Honda Pilot 2003 through 2005

djg4312

Would like to know if regular or premium gas. Thanks.

sjwsmw

Bob-Please look and see if the rear liftgate window is operation or not.
Also, another favor, I have been watching the new Kia Sorento, it looks interesting. It is scheduled to show up in dealers the same time as the Pilot.
Can you check it out and note the dimensions etc?

Thanks!

sbcooke

Anyone who wants more off-roading than beach or fire-roads should probably not get a Pilot you are right. Skid plates, more robust drivetrain, tow hooks, etc, are major factors there. However, I think the Pilot will be more than capable for 95% of the people who buy them and where they plan on taking them. Anyone who is considering one should also know they don't need a wrangler or other "truck" to go off a little ways off the beaten path.

schulhof

http://www.geocities.com/techstockjock/trooper.htm

bpl1

Last week I had a chance to attend the Q&A session for the Honda Pilot at the Alliston plant in Ontario, Canada. The company I work for supplies equipment to Honda and I so happen to be there for the free preview to Honda employees, etc.
The Pilot will go on sale in June 1 (US) and June 15th in Canada. There will be only 2 models in the first year, EX and EX-L. EX is everything but leather seating. EX-L incl. leather. Some interesting facts: automatic shifter is on the dash board similar to the CR-V. They had only the one model, no manual to show. The interior layout is similar to the MDX, except no navigation screen. The center console has an area for your cell phone and charging. The engine will be 240hp, same engine as the Odyssey, not th MDX engine (I guess the MDX engine has more torque?). Towing is same as MDX, 3500lb, with boat 4500lb. Both models will not have a sunroof in the first year. An LX model will appear in the second year. Pricing was between $38 to 40,000 Canadian (MDX is $48,00 MSRP Canadian).

h1vc

What was third row leg room like? Did honda say price is between 38000-40000 or did they actually say the price for a ex is 38000 and exl 40000. Thanks.

j_walker

What gives!?

Well that scratches the Pilot off my list for '03.

guy44

Thanks to bpl1 for your input on the Honda. The only part I question is the price. Honda would definitely want to have some price and brand differentiation between the Pilot and the MDX. At $40K, you might as well buy the MDX and have the so called prestige of owning their premium brand. The no sun roof comment doesn't surprise me given the pictures I've seen.

pilotowner

guy44, bpl1 was quoting prices in Canadian dollars not U.S. dollars. 1 Canadian dollar equals 63 cents U.S. Therefore a Pilot that costs C$40K in Canada costs $25,200 U.S. Dollars. Do you feel better now???

varmint

Almost. You cannot compare market prices simply by running the exchange rates. Honda has to price their vehicles differently in Canada to accommodate things like importing costs and those lovely taxes that our buddies up north have to pay. Thanks pbl1.

J_walker - It isn't surprising really. The CR-V went five years without a factory moonroof. Honda still needs a way to differentiate the MDX from the Pilot until they get the upgraded engine under the MDX's hood. The sunroof (and I'm sure a few other things), is their way of protecting Acura sales.

My suggestion would be to take a look at aftermarket options. Better to have the proper vehicle with an add-on sunroof than a proper sunroof with an add-on vehicle...

guy44

Pilotowner,

I feel much better! I read right past the Canandian $ note on his post. I'm anxious to hear about your trip to see the Pilot as well. Maybe you could inquire about gas mileage estimates while you're there. I'm hoping it will be closer to the Odyssey mileage then the MDX.

stangelj

Not sure if guy44 was comparing apples to oranges but $ conversions for autos don't work quite the way you suggested. If you convert MSRP for an MDX from $48k CDN you get about $30k U.S.--quite a steal I think. Actual MSRP for MDX Touring is $37,300 U.S. That's why the topic keeps coming up about buying in Canada and importing to U.S. and why the U.S. dealers won't honor the warranty if you were to do that.

If the EX-L Pilot is $40k CDN then I expect it will be $30k+ in the U.S.

suvweee

I agree with your estimate stangelj. Rather than using the dollar exchange, if you compare the Canadian MDX MSRP(48000) with the American MDX MSRP(37300) and multiply it by bpl1's Canadian Pilot MSRP(38000 EX,40000 EX-L) you get $29,530 for the EX and $31,083 for the EX-L. This also falls in line with statements from Honda about pricing. If you want NAV or RES add another $1,500 - $2,000. I was actually expecting the pricing to be about $1,500 less (and it still may be).

pilotowner

I wasn't trying to guess what Honda is going to charge in the U.S. vs. Canada, I was simply trying to point out to guy44 that he had skipped over the fact that bpl1 had provided was in Canadian dollars. Then, I gave him a straight conversion to U.S. dollars to illustrate the point. We all know that we have to wait for Honda to price the vehicle for each market....anything else at this point is a SWAG (silly wild-[non-permissible content removed] guess).

mhenderson1

Does the leather come with heated seats?

