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Comments
-mike
Has anyone seen any pics of the 4Runner?? Sure would like to consider this if I have to wait until the end of the year for a Pilot.
The best one I've seen yet is the newly minted "Pilot vs. Saab Wagon" topic - ROFL
I don't think the Murano will compete much in the Pilot Market and personnelly I wouldnt consider a KIA competion (maybe on the lower end). The VW would worry my about quality in the 1st year (more so than the Honda which is tested in the MDX/Odyssey) as would the Volvo (which looks to be too pricey anyway)
my 2 cents
However, I also see many differences. The HL's body seems lower to the ground. The Pilot's body lines are softer and less aggressive. The HL uses more flat surfaces (like the front bumper) as styling motifs.
I can understand the comparisons with mini-vans, given the platform sharing, but I don't see much of it in the sheetmetal or overall shape. The rear door seems mini-vanesque, but the high rear bumper takes away that image. It's not an uncommon look anyway. (I believe the Durango actually uses the exact same door as the older short body Caravan.) The nose isn't quite short enough to reek of van and the front grill is much higher. From the side view, the windows look completely different and ground clearance is obvious. The larger wheel arches also lend a much more aggressive stance.
Now that I think about it... No, I guess I can't understand the comparison with a van.
Bob
I guess I'll just hope that in the next year or two, Honda will offer one or someone will make an after-market one that doesn't go in the trunk.
-mike
Also thought the pricing was way high. Honda is really taking advantage of their name in my view. Still, I'm sure people will buy them. Honda seems to sell everything well regardless of price. Unreal.
-mike
The first 2 rows have plenty of leg room, however,
I would like to use the 3rd row for a child seat. Has anyone put one back there? What age child do you think will have enough leg room in a car seat in the 3rd row? And what about a child without a car seat?
One for $34k one for $37, both with $1500 markup, the one for $37 had lots of nonsense like unattractive wood accents, etc added on.
The rear seat fit me quite nicely, I am a 5' 6" adult.
It looked very nice from the outside, although 17'' or 18" wheels would be nice.
I found the inside materials to be not too attractive. To me it looked like the cow they got the leather from had a "one nighter" in "vinyl-ville". These cars had grey interiors and the colors did not seem to match too well on the dash/seats/glovebox.
While I cannot recall details, I remember when I looked at an MDX awhile back I was impressed with the materials and interior details, here I am not.
They both had DVD entertainment.
I came away not terribly impressed, this car did not distance itself in my mind from the Explorer
Now I'm wondering if adding a moonroof is possible.
Does anyone have any experience with aftermarket Moonroofs?
As for Highlander and Pilot being bland, I've read somewhere Toyota and Honda design to offend no one.
The final decision for me to get the Pilot was seeing some people at Lowes trying to stuff sheetrock into a Grand Cherokee.
Our other car is a Highlander Limited.
We absolutely love it.
If it had more space in back (I use it for work)I would have gotten a second one.
So far no problems with it at all (Knock on wood).
Let's face it, most Honda buyers would not even set foot in a Ford dealership (the Explorer or maybe Expedition are the only domestic comparable SUVs).
Toyota new 4 Runner will not have a 3rd row seat or IRS. The alternative would be the Sequoia which is bigger, more expensive and more of a truck.
The Nissan Murano is a five seater AFAIK, Nissan are usually a bit more than Hondas (a few $K at least).
The last Japanese competitor is the Mitsu, but the rollover flap is not helping and it's underpowered.
Lastly, the Touareg from VW won't have a 3rd row seat, will probably be expensive, and if it's as reliable as my Golf, I'd stay away from it.
Bottom line, the Pilot is all by itself at $30K MSRP for an EX, and will keep on selling like hot cakes.
Apparently, the in-dash changer will NOT work with the EX because Honda does not have a bezel for the lower dash position. In the EX, the changer must replace the storage pocket located in the lower dash; in the LX, the in-dash changer fits immediately below the radio, which is in the upper dash.
Initially, my dealer said that the under-seat changer would also not work in the EX, because of the (perceived) lack of space under the powered drivers seat. However, after reading the Honda instruction sheets for the under-seat CD changer (which I downloaded from www.collegehillshonda.com), I noticed that the instructions contain specific information for installing the CD changer in a NAVI-equipped Pilot. By definition, all NAVI-equipped Pilots are also EX's.
I took the instruction sheets to the service manager and he now agrees that the under-seat changer should work. They will be installing it tomorrow and I will report back to the group. It seems that there might be some bad applicability info in the Honda parts books. We'll see.
I'll have to check on the Highlander. I assumed it was an LEV for low emmissions states.
Dindak - If you only look at the sticker, I would tend to agree. However, when you compare it with a similar vehicle with similar options, the difference doesn't look like much.
Jdubbs - A child seat will fit in the third row without any difficulty. However, getting the child in and out of it may be tough. The opening to the rear seat is pretty confined. It may be a back-breaker if you do it everyday.
Zorglub - Many folks will cross shop with five seaters. I'm sure many will buy the Pilot even though they never plan on using the third row. I see the main competition to be the Highlander and RDV. After that, the Explorer and Durango come into consideration, despite the truck frame difference. (Many buyers wouldn't know a unit-body if it bit them).
I expect that the Touareg and Murano will both be loaded with sport; short on utility. Neither looks like it has a very big cargo space.
http://pilot.honda.com/home.asp
Go to "Tools" and click on "Build your Pilot"
I pick my Pilot up tomorrow afternoon. Got auto-dimming/compass mirror, mud flaps, cargo net and fog lights for $400 over MSRP! It's going to be a long night - I can't wait!
