Honda Pilot 2006

jrijh

I am about to purchase a 06 Pilot. What should be my considerations for purchasing a 2wd vs 4wd.

What I understand is 2wd has better fuel economy (can anyone vouch for this?) and 4wd works 80% - 90% of the time on front weel drive.

But at the same time 4wd sell much more .... so what am I missing .... I live in the north east so may face snowy driving conditions from time to time...

Help will be appreciated.

Jai

pup975

If you're going to be driving in the snow, you're better off getting the 4WD. Since you live in the NE, 4WD cars are more popular. I live in the south where sometimes finding a 4WD model if there is a 2WD option is hard to come by. The popularity of 4WD is very regional dependent. You will get better gas milage from the 2WD even if the 4WD is only engaged 10% of the time because the 2WD is lighter. I would go for the 4WD if only for piece of mind if you really drive on snowy roads.

tsy

I would guess the resale values will be much better for AWD vs FWD in the NE. Here in the NW, as hard as it is to sell SUVs these days, 2WD ones take a big hit on resale.

It will also be much better in the snow- so in my book it's worth the extra gas.

Good luck

tom

qbrozen

the EPA difference between the 2 is so minimal, i wouldn't even take gas into consideration (its like 2 mpg). Plus, personally, I don't know how much I would trust FWD to pull well over 2 tons through the snow. I'm sure I'm just being paranoid, but its a mental block I'm unable to shake without actually trying it.

ukko

Hi mldj98,
Yes, I owned a 2001 MDX for 3 years and the 2004 Pilot for two. As you can see we just got into a 2006 EXL. The engineering improvements are quite apparent. One I did not mention is the quick acceleration. One can be sensitive when pushing on the petal. Surprising for such a large vehicle.

Cheers

markjenn

In my view 2 mpg is 2 mpg.

Over 100k miles, thats about $1600 in gas. Most wouldn't view $1600 as inconsequential. And there is the eco argument - 98 tons of prehistoric, buried plant material is required to produce each gallon of gasoline, much of which ends up as additional carbon loading to the atmosphere.

But, after pitching the eco argument, I would still get AWD if you felt like you had much opportunity to use it. You'll get most/all of the extra cost back on resale and when you need it, it will seem like a bargain. OTOH, for a person driving in a warm climate that never sees snow or off-road driving, it is pretty silly waste of money and gas.

- Mark

tagman

Man, you're starting to scare me!

sas1

Its really about traction or not - For most snow driving a front wheel drive, 4300 LBS car with offroad clearence will get you far. If you need to drive in hilly terrain or tow then defenitely 4wdr, also you may consider resell value in the NE - here 4wdr must be a winner. I drive a 2wdr, it suposedly only gets 2MPG more then the 4wdr, however it weighs 200LBS less and just the fact that it has an ECO light, makes you more aware of your driving, I suspect real world mileage are better then +2MPG. I get 25 highway (27 my best) and 20 city - 18 if I have fun.

qbrozen

depends on how fast you put on 100k. Even as much as 20k per years would come to $300 per year. Less than $1 a day. I save that much just by taking the non-toll roads to work vs. the faster toll roads. so its all about perspective.

Plus, at current rates in my area, it would only be about $1200 in gas over 100k.

coloron

I'm entering my retirement years and I'm shopping for a vehicle to replace my aging 97 Mountaineer that will last me into my "wheelchair" years and not break the bank doing it.

I've reseached and driven every SUV type vehicle in my price range and I keep coming back to the Pilot as a good combination of function, style and cost. But then I read these and other forums and get cold feet. I'm hearing about folks experiencing lousy gas milage, unsolvable vibration problems, complaints of high road noise, and a whole litany of rattles and noises in their Pilots.

I'm also considering Highlander and 4Runner. Those forums contain some issues as well but they seem to be less pervasive.

Am I being too paranoid? Is the Pilot really a quality "Honda" type vehicle that will be durable in the long term? Do the postings in this forum represent a true cross section of Pilot owners?

