Honda Pilot 2003 through 2005

g8tor

we got an ex-l. i don't know about your wife, but i'm 5'2" & have been very comfortable w/ it, i.e. can reach the pedals w/o being too close to the steering wheel, easy to get the baby in & out. we're thinking portable dvds are in our future - only want them for "trips," and like being able to take them in a hotel or wherever.
i can't remember exactly what we paid, we were probably out the door for around $33K (incl. tax, tag etc.). (tax in deland is 6.5%.) and now that i think about it, there was one "dealer fee" ~$300. but it was on all their vehicles & cost less than renting a car for a few weeks (which we were about to have to do) so we didn't quibble over it. it was seriously the easiest vehicle purchase i've ever done.
i test drove the mdx about 6 months ago (& loved it), but we were still far from turning in our volvo, so we didn't get into price. at that point, they were just insisting that i order one far in advance of needing it. so i'm not much help there.

crikey

Enjoy your Pilot! ...funny, I was thinking of portable dvds also since they can be used outside of the vehicle -- more utility.

suvjoe1234

Does the pilot's headrest for front seats tilt forward? They do for MDX and I don't think they do for the Pilot.

Spyponder

Honda's marketing folks must be giving each other high-fives after that Car and Driver review.

Honda took three out of the five "Best truck" categories:
Best Small SUV: CR-V
Best Large SUV: Pilot
Best Van: Odyssey

And this from a company that many would argue doesn't even make trucks!

kexicao

It could be 4 out of 5 if they didn't change the rules for qualifying luxury (must be > $50k) suvs so that MDX is no longer in the contest.

rsholland

will take exception to the fact that C&D called the Pilot "large." When I hear large SUV, that implies full-size SUV, not mid-size SUV.

IMO, there a lot of "specifics" in that category that C&D flat out ignored, and that the Pilot lacks. Number one being, people who consider "large" SUVs generally need much more capability than the Pilot offers. Folks who tow horse trailers (many who live out my way), or large boat trailers will laugh at the C&D ranking.

If they had said "mid-size SUVs," that would be a different matter; but best full-size (or large) SUV, that's a joke.

Bob

paisan

Haaa

They also consider the Chevy Impala, and Ford Tarus to be "full-size" cars To me a full-size car is a Grand Marq. Caprice, Town car, etc.

It's all in the marketing...

What would you and I consider to be "full size" the marketing/media call "ultra large"

-mike

PS: HONDA DOESN'T MAKE TRUCKS. That's a fact jack.

varmint

"PS: HONDA DOESN'T MAKE TRUCKS. That's a fact jack."

Thank goodness.

varmint

Rsholland - I agree. They lump all SUVs into three categories: small, large and luxury. So the Pilot was competing with everything from the Saturn VUE to the Ford Excursion.

This sort of comparison can be done. This would be more like a Best in Show award as opposed to a Best in Breed. Each vehicle is measured against a standard for their respective class, rather than against each other. The one that comes closest to meeting that standard is the winner.

In this case, I think C&D does a poor job of showing their criteria. We don't know what those standards are. That omission doesn't make the type of comparison invalid, though.

suvjoe1234

Don't you think sooner or later they will have to subdivide SUVs into truck-based and car-based in comparison testing to account for what you mentioned above?

rsholland

a mid-size SUV category. The market is currently broken down into 3 basic categories: Small, medium and large; not small, large and luxury.

Bob

Spyponder

As a CR-V owner, I have no problem calling the Pilot "large".

minliang_c

Sorry maybe this topic belongs to anther board, but it came up when I was taking the delivery of my Pilot. Sales Rep briefly went through the manual with me, Honda is asking people to use 5W-20 oil. When asked why, he replied "Honda is the #1 engine maker in the world (by volumes), they know how, so listen to Honda". But I mostly use 10W-30, occasional even 10W-40, and my '90 Accord has 147K miles on it and no problem at all.
Is 5W-20 oil really better than 10W-30 or doesn't matter? How? What do you say?

g8tor

i don't know anything about oil, BUT i do know that our salesman recommended 5w-30 for us b/c of the "severe" (bloody hot) driving conditions in florida. (i wouldn't quote him but he wrote in my manual for me, so i'm sure that's what he said.) ;-)

paisan

I think they definitely need to do:

Uni-body Small
Uni-body Large
Frame-based Small
Frame-based Large
Luxury

It's pretty hard to compare a Pilot to say a Trooper even though they are close in size, displacement etc. The Pilot will winout on-road and "family" oriented activities, whereas it can't touch the Trooper for Towing and off-road prowess. Kinda like comparing a hiking boot to a track-shoe!

-mike

diploid

If you visit cars.com, the Pilot is listed under the "small SUVs" category, while the MDX is listed under "mid-size SUVs," along with the Santa Fe, XL-7 and Aztek.

What they need to do is make a standard across the board for every single magazine and website to use.

tidester

As a CR-V owner, I have no problem calling the Pilot "large".

How about volumetrically endowed?

tidester
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SUVs; Aftermarket & Accessories

naft

Does the Pilot come with body side moldings?
Is body side moldings an optional item? I looked at six pilots at a dealer, they didn't have any body side moldings. This is a useful and common
feature on most cars and SUVs today.

naft

regnideir

Oil numbers are listed as the first number is low temp viscosity (0 deg F) the second high temp (210 deg F) the higher the number the thicker the oil. The 5w-20 is going to be thinner than the 10w-30. The hotter any oil the thinner it gets. The multi-grades and synthetics are less temperature sensitive though. I don't have an owner manual in front of me but I remember lots of cars have different oil recommendations depending on the expected temperature range you will be driving in. My advise would be to read and follow the owner's manual and forget the Sales Rep (unless he has a direct line to the engineers at American Honda). Its makes a big difference if you live in Arizona or Minnesota.

davisdog

Heck, pretty soon we will have enough classes of SUV's so every one of them gets an award for something...

maybe even the passport?

bengelking

My insurance went up $5 a month when I switched to the Pilot (coming from a 1994 Acura Integra GS-R).

Window washer fluid has one tank for both wipers (front and rear).

My dealer recommended 5W-20 as per the manual (we're in Wisconsin).

bill01923

1)The front headrests don't move.
2)The book says 5w20 so that's what it gets.
3)My steering doesn't seem to pull.
4)Tire pressure calls for 32PSI front and rear.
5)The side moldings are very large (body color on EX and very black on LX).
6)The pilot is Large (not huge), if you want to make it seem small park it next to an Excursion.

paisan

Do you know why Honda chose the Rodeo to clone?

1994 the Rodeo outsold ever other import SUV on the US market.

-mike

rsholland

Yeah, but what happened since?

Rodeo/Passport sales have been under siege, and Isuzu did little to keep those vehicles as front runners, either in upgrading the vehicles, or in marketing. Same with the Trooper, they just let the competition get the better of them.

Bob

bytrain

We just saw our very first Pilot in person! Unfortunately, it wasn't ours. The dealership had 2: Silver LX and White EX, and both were already sold (of course). We are on the list for a redrock or havasu blue EX-L-Nav. In any case, they were very nice. We actually sat in all of the seats. Driver's seat is extremely comfortable, 2nd row is less plush but still comfy, and the 3rd row was definitely small, but I fit in there just fine (I'm only 5'2"), and so did my son (49"). I did not find the 3rd row seat to be uncomfortable, but I think it's because #1, I fit, and #2, I had read so much negativity about it that my expectations were very low. In any case, we are only a family of 3 and want the vehicle mostly for its cargo room, and will only use the 3rd row on limited occasions. I didn't feel the body style was bland - it was classically simple, but not bland. Basically, it looked like a Honda, but much taller/wider than our '99 Accord. We can't wait for ours to come in!

paisan

Isuzu not so much as keeping them up to date as to stopped marketing them. No matter how good a vehicle is if it isn't marketed or marketed poorly as the Trooper and Rodeo were they will not sell.

