Third-gen Pilot still a practical choice
What this Honda lacks in refinement, it makes up for in cargo space and fuel efficiency
The fact that a car’s design isn’t brand new doesn’t automatically mean that car is bad. The Honda Pilot continues to be a reasonable, practical, and fairly fuel-efficient choice, at least as far as gas-only options are concerned.
While the third-generation Pilot heads into its fourth year in 2020, last year’s refresh went a long way in updating the Pilot’s features to keep it feeling contemporary.
Still, two factors may give cross-shopping buyers pause: it looks and rides like a fiveyear-old SUV, and it struggles to match some of its newer competition on value.
If you like your SUVs with standard all-wheel drive and a naturally aspirated 3.5-litre V-6 engine, then the Pilot has you covered. It is a steady performer, making a competitive 280 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque at 4,700 rpm. With the help of variable cylinder management and a nine-speed automatic transmission that’s exclusive to the top trims, this engine produces some impressive fuel efficiency numbers, especially in highway driving.
Natural Resources Canada rates the Pilot Touring at 12.4 L/100 kilometres in the city, 9.3 on the highway, and 11 combined. My heavy right foot doesn’t always align with NRCan’s figures, but this time it did: my weeklong average of 11.7 in mixed-use driving is among the best figures I’ve recorded in a gas-only threerow SUV in 2020.
That said, the Pilot does show its age through its handling. Several newer vehicles in the segment have perfected a lighter, more level and carlike feel, while the Pilot feels heavier than its 1,964-kilogram curb weight suggests, and exhibits some bounce on rough roads and body roll in curves. It’s not so pronounced as to be unacceptable, it’s just that vehicles like the Palisade, Telluride, and Explorer are doing better.
One thing I appreciate about the Pilot is that, relative to some of those new arrivals, its looks are less experimental and more traditional. The exterior design and proportions are pleasant, if not especially memorable.
The interior on this eight-passenger Touring trim comes across as very dark, with its black-on-black materials and lack of panoramic moonroof in the rear. The EX-L Navi trim comes with a grey leather that might help brighten things up, but you lose that nine-speed automatic and a whole host of features. The seven-passenger Touring does include a panoramic moonroof without giving up the roof-mounted rearseat infotainment system, but the eight-passenger variant is stuck in the middle with the benefit of neither.
Functionally, the Pilot’s interior is quiet with good all-around visibility and well-considered features throughout. I’m a fan of the cupholders mounted into the outboard armrests in the second and third rows; these tend to be easier for kids to reach and use than the ones in middle armrests or in door pockets. There are three on each side in the third row, which also comes with plenty of legroom. But there are no USB ports back there, a very useful feature that’s starting to appear in other three-row SUVs. The second row makes up for that, though, with a 115-volt plug and two charging USB ports to go with the heated outboard seats.
One area where Honda tends to excel is in cargo space, and that’s true of the Pilot. It has 524 L behind the third row, 1,583 behind the second row, and 3,092 behind the first row — and seats fold fully flat.
Honda’s infotainment system continues to evolve, and it’s in a good place right now. The home screen has an icon layout that looks similar to a smartphone, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard equipment. I prefer hard buttons for things like radio tuning, but on the other hand, the digital buttons used here are laid out to be closer to the driver and therefore more ergonomically sound.
A base MSRP of $43,236 including delivery fees, is higher than average for the segment. But if you stumble across a great deal, the Pilot’s fuel efficiency and practicality make it a stout choice.