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Comments
They look ridiculous too.
Skip 'em.
All subjective opinions of course.
- Mark
IMO, those running boards/side steps just interfere more than help. Plus, you can always add them later if you decide to get them. Enjoy!
-Howard
Some people like the appearance- if you do, great. Just get used to a higher dry cleaning bill!
tom
Imagine muddy boots climbing over the second row... :surprise:
I suppose you could let them in from the rear hatch and leave 50% of the third row folded. Just doesn't seem handy to me. How often does your 5year old need help getting buckled in?
We have 3 kids in our Tahoe. One behind the driver (child seat), one in the middle (booster), and #3 can sit in the second row or go back to the third row.
--jay
Functionally, however, I will agree that the "dirty pant leg syndrome" is a potential problem (I have been very careful so far).
They do help when you are washing the top of the car.
Good luck!
Here is a picture of my set up
http://www.hondapilot.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=13013&perpage=15&hig- hlight=DLO&pagenumber=2
Is your Pilot a 2006 EX-L (Without Navi/RES)?
Did you find you had a free AUX connection?
I'm trying to figure out why Honda and a couple of other third-party providers are saying their products don't work with the 06 EX-L
tom
As to safety, I am sure it's not as safe as the 2nd row. However, the Odyssey only had probably 6-8 inches more of space behind its third row. You think that's going to make all of the difference? :confuse:
My guests are plenty willing to ride back there when the alternative is walking. I think you're letting the tail wag the dog to think that these seats have to suitable for long-term occupancy by adults to be useful - they're typically used by kids and for short periods, and they're VERY useful for this.
- Mark
So I am left with full size SUVs (which I did not want), minivans or a few mid-size SUVs. If not for the very usable (especially for kids) third row in the Pilot, I would be getting a minivan without question. Of course, Honda would still be getting my business
Buyers choose models based on their needs. If you don't need the 3rd row, then fold it flat. If you don't like the pilot, buy another suv.
Or maybe you're just trolling?
right now I have 2 Graco Turbobooster seats and there is plenty of room for an adult in the middle, or at either end if you move the booster to the middle. Given this situation, I would say if you had car seats instead of boosters, it would also be no problem.
-Howard
I'm considering some bigger SUV's like the GMC Envoy XT and Chevy Trailblazer XLT, but the gas-mileage issue and general road-test reviews citing poor handling make me hesitant on buying one of them.
The Pilot's third row is fine for kids and short trips, but no, it's not really acceptable for longer trips with adults or big kids.
I'd avoid the Trailblazer, but I'd certainly look at the new Tahoe. The Pilot is not a great handling car, so I don't think you'll lose much there. The big issue with cars like the Tahoe is a couple fewer MPG in everyday use and the reliability issues.
I'd look at the Sequoia too.
- Mark
At least on paper the 07 Tahoe is only 1 mpg behind the Pilot. 15 city and 21 Highway. Reliability is good on the pre-07 ones, in fact one of the better ones for full sized SUVs. for 2007 who knows...lots of new items.
For those wanting 3 kids or 2 kids and an Adult in one row the extra 5 or so inches is nice.
My situation is we already have an Ody, and 4 kids, and my other car is a sedan which can not hold 4 and barely 3. So I need a vehicle on the oft occasion I need to get all 4 kids.
Mileage is not so much an issue as my daily commute is less then 10 miles round trip. I am looking at the EX-L 3rd row.
I was leaning towards the Highlander, but I recently saw a pilot and was quite impressed with the inside.
Thanks for your thoughts.
I just bought a Pilot and was in the same predicament. I bought the Pilot because:
1. Better value when you add everything up. Pilots can be had for invoice or lower these days.
2. Highlander side curtain airbags DO NOT extend to the third row.
3. Highlander third row is not 60/40.
4. Highlander third row is not as roomy as Pilot's
5. Highlander is a 7 passenger, Pilot is 8 mainly because Highlander is much narrower.
6. I am 6'7", and did not fit well (headroom) in Highlander with sunroof.
Hope this helps!
-Howard
- Mark
I chose the Pilot because I didn't feel the Highlander had the same interior space. The main difference is width. Highlander is 71.9 inches wide, while the Pilot is 77. That extra 5 inches was enough to allow us to easily put 3 toddler/infant seats in the 2nd row, which is rare and what we need. The extra width makes parking lots tougher to deal with but worthwhile. If you are going to drive with 4 kids, check out the 2nd row of both SUV's with kids strapped in. You'll notice the difference when fastening them into their seats!
What I would really like to get is an EXL Pilot HYBRID for about 33K. Imagine, city 27/hwy 25 with 265hp. :shades: Honda, are you listening? I know there is talk about an MDX hybrid in 07 but I just cannot wait that long (plus it's likely to be over 40K).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Odyssey
In any event, my point was that the Highlander tends to drive more car-like, and the Pilot drives more minivan-light-truck-like, whatever that means. The big win for the Honda, is like all of you are saying, more space inside.
After ownimg mine for several months, my biggest issue with it is how "big" it drives. It's no bigger than most competing models, but it drives bigger - it feels large and somewhat clumsy/bulky behind the wheel. I don't get a trace of sportiness out of it. Not that a Highlander is truly sporty, but the Honda, competent as it is in most respects, just feel bulky behind the wheel. I respect how good it does things more than enjoy how it drives. And I still like it a great deal - the Pilot is a car that I drive to accomplish the transportation mission, not to drive for fun.
- Mark
Although the Pilot is not a great handler, I don't know of any SUV as large or larger as the Pilot that handles better. It is wider than the Highlander, Trailblazer, and Explorer. It outhandles any of the larger SUVs such as Expedition, Suburban, and Sequoia.
The width of seating in Pilot dwarfs the Highlander. My family member who has the Highlander that I drive often does not need extra space so it fits her well. If you drive with 2 or more rear passengers, the Pilot is much roomier.
This is Edmunds' editors assessment of the Pilot's handling and I agree:
Road Test Editor Brian Moody says:
... Although I like the Pilot quite a bit, when driving it back-to-back with the other vehicles in its class I was surprised by how big, heavy and numb it felt on the road. It's clearly the biggest of the bunch, and it offers the much desired third-row seat, but its size seems to result in clumsy handling. That really turned me off.
I've put Michelin LTX tires on my 2006, replacing the stock Bridgestone Duelers. This has helped.
- Mark
If you do have the LX, are you happy with the seat comfort and coverings, and did you add any accessories to "upgrade" its features, that you can tell us about? I know this question is more appropriate for the Mod and Accessories thread, but I wanted to ask you directly. Never mind if you don't have an LX.
Thanks,
Will
- Mark
Of course, we couldn't have packed all their stuff too- there's enough room for about 4-5 peoples luggage (efficiently packed) so the extra luggage and skis went into my friend's truck.
The Pilot did just fine climbing up the winding road to Whistler and was quite comfortable for all. AWD up in the snow was nice to have also.
tom
I would like to here feed back from people who drive normal , 65-75 mph , going to work , play , getting stuck in traffic, ETC , just the normal every day drive that we all do. THANKS! :confuse:
And many folks also mis-report mileage, either due to math errors or just because they want to embelish their report, both to make it good and bad. Some report what the computer reports (quite often optimistic), others do the fillup-to-fillup math (most accurate), others just look at the gauge and make an estimate (very inaccurate). And even if you go to the trouble to manually compute mileage, you really need to average it over several fillups to filter out the noise from different pump cutoff limits and how the vehicle was sitting when it was filled up.
If you want "normal" mileage without all these outlyers, just ignore everybody and use the EPA numbers. That's exactly why the cars are tested and the numbers are reported - to provide a scientifically accurate estimate of what you can expect in city and highway driving.
Now most people don't do quite as well as these numbers suggest, but they're fine for comparing different vehicles. With the 17/22 ratings of the Pilot AWD, the EPA would tell you that 90% of owners probably get between 15 and 18 city, and 19-23 highway.
FWIIW, here's the numbers on my 06 EX AWD: 14-16 mpg in day-to-day urban driving, with mostly short trips in very hilly terrain. And about 20-22 in steady 60-80 mph freeway driving. I'm slightly disappointed and hope it improves a bit with mileage.
- Mark