sounds good in theory, but of course it will never happen this way. considering the good reviews the car is getting, and the need it fills in the marketplace, waiting will probably just get you on an even longer waiting list.
either way, not an option for us. we don't really care about being the first on the block to have one, but we are required to turn in our lease vehicle (today!), so we are low on options.
i'm sorry, let me clarify: low on options as far as getting what i want/need. and i don't require a list from you of every other suv in the price range, i am informed enough to have researched all of that, and to have come to the conclusion that a honda pilot or an acura mdx is the right car for my family right now. i am not willing to buy just anything & be unhappy with my decision in a few months or a few years.
because i have a 2-year-old & another child on the way, decided that i would go with honda for now & save the "luxury" vehicle for when i won't be cleaning goldfish crackers out of the seats.
A dealer just called me said they we'll get 3 EX, 2 in silver, 1 in BL, and he said "BLue" stands for "BLue". I've been tracking this car for a while, I know there will be a black color this year, but haven't heard of blue color for this car. So I said "BL" must stand for "BLack". He said he double checked with his manager, who'd gone to test drive the car, confirmed there's a blue color. Anyone knows that Honda makes a blue pilot for 2003 model?
Wasn't Honda supposed to send us e-mail updates when new information became available? I have yet to receive one and I'm registered under two separate addresses. Hope their webmaster does not build their Pilots!
I got the email, thats how I knew. Some email sites/programs receive emails faster, others slower. My hotmail account is slow at receiving/sending emails.
It's amazing, to me, that everyone I've spoken to has no idea about the Honda Pilot. Maybe that's a good thing, less people who know the better the inventory, but I think I'll end up waiting for the 2004, just to see how Honda does with their improvements( I really want a Pilot in the same color Blue as the CRV). Also most of the aftermarket products should be readily available by then...........
I thought I had seen something that said the LX could get the roof rails as an accessory too, while the EX came with them, and you had to add cross-members as an accessory.
However, the pilot.honda.com website, which seems to be accurate and up-to-date, says under "Specifications" that the roof rails are standard on the EX, and not available on the LX (if it was an accessory, the site indicates accessory). Go figure!
Meanwhile, www.collegehillshonda.com, which has been somewhat accurate but not totally so, still lists the roof rails with crossbars as an accessory for the LX, at $223.75 (MSRP of $299). The crossbars alone are there for the EX.
It's possible the Honda site is wrong. Someone here listed from the accessory catalog and it also listed "roof rack."
Wait a sec -- I get it:
The "roof rails" are not available as an accessory for the LX, as the website says.
However, you can buy as an accessory the "roof rack," which includes the roof rails and cross members. That's why we see the roof rack listed as an accessory.
Maybe the crappy roof rack on the MDX is made up by it having ten cup holders.
I can just picture the Honda product planning person standing up in the conference room, and saying: "Well, the MDX has ten cup holders ... so the Pilot can't possibly have that many! Okay, let's make it just nine in the EX! That'll make the luxury-oriented folks want the MDX, and the practical-value-oriented folks buy the EX!"
that Honda has changed the exhaust tail pipes on the Pilot from the the test model. Before, they were similar to the MDX with the chrome ends. Now they are just regular tail pipes. Must be a cost cutting item.
FYI, this isn't a solicitation but a recommendation. A lot of MDX owners have bought accessories from www.hondacuraworld.com and are very happy with Tim. Not only are his prices good (and he doesn't rip you off with high shipping charges), but he goes the extra mile and more for his customers. Great guy.
Is there an error in the brochure about interior colors? I thought the fern was supposed to be darker than the gray. The brochure is the other way around.
Does anyone know why Honda would sell roof racks without cross bars. The Pilot may have a five star safety rating for its passengers but certainly not for those people driving behind it. You can be sure people will attempt to secure luggage without the costly crossbars only to the detriment of surrounding vehicles. Sounds like a real liability issue for Honda.
To me, selling a roof rack without crossbars is like selling a car without a steering wheel.`
I have ordered my Pilot WITHOUT the Navigation system and am contemplating if that was a mistake or not? What is the general consensus? I just thought I could buy a lot of maps and many other things for $2,000. I am positive that I don't need the DVD.