This will likely be the last new vehicle I'll ever be able buy and I want to get it right. I'd really appreciate feedback from Pilot owners on their perspective on the Pilot, warts and all!
Thanks.

mldj98

ukko,

Thanks for the response...I do have another question if you don't mind.....did you sell your 04 Pilot privately or trade it in on your new 06? I really don't need the price you got (none of my business anyway), but was wondering what type of mileage you had on it when you got rid of it and if paying more for the upgrade 06 Pilot vs 04 Pilot was worth it? Thanks in advance!

stever

All cars have problems and people with problems tend to post more (I suppose that does speak well for the Toyotas on your list). Some think that Honda owners just post more period (or maybe they have less tolerance for problems). I have no idea if there's any correlation between the number of problem posts and actual problems (hey Tidester, how about some statistical analysis when you finish grading finals? )

For additional frames of reference from actual owners, check out the reviews under Consumer Ratings (there should be a link to Ratings at the top of each of the various discussions you visit here).

Steve, Host

mbt1

I am on the verge of buying a pilot 2wd except for one reservation: There have been so many reports about the transmission problems in 2004 pilot,Odyssey, MDX, CL, TL and other Honda products with automatic transmissions. Even my trusted mechanic has warned me about Honda automatics. Did Honda make any major mechanical changes to the 2006 pilot 2wd transmission to ensure that I won't have a problem if I baby the car and use it to transport my family without towing or doing anything excessively taxing? In short, Honda needs to sell me on a reasonably reliable transmission before I fork over $30,000. Thank you ahead for your responses.

markjenn

I don't think Honda V6 automatics are the most robust, but the only objective reliability data we have (Consumer Reports) isn't really showing anything very out of line. MDX and Pilot trannys are following average trends, while Odysseys, CLs, TLs, show a couple years of below average a few years back that may or may not be relevent to today's cars.

If you're not going to be towing or driving your car really aggressively, you're probably worrying about something that has a 1.1% chance of happening vs. 0.7% with another make/model. You hit the nail on the head in your post when you said "reasonably reliable" which I think the Honda automatic is. Is it the most reliable? Probably not, but for most of us, it is good enough. As our host just said, no car is perfect.

I'd instead focus on the big picture which is that the Pilot appears to be nearly the best of the bunch in overall SUV reliability. I'd worry about the tranny problem only if I was towing significant loads for long distances and even then with the 60K warranty (and available extended warrranties), I might decide to just take the slight risk.

- Mark

mbt1

Thank you, Mark, for your reasoned response. I will probably still buy the pilot, but I wish I could do so with the peace of mind that it is just as reliable or more so than, say, a Toyota product. I hope I am not breaking any policy by pasting the following information that I googled to show the one cause of my concerns:

Transmissions Prompt Large Honda Recall


04/15/04

Christopher Jensen
Plain Dealer Auto Editor

Honda is recalling about 600,000 of its popular sport utilities and minivans in the U.S. and Canada because the automatic transmissions may fail, the automaker announced Wednesday.

The five-speed transmissions made in Russells Point, Ohio, near Marysville are used in some 2002, 2003 and early 2004 Honda Odyssey minivans as well as 2003 and early 2004 Honda Pilot sport utilities. Also covered are 2001 and 2002 Acura MDX sport utilities.

This is the second major problem Honda has experienced with its transmissions. In September 2002 the automaker announced it was extending the warranty on the five-speed automatic transmission on certain 1.2 million Honda and Acura cars to seven years or 100,000 miles.

Honda decided to recall the transmissions - at an estimated cost of $153 million - after finding 10 transmission failures, Honda spokesman Chuck Schifsky said.

"The reasoning is that we want to look at every problem and take it seriously," he said.

He said all the failures occurred in vehicles with more than 60,000 miles.

But the problem may be larger. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration consumer complaint section has at least three dozen complaints about various transmission problems on the Odyssey and MDX.

"Early transmission failure seems to be a problem with this car. Dealer knew immediately what was wrong," wrote one consumer.

Schifsky said those miscellaneous complaints did not play a role in Honda's decision.

"Other automakers should follow Honda's lead and recall rather than stonewall," said Clarence Ditlow, director of the Center for Auto Safety in Washington, D.C. "It is refreshing to see an automaker take responsibility for a defect."

Owners will be notified by mail if their vehicles are affected, and there will be no charge. Dealers will inspect the transmissions - which should not require disassembly - and make a "modification to increase the flow of transmission fluid," Honda said. If there is evidence of damage, the transmission will be replaced.

If the transmission is damaged, owners would probably notice extra noise. In rare instances the transmission could fail and lock up, "creating a potential safety hazard," Honda said. Of the 10 transmission failures Honda examined, "several" locked up, Schifsky said.

Schifsky said there is no plan for an extended warranty because Honda is confident it can fix the problem.

If Honda's dealerships can handle the work without inconveniencing customers and the problem doesn't result in any injuries, Honda's solid reputation should not be damaged, said John Tews, a spokesman for J.D. Power and Associates, the market research firm.

markjenn

I'd take Honda's reponse to this problem as a good thing.

Toyota makes some fine cars and might have a slight relability nod over the Pilot. If I were going off-road and/or doing much heavy towing, I'd probably go with a V8 4Runner over the Pilot. But the Pilot is the much better people-hauler (especially if you have more than 4 in the car), bigger, quieter, smoother, and an easy $4K cheaper with comparable equipment. So you pays your money and makes your compromises.

- Mark

jsmith292

Am the proud new owner of a 2006 Honda Pilot Ex-L (2wd, leather, navi, etc.). I must say it's clearly the best buy in the marketplace. Quality is superior, features are extensive, control interface is really great - if you put a gun to my head and insisted on something negative I'd have to say that I'm less than happy with the shift mechanism. It takes some getting used to, and even then it is difficult to shift down into a lower gear if you want to use engine braking. But that is clearly not a major issue and with that small exception I couldn't be happier with the vehicle. I looked at X-5s, X-3s, Highlanders, 4-Runners, Explorers (I own a 1997 Ford Explorer and have been very pleased with it) and none of them measured up to the value provided by the Pilot.

jensad

Dear Markjenn

I think Honda AND toyota products have less chance of major mechanical issues than many of the other cars available for purchasing.

My wife owned a 95 Oddessy and I had a 95 Accord. My wife traded in her 85k Oddessy (sorry re: spelling) and I sold my 141k Accord.

Prior to these purchases, she drove a 78 Honda Accord, with no problems until our daughte totaled it out one night. Then she purchased a Toyota, and I purchased a Toyota. Never had problems with these vehicles and we have not experience ANY mechanical issues during our ownership of the 95 vintage cars. This is not to say others did not, however, Honda and Toyota products have served us needs very well.

My wife now drives a 06 Pilot EXL with nav. and loves her car. Last year I sold my Accord and purchased a Lexus rx330. Wonderful car for what I wanted.

My wife also drove the Toyota Highlander however, she preferred the Pilot. One difference I find between the Pilot and the Lexus is the quality of the "bells and whistles" of the two. But then the Lexus cost was much greater.

We feel fortunate in selecting Honda and Toyota products, however, we had to learn the hard way via ownership of Chevys, Fords, and Chrysler products.

Good luck in your quest for a new car and best wishes for a peaceful holiday season.

Good luck to all and stay safe.

jensad

P.S. I DO NOT work for or do I have any connection with Toyota and/or Honda.

tagman

A recall can be voluntary, when the manufcturer recognizes a problem or potential for one, and corrects the issue. This is always a good thing. A recall can, although less often, be mandated. Toyota recently had announced a large recall of their popular Prius model. Does this mean you should not buy a Prius or a Toyota? All manufacturer's recall their vehicles. Overall, however, Hondas are VERY reliable, so relax.

The '06 Pilot is a fantastic and versatile vehicle unmatched in many areas. It has a top safety rating, as well as the excellent (for the most part, of course) reliability rating. It has an available navigation voice-command system that is unmatched by almost any car in the world at any price! It seats eight with fold-flat split rear seats, has the absolute best interior organization for "stuff", drives very comfortably with great determination and power, has avaialble 4WD, and the list goes on. It does all this at an amazingly low price when you compare it to all others, and gets reasonable gas mileage on regular gas. If you KNOW you intend to keep it for the long haul, and are concerned about repairs, buy the factory extended warranty and you will be covered without concerns for a long time. Buy the '06 Pilot, and don't look back. You won't regret it.

markjenn

Has anyone driven their 06 far enough to have the reminder system recommend an oil change? If so, what mileage did this occur at?

