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Comments
If you don't like the styling that's one thing but to fault a company for having a similar look among their vehicles doesn't seem fair.
I love the headlights!
Yuck! Look at those headlights!
I love the way the seats fold !
You would have thought that Honda could have designed the seats better!
Oooh..what a pretty color interior!
Oh, that's a horrible color!
It's a perfect size!
It's too small/too big!
I think it's very quiet on the road.
Listen to that road noise!
Oh, I like where they put the shifter!
What a stupid place to put the shifter!
Etc...
And...there will be a huge demand!
The Honda (and Toyota) method is to incrementally improve both their cars and their production methods. They emphasize flexibility and speed in being able to meet changing consumer demand. In the 1980's they could not produce enough Accords, so prices were at MSRP or above. Now, there are plenty of Accords, and you can get them at close to invoice. Expect Honda to meet the demand for Ody's MDX's and Pilots. Because of the way cars are sold in this country, the dealer is the one to profit when demand vastly exceeds supply. Honda's interest lies in selling as many cars profitably as possible, while maintaining a healty dealer network.
When you look at a Honda, you think "practical". This holds true whether you are talking about their cars, minivans, or, yes, SUV's.
You don't think "fast", or "flashy", or "funky", or "stylish", or "innovative".
For those of you who are criticizing the Pilot's styling, what were you expecting? It's a Honda! Most folks don't buy them for their looks.
At first glance, I like the styling. It's what I expect (and want) from a Honda. Maybe when I see one in the flesh I'll change my mind, but I doubt it.
It's competition will be the Highlander (which is smaller and ugly) and the big three (which focus on styling, but lag or ignore safety and reliability).
With seating for eight, those looking at the Expedition or Yukon may even consider the Pilot.
This will be a huge winner at MSRP, just like the Odyssey and MDX are.
I'll wait until I see it in person, but so far I like what I see. Every Ford truck looks like the Ford truck parked next to it. