Honda Pilot 2003 through 2005

carman36

The 04 Highlander is getting a 3rd row (2 person) rear seat. The 2nd row seats will slide 5 inches.

I think the Highlanders appointments are much better than the Pilots. Does this push the Toyota in front??

Thoughts

01r1

carman36-

Which appointments are you considering much better?

You also have to consider interior space and engine power. Maybe if you didn't need as much of these, you could live with a HL.

qbrozen

the limited AWD with leather comes in with over a $33K MSRP, so its more expensive.

According to the specs here on Edmunds, it is slower to 60.

What appointments are you referring to? I see the Highlander offers more options like a sunroof, but that would add even more to that $33K MSRP.

Oh, and did I mention I vowed years ago never to buy from a toyota dealer?

carman36

New HL V6 @ 230HP with same torque as Pilot.

Quality and appearance of HL interior looks/feels "richer". Seats more comfortable.

stever

"The Honda Pilot and the Nissan Murano were the only sport-utility vehicles earning four-star ratings out of 17 SUVs."

Only a convertible manages five stars in rollover ratings (USA Today)

Remember that the Pilot got 5's in the crash tests:

NHTSA

Steve, Host

dako_tian

Isn't the Highlander quieter inside too? I like the Hondas, don't get me wrong. But they don't seem to me to keep the outside noise outside as well as the Toyotas do. Just MHO....

jlitterer

When will we see the August long term Pilot update and road test "wrap up" on Edmunds Long Term board? The last posting was at the end of July.

stever

hmmm, it looks like the June wrap-up link is broken at the moment too. Ah, no, my link in the sidebar was bad. Maybe the editors are in Germany for the Frankfurt Auto Show? Stay tuned....

Steve, Host

deni67

qbrozen- The latest info. on the rear spoiler problem is that it is a manufacturing defect for select Pilots. Honda Corp. is reputed to have a vin# list of those potentially affected. No one mentioned anything to us about mounting points. My spoiler never actually broke off, it just got in the way of operating the trunk and damaged the roof.
dski- Having kids is no issue here unless they're 6 feet tall plus. In order to even reach the rear spoiler you have to climb up on the running boards and reach the roof area. Honda Corp. has already acknowledged a widespread problem. The only suspicion I have is about the body shop's competence, for my spoiler has been replaced THREE times now. Apparently improper positioning.
01r1- My service dept. never advised me that the spoiler has since been redesigned. I had to wait for the first spoiler for 3 weeks. My spoilers were replaced Aug. 8, Aug. 28 and Sept. 9. Hopefully my Sept. 9th spoiler was the redesigned one! My roof has considerable damage. Over all the repairs, we were unable to use the trunk for over 35 days!
THANKS for all the responses and info. I appreciate it.

clpurnell

haha maybe they bought some left over adhesive from nissan :P Infiniti did a voluntary hatch recall when the "spoiler" on the fx35/45 started to warp. So you guys aren't alone in the hatch/spoiler problems. I think that these things just aren't tested in the wide range of temps you can experience in the us from -32f to 105f. It seems like honda had a similar bad batch of adhesive but do to the FX's design in most cases the whole hatch needed to be replaced.

akasrp

Quality and appearance of HL interior looks/feels "richer". Seats more comfortable.

Having just spent a week in a rental HL - I feel just the opposite - HL interior, especially the seats, felt so sub par for a $30K (MSRP) vehicle.
Honda ergos and finish always feel better than Toy to me. And Pilot vs HL is no exception.
BTW, 03 HL (Non-Limited) AWD V6 with Tow package, sunroof, roofracks + crossbars, spoiler, 16" alloys, tinted glass, remote entry, alarm. and more - easily under $27K here in SoCal...

srp

porknbeans

IIRC, the Highlanders sliding second row is only for better access to the third row. It doesn't improve the legroom of the third row. Also the Hlander has 6" LESS headroom than the Pilot. There was a review on another website about the new Highlander I'll see if I can dig up the link.

porknbeans

Here you go:

http://www.thecarconnection.com/index.asp?article=6416&sid=18- 1&n=157

stone22

I'm in the Texas Panhandle and looking for an '04 Ex Pilot. I'm wondering about purchasing outside my area. Any suggestions?