I was reading another chat room response the other day and I came across a response which asked in a matter of words, Would owning a larger SUV getting only 14-15 mpg and using regular gas be the same as owning a smaller SUV getting 17-19 mpg and using premium gas?

Maybe I should consider that Yukon afterall.

bpl1

Actually I had the chance of sitting in the third row of the Pilot; I think there is slightly more leg room than the MDX (the seat is very near the liftgate) but it is still for kids.

Don't quote me on this ... but I have heard that the 2003 MDX will have a 3.8L engine (270 hp?).

Production on the Pilot begins on April 15 and I will let you know more when I'm at the plant site.

USA will get the bulk of the Pilot. It will be only sold in US, Canada, Mexico and the Middle East.

dmetzger

Looking at pics form North American Auto Show, it looks like the shifter is mounted on the steering wheel column. Did they change it?

varmint

I see no reason why the Pilot would use premium fuel. Everything we've read reports that it uses the same engine as the new Ody. The Ody doesn't require it, why would the Pilot?

The shifter on the dash may be something that changed between concept and production. While the preproduction vehicle certainly looked production ready, I'm sure they've made a number of changes based on how it was received.

rms41

If the Pilot goes into production on April 15th then you must have sat in one of the prototypes. As the pictures of the red one seem to show the shifter on the steering column I'm guessing you were in the white one shown at the Canadian auto show. Is that right?

gam2

mhenderson: Around here, premium gas costs about 15% more than regular, so decrease gas mileage by 15% for a vehicle that burn premium compared to one that burns regular. A vehicle that gets 18 mpg on premium is only getting 15.3 mpg compared to a vehicle burning regular. Hopefully, the Pilot will burn regular.

Anyone want to guess how long it takes some dealers to ask $40K for a Pilot with dealer add-ons and the gouging that is likely to occur? I bet it won't take long, based on some MDX prices
I've seen.

GAM2

suvweee

I'd like to make the first official entry in the Pilot SWAG Pricing Contest(in US dollars).

EX -> $28,380
EX-L -> $29,880

pilotowner

Take a look at the link on http://www.cars.com for the NY auto show. There is an article on the pilot that Might answer a few of the questions recently posted (like is it full size sheets of plywood that can fit in the back!)

# of characters for link is too long or I would have posted it here.

pilotowner

LX $25,975
EX $28,250
EX-L $30,150
EXL RES $31,750
EXL NAV $32,450

All U.S. greenbacks

suvweee

Here's my guess on the full line:

LX $26,530
EX $28,380
EX-L $29,880
EXL RES $31,380
EXL NAV $31,880

h1vc

They said it will fit in between the crv and passport, not replace the passport. Is this true?

pilotowner

I also saw that...I think that is just more Honda marketing hype...they are not going to "retire" the Passport until every last one is sold. Everything that I have read and heard indicates the Passport is history.

Retiring a model is a big deal to Honda. They rarely do it. They have now retired the Prelude and the Passport....but with the ODY they stuck with the name even though the van was a total (non Isuzu) redesign. I think you are seeing Japanese sensitivity to enter a model (and for all practical purposes, their relationship with Isuzu)

robertsmx

Odyssey's 3.5 liter V6, the likely candidate for Pilot, is optimized to run on regular gasoline. Use of premium would be a waste, and may actually reduce performance like it did in Accord when C&D dynoed the car with regular versus premium. With premium, the engine dynoed 147 HP compared to 151 HP with regular.

pilotowner

Robertsmx

I have a 2000 Ody. Running the vehicle with regular fuel achieves 200 hp, running premium bumps the hp up to 205. This is because Honda retards the timing slightly to avoid knocking on regular. All of this was explained to me by the dealer at the time of purchase...there is a sensor in the engine that looks at octane. Now that the engine is 240 HP, I do not know if there is a differentiation between regular and premium gas. The Acura MDX also uses the 3.5L engine. I believe the engine is "tweaked" to achieve more torque but the same HP. The 2002 MDX calls for Premium gas.

Is anyone out there familar with the 2002 ODY? Can it run on regular and if so, is it achieved again by retarding the timing and reducing HP?

mark189

This article states that prices will range from $26,000 to $32,000 on the Pilot. However, no source is given.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2002/03/27/auto-show.htm

mhenderson1

Honda announced on Autoweek.com that pricing will be between $26,000 - $32,000. I'm sure this does not include dealership mark-up, which will probably bring the price to $29,000-$35,000.

markus17

I was told by an Acura dealer that it was ok to use regular gas in an MDX. She said this was common practice. Given the ODY uses regular as well, I'd guess that regular is a good bet for the Pilot.

rsholland

rsholland "Subaru Crew Cafe" Mar 27, 2002 6:50am

Bob

mynewpilot

There are several new pictures of a silver Pilot on the HondaNews website.

