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Classy Steel Sapphire Metallic paint looks as good on the 2017 Honda Pilot Touring as it did on the 2016 Honda Pilot Touring we tested last year. (Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press) |
Then again with so many other colours available, such as darker and bolder Obsidian Blue Pearl, dark green Black Forest Pearl, Dark Cherry Pearl, and all the usual shades from White Diamond Pearl, Lunar Silver Metallic, and medium grey Modern Steel Metallic, to Crystal Black Pearl, something different would’ve benefited our 2017 photo gallery.
What’s more, choosing the latter would’ve allowed perforated Beige leather upholstery instead of the same black hides. On that note I find it strange you can’t get
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Unique LED taillights stand out on Honda’s largest model. (Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press) |
Interestingly, Honda’s U.S. division forces those who purchase black painted Pilots into black or grey interiors (grey not available here), with beige totally off the menu, while those opting for the green or cherry red exteriors are mandated into beige. Either blue exterior paint removes black and beige from the equation entirely, leaving just grey, but at least more options are on the table. Such is life with a ten-times larger market,
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These LED headlights with auto high beams are standard in top-line Touring trim. (Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press) |
To be fair, if you pare the segment down to car-based crossover SUVs from its 21 overall contestants it registers 10th, although the category shrinks to 18 models. We can remove a couple of tall wagons that don’t really compete directly as well, which pulls the Pilot up a notch to ninth yet removes another from the total tally resulting in 17 direct rivals, and if we’re going to get so granular in our competitive analysis we really should clump models with five and seven passenger variants together, like the Santa Fe Sport and XL, which places the Pilot in 8th and reduces the overall list down to 16. Still, it’s hardly reasonable to include the new VW
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LED DRLs and fog lamps help illuminate the road ahead. (Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press) |
I feel as if I should add “Inconceivable!” to the latter run-on-and-on paragraph in respect to someone else overwhelmed with his own verbiage, but I’m guessing much of my readership is too young to be acquainted with Rob Reiner’s “The Princess Bride” and in particular, Patton Oswalt’s wonderfully humorous performance of Vizzini, but as it is Honda could really use a dedicated five-passenger crossover SUV to compete with the class-dominating Hyundai Santa Fe Sport, while Ford’s five-seat Edge wasn’t far off the
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These 20-inch alloys are exclusive to Touring trim. (Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press) |
Still, things don’t even out much more when comparing seven-seat SUVs. Ford’s Explorer sold more than twice as many units as Honda, while Toyota’s Highlander, Dodge’s Journey, and Kia’s Sorento came close to doubling Pilot sales. Grinding salt into the wound, this is ramping up to be a particularly good year for Honda’s largest SUV, with 4,079 units already down the road compared to 7,279 for all of 2016. Then again, Honda sold 8,230 in 2015 when the new model was introduced (in May), which while a massive bump over the 6,113 units sold in 2014 when the old model was winding down, and much stronger than the scant 4,328 sold during the model’s emotional low of 2007, is still a big hill to scale in comparison to rivals.
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The new Pilot’s curvaceous lines are completely different than the boxy profile of previous generations. (Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press) |
It’s not like it’s suffering from new kid syndrome either. The Pilot has been around for a long time, 15 years to be exact, but the rather bland looking first-generation wasn’t exactly a homerun, and Honda’s second kick at the can, a boxy, upright, traditionally styled SUV was only moderately more successful. At least the new model’s styling should be more agreeable to most modern-day SUV fans, although it won’t appeal to those wanting a rugged, truck-like design.
At least it’s soft, curvaceous styling leads into a refined, premium car-like cabin, right? I won’t use the word austere to describe the Pilot’s interior, but even when Honda
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LED taillight detailing is eye-catching at close range and even more noticeable at night. (Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press) |
More is better when it comes to seating, however, and the Pilot comes standard with
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The new Pilot has made big gains in interior quality and refinement compared to the old model, but there’s still room to improve. (Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press) |
If you want to fold the second-row seats down completely, just pull up on the lever below the cushion. The rearmost seats fold by pulling on a strap that also flips down the headrest automatically, an easy process that doesn’t take much effort to execute. Then again it’s a much simpler and less sophisticated system than
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There’s no shortage of piano black lacquered plastic in this top-line Touring model. (Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press) |
Of course, folks will likely move up to the Pilot for its accommodating capacity, the big ute capable of 524 litres (18.5 cubic feet) of available cargo space behind the 60/40 split-folding third row in all but Touring trim, which gets a slight reduction to 510 litres (18.0 cubic feet). I’m not counting the tiny storage compartment under the load floor either, which is handy for stowing dirty gloves, rags, or alternatively valuables that might be best hidden away, while lowering that third row opens the Pilot’s cargo capacity up to 1,583 litres (55.9 cubic feet) in lower trims and 1,557 litres (55.0 cubic feet) for the Touring, while dropping both rear rows results in 3,092 litres (109.2 cubic feet)
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Creatively styled analogue gauges join a large colour TFT multi-info display. (Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press) |