Don your wool socks and Birkenstocks!!!!Pile your androgenously named kids into the newest poseurmobile wanna-be! It has cupholders so you can sip your $6 coffee with ease, and the neighbors will think(key word: think) that you're going off road. My, won't they be terrified! Next week they might have a Buick Rendevous in the driveway! And it'll be premium priced, because a Trailblazer, a Liberty, or an Explorer isn't refined enough, correctomundo?
If you want to avoid the gouging Pilot dealers and still want seating for 7 and more horsepower/towing capacity, check out the Trailblazer EXT or its slightly more upmarket sibling, the GMC Envoy XL.
Just make sure it's a bridge that leads out of the SF bay area (and the dealers asking $2000-$5000 over MSRP)
...actually avoid the bridges, there are a couple dealers just outside of the bay area that do have scruples and sell for not a penny more than MSRP...and there lists are not that long (at least until others find them)
Looks like the invoice figures are in (not that they'll help much). I plan to get in the face of my dealer just to see if I can get a break (probably not). Sometimes you just have to try! Any way...this site also has a honest, real photo of the '03 Accord Coupe too. I may drive from NJ to OH just because these guys seem up front!
The thing about the Trail Blazer/ Envoy and the future Buick SUV is that there are way too many recalls and problems. You may get a reasonable price for the vehicle compared to the Pilot/MDX, but you will probably make it up with the number of times you take it to the repair shop. I remember the one time I went to look at the Envoy and the molding on the door was practically coming off at the adhesive seams. The dealer just looked at me and laughed.
No offense but people who own real Off-road vehicles could and do say the same about the Exploder, Trailblazer and Liberty.... The pilot is not meant to be an off-road vehicle, it is meant for what most people plan to do: Mall, Soccer, and the occassional gravel parking lot or muddy/dirt road or rough road, for the amount of offroading the target market will do the Pilot is capable enough.
will...you can send me an email if you want (not sure if we can post the names of those dealers here)...I hadn't tried Napa (or along 80) but the one's I know of that stick to MSRP are 110 Miles North and another 130 south of Napa... If it's worth >$10/mile for you.
It's ok to post dealer names. Please don't post phone numbers, email addresses or other contact info. We don't have time to verify them and we don't want Town Hall to start looking like a classified ad site. Thanks.
In other news, check out our First Drive: 2003 Honda Pilot. Steve Host SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
I am little disappointed in the article. The quote not fun to drive shows up in alot of articles. The article is good but I was hoping the Best. Just my 2 cents. Mine is being built June 19 and price at MSRP. I may try to negotiate some and try to have them throw in a couple accesssories - pin stripe/flaps/etc...
We'll look forward to your first drive report, Pilotman. You should take delivery in pretty short order. Steve Host SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
I purchased a Garmin handheld GPS system last year with the Mapsource software and it is fantastic! Total package ran $350. Granted, it's a small greyscale screen and not color like the dash mounted unit in the Pilot, but I can also take it with me in my wife's car, on vacation, in the woods, etc. It has the "bread trail" feature and 8MB of memory for detailed maps, etc. I would highly recommend one in lieu of the $2,000 Honda option.
It's actually a pretty positive review (particularly for Edmunds writers!).
It has a glaring factual error or two. E.g. they said Honda is not offering a reverse backup system, when the accessory has been listed for months now on sites like www.collegehillshonda.com. Also says that a 6-dish CD changer isn't available, when it is obviously available as an DIO accessory (though I suppose technically it's not offered in a trim level -- but they say a rear view camera is available and that's an accessory too).
"Not as fun to drive" is of course subjective, but this is a ~4,400lb vehicle with relatively soft suspension tuning and tires that should be a bit bigger. As it says, the MDX is more sportier to drive (it is, though it's still not an X5 -- which isn't a bad thing given the X5's penalties for its great-for-an-SUV handling).
The Pilot should have a somewhat more plush ride than the MDX, the usual tradeoff versus handling. And Honda probably thought the market for a family SUV would give up that handling for the more cushy ride.
Anybody know why Pilot seats 8 and MDX 7? Is it size of third row seat, or just lack of center seatbelts in MDX third row. Makes me wonder if MDX will bump to 8 for 2003.
It's mostly the (by design) lack of a center seating position in the MDX's third row. According to Honda/Acura stats, there's only 0.5" more hiproom in the third row, and 0.2" more more shoulder room. There is 0.9" more legroom, however. Though at the expense of 0.4" of second row legroom.
The seat does fold 60/40. And both parts of the second row seat slide forward for access, unlike the MDX where only the 40% portion slides forward. It is currently unknown if the second row can stay slid forward to allow for more legroom for the third row.
Frankly, the MDX third row is pretty cramped, okay for short hops for adults, but really best for children. Since the Pilot's third row is also pinched in between the wheel wells, three adults in the back had better be friendly ones. Even Honda says the 3-seating position is mostly for kids.
IMHO, there won't be 8-passenger capacity in the 2003 MDX. If only for the marketing images that Honda wants to use to artificially differentiate the vehicles. E.g. the Pilot as the 8-passenger "family vehicle" while the MDX is for "luxury/sport" buyers. I think Acura will eschew making the MDX a "family hauler" in image and focus on adding items chosen from a list that may or may not include a larger and more powerful engine, xenon HID headlamps, VSA, etc.
Varmit, if you don't mind I would like your first impression of the vehicles you saw. When I saw the first pictures on the web, the Pilot looked very "boxy" and van-like. However, the brochure makes it look much better (maybe the web shots were pre-production?). I see some subtle similarities to the Highlander.....
Anyway my dealer will have "at least one" availble for test drives this weekend, but they have been told by Honda not to sell any until the "official" 6/3/02 release date.
a Pilot brochure last nite. A few interesting tidbits:
* Roof rails have a 150 lb. capacity, which is very good.
• Roof rails are unavailable on the LX—even as an option, which is bad. In fact, it's really DUMB!
• Honda has really structured the option packages so that the good stuff is only available on the top-of-the-line EX (with leather) models—also dumb.
• No moonroof, also dumb.
From what I've seen, I prefer the LX model, but would want (optional) stuff only found on the EX-leather models.
We went through the roof rail stuff a couple of days ago. Doesn't your brochure list a "roof rack" as an accessory you can buy for the LX?
Roof rails = rails only, standard on EX, can't buy as accessory for LX.
Roof cross members = accessory for EX, can't buy as accessory for LX, because ...
Roof rack = rails + cross members, for the LX.
At least that's the theory. I've seen listings of accessories and there is indeed a "roof rack" available for the LX. And it includes the rails and cross members.
Comments
either way, not an option for us. we don't really care about being the first on the block to have one, but we are required to turn in our lease vehicle (today!), so we are low on options.
I think there are around..... OMG! I don't know how many other options!!!!
Does anyone know how many other SUV's there are that are in the same price range as the Pilot?
I'm not even going to try to guess.
because i have a 2-year-old & another child on the way, decided that i would go with honda for now & save the "luxury" vehicle for when i won't be cleaning goldfish crackers out of the seats.
thanks for your concern though...
The 6-CD chnager is an accessory.
I've been tracking this car for a while, I know there will be a black color this year, but haven't heard of blue color for this car. So I said "BL" must stand for "BLack". He said he double checked with his manager, who'd gone to test drive the car, confirmed there's a blue color.
Anyone knows that Honda makes a blue pilot for 2003 model?
light blue (hint of minty green)...you'll either love it or hate it (don't buy it sight unseen)
http://pilot.honda.com/overview.asp?Section=Exterior
Gotta get the price down somehow.
I'm surprised the rails aren't available as an accessory.
Oh well ... you can probably get better aftermarket racks anyway!
The LX is not sold in Canada.
I got mine, late, but I got it.
On the roof rails:
I thought I had seen something that said the LX could get the roof rails as an accessory too, while the EX came with them, and you had to add cross-members as an accessory.
However, the pilot.honda.com website, which seems to be accurate and up-to-date, says under "Specifications" that the roof rails are standard on the EX, and not available on the LX (if it was an accessory, the site indicates accessory). Go figure!
Meanwhile, www.collegehillshonda.com, which has been somewhat accurate but not totally so, still lists the roof rails with crossbars as an accessory for the LX, at $223.75 (MSRP of $299). The crossbars alone are there for the EX.
It's possible the Honda site is wrong. Someone here listed from the accessory catalog and it also listed "roof rack."
Wait a sec -- I get it:
The "roof rails" are not available as an accessory for the LX, as the website says.