http://www.hondanews.com/forms/events/index.html?kwx=pilot

joepugs

http://www.wieck.com/public/index.html

search for "Honda Pilot"

Use the quotes in the search to get just pilot pics

I think that the pictures of the interior of the silver is the fern ?

carguy62

Interesting that it includes the ones with the hole (how else do you describe them?). The ones on the CR-V are solid and are touted as a safety improvement. Hmmm.

carbuff25

According to the March issue of Motor Trend magazine the Honda Pilot will use regular gas. It also discusses the column mounted gear shift. This was done to provide space for a large console on the floor.

pilotowner

The color of the interior on the Wieck site has to be saddle. I have a fern interior on my 2000 ODY. Fern is gray with just a hint of green. The three colors of Pilot interiors are Gray, Fern and Saddle. What you are seeing has to be the saddle.

bamacar

Wouldn't the silver Pilot have a gray interior not Saddle. I would have thought that the red one has Saddle (light tan). Maybe, I am just colorblind.

big_guy

You do know that the older generation Odyssey (w/ 4 carlike doors et. al.) was a Honda vehicle and that it was rebadged as an Isuzu Oasis . . . not the other way around. The Passport was a rebadged Isuzu Rodeo however.

robertsmx

The 3.5 liter V6 in 2002 Odyssey is optimized to run on regular gasoline. The previous version of the engine (210 HP) was optimized for premium, but could use regular at the expense of some power.
MDX version of the engine still uses premium gasoline, but will work with regular.

jmltrib

A previous post indicated that Honda would only be releasing the EX and EX-L models the first year. I am curious then, why would Honda release pictures labelled "2003 Honda Pilot" showing the navigation and entertainment systems? I'm sure it's just a marketing thing, but still curious. Thanks.

jmurman42

I dont know where that info came from..that the Pilot will only be available in EX and EXL for the first year...we already placed our orders for LX, EX, EXL and EXL/RES

Jerry

bengelking

Maybe Canada will only see the EX. It's not like Honda to only do a "partial" launch. I'd still like to see that moonroof! Anyone have experience putting an aftermarket one in? I had one of the "pop off" ones put in my Grand Am 13 years ago and have had factory ones since. Any thoughs?

sowr

Only because you don't want to talk about it..

Sit down, relax, tell me about your dreams.

"I dream I'm in a huge truck and I'm bouncing over huge boulders, clawing at them, defeating all obstacles in my path, but it's weird, because I'm also on my designer twill sofa at home and I'm watching my big screen TV, there's a Honda ad, it's a cool new vehicle called the Pilot, it's so trendy, and somehow it calls to me, me, Mr. 99.999%, I must have it..."

Here's a quote from a previous message:

"The market determines the needs , and the manufactures try to satisfy them."

Who are you kidding?

johnnyb84

sowr (or is it sour?)

I have two kids and a dog. The kids have friends, and they do things. 5 passenger vehicle doesn't cut it.

In Ontario it snows. Sometimes alot. Sometimes I can't give off my street with my camry wagon, and I have to walk through a snowstorm to get to work. I work in a hospital. They want me to show up.

I drove the Honda Oddysey. It's a nice mini-van. But for me, it has the visual appeal of Jed Clampetts truck.

I see the Honda Pilot as satisfying the number of passengers I may need, the traction I seek and the visual appeal I like.

I should feel bad about this for some reason?
Why?

I will not be bouncing over boulders. I never plan to take it off road any more than my camry wagon. But for the above reason, it seems like a good vehicle.

Is that ok with you?

porknbeans

Slightly different situation (no dog) but I agree with your sentiments. I would even go for an AWD Crossover/Wagon if it seated more than 5. I don't buy into that "high seating position is better" stuff.

anonymous02

This place should give you a run for your money in justifying your decisions (or not). Or vice versa, hopefully.

I don't like SUVs, why do you?

heatwave3 "I don't like SUVs, why do you?" Mar 27, 2002 3:49pm

computernerd

All,

I looked at the production version of the Honda Pilot on the various web sites and it looks different from the prototype that Honda was showing earlier and I think I know why... it's longer. Obviously the production version has smaller wheels but it's not just that. Either my eyes are playing tricks on me, or the production version has a longer wheelbase. I think Honda also did this with the MDX i.e. showed a prototype that was not full sized. I like the Pilot and my wife likes 3 rows of seats, but the recent introduction of the Nissan Murano further highlights how dated and boring Honda's styling has become.

porknbeans

The next time I feel like I have to justify my decision regarding a vehicle purchase I'll check it out. If I feel like I need a larger vehicle for my needs and wants that is my choice. If someone feels they don't that is theirs. If I want to explain these needs and wants I feel free to do so. However, I feel no necessity to justify them to anybody. Thanks for your concern and the link.

anonymous02

(pun intended!)

Same here. I thought you might find it humorous what some there have to say about our decisions and freedom of choice. Many hypocrites, beware!