-mike

llofgren

Very impressive for Honda to win 3 out of 5 in the Car and Driver "truck off" (see link above, #2997)). Kudos to Honda for that! No wonder such a small company as Honda has so much (I think its 7%) of the U.S. market.

guy44

My insurance went up about $200 a year over my '99 Mercedes ML 320. It just seems out of whack to me. Who is you insurance company? I'd like to get a quote from them so I can run it by my insurance company, State Farm. Thanks.

bytrain

I read a message on this board about a week ago from someone who commented on what dealerships in the Sacramento area are doing. Well, we just went to Elk Grove Honda, and they want $6,000 over MSRP with forced DIOs. They had an LX and an EX (no leather), and both were $6,000 over. We were pretty amazed but not surprised that they had no buyers yet, because that's higher than any other dealership within a 60-mile radius. We got to test-drive the Pilot for the first time, though, and we loved it. Great visibility, excellent handling, and it didn't feel tippy or sluggish. It felt very solid, and we have now confirmed it's the vehicle for us. We're on a list with another dealership for MSRP for the EX-L-Nav and will anxiously wait our turn.

bengelking

I'm with USAA (www.usaa.com). I've received quotes from State Farm, American Family, Geico, etc. and none of them even come close to USAA. Besides, their customer service is nothing short of perfect. Available 24/7 and claims are handled like you would not believe.

The thing with the Acura GS-R was that insurance companies consider it a sports car due to the VTEC engine, so the premiums were pretty high. It also was not the best in terms of crash ratings.

My dealer had a white one in the showroom when I picked mine up. Really sharp looking for a white vehicle, IMHO. Although the gray interior just did not work with it.

I'm through a 1/2 tank of gas so far and have 190 miles on the Pilot. Based on tank size that's around 20 MPG. I'm pretty happy with that since most was rush hour traffic.

crikey

I went to Coggin Honda on OBT and Sand Lake and they had an Evergreen Pearl EX-L. Here is the breakdown of the price:

Pilot EX-L + destination: $30,980 (MSRP)
Window Etching 199
Crossbars 1,095
Mud Guards 595
Wheel Locks 595
Another Option(can't recall) 595
TOTAL (w/o doc fee) $34,059

R-I-D-I-C-U-L-O-U-S!!! Stay away from them!

ssminton

I too use USAA and my previous vehicle was a '99 Mountaineer, very similar to your situation. My insurance increased from $438 to $720 per 6 months. USAA was able to update the insurance the same day, but they had to call the home office for verification on what the vehicle type and ratings were. In the past, I have found them slow to make updates to rates, so I doubt there will be much reprieve for a few years. I do, however, want to find out what the premium is for the MDX. If it is not lower than the Pilot's, than I would not expect much of a decrease in future rates.

jmurman42

I have sold a few Pilots. In talking to insurance companies, they also didn't have any info but used the Odyssey as a basis.

Jerry

bengelking

My quote for the MDX (2002) was $10 more than the Pilot quote.

larry114

I just ordered a black EXL. I have some concern because I was checking out the demo model and the driver's seat has little fuzzy's or something coming out of each of the tiny holes in the lumbar area of the seat. Didn't look too good. Anyone have that experience with their leather seats? Also, I noticed that the area your butt sits in was very "loose"...in other words, the leather was not tight, but very wrinkly looking, but I guess that's normal for leather...the stuff coming out the holes concerns me more.