Thanks,

- Mark

ukko

mldj98,
Actually I got a call from my dealer and with my lease it was better to get into an 06 for less a month. I had only 22000+ miles on it and I was paying for 15000 miles a year and not using what I was paying for. For what ever reason it was less a month to go into the 06. The one catch is the 06 in now leased for 42 months not 36. My main concern is the monthly payment and with the 06 it is less. Like I said before the 06 is much improved over the 04. The XM radio trial period is nice. I enjoy getting the BBC World Service etc.

One more thing. The dealer actually bought the vehicle. It seems the demand for fairly new used Pilots are in demand.

Cheers

onlysurfer

I'm about to buy 2006 model, preferably EX-L. I have personally experienced pronounced noise level in the prior model – 2004 model year IIRC. I wonder if Honda has made any specific improvements in this area for the 2006 model. Also, is there any website that provides noise level in decibels at different speed level for the 2006 model? Would appreciate reply. Thank you.

tagman

From my experience '06 is quiet enough. Depends on what it is compared to.

Best solution . . . DRIVE the '06 for a long test drive!

dtos01

Just picked my EX-L w/ Navi up and it didn't come with the Cargo Cover or Auto Dimming Mirror... Is it supposed to?

mldj98

Thanks for the info...
I had an 03 Pilot...and now have an 05 Pilot....
The improvement between the two years was quite good....
I hear the next total redesign won't take place until 2009?
Wow....still have a few years to go....
Thanks again...

nwpilot06

Nope, those are extra. I got both and in my opinion they were definitely worth it, especially the auto dimming mirror. I wish the side mirrors dimmed like that as well.

onlysurfer

In my test drive, I felt it a bit noisy compare to my current car (VW Passat) when I test drove for about 15 minutes, about three miles on freeway and same return on local roads...don't know if I was biased, that's the reason some decibel number comparison would help.

bogiejim

The past two mornings have been 4 & 2 degrees respectively and my keyless entry has not worked. Has anyone else experienced this or could this just be my vehicle ('06)?

crv77

No, the cargo cover and auto adjust mirror are optional accessories.

nelsoncm

Today I drove a volvo xc90 v8. OK, I've driven an MDX, the Pilot, the Saab 9-7/Chevy Trailblazer, the Mitsubishi Endeavor, the Toyota Highlander. By the way, thanks to whoever did the comparison on the Highlander. The v8 XC90 outdrives every suv I've driven, hands down. Beautiful car. However, the back seat is extremely stingy on space. The space per person is ridiculously tight. I only have one kid, and he even said he felt cramped in his car seat in the back. He was. Shame, so smooth and quiet (two of my top 3 requirements). So, the Pilot is still #1 on my list of possibilities. Not as quiet, but clearly roomier. And a heckuva lot cheaper, too! : ) It's almost too much car for my family of 3 plus a dog, but we take trips, we can make use of the space.

nelsoncm

For what it's worth, if I had two kids, I'd be in an Oddessey minivan so fast, you're head would spin. And three kids? No contest. And the new ones are pretty darn cool, compared to older models. Knowing someone who has one, the Toy Sequoia gets gallons per mile, not miles per gallon. Don't know how the Pilot would stack against the Odessey, but with 3 kids, as I think the lady said, I'd go Oddessey all the way. But hey, what do I know!???

snuddenstang

I am negotiating a lease deal now for a 2006 Pilot EX-L.
MSRP was 33,595.00
agreed on 29,531.00
something called price adjustment of 273.25
adjusted selling price 29,804.25
500 down includes all fees
total cap cost 30,399.25
36 months, w/ 15k a year
385.00 month payment, that includes taxes
Residual 19,149.15 at (57%)
Or if I put 1000 down instead of 500 total monthly payment is 365.00.
Is this a good deal?

tagman

TRUST me, I've got an ACTIVE California family. We're talking a family of four, that previously had a Denali XL (huge monster SUV). We go snow skiing in the winter, surfing all-year round, there's basketball, baseball, soccer, and the trips to the mountains, redwoods, beaches, and all the rest of the "California" lifestyle. The PILOT is awesome. Period. Not perfect, but CLOSE. Where else can you get a vehicle that's not too big, not too small, BEST navigation system at ANY price on ANY vehicle, room for eight, split seats, reasonable mileage on regular gas, four-wheel drive, enough cupholders and storage for all the nasty "stuff", tons of power, good handling, satelite radio, cd-changer, leather interior, and tons of other features. All at a very respectable price, and is super-safe and reliable.