I posted on price paid site -- but didn't get a response.
Thanks!

qbrozen

So you're saying you can get the Highlander for less than invoice? (sunroof, preferred package, appearance package, convenience package, heated seats and mirrors, power seat, and towing package) Even if you take off a couple of those options, you're still looking at invoice or lower.

In any case, its rarely beneficial to compare what you "can" get a vehicle for because everyone is different and everyone gets different deals. As far as MSRP goes, the Pilot wins as far as I can see.

hesitant

An '03 Pilot I was attempting to purchase was traded out from under me. Then I heard the '04s were coming so I wasn't unhappy. But the '04s have arrived and my dealership is trying to find a red EX for me. Meanwhile, my other car was just totaled and I really want my Pilot now. I can't do a search for an '04 Pilot on Edmunds. You only have '03. The dealership is getting a red one in on the 28th and is happy to have me wait for it. I am willing to drive a ways to get one NOW. But I can't request prices from any dealerships for an 'o4 as far as the things that I have tried.

Hosts have any ideas?

qbrozen

What info are you looking for that you can't find? You can get all the model and pricing info off of Honda's site. If you are worried about invoice, its only a few hundred more than the '03 invoice, so that will get you VERY close. Besides, when it comes to the Pilot, most people are working down from sticker, not up from invoice (since no huge discounts are being had for the most part).

tidester

We have prices here but we don't have invoicing info yet.

tidester, host

hesitant

I already have a price from two local dealers. What I wish I could do is contact other dealers asking for their price offer on an 04--mainly to see if they have a red one in stock. I found that my dealers work with specific dealers they know for trades. They each have a Pilot they could trade if we can find a dealership that has a red EX willing to trade. (I know that I am more willing to do the work and locate an available car than the dealership is to do more than just tell me to wait for their's to come in on the 28th.)

I didn't find a way on the Honda site to find inventory at dealerships. At the Volvo site we could see a list of what vehicles were at which dealerships.

my_pilot_03

>>You just need to reset the window. Your owner's manual explains the very simple process.

The procedure in the manual worked.

Bad part is it didnt make much sense as the pilot
is very new. Battery was never removed and fuse
is intact. Manual clearly says to expect this
only when the above happens.

Thanks,
MM.

hesitant

I clicked on your "here" and did get the 04 information. Thank you.

I followed through with the dealer prices and it appears that what I had done when it was the 03 Pilot is still registered with the 04 as I was informed it was a duplicate request. I hope the dealers won't think I'm trying to locate the 03, as I don't know what info was sent to them by AutoBytel.

akasrp

its rarely beneficial to compare what you "can" get a vehicle for because everyone is different and everyone gets different deals.

Just mentioned it as it was a real and significant difference. FWIW, anyone requesting a 'net price from Longo (3000 vehicles on the Lot - SoCal's BIG Toy dealer) is going to get the same deal - nothing special. It has been often mentioned here and elsewhere that Honda is not significantly discounting the Pilot (03 or 04).
Plus, I'd imagine this under invoice price is widely available as the $1500 cash back from Toyota is not limited to SoCal...

Anyway, I always like hearing the deals that are available...

srp

qbrozen

the only other way I can see doing it is comparing something that is readily available like carsdirect. I can find you people that claim to have paid invoice on the Pilot, but that doesn't mean anyone else will or that it even really happened. So saying something like "I can get car A for $2, but the sticker on car B is $10K, so car A is a better deal" is obviously a skewed perspective.

dski

>>New HL V6 @ 230HP with same torque as Pilot.<<

I'm confused with your comments suggesting the advantages of the Highlander. The Pilot has a 3.5 240hp engine. I don't know the torque comparison with the Toyota but Honda has the advantage in hp. All the other comparisons are mostly subjective.

To me it appears that the two are fairly comparible with neither having a huge advantage over the other. It comes down more to preference IMO. Oh.. and price.