Spyponder

If the Pilot leather is perforated like the Acura's, that "hairy" leather condition is normal, if disconcerting. It goes away on its own after a little while. I had the same condition on the seats in my CL and it went away after a few weeks of sitting on it. Of course, I have a pretty big butt, so your mileage may vary

suvjoe1234

Don't the Mercedes ML's also have perforated leather? I wonder why perforated leather is chosen over not-perforated leather as seen in BMW's and others. Inquiring minds want to know.

larry114

Well, regarding the BMW, I just had a friend show me a 725i (or 745i, whatever it was...something like that), and believe it or not, AIR CONDITIONING comes out of the holes in the seats, not to mention the fact that the seats massage you...that's right, they have massagers in them. Anyway, I am happy to hear that the fuzzy stuff on the holes should go away...I sure hope so cuz it looked terrible on the demo model.

nofeer

Canadians get this combo, why not US. Does anyones inside knowledge or conections know if this will be a later addition. It seems strange that it's not offered us this option (same as the heated seats) maybe later on. THis is my wife's preference so if we have to wait well we'll wait for a few more months
Thanks:)

aerostar45

I went to www.collegehillshonda.com and down loaded the installation instruction of 6 Disc In-Dash CD changer. On the same document there is instruction to install the cassete player. It seems to me that if you are willing to sacrifice your cassete player in your EX model it is quite possible to install the 6 in-dash cd changer instead.

I am going to do that once I get my EX model arrived.

suvjoe1234

I want black with saddle interior, but I don't think it is going to be offered : (

niel39

The dealer I went to (Herb Chambers - Boston area) had Simmonize listed on an additional sticker (handwritten) with a price of $999 which was then added on, in handwriting, to the original factory sticker. This sounds like a rip-off to me. Anyone else seen this and is this a rip-off tactic?

thanks,

niel39

I'd like to get some information on the tow hitches. With the Highlander is seems you get a thing with a square hole and presumably something plugs into that. I know that you can get bicycle carrying options that fit into that kind of setup but don't know how that works with trailers for boats (someday I hope to own a boat too).
On the Pilot it looks like you get the ball type trailer hitch.
Can someone explain what are the different types of hitches and which are dealer options or available as after market add ons.

thanks,

cds12

Do they give you a tube of vaseline with that? Because your sure going to need it!

bill01923

I had the same thing happen at HC of Burlington.
I wouldn't pay it.
I bought the same vehicle at Cambridge Honda without any required add-ons for MSRP(The BM did push their paint sealant $395) Just say no.
Originally they wanted MSRP +$900.

royalairforce

Does anyone know if the back liftgate can be "unlocked" with the remote, similar to how a trunk can be popped on a car?

I will be picking up my Silver EX on 6/20. Paid MSRP and no forced options. However my salesperson just informed me that any new Pilots coming in to the dealership will be loaded with at least 2,500 of DIOs. Appears that I got the last one under the "old policy" of not requiring any DIOs.

Thanks to everyone for all the information and opinions.

ssminton

Took the Pilot up the mountain for the first time today. It drove wonderfully. I was impressed by the smooth transmission shifts on grade as well as how quiet the engine ran, even when it downshifted multiple times on steeper terrain.

Unfortunately on the way home, I had the misfortune of getting in the middle of a rapidly developing brush fire along I-15. For about 5 minutes (thankfully it was not more), I sat stuck on the freeway as giant flames "jumped" over my Pilot. I thought for sure that I would be roasted. The heat was absolutely tremendous for a brief time. My question is whether such exposure, although brief, may have caused harmful damage to the paint. It is visibly OK tonight but worry whether damage will show up later?

Thanks for your thoughts.

kai_ming

I am interested in buying a pilot LX. However,
wife wants privacy glass. Asked dealer, privacy
glass is not an option. Does anyone knows a
solution to this problem? Would appreciate
your assistance.

homerg

There is no shortage of places that will do window tinting for you aftermarket. You will have no trouble finding a place. I would recommend doing quite a bit of research on who does it though, get references and comparison shop!

diploid

Just make sure you don't break any laws.

In NJ, you can only tint about 4inches from the top of the front windshield down, and you cannot tint the front windows at all. It could hurt you when you run into a cop who needs to meet his monthly quota for giving tickets, and he's just desperate to find any violations.