That's the story. Go get one!!!!!!! You won't be sorry.

TagMan

stever

Check out the Honda Pilot: Lease Questions discussion too.

Steve, Host

p_i_y_u_s_h

I bought the 2006 Pilot in November, but could not figure out how to activate the 3 month free trial service for XM radio. Do you have to activate it on your own or does the dealer has to activate it at the time of purchase?? Any help will be appreciated.

- p

alexasha

call 1800 XMRADIO and they will guide you through how to activate. YOu will need the number (serial number) for your radio, so you will require to do it while you are in the car. I took me 5-10 minutes to accomplish that. First three month is free, and no activation fee.
Enjoy

p_i_y_u_s_h

Thanks Alexasha!!

bov

My XM works since day one. I think they are supposed to activate it at the dealership.

j5f

I also have an 06 Pilot with Nav. It does not come with a cargo cover or auto dimming mirror. I paid to have the auto dimming mirror installed by my Honda dealer and it works well. You would have to check their accessories to see if you can but a cargo cover.

p_i_y_u_s_h

I called XM radio and they activated the free 3 month trial without any problem. !!!

ukko

Hi piyush,
The XM radio in my Pilot was in service. The dealer must have connected it. A copy of the stations was also with the other materials. This was handy in getting aquainted with the XM functions. One can preset chosen stations similar to am and fm choices. Just wondering, you have pressed the XM button next to the am/fm button? It takes some getting use to. I love that BBC.

Cheers.

leaseguy

I work in the software business, and know the software they are using to quote it. That price adjustment is the excess drive off (above the $500 you are puting down) being rolled into the cap cost. Not an uncommon practice.

controltestguy

I just got a 2006 EX-L 4WD with NAVI about 10 days ago.. The Navigation has locked up twice so far. The screen freezes and no buttons will work. It seems to lock up sometimes when it has to recalculate a route. It has recalculated most of the time without a problem.

When the unit locks up, none of the buttons will work. I haven't tried multiple buttons at once.

If I'm on the road, I have to pull over and shut off the vehicle and restart to reboot the system. Is there any other way to reboot with the vehicle running?

Has anyone experienced this?

Thanks,

CTG

floatingcloud

It has heppend twice on my 2006 Pilot. The speaker went out with no reason. Just before I wanted to take it to the dealer, it went back on.
Has anyone had the same problem?

controltestguy

Does anyone know how to delete a destination from the database on the 2006 NAVI on the Pilot? I don't see where there is a delete key or a voice command for deleting a route.

On page 77 of the 2006 NAVI manual, it shows a delete key. I don't show the delete key or the done key when I select previous destinations. Only the list of destinations.

Any help appreciated.

CTG

alexasha

I had screen lock up on backup camera. But it just happened on Map screen. Switch to audio screen worked fine. Switching back to map view again showed street name on the button, but image from camera on the rest of the screen.
That got only fixed by restart of the car

controltestguy

Has anyone tried calling Honda with their NAVI problems? My dealer is no help and I wonder how much tech support you would actually receive from the factory people concerning the NAV unit.

thanks,
CTG

alcolby

I know Honda does not approve, but is any one towing an `06 pilot 2wd or awd as a toad[behind a motorhome]?
Any thoughts on this? The `05`s were approved,the `06`s
are not.
Thanks for any information/opinions
Al Colby

onlysurfer

I'm leasing 2006 Honda Pilot EX-L Navi (5600 total due at inception followed by 41 payments of 325/month each 0 inclusive of everything - 42 months, 12k/month, from a dealer in Boston metro area - this is if any one is curious - and now I'm curious how good is this deal, not that it matters much now)

I still have to pick up the car like SUV, and I want to have a remote start installed in this one. I'd like to hear from perople who have experience with remote start on any of the Honda Pilot models. Also, any thoughts, comments would be appreciated about installing remote start and it's consequences - good or bad.

Thank you and happy holidays.

stever

Please post over in Honda Pilot: Lease Questions too so others can learn from your experience. Thanks,

Steve, Host