However, you can buy as an accessory the "roof rack," which includes the roof rails and cross members. That's why we see the roof rack listed as an accessory.
Aha!
I can just picture the Honda product planning person standing up in the conference room, and saying: "Well, the MDX has ten cup holders ... so the Pilot can't possibly have that many! Okay, let's make it just nine in the EX! That'll make the luxury-oriented folks want the MDX, and the practical-value-oriented folks buy the EX!"
http://www.acuramdx.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=5771
FYI, this isn't a solicitation but a recommendation. A lot of MDX owners have bought accessories from www.hondacuraworld.com and are very happy with Tim. Not only are his prices good (and he doesn't rip you off with high shipping charges), but he goes the extra mile and more for his customers. Great guy.
You can be sure people will attempt to secure luggage without the costly crossbars only to the detriment of surrounding vehicles. Sounds like a real liability issue for Honda.
To me, selling a roof rack without crossbars is like selling a car without a steering wheel.`
-mike
Next week they might have a Buick Rendevous in the driveway! And it'll be premium priced, because a Trailblazer, a Liberty, or an Explorer isn't refined enough, correctomundo?
Can we install a bridge? We've already got a troll to go under it, we just need the bridge.
...actually avoid the bridges, there are a couple dealers just outside of the bay area that do have scruples and sell for not a penny more than MSRP...and there lists are not that long (at least until others find them)
Invoice Pricing:
http://www.collegehillshonda.com/new/pilot/pilot03price.htm
Accord Coupe:
http://www.collegehillshonda.com/funstuff/03coupesm.jpg
-mike
Still a ripoff. I told him that I got to go (hang up).
In other news, check out our First Drive: 2003 Honda Pilot.
Steve
Host
SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
Steve
Host
SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
It has a glaring factual error or two. E.g. they said Honda is not offering a reverse backup system, when the accessory has been listed for months now on sites like www.collegehillshonda.com. Also says that a 6-dish CD changer isn't available, when it is obviously available as an DIO accessory (though I suppose technically it's not offered in a trim level -- but they say a rear view camera is available and that's an accessory too).
"Not as fun to drive" is of course subjective, but this is a ~4,400lb vehicle with relatively soft suspension tuning and tires that should be a bit bigger. As it says, the MDX is more sportier to drive (it is, though it's still not an X5 -- which isn't a bad thing given the X5's penalties for its great-for-an-SUV handling).
The Pilot should have a somewhat more plush ride than the MDX, the usual tradeoff versus handling. And Honda probably thought the market for a family SUV would give up that handling for the more cushy ride.
-mike
The seat does fold 60/40. And both parts of the second row seat slide forward for access, unlike the MDX where only the 40% portion slides forward. It is currently unknown if the second row can stay slid forward to allow for more legroom for the third row.
Frankly, the MDX third row is pretty cramped, okay for short hops for adults, but really best for children. Since the Pilot's third row is also pinched in between the wheel wells, three adults in the back had better be friendly ones. Even Honda says the 3-seating position is mostly for kids.
IMHO, there won't be 8-passenger capacity in the 2003 MDX. If only for the marketing images that Honda wants to use to artificially differentiate the vehicles. E.g. the Pilot as the 8-passenger "family vehicle" while the MDX is for "luxury/sport" buyers. I think Acura will eschew making the MDX a "family hauler" in image and focus on adding items chosen from a list that may or may not include a larger and more powerful engine, xenon HID headlamps, VSA, etc.
Anyway my dealer will have "at least one" availble for test drives this weekend, but they have been told by Honda not to sell any until the "official" 6/3/02 release date.
* Roof rails have a 150 lb. capacity, which is very good.
• Roof rails are unavailable on the LX—even as an option, which is bad. In fact, it's really DUMB!
• Honda has really structured the option packages so that the good stuff is only available on the top-of-the-line EX (with leather) models—also dumb.
• No moonroof, also dumb.
From what I've seen, I prefer the LX model, but would want (optional) stuff only found on the EX-leather models.
Bob
Roof rails = rails only, standard on EX, can't buy as accessory for LX.
Roof cross members = accessory for EX, can't buy as accessory for LX, because ...
Roof rack = rails + cross members, for the LX.
At least that's the theory. I've seen listings of accessories and there is indeed a "roof rack" available for the LX. And it includes the rails and cross members.
Bob