Has been driving the car for few days now, here is my review:
Interior spacing:
We think it's smaller than we initially thought, we were looking at Odyssey van. Then realize that Ody doesn't have the center console, only a tray that can be folded down to make path to 2nd row seats. At the 2nd row, Ody only has 2 seats, plus being a van with large sliding doors, making access in/out of the van and to the 2nd and 3rd row seats much easier. All these access spaces just make you feel the Ody is much bigger, and it IS larger than Pilot.
But Pilot is an SUV with sedan-like swing-out doors, door-to-door second row seats, plus a large, very useful I might add, center console. Plus AWD, plus ... My wife went back and forth between a Ody and Pilot several times, finally decided to stay with the Pilot.
Exterior: Typical Honda plain looking, but the fit is very good.
Engine and transmission:
Very quiet and smooth, enough power, though initial acceleration needed more pedal to kick start. Transmission is great, very smooth, and hold speed well in down hill.
The infamous gear shift handle was a little wired, but I didn?t have problem, just need to pull all the way in, then start to shift to R, N and D. It stopped at D. Then pull in again to shift to D3, 2 and 1.
Ride:
No wind noise. On the way back, I drove through a very windy stretch of highway (PG&E setup wind mills there to generate electricity), no wind noise at all. But very noticeable road/tire noise.
Suspension is on the softer side, softer than MDX, but harder than Ody.
Build:
Typically of Honda, things fit very well, clean yet functional design.
Cardinal Honda in Groton, Ct is selling the Pilots for $95 BELOW MSRP. They also extend the warranty out to 40,000 miles and 40 months. They also give another bunch extras for free.
Their only problem is they are selling them real quick. They had five as of last Friday, I doubt if they are still there but every one they get they sell for $95 below MSRP. So if that is a good deal give em a yell.
Like I said, Honda fans will pay the piper. At least it will probably be a good vehicle.
Even 2001+ 2 door Civic styling tooo 'girly' ? I have not seen a single male driving 2 door Civic in silver color. (saw a few in Black coupe) I see atleast 5 silver coupes with female drivers.
1)If I get the Pilot the deciding factor will be the availability of the DVD otherwise I would buy the MDX. Is this a smart move ??
2) Regarding the DVD system. Does the DVD get placed in the front CD input or is it controlled through an access in the back unit. It's hard to tell in pictures and I didn't pay that much attention to the DVD unit when I was at the dealer. I've been told that after-market DVD components get installed under the seat and that would be difficult to change DVD's while driving.
If the budget allows, go for the MDX. The EX-L Pilot might be the choice for me, if I were getting one over the MDX.
I was going to buy a MDX-touring and with the extras (sideboards,cargo cover) vs the Pilot EX-L with the same options there is a $7,000 difference.
The MDX has a little better handling, nicer leather, sunroof and just seems like a step up in quality from the Pilot. The only question is is whether it is $7,000 better.
I have a Pilot on order for August delivery but am still deciding which way to go. But really these two ARE the choice in this class.
The DVD player is mounted in the center console, below the head unit. It is a separate component from the head unit and thus does not use the CD slot in the head unit. It has its own slot. It is easily accessible by the driver or front passenger while seated.
The DVD system is FACTORY-installed. The dealer does nothing. It is therefore covered by the standard 3 year/36,000 mile warranty.
Hope this helps a little...
I just got the Black EX-L/DVD! Right when I saw this car I knew instantly it was my car. It was actually the showroom model. The DVD is a blast! My son loves it. I am sure it will come in handy for many years to come. The best thing about it is that it comes with 2 Wireless headphones so that the kids can watch the DVD or listen to a radio station while up front we can listen to radio/tape/cd different from them. Wow, if I only had this when I went on long trips with my parents
A new ultra-compact (10.6" x 7" x 1.59") notebook computer with built-in DVD/CDRW ( http://webshop.fujitsupc.com/fpc/Ecommerce/buildseriesbean.do?series=P2 ) costs the same $1500. Just think about all the things you can do with that machine. woodard1, tell your 9 year old that she can watch movies anywhere she wants and play games too, of course, she has to finish her home work on that computer first
I'm paying MSRP. The dealer wants $945.00 for
the towing package installed and $619.00 for
the running boards. Anyone think that is too
much for these installed options? I believe the running boards will be essential to gain entry
to the 3rd row seating, otherwise the little
feet will be stepping on the painted door
sill to gain entry, because of the height. I
wish they had extended the lower plastic door
trim to avoid scarring the paint.
Initially I didn't want the leather, thinking seats maybe too hot to sit on after parked under the CA sun for a long period of time (afterall, we got over 10 months of sunny weather each year in the Bay Area). Then the tinted windows really work well, plus only $1250 more, leather does feel much nicer.
After all the hype of the pilot, I was expecting it to be bigger, with a lot more space. I wasn't too impressed (thanks to hype). And I wouldn't want to pay msrp, yet alone over (but that's me). I will wait till next year and see if I can get a 'bargain'. Compared to the rest of the non-luxury SUV's out there, Honda quality is the redeeming value here (as well as the mechanics under the skin). Exterior/interior was average.
Enjoy piloting!
For reference you can pick up the running boards for ~$411 and the Towing package for ~$538 online...So you are paying ~$600 in "labor"
Depending on how comfortable you are with tools you can install either of those options yourself.
If you look under the Pilot/Accessories area of the www.collegehillshonda.com website you will find online versions of the install manuals for the various options if you want to see how hard it would be.