As far as soft touch surfaces and other premium details go, 2018 CR-V Touring owners will be similarly dismayed, as the Pilot not only comes up a bit short when compared to the lesser Honda’s top trim level, but a number of its peers too. Looking to the latter, the Pilot Touring’s A-pillars aren’t wrapped in fabric like some others, while pliable plastics can only be found on the dash top and upper portion of the instrument panel, as well as the door uppers and inserts, and they’re not as upscale looking or feeling as those used with the CR-V Touring; although I consider the new 2018 CR-V Touring’s interior far
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The centre stack is well laid out and fully featured. (Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press) |
On the positive, while the Pilot’s mostly analogue primary instrument cluster gets outshone by the CR-V’s mostly digital TFT display, the larger SUV’s 8.0-inch infotainment touchscreen is very nicely done. Instead of older style analogue knobs and buttons on one side or both it gets an easy-to-use row of touch-sensitive
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The Pilot’s advanced infotainment touchscreen is one of its best features. (Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press) |
The best part is it’s standard Pilot kit, the infotainment system’s list of functions including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity, a multi-angle backup camera with dynamic guidelines, SMS text message and email functionality, wireless smartphone connectivity with audio streaming, Wi-Fi, Siri Eyes Free,
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The Pilot Touring offers multiple ways to get connected. (Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press) |
Now that I’m talking features, some additional Touring items include standard 20-inch alloys, full LED headlamps with auto-leveling and auto high beams, chromed exterior
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This is the 9-speed automatic’s gear selector… really. (Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press) |
I’d be remiss if I didn’t include a shortlist of features pulled up from lesser trims, which are fewer now than last year thanks to the elimination of the base LX FWD, the new base LX AWD model’s inclusion of the Honda Sensing active safety suite as standard, and EX-L trim now including standard navigation or a rear-seat entertainment system. Back to that base LX AWD model, the standard menu remains
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in a word the Pilot Touring’s front seats are fabulous! (Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press) |
Many
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Dual sunroofs add plenty of daylight as well as upscale appeal. (Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press) |
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Retractable sunshades shield second-row passengers. (Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press) |
While the Pilot’s standard safety kit is brilliantly good, you’ll need to move up to Touring trim in order to take advantage of its top-line drivetrain. To be clear, Honda’s well-proven direct-injection 3.5-litre V6 is the same through the line. It’s capable of a hearty 280 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque for reasonably good response off the line and commendable highway passing power, but then again I can only speak for the Touring model, as I haven’t driven the others. Touring trim gets
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Video anyone? This Blu-ray entertainment system is standard on Touring trim. (Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press) |
This technology along with its extra three gears gives the Pilot Touring an edge in fuel economy, the pricier model capable of an estimated 12.4 L/100km in the city and 11.0 combined compared to 13.0 and 11.3 for standard six-speed trims, while they
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Touring trim increases second-row comfort with large captain’s chairs. (Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press) |
The nine-speed shifts quickly and smoothly, really making the most of the power available, while it doesn’t waste any time slotting into a higher gear in order to save fuel. Auto start-stop shuts off at stoplights and the like, reducing noise and improving localized air quality, some of which I (or my family and friends) could end up breathing in, so I’m a big proponent and always kept it turned on unless sport mode automatically shut it off, this possible when pressing the electronic gearshift
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The third row provides more room than most 7- or 8-passenger SUVs. (Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press) |
This said athleticism doesn’t come naturally to the big Honda SUV. It’s capable of taking sharp corners at relatively high speeds, much thanks to standard Agile Handling Assist that adds brake pressure to the inside wheels during high-speed cornering to limit understeer and therefore improve control, but it still seems to do so unwillingly, never eager about the task at hand. I know I’m personifying a machine and this isn’t “Cars” or either of the Disney animation film’s sequels (although they’d be good choices for the aforementioned rear entertainment system, as would A Princess Bride), so let me be clearer by saying the Pilot was designed with a leaning toward comfort over performance and leave it at that. I’m personally
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Cargo carrying capacity is one of the Pilot’s strong points. (Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press) |
To get you through the winter months or away to the cottage on a rainy spring weekend, Honda provides standard Intelligent Variable Torque Management (i-VTM4) AWD that boasts dynamic torque vectoring and Intelligent Traction Management with Normal, Snow, Mud, and Sand modes. The Pilot tows fairly well too, with a max trailering weight of 2,268 kilos (5,000 lbs).
So
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Trip to the hardware store for building supplies? No problem with any new Pilot model. (Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press) |
I can certainly understand why many feel it’s worth the wait. I’ve spoken at length about its shortcomings, but overall I really like the Pilot and thoroughly enjoyed its comfortable, quiet, capable versatility. If you need a seven-passenger crossover SUV it’s certainly worthy of investigation, but if you only require seating for five I’d have to recommend the CR-V instead, not only over the Pilot, but over every other compact SUV as well. The new CR-V is a best-in-class act, whereas the Pilot is merely very good in most respects and not quite up to snuff in others. I’d love to see Honda raise this larger SUV’s game, and fully expect it to do so in coming years.
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