUV, which makes the much better new vehicle a much better value. Honda asks $31,995 for this middle of the road EX 4WD, which includes standard XM radio

, body-colored accent trim, fog lamps, and a couple of other little luxuries.

All Pilots now come with a tilt and telescoping steering column and an aux-in jack, while the EX-L features a reverse camera integrated into the rear view mirror, and a rear conversation mirror to keep an eye on those in the second and third rows, while the top of the line Touring has a powered tailgate, a sunshade, Bluetooth handsfree connectivity and navigation. Fully dressed, the Pilot Touring retails for a just under $40,000.

As far as the Pilot goes, it's business as usual for Honda. Carefully guided by requests of its current owners, the improvements for this second generation ‘ute are thorough and complete.

While choices for eight-seater vehicles are few and far between, with more room, features and content, plus better fuel economy, it shouldn't take too much convincing for people to see things Honda's way.