Drew

dccat

I have just put a deposit down on an 04 EX/RES. I keep hearing posts about Pilots front seat length, especially for tall people. I am 6'3/210 and during the test drive really did not notice a big difference between the Pilot and my Pathfinder.
Any insight from you "taller" folks out there?

qbrozen

I'm 6'5" and the only complaint I have as far as comfort goes is that the steering wheel doesn't telescope. I fit in the seat just fine and find it quite comfortable, but, in order to fit, I have to adjust it all the way back, tilt the front almost all the way up, and tilt the back all the way down. This puts my arms quite far from the steering wheel. So, to compensate, I have to have the seatback a bit straighter up and down than I normally like. But, all in all, its quite livable for long drives. Did 5 hours in it this past Saturday (my longest at one shot in the vehicle to date) and have no complaints. Its no Volvo, but it is quite comfy.

dski

At 6'3 210, you may or may not have issues with front seat comfort that I don't have but I assure that the Lenght of the Front Seat bottom is not an issue. I'd be willing to bet that if you measure them, they are longer than most that are found in other vehicles and certainly longer on average.

The only way to be sure if for you to spend a little time in a Pilot on a test drive of your own.

Good Luck
Drew

mro_king

Was set to buy EX-L, but am reconsidering MDX because it has stability control and side curtain airbags.

Any comment, and why doesn't Pilot have stability control?

qbrozen

Pilot doesn't have stability control, or moonroof, or memory seats, or.... etc. to distinguish it from the MDX. If the Pilot had everything for less than an MDX, then why buy an MDX? Honda doesn't want to cut off their own left arm. The Pilot is intended to be a decontented MDX for those who don't want to pay Acura prices.

wmquan

Strangely enough, though, Consumer Reports says that the 2003 Pilot has better emergency handling than the 2003 MDX with stability control. Honda/Acura's VSA's implementation seems to be lacking. Don't know if it's improved for '04.

Then again, VSA may be effective for other situations besides what CR tested.

The Pilot will probably get side curtain airbags next year, as most of its competitors now have them. The MDX's direct competitors had them for 2-3 years before Acura finally added them for '04.

I wouldn't buy another vehicle without side curtains, just my own preference. Too many alternatives that now have them. Honda needs to get moving quicker on adding these features.

mmms

I asked this question on the Murano site and I am asking it here. I finally have to "off the pot" as my lease is coming due. I have it narrowed down to the Murano or the Pilot.
So I would like to know "which one" and also any regrets on their purchase if any and would they switch.

qbrozen

If I didn't need all the room that the Pilot offers, I might be tempted by a Murano. But its just so small for all that money. Its more "sport" and the Pilot is more "utility." I'd have to do a serious comparison of the Murano vs. the Forester XT, though. The XT is much faster, so the Murano would have to blow me away with luxury to counter that.

dlake1963

After owning an '04 Pilot for one month, there's no way I'd buy an MDX. The pilot is just as smooth, if not smoother, seems just as powerful, and has WAY MORE ROOM. It's W-I-D-E. Try to fit a 4x8 sheet of plywood from home depot in the back of an mdx. I don't bring 4x8 sheets of stuff home very often, but it sure is nice not to have to wedge/angle it in. Inside cargo width of Pilot is 49".
Our ML320 seems like a big station wagon compared to the Pilot.

clpurnell

I know the armada and sequioa are truck based and the pilot is car based. But all can seat 8 and that is what I'm looking for. Other than the improved Gas mileage by going with the V6 honda any other reason to choose it over the other two. Also to the pilot owners. What is your current mpg city/highway.

noahway

This may be a long shot, but are there any Pilot owners who have also recently owned a Dodge Caravan - not the longer Grand Caravan? I drive a 2000 Caravan with which I am having "issues" and like the looks of the Pilot. However, interior room is an important issue as we have 5 kids. According to the specs on Edmunds, the Pilot is actually a tiny bit shorter and narrower which surprised me. Can anyone tell me how this translates into interior room? We use my wife's full size minivan for trips but I do haul the kids around town in my car quite a bit and they (the kids) are only gonna get bigger.

qbrozen

try here to get all the mileage info you want.

what other reasons? Well, let's see.... how is saving like roughly $6K?

clpurnell

thanks for the link. The pilot is less expensive but a nicely equipped pilot is 30k (ex-l) I can buy a sequioa cloth for 32(04) or 30(03). and the armada stickers at 34 k so not that huge of a difference.

qbrozen

if you compare a higher line Pilot to a base Sequoia? Sure, but that's not really a fair comparison now, is it? If you want to compare base models, then the Pilot is $27,560 and the Sequoia is $32,165. So still almost $5K difference and the Pilot has AWD standard while you are talking about a RWD Toyota. I don't get it. If you want to compare a base Sequoia to a Pilot EX-L, then why not compare a fully loaded Sequoia to a base Pilot? Then we're talking a HUGE difference!

ukkonen7

MMMS,

I am in your situation of having a lease running out, and was considering the same Pilot vs/ Murano.

I decided on the Pilot. I liked the sporty drive of the Murano but the additional space and a towing necessity helped me decide. I understand the honda has a more solid transmission and corporate support. I did hear Nissan has become very slow at following up on complaints one might encounter. There appears to be a difference between Honda and Nissan on repairs etc. These comments came via a shop foreman where they sell both vehicles.

clpurnell

I guess it deals with what I want. The sequoia/armada vs pilot isn't a fair fight anyway. I acknowledge as much. the only difference between an ex and ex-l is leather and now the heated seats in 04. I live in houston so AWD is a non issue for me. The msrp of an ex pilot is still almost 30k. (don't get me started on the fugly LX version) so the difference at most is 3-4k. With the Toy and Armada I think you get better styling, v8 power, more room, true off road/ towing capacity, longer powertrain warranties. Even the 2wd versions would traverse more stuff than the awd pilot. The pilot however provides greater fuel efficiency, car like ride and handling and lower price.

qbrozen

I definitely don't agree with where you think you can go with a RWD 5000+ lb. truck, and, of course, styling is subjective. But the rest of your assessment is exactly where the decision lies. The Pilot has much different priorities than the other 2. So buy and drive what ya like. good luck.

01r1

Drive all three and get the one that feels best from the driver's seat.

BTW, you might be surprised what an "AWD" Pilot can traverse. It wouldn't be fair to compare it to those 2WD competitors. I know this from experience.

my3kids

Regarding the Caravan.....I had a Grand C. and went to the Pilot. As far as room in seats and such...I think the Pilot seems to have more. Of course, with the third row up, we lost virtually all cargo space. But with the third seat down, we have a lot more space. In the van we didn't have the option of folding the third seat(3 children) with kids in the car so the Pilot actully wins in the cargo space with kids race.

clpurnell

I make that statement because of reviews I have seen on 2wd versions of the Armada and titan being taken off road. The pilot is a great vehicle but honda products are pretty boring. I owned an oddysey for four months. It was a good car just not my cup of tea.

qbrozen

I agree, most honda products are boring, but so are pretty much all trucks from where i stand. A couple of exceptions have recently come out, but they are not, by any means, full-size 8-seaters. There is nothing exciting about a big lumbering people mover.

don't know what kind of "off-roading" a RWD 5Klb. vehicle could be doing, but I would bet its nothing the Pilot couldn't handle. I have no doubt there are better systems for off-roading than the Pilots, but 2wd ain't one of 'em.

jlitterer

Any idea when the next update on Edmunds long term Pilot is coming? Thanks!

tidester

The last '03 EX Long Term Test was published in July so look for an update around November (or so!).

tidester, host

jay_24

The Pilot is bigger. We had the Grand Caravan and 3 kids in booster seats. We HAD to use the third row with the Caravan. Even then only two kids could fit in any one bench seat. When we test drove a Pilot all three kids can be in the second row leaving lots of storage room. having 5 kids you will use the third row. storage space will be about the same as the Caravan then...not much.

Maybe a new/used Suburban is what you need?

dako_tian

An 8-seater Sienna would be durn near as spacious inside as the Suburban/Yukon XL (we've looked at them all), as cheap as a used one of those and nicer to handle. The only problem is the silly things are rare as hen's teeth these days and you have to play the game to get one.

However, it seems that the Toyota dealers' memories are long enough to remember how they paid dearly for their arrogance when the earlier version Sienna came out and then the Odyssey just killed their demand. The stories are a whole lot more reasonable with discount deals still. They must realize that a new Odyssey is coming out next year and they can't afford the sort of ill will they built up that last time.

hairong

For 7 passengers, 5 kids + 2 adults, Pilot is a better choice than a Caravan, because it has a split folding 3rd row seat. If you fold down the 40% part, you still have 7 seats, plus more cargo room (fold flat), and better access to the 3rd row (through rear lift gate, kids love it). Compare to Grand Caravan, Pilot will lose the edge in cargo volume and 3rd row access. But that's when Odyssey comes into picture.