How Does It Handle Six Friends and 1,000 Miles? - 2016 Honda Pilot Long-Term Road Test

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How Does It Handle Six Friends and 1,000 Miles? - 2016 Honda Pilot Long-Term Road Test

Our long-term 2016 Honda Pilot hasn't been in our fleet very long, but it was immediately signed out for its first road trip -- an excellent way to test usability and comfort.

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tomslick2

It is shocking how little cargo space these large crossovers have. We drove a Traverse from Sacramento to Seattle this summer and it held way less than our Odyssey.

khol001

tomslick2 said:

It is shocking how little cargo space these large crossovers have. We drove a Traverse from Sacramento to Seattle this summer and it held way less than our Odyssey.

I totally agree, for the average driver, SUVs are far less practical than the minivans and stationwagons that they take the place of. In addition to having more space for people and things, minivans are easier to get in and out of and get better gas mileage (albeit slight).

defyant15

Jeez, that Pilot seems huge. Of course the 3rd row is going to be tight, unless you drive a bus or a minivan (those things are MASSIVE -SUPER WIDE AND LONG), any 3rd row is going to be uncomfortable for most adults on a long trip.

My understanding is, these CUV's are good for a family of 4-5, meaning, there is place for the occasional in-laws etc. If you have 4 kids and family who visits often and/or need to be able to seat 7-8 AND carry a lot of luggage, a mini-van or van is the way to go. The mini-van has ingress advantages, but at the same time lacks the ground clearance and in most cases a good AWD that people like. Of course, buyers hate their look - but some of these CUV's now look just like a minivan without sliding doors anyway.

The average driver does not need massive 3rd rows in a minivan. Most people in Europe do with hatchbacks and wagons. For most families, a mid-size CUV is good enough (Ex: Mazda CX5). I realize I'm bucking the trend of commentators here to whom the minivan is now counter cultural and cool to defend unlike the 'mainstream' CUV.

stever

About the only advantage I see, at least for the full size SUVs, is the availability of AWD and (sometimes) higher towing limits.

But you lose the sliders.

carguydaryl

We have a 2011 pilot and the middle seat in the 2nd row makes the difference, giving you that flexibility on seating. it seems like the 3rd row in the '16 is slightly tighter than our 11 (The boxy styling everyone complains about pays off big on inside room!)

About a month ago I hauled myself and 6 other guys (not small guys) up to Tahoe for a guys trip in ours. We all had overnight bags and we got it all in. stacking some stuff in between the 2 sitting in the 3rd row. It worked decent for a short trip.

I'll say though that your mileage seems great for an AWD. We get 17-18 around town and 21 mpg on a trip is huge for us. That's pretty good if you hit 24 on a best tank without trying and with 5 people and gear I'd say.

allthingshonda

All CUV's have a tight 3rd row. Only full size SUV's like a Suburban or a Expedition EL have a 3rd row comfortable enough for long road trips and still provide ample luggage space.

deweydrug

One exception which doesn't get much promotion (meaning none!) from it's manufacturer is the Ford Flex. Very accomodating with an excellent set of road manners.

allthingshonda

And the fuel mileage is pretty good considering it was loaded with passengers and cargo and has a green engine and transmission. If it was lightly loaded and the powertrain was broken in it would probably exceed the EPA estimates.

dgcamero

allthingshonda said:

All CUV's have a tight 3rd row. Only full size SUV's like a Suburban or a Expedition EL have a 3rd row comfortable enough for long road trips and still provide ample luggage space.

deweydrug said:

One exception which doesn't get much promotion (meaning none!) from it's manufacturer is the Ford Flex. Very accomodating with an excellent set of road manners.

That's true, the Flex is like a narrow Suburban inside with superior headroom and similar legroom to the Suburban, but it doesn't have a huge cargo area behind the third row (it's pretty spacious though). The problem is most baby boomers think it's ugly, because they want boring Explorers, Highlanders, or Acadias.

zoomzoomn

It is a huge leap going from a full sized SUV to a mid sized CUV. And those mid-sized CUVs differ quite a bit in third row space, too. The Durango and Explorer are pretty decent where as other CUV's like the Highlander and Pathfinder do have pretty horrible third row seats. We went from a Nissan Armada to a New Dodge Durango last year and while the smaller vehicle more than suits our current needs 95% of the time without the third row, it is easy to miss the extra room. I don't, however, miss the Armada's crappy gas mileage and decidedly truckish demeanor. Our V6 Durango gets about 6mpg better, is just as quick as the Armada and nearly handles like a sport sedan. Yes, minivans can say the same thing and generally have more usable space, but if you're like my wife, you won't ever be caught in one. Period. It just comes down to priorities, I guess. Lol!

heather99

The age-old debate about car shoppers and car owners for that matter is the issue of image and preferences when it comes to their vehicle. Some proclaim that they will not be seen driving, much less owning a minivan, and yet they take note of the lack of 3rd row space in these mid-sized CUVs. These folks malign the minivan enough and yet they sheepishly want its versatility in carrying people and cargo that their CUVs can't match.

On a different perspective, sure the 3rd row of a mid-size CUV including the 2016 Pilot can be quite cramped depending on the passenger seating on it. But to make everyone inside decently comfortable, the front and 2nd rows should also be kind enough to sacrifice some of their space too. Their seats can be moved fore-and-aft, right? It's just a matter of "sharing the load" and it applies to any people-mover out there.