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I think the Consumer Reports assessment below is fair:
Quote:
The Pilot has impressive functionality and seating for eight, but it is showing its age. Acceleration from the smooth and refined six-cylinder engine and five-speed automatic is not that quick. In our tests we got 18 mpg overall. The ride is supple and controlled, but road noise is elevated. Handling is sound, but it doesn't shine at its limits, and braking is not terrific. The interior is not particularly well finished and some controls use small, similar-looking buttons. The second- and third-row seats fold into the floor to expand cargo room. A rear-view camera is standard. We can no longer recommend the Pilot because it scored a Poor in the IIHS small-overlap crash test. A redesign arrives this summer with more safety features and new six- and nine-speed automatic transmissions.
We have a 2006 Pilot and it has served us very well since we bought it almost ten years ago. But Honda let the Pilot slip vs. the best in class. The 3rd seat in the Pilot is very usable for children through early teens and it is split, so part of it can be lowered if necessary.
The upcoming 2016 model is likely to be much improved.
As mentioned above the VCM is a major pain and Honda does not want to fix it or get rid of it. I test drove one and I could not believe that for an extra mile per gallon (or not), at around 35 mph the car vibrates back and forth. It gets annoying in city driving. We had a CRV and we wanted to get rid of the noisy ride (like the OP) and the Pilot was not better. It has active sound cancelling which means the radio makes extra noise to reduce the car noise. I don't know why Honda is so cheap and can't put some insulation around the car's body.
The Highlander is a much better ride, but I have heard the new generation has issues with torque converter shudder. We bought a used Mazda CX-9, it has better handling and ride, but not sure if it will last 200K miles; will keep you posted
the third row would be used rarely when we need to transport kids + other adults. the full size cars are a bit too full size for my driveway and garage as well as ease of driving.
I did think about the pathfinder but I have reservations about its cvt. I prefer to stay away from mazada and domestics due to resale.
I lookeda t the new 2016 kia sorento whose third row was a total joke. I am only 5 10 but my knees were essentially against my chest sitting in it.
I assume this is as bad as it gets.
Pilot length: 191in
Pilot width:78.5in
Seqouia Length: 205in
Sequoia width: 77.0 in
They're pretty similar in dimension, there should be no difference driving them. Sequoia just uses space a lot better.
my buddy was in the market looking at highlander vs pilot. Toyota wanted sticker price and he couldn't find one with option and color to his liking so he bought a pilot.
I had a chance to drive it and found the brakes a little mushy though the ride was fairly smooth. I don't care for the size or the gas mileage. Driving experience was similiar to a 2013 highlander that I drove.
we had leased an '11 Pilot awd that we liked, and the wife just picked up a '2015 (heavily discounted). Rides nice, the braking is tightening up as we get some miles on it (often a new vehicle with only a few miles on it can have softer brakes), and we expect to see the same mpg's we did on our last one (low 20's was legit, even in the mountains on trips).
Note we dont have it now but used to have a Ranger bass boat (a decent amount of weight with the fiberglass construction and 150hp motor), and the other Pilot pulled that just fine for our needs.
They're pretty similar in dimension, there should be no difference driving them. Sequoia just uses space a lot better.
Do you think 205 inches is similar to 191? The difference is more than 1 foot.
There is a huge difference driving them. The Pilot is a FWD based CUV - while the Sequoia is a truck-based full size. The Sequoia weighs 1000 lbs more. They are vastly different.
Hi all. I test drove a new 2015 pilot recently and although I liked the size and features, I did not like how it drove. I was hoping for a smooth v6-ish ride but it drove almost as poorly and sluggishly as the 2008 crv I have.
Does anyone share this thought? will it get better with age and miles?
I want this car mostly for the 3rd row and Honda reliability but I think I read that its safety ratings are below competitors ratings. Yet I see so many of these on a daily basis because it is a Honda.
Similar to you, I drove a Pilot and was unimpressed - the vehicle is overdue for a redesign. If you don't like it now, you won't like it any more later, and the newness will wear off a lot sooner than the payments.
Fwiw, I also drove an MDX, Highlander, Pathfinder, and Durango. The Durango was the best imo - it happens to share the same platform as the Mercedes ML, and it is rwd biased, both of which I think contributed to a positive driving experience. It has good third row space too, but it is also a Chrysler product.... gonna need to think about this one. That said, the Pathfinder I also liked, but it has a lot of reported problems and a CVT.
I've pretty much ruled out the pilot. the thing is though that there aren't many used current model highlanders or mdxs out there. don't want to pay for the newness of the cars when buying (used or new). also don't want to pay higher tax rates - sales and property tax.
maybe i'll settle for 2 row 2012 rx for under 30,000.
Last edited by nyc2020; 03-30-2015 at 12:41 PM..
Reason: left out sentence
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