Mkaye - Yes, I understand about the middle seating position in the second row. I didn't sit in it, but I can see why it would be a problem. I just wanted to clarify that the rest of my post was about the outboard seating positions.
Bob (part 2) - I agree. A mid-way locking feature for the second row would be nice. According to what Wmquan has told us, the MDX has something like that (though we're not sure if it's intentional). Unfortunately, it only works on one side in the MDX.
As I recall, you can only access the third row seat on the MDX from curb-side, which is a bummer. Not so with the Pilot, as the rear seat can be accessed from either side.
I am considering the LX Pilot model for purchase. I want to know if I can install a keyless entry for the car. I'd like to buy it from the internetl honda dealer and install it myself. Or maybe I will go for the alarm and the remote from Honda part store.
Does anyone have experience with this installation? please advise
Funny you mention that. I usually do drive, but every single car I check out I start in the back seats and sometimes never even get to the front. EVERYONE who comes to a dealer with me wonders why I start in the back! Even though I don't spend time back there I find it to be important to make sure my riders are comfy in their seats (especially cause after 5 min in the car with me they are likely NOT to be comfy anymore!) hee hee
Got my Red EX the other day and love it. Sure the middle of the second row is stiff but so is the middle of my now traded CRV and other SUV's we looked at. Hopefully. in the future, since the LX does not have the activity tray one might be able to simply replace the tray with some padding (after market?)
In regards to the third row. My 3 year old sat back there and yes his feet did touch the seat in front of him but that's because his legs do not bend and stick straight out. After he grows a little this should not be a problem. I sat back their with my brother and it was not bad (Both 6' and 190lbs) I could easily handle it for an hour or so.
I guess it all comes down to is this a step up or down for you. I have driven Escorts, Accords and a CRV to me the pilot is luxury. Now if you have driven higher end cars or SUV's then sure this might be a step down for you.
using a baby seat in the Pilot with the seat pushed back? My wife feels that this may pose a problem with us, since I am so tall. The doesn't seem to be that much legroom after a baby seat has been installed.
Hi everybody I took a test drive on an EX-L and my wife really liked it. She would like to tow a little pop-up trailer with it. I am not sure but I think they may weigh about 2000-2500 #s. What do you think? (I know the rating is 3.3k pounds but should I go for a truck based SUV?)
the guys was very good and he knew his stuff. The dealer wants about $3k mark up. :-)
I also bought my Subaru WRX from the same place at MSRP last January 2001. I am not paying any mark up period.
Since I will be spending almost $33k plus $25k last year I would try to get him to give me some kind of a deal. Definetelly no mark up.
Car rides very nicely. 3rd row of seats is not a must but it is nice to have on occasion.
Finally got to do it. Was very roomy, but didn't drive like a big vehicle. It clearly has minivan origins. Felt like I was driving an Ody. Not necessarily bad, just not like other SUVs. Impressive turn radius and handling for a vehicle this size. Only big complaint is a non-functional rear window. Use it all the time in the wifes Explorer.
Nick - I would expect a truck-based SUV to be overkill for a 2.5K trailer. However, if you think you might outgrow that trailer and buy something larger in the future...
My gal called this a.m and I guess they finally got Pilots in GA. I swung by and rode around lurking behind the servie dept before she brought it too me. Impressive...very!. At first glance i thought man that's pretty. Hey that's my car!!! I opened the door and no the leather did'nt look cheap to me. I am so happy see it so I go back to work and wait. WOW she brings it two hours later and we drive!! At 45mph I stood on the brakes and wow we did'nt sway or anything it was a straight stop. She on the other hand about well, lets say had to order me another one!LOL After she caught her breath we both discussed how impressive that was. Then we drove over RR crossings and such. It was wonderful liked driving my Ody only I felt good in the car. Yes, I have 4 kids and Yes, this car will haul all my junk I require and No, I'm not a mini van mom anymore. I am grateful to this board and a special thanks to tom s. I'm glad I waited I wasn't impressed with the Accura styling on the inside as much as I was my Pilot. After driving the Ody for two years i'm in seventh heaven. I never was comfy in the seats and it was'nt much fun to drive. Now I have the best of what matters to "me" fun to drive and hauls my kids with safety and styling. I'm very very pleased. Maybe after a couple of years the MDX may mean more to me but right now I'm tickled to own a Pilot. And if it was'nt for this board I would have never known about the deposit and other things and would have been stuck waiting. I needed to haul 6 now I can. I hope you all find the car of your dreams at the moment I think I'll be very happy with the Pilot. oh, btw its' a BK-EXL RES sticker out the door at 32,900 with my trade. Thanks for everything.
Just got my July issue of Car and Driver with the 5 Best Trucks in it. The CR-V won best small SUV, the Pilot won best large SUV, and the Odyssey won best minivan.
Will the demand be greater and the supply even smaller for the Pilot a few months down the line? I can get at Pilot now at a few local dealers at MSRP but ideally would like to wait a few more months. I assume that the Pilot will always be available at MSRP or eventually less but could we possibly see the six months waiting list for these vehicles down the line?
There's a $6,000 price difference (EX for $29,000 vs. $35,000 base MDX) between the two. I'm hard pressed to list differences that justify that large an expenditure. Try it yourself and maybe you'll get a different answer.
Isoylac is the infant formula isn't it. Perhaps lacks any ruggedness should have been substituted for lacks creativity regarding the exterior looks of the MDX. I said Pilot styling was good but never expected it to get design awards nor will the MDX. Sorry but the MDX is a little too womanly for me.
Our warehouse has plenty of screw-ups too but the top reps get express courier service thus the "occasional" running. Regarding your decision for a Highstationwagonlander, I thought I would have to settle for one too without any other decent options until the Pilot arrived. I had even tagged one on a ship with a deposit but am so glad to have waited for the Pilot. Today I tossed an antique round dining room table in my Pilot to take to be refinished. This would not have been an option with the Toyota. Also, I would not risk the engine oil gelling issue with the Highlander. According to my mechanic Hung Lee at Asian One in Marietta Toyota tried to raise the head temperature to get the LEV low emission vehicle rating and in turn ended up cooking the oil. Sorry, but with possible $0 residual and a bad rap as this thing continues to blow to me it's not worth the risk. Play the lotto instead. Back to the Pilot, it is far more powerful than the Highlander with a lot more pep and the third row seat will certainly help for resale as the other manufacturers scramble to add one. Hope this helps you over the H hump. Happy Piloting!
woodard1 - I'd be interested to hear in what ways the Pilot is more fun to drive than your (ex-)Odyssey. Does it accelerate harder? Corner faster? Track better? Handle bumps better? Or is it that you feel you look better in it;)? Not trying to be facetious, just wondering if there are any genuine dynamic improvements between the Odyssey and the Pilot...
Cunfuscious say, Hmm...Let's see $1800 transmission or $5500 engine replacement. Which of these risk be the far bigger? Perhaps we should ask the audience or call our friend Hung Lee...Seriously this is supposed to be corrected in the Pilot.
Now that we are out of the game, I thought I'd share my info on dealers for the benefit of those in the Sacramento area, or those willing to drive up.
We ended up buying a 2001 Odyssey EX yesterday. I liked the Pilot a lot, but my husband didn't. There are pros and cons for each, but I have to admit the sliding doors will be a huge benefit when loading tiny twins in the garage & tight lots.
We bought from Mel Rapton Honda--excellent service. They are selling Pilots at MSRP, but not taking deposits. Matt is very eager to please.
Shingle Springs Honda is selling at MSRP but includes forced options. However, if you wanted a towing package, they might be worth a call.
University in Davis is selling at MSRP & will take deposits (without cahing your check!!). I dealt with Bruce. He was so courteous he apologized for being out sick with pneumonia and left me his home phone number which is where I reached him yesterday.
The ones not to bother calling (the prices are for EXs):
Elk Grove wanted about $3000 over, and that was after some "discount" they were offering me (for being the first to give a deposit??) I had a feeling the discount was going to turn out to be my deposit... They didn't even try countering when we said MSRP only. We took our money back.
Carmichael was asking 1500 over, plus about 250 in options. I don't know how open they were to dealing, but Marcus was good about keeping me informed. That is until he got miffed when he called today & heard I bought a Honda from someone other that him.
And Autowest (Roseville) told me 35K for an EX. When I said that was more than everyone else, the guy told me, "Yeah, but we get the biggest allocation." Hmmmm, that made me want to fork over the money....
Good luck to you all--I think it's a great vehicle & hope it will inspire more.
Went to see the Pilot over the weekend and thought it would be perfect for our family. Currently we own a '01 Limited High Lander but it became too small for our family (two adults plus 3 kids - 1 booster and two car seats). There is nothing wrong w/ HL but it would be nice if we can trade "up" to Pilot. So the question is how much we expect to make up the different between '01 23K mile HL and brand new Pilot. The saleslady at Honda dealer said the owner asked for 3K mark-up but if we really wanted the vehicle she has no problem pushing for MSRP. So how much we expect to get for the HL while the Pilot at MRRP (EX-L RES $32.5K I assume) considering the tax saving on the trade-in also. Thanks a bunch. You guys are great.....
Let's see $1800 transmission or $5500 engine replacement
AWD trannys are generally not $1800, heck most tranny replacements now-days are a lot more than $1800. Let's hope it is fixed, just like the engine sludge problems in the toyotas.
What I meant is..Is all the things I loved about my Ody and all the things I missed while I owned it. REF: I have 2yo triplets and 9yo girl I loved the handling and feel of the road I had with the Ody. I loved the radio controls on the wheel. I love the leather steering wheel of the Pilot, the lumbar in the Pilot the conv way I have figured out how to load my crew in. (2nd row car seats will fit 3 car seats nicely. As for my 9yo I will put her in the 3rd row (which she loves). All I have to do is take one car seat curb side out which takes nanna seconds and she can hop right in. This is on the rare occasions we all pile in together. If DH is not along she'll hop in the front and i have quick access to the kids. They are walking and can hop in there seats lovely. Back to what I love the leather seating is nice and the brushed chrome touches are nice and the messaging station in the console I really think is nice. In the ody my things slide all over the place in that middle tray thingy. And it seems to have more leg room. The Ody always felt cramped to me in the front driver and passanger seats. I like the DVD it's really nice. I never had one before. This is a total upgrade. BF kids I owned a Jeep Grand and it was scarey for me to drive at 65 on the highway. Just felt uncomfy. The Ody in 00 did'nt offer leather and I did'nt know about the dvd. I feel comfy at 80 on the highway in the Pilot it feels glued to the road. I also like the looks of it. It's really well, new to me.LOL Everybody has diffences and this is what I meant by my thoughts. I'm not a prof car person. I guess I'll see what DH thinks tonight we he's home from the car auctions. Did you buy or still pondering?
someone posted about lease payments she was quoted some posted back. May be May 31,st try that date. It was for 48 mths though and the resd. was 57% I think.
I am picking up my Pilot EX-L on Sat Jun 8. I paid MSRP(Pittsburgh PA) but I did haggle my trade value between dealers. This is my first Honda, I have always owned german cars except for wifes pathfinder(which I am trading in and do not like). Mercedes ML class 3rd seat was brutal. One of the many nice things about the germans is that they pay for the scheduled service. Are Hondas in general expensive to service? When are the scheduled services required? Is the Honda service usually good? Do they give you a loaner?
Let me begin by saying I am impressed. If I were shopping in this segment today, I would buy the Pilot...at MSRP.
Here are my impressions, which are pretty much in line with previous posts:
Engine - Smooth and moderately powerful. Not as potent as I thought it would be, but Honda slick.
Exterior - Attractive and conservative in a good way. I particularly like the big tires and muscular stance.
Interior - Attractive and functional. Materials are a little on the cheap side, but no worse than the competition. I love the split-fold 3rd row. It is the ideal setup to fit six people (2+3+1) and still have room for cargo. I was also impressed by the felt-like material on the left side of the rear seatbacks to prevent leather-on-leather rubbing...very thoughtful touch.
Comfort - I found the front seats comfortable and easily got a perfect driving position. As previously described, the second and 3rd rows were not comfortable. Legroom was lacking in the 2nd row and the seats were not supportive. The 3rd row was worse, and had difficult ingress/egress.
Noise - While the Pilot felt very solid and planted, I did note high tire noise intrusion (in typical Honda fashion). It was evident at all speeds on all but the smoothest road surfaces.
Value - Below average. The basic goodness of this car makes it a decent deal at MSRP, but the feature content is not up to par for the price. The Pilot lacks many features the competition includes such as moonroof, compass, rear sonar, heated seats, two-driver memory, etc.
Overall, the interior and exterior styling, plus the superior driving dynamics make this the new benchmark in the $30K segment. It's a nice ride!
The dealer I visited, Honda of Fife (Washington) was asking $6000 over MSRP and the sales manager didn't even flinch when I asked him what he would actually sell it for. I asked him why would anyone buy a Pilot EX-L for $37,000 when one can buy an MDX for $35,000. He said that Honda has higher quality and resale value than Acura, and the Pilot, although built alongside the MDX, has higher quality parts and better quality control.
Thanks for the lease info, it's very useful. I just need to understand something. Is the money factor the imputed interest rate? If it is, I would just multiply the oustanding balance on the car by the money factor each month to figure out my interest cost. However, that sounds awfully low (in the 3% a year range). What am I missing?
Anyway, I figured some lease payment assuming the following: - paying cash for TT&L on an EX (about $3.5K in beautiful CA..) - putting another $2.5K down to bring the financed amount down to $27K - assumed interest rate of 6.75% - residual of 64%
That would make a monthly of $356. Now, if I use the money factor of 0.0026 as mentioned by terry, I get a monthly of $288. Now, that sounds too good to be true. Anyway, just passing the info along.
here are some quotes a local dealer gave me (Tampa): EX-MSRP-$29720, $550-AHFC security deposit, $397-dealer prep fee = $30667 to be financed. If I paid just the start-ups of $650 on a three year lease, 15,000 miles/year, money factor-.0026 (or 6.25%), residual-64% my note would be $486/month (this includes tax). If I paid $600 out of pocket on a four year lease it would be $436/month. I found another dealer who isn't even charging the dealer prep fee and I may put a little more down so those number will improve, although I haven't ruled out financing either.
I had the chance to do a back to back comparison of the Highlander and Pilot this evening. I'd sat in the HL previously, but this was my first time driving it. It's a tougher call than I expected. The HL has some trick features and refinements I hadn't considered before. However, when I added it all up, the Pilot came out ahead.
Given the choice between a lumbering SUV and a smaller, more nimble, more fuel efficient vehicle, I'd go with the smaller one (as long as it's big enough). However, in this comparison, the HL is not significantly more nimble. It is not more fuel efficient. It doesn't demonstrate any of the advantages that I had hoped a smaller vehicle would offer. With the Pilot, I can get big SUV utility without the typical drawbacks of a larger vehicle.
I may take a look at others before I eventually sign away my hard earned cash, but the Highlander is out of the running for now.
Bob - I checked on the third row seats. They do have a slight adjustment to the rake of the backrest. They only have two positions and the difference is only an inch or so, but it does make some difference.
I tried for about ten minutes trying to get the second row to stop midway on the sliding track. No dice. While the seat will stand upright in the mid-way position, it refuses to lock into place anywhere other than the rearmost point on the track. :-(
"I asked him why would anyone buy a Pilot EX-L for $37,000 when one can buy an MDX for $35,000. He said that Honda has higher quality and resale value than Acura, and the Pilot, although built alongside the MDX, has higher quality parts and better quality control."
Heh, now that's a salesman talking! I'm sure the Acura of Fife dealer says it the other way around!
$6,000 over MSRP is obscene. Yes, yes, to all those defending the free market, supply and demand, value-pricing, etc. But I think that's just obscene. Unfortunately Acura dealers are also asking for above MSRP in Washington, though not by that much.
I wish to thank all the contributers of information on this thread, esp Varmint, as I have been following unfolding news and opinions about the Pilot from the beginning.
Let me explain that I am anatomically challenged at 6'5" and 240 lbs to fit comfortably in about 85% of cars and 95% of previously manufactured SUV's. Most of the trouble is caused by a long torso and vehicles with upscale options including sunroofs which diminishes at least 2" of headroom. Driving in a slouched position becomes tedious in short order and when turning to look rearward my noggin contacts the roof. Additionally SUV's such as the Durango, Tahoe, Suburban, Explorer, Mountainer, or Trailblazer have a high seat position even with a power seat lowered and reclined. Therefore tall people can only see out of the very top of the windshied with the head in a flexed position. Not very comfortable, sort of like a machine gunner looking out of a pillbox. The key is a lower seating position found in car based SUV's, with as large a windshield as possible without a sunroof and at least 41" of front seat travel. The only 2 vehicles a found fitting this bill were the Highlander and now the Pilot. The Highlander has these narrow non adjustable arm rests which are not comfortable. If it had an arm rest console like the Pilot I would have had to choose between two. By the way the Rendevoux also sits too high and the seat travel is about 1" less then the Pilot, which is significant. I waited for and finally found a vehicle with AWD, comfort and cargo room of my 1991 Merc Colony Park wagon which I've been driving for 11 years and 138,000 miles. Happily there came a vehicle with leather, CD player and other goodies without a sunroof that wasn't over 200" long or 5000lbs. The windshield in the Pilot is huge allowing a neutral head position, a feeling of space, and a panoramic view of the road. The tall among us will be grateful, my search for a new machine has thankfully ended.
I forgot to add that rear seat room is also important when the drivers seat is maxed to the rear with some degree of incline. The Pilot with 37.4" of legroom and an ability to recline the the rear seat (actually the second row seat) allows someone over 6' to sit behind me. The middle position is harder on the back because of the activity tray but this is one negative in a sea of positives IMHO. No other SUV offers these specs in the mid sized ranks
We took delivery of new Pilot yesterday, 6-4-02. Red EX with gray cloth. Have driven 170 miles on short trip out of town and some in town. Wife and I love it so far. Will report again after more experience. Mesa Honda (AZ) selling for $500 over.
My physical configuration is roughly the same as yours, long body, short legs, big frame. I'v also done considerable research into a vehicle that fits. I've been driving a MB ML 430 for 3 years, and it's not too bad. The new GM triplets (Envoy, Trailblazer, etc) were an excellent fit, but there were reliability issues. The Subaru Outback VDC was a surprising candidate. The redesign in 2000 gave it quite a bit more room in the front seat, but the back is still challenged. I also have the requirement of needing a good 4x4 system, due to snowy winters. You have probably made an excellent choice; I'm still looking. Cheers Pat
We went for a test drive last evening and my wife is in love. She marched into the show room and wanted the next available pilot (until she found out that it was a blue one out back that someone cancelled their order for). After seeing the blue up close it really didn't appeal to us. Anyway I have never seen her act this way about any car purchase. It is usually, "well, I don't know. Should we? My current car is fine right now."
I am sure that most who have been inside the pilot will agree with the middle/middle seat being a little difficult to sit in. Other than that I wasn't expecting the back seat to have tons of room especially since for us it will be on few occasions that we would use it. We pulled up next to it in our accord and the pilot seemed shorter.
The worst part of the whole experience was when my two year old son said, "why are we test driving a van?" My wife thought it was the funniest thing in the world because neither one of us would be caught dead in a mini van (sorry, just personal feelings). I quickly corrected him and said it was an SUV. He repeated SUV a couple of times with me but then when I wasn't paying attention he went right back to "this is a van." Wouldn't that be frightening if he kept that up?
We are going to probably get one but have to wait until orders come in in July/August. Bobby Rahal Honda in Southcentral PA is selling at invoice. Great company too!
Thanks to everyone else for your posts too, they have been very helpful.
I saw the Pilot in person this morning while waiting for an oil change. Others have said it looks like a super-sized CR-V and I agree. It's okay looking nothing to boast about. I think I'll pass on it.
BTW, I did happen to come across the Kia Sorento. It's better looking than the Pilot and will have more features like a side curtain air-bag and a SUNROOF. I've not taken to Kia's in the past but if this thing drives as well as it looks, I may consider buying it.
Thanks for the seating follow up. I would hope that Honda would add a few fore/aft locking positions to the middle seat base. That feature alone could go a long way in reducing the amount of third-row legroom complaints.
Comments
Mkaye - Yes, I understand about the middle seating position in the second row. I didn't sit in it, but I can see why it would be a problem. I just wanted to clarify that the rest of my post was about the outboard seating positions.
Bob (part 2) - I agree. A mid-way locking feature for the second row would be nice. According to what Wmquan has told us, the MDX has something like that (though we're not sure if it's intentional). Unfortunately, it only works on one side in the MDX.
-mike
Bob
Bob
Bob
Does anyone have experience with this installation? please advise
Thanks
Dan from CA
-mike
In regards to the third row. My 3 year old sat back there and yes his feet did touch the seat in front of him but that's because his legs do not bend and stick straight out. After he grows a little this should not be a problem. I sat back their with my brother and it was not bad (Both 6' and 190lbs) I could easily handle it for an hour or so.
I guess it all comes down to is this a step up or down for you. I have driven Escorts, Accords and a CRV to me the pilot is luxury. Now if you have driven higher end cars or SUV's then sure this might be a step down for you.
Installing a Honda factory alarm/keyless is really
easy. Everthing pre-wired...no splicing
or soddering. Did one on a '01 Civic.
the guys was very good and he knew his stuff. The dealer wants about $3k mark up. :-)
I also bought my Subaru WRX from the same place at MSRP last January 2001. I am not paying any mark up period.
Since I will be spending almost $33k plus $25k last year I would try to get him to give me some kind of a deal. Definetelly no mark up.
Car rides very nicely. 3rd row of seats is not a must but it is nice to have on occasion.
Cheers
Nick
Only big complaint is a non-functional rear window. Use it all the time in the wifes Explorer.
Wish the dealer experience was as impressive.
noted, but believe me the Pilot will not win any exterior design awards
Re Job: "Daily sales work requires occasional product running to keep the customers happy so the cavernous cargo hold is great."
With the amount of mistakes my warehouse / drivers were making, a cargo van was needed for all those will-call pickups
Glad you found a vehicle you love, I am still on the fence: Pilot? MDX? Highlander?
Perhaps lacks any ruggedness should have been substituted for lacks creativity regarding the exterior looks of the MDX. I said Pilot styling was good but never expected it to get design awards nor will the MDX. Sorry but the MDX is a little too womanly for me.
Our warehouse has plenty of screw-ups too but the top reps get express courier service thus the "occasional" running. Regarding your decision for a Highstationwagonlander, I thought I would have to settle for one too without any other decent options until the Pilot arrived. I had even tagged one on a ship with a deposit but am so glad to have waited for the Pilot. Today I tossed an antique round dining room table in my Pilot to take to be refinished. This would not have been an option with the Toyota. Also, I would not risk the engine oil gelling issue with the Highlander. According to my mechanic Hung Lee at Asian One in Marietta Toyota tried to raise the head temperature to get the LEV low emission vehicle rating and in turn ended up cooking the oil. Sorry, but with possible $0 residual and a bad rap as this thing continues to blow to me it's not worth the risk. Play the lotto instead. Back to the Pilot, it is far more powerful than the Highlander with a lot more pep and the third row seat will certainly help for resale as the other manufacturers scramble to add one. Hope this helps you over the H hump.
Happy Piloting!
I'd be interested to hear in what ways the Pilot is more fun to drive than your (ex-)Odyssey. Does it accelerate harder? Corner faster? Track better? Handle bumps better?
Or is it that you feel you look better in it;)?
Not trying to be facetious, just wondering if there are any genuine dynamic improvements between the Odyssey and the Pilot...
-mike
We ended up buying a 2001 Odyssey EX yesterday. I liked the Pilot a lot, but my husband didn't. There are pros and cons for each, but I have to admit the sliding doors will be a huge benefit when loading tiny twins in the garage & tight lots.
We bought from Mel Rapton Honda--excellent service. They are selling Pilots at MSRP, but not taking deposits. Matt is very eager to please.
Shingle Springs Honda is selling at MSRP but includes forced options. However, if you wanted a towing package, they might be worth a call.
University in Davis is selling at MSRP & will take deposits (without cahing your check!!). I dealt with Bruce. He was so courteous he apologized for being out sick with pneumonia and left me his home phone number which is where I reached him yesterday.
The ones not to bother calling (the prices are for EXs):
Elk Grove wanted about $3000 over, and that was after some "discount" they were offering me (for being the first to give a deposit??) I had a feeling the discount was going to turn out to be my deposit... They didn't even try countering when we said MSRP only. We took our money back.
Carmichael was asking 1500 over, plus about 250 in options. I don't know how open they were to dealing, but Marcus was good about keeping me informed. That is until he got miffed when he called today & heard I bought a Honda from someone other that him.
And Autowest (Roseville) told me 35K for an EX. When I said that was more than everyone else, the guy told me, "Yeah, but we get the biggest allocation." Hmmmm, that made me want to fork over the money....
Good luck to you all--I think it's a great vehicle & hope it will inspire more.
Jessica
AWD trannys are generally not $1800, heck most tranny replacements now-days are a lot more than $1800.
-mike
I'd like to figure out what a lease payment would be on a Pilot EX.
I loved the handling and feel of the road I had with the Ody. I loved the radio controls on the wheel. I love the leather steering wheel of the Pilot, the lumbar in the Pilot the conv way I have figured out how to load my crew in. (2nd row car seats will fit 3 car seats nicely. As for my 9yo I will put her in the 3rd row (which she loves). All I have to do is take one car seat curb side out which takes nanna seconds and she can hop right in. This is on the rare occasions we all pile in together. If DH is not along she'll hop in the front and i have quick access to the kids. They are walking and can hop in there seats lovely. Back to what I love the leather seating is nice and the brushed chrome touches are nice and the messaging station in the console I really think is nice. In the ody my things slide all over the place in that middle tray thingy. And it seems to have more leg room. The Ody always felt cramped to me in the front driver and passanger seats. I like the DVD it's really nice. I never had one before. This is a total upgrade. BF kids I owned a Jeep Grand and it was scarey for me to drive at 65 on the highway. Just felt uncomfy. The Ody in 00 did'nt offer leather and I did'nt know about the dvd. I feel comfy at 80 on the highway in the Pilot it feels glued to the road. I also like the looks of it. It's really well, new to me.LOL Everybody has diffences and this is what I meant by my thoughts. I'm not a prof car person. I guess I'll see what DH thinks tonight we he's home from the car auctions. Did you buy or still pondering?
I'll try to do some computations then.
Here are my impressions, which are pretty much in line with previous posts:
Engine - Smooth and moderately powerful. Not as potent as I thought it would be, but Honda slick.
Exterior - Attractive and conservative in a good way. I particularly like the big tires and muscular stance.
Interior - Attractive and functional. Materials are a little on the cheap side, but no worse than the competition. I love the split-fold 3rd row. It is the ideal setup to fit six people (2+3+1) and still have room for cargo. I was also impressed by the felt-like material on the left side of the rear seatbacks to prevent leather-on-leather rubbing...very thoughtful touch.
Comfort - I found the front seats comfortable and easily got a perfect driving position. As previously described, the second and 3rd rows were not comfortable. Legroom was lacking in the 2nd row and the seats were not supportive. The 3rd row was worse, and had difficult ingress/egress.
Noise - While the Pilot felt very solid and planted, I did note high tire noise intrusion (in typical Honda fashion). It was evident at all speeds on all but the smoothest road surfaces.
Value - Below average. The basic goodness of this car makes it a decent deal at MSRP, but the feature content is not up to par for the price. The Pilot lacks many features the competition includes such as moonroof, compass, rear sonar, heated seats, two-driver memory, etc.
Overall, the interior and exterior styling, plus the superior driving dynamics make this the new benchmark in the $30K segment. It's a nice ride!
The dealer I visited, Honda of Fife (Washington) was asking $6000 over MSRP and the sales manager didn't even flinch when I asked him what he would actually sell it for. I asked him why would anyone buy a Pilot EX-L for $37,000 when one can buy an MDX for $35,000. He said that Honda has higher quality and resale value than Acura, and the Pilot, although built alongside the MDX, has higher quality parts and better quality control.
Run, don't walk away from Fife!
Anyway, I figured some lease payment assuming the following:
- paying cash for TT&L on an EX (about $3.5K in beautiful CA..)
- putting another $2.5K down to bring the financed amount down to $27K
- assumed interest rate of 6.75%
- residual of 64%
That would make a monthly of $356. Now, if I use the money factor of 0.0026 as mentioned by terry, I get a monthly of $288. Now, that sounds too good to be true.
Anyway, just passing the info along.
Given the choice between a lumbering SUV and a smaller, more nimble, more fuel efficient vehicle, I'd go with the smaller one (as long as it's big enough). However, in this comparison, the HL is not significantly more nimble. It is not more fuel efficient. It doesn't demonstrate any of the advantages that I had hoped a smaller vehicle would offer. With the Pilot, I can get big SUV utility without the typical drawbacks of a larger vehicle.
I may take a look at others before I eventually sign away my hard earned cash, but the Highlander is out of the running for now.
I tried for about ten minutes trying to get the second row to stop midway on the sliding track. No dice. While the seat will stand upright in the mid-way position, it refuses to lock into place anywhere other than the rearmost point on the track. :-(
Heh, now that's a salesman talking! I'm sure the Acura of Fife dealer says it the other way around!
$6,000 over MSRP is obscene. Yes, yes, to all those defending the free market, supply and demand, value-pricing, etc. But I think that's just obscene. Unfortunately Acura dealers are also asking for above MSRP in Washington, though not by that much.
Let me explain that I am anatomically challenged at 6'5" and 240 lbs to fit comfortably in about 85% of cars and 95% of previously manufactured SUV's. Most of the trouble is caused by a long torso and vehicles with upscale options including sunroofs which diminishes at least 2" of headroom.
Driving in a slouched position becomes tedious in short order and when turning to look rearward my noggin contacts the roof. Additionally SUV's such as the Durango, Tahoe, Suburban, Explorer, Mountainer, or Trailblazer have a high seat position even with a power seat lowered and reclined. Therefore tall people can only see out of the very top of the windshied with the head in a flexed position. Not very comfortable, sort of like a machine gunner looking out of a pillbox.
The key is a lower seating position found in car based SUV's, with as large a windshield as possible without a sunroof and at least 41" of front seat travel.
The only 2 vehicles a found fitting this bill were the Highlander and now the Pilot. The Highlander has these narrow non adjustable arm rests which are not comfortable. If it had an arm rest console like the Pilot I would have had to choose between two. By the way the Rendevoux also sits too high and the seat travel is about 1" less then the Pilot, which is significant.
I waited for and finally found a vehicle with AWD, comfort and cargo room of my 1991 Merc Colony Park wagon which I've been driving for 11 years and 138,000 miles.
Happily there came a vehicle with leather, CD player and other goodies without a sunroof that wasn't over 200" long or 5000lbs. The windshield in the Pilot is huge allowing a neutral head position, a feeling of space, and a panoramic view of the road. The tall among us will be grateful, my search for a new machine has thankfully ended.
Cheers
Pat
I am sure that most who have been inside the pilot will agree with the middle/middle seat being a little difficult to sit in. Other than that I wasn't expecting the back seat to have tons of room especially since for us it will be on few occasions that we would use it. We pulled up next to it in our accord and the pilot seemed shorter.
The worst part of the whole experience was when my two year old son said, "why are we test driving a van?" My wife thought it was the funniest thing in the world because neither one of us would be caught dead in a mini van (sorry, just personal feelings). I quickly corrected him and said it was an SUV. He repeated SUV a couple of times with me but then when I wasn't paying attention he went right back to "this is a van." Wouldn't that be frightening if he kept that up?
We are going to probably get one but have to wait until orders come in in July/August. Bobby Rahal Honda in Southcentral PA is selling at invoice. Great company too!
Thanks to everyone else for your posts too, they have been very helpful.
-mike
Cheers
Pat
BTW, I did happen to come across the Kia Sorento. It's better looking than the Pilot and will have more features like a side curtain air-bag and a SUNROOF. I've not taken to Kia's in the past but if this thing drives as well as it looks, I may consider buying it.
-mike
I am sure they would appreciate all the phone calls until you told them you expected invoice.
Thanks for the catch Pat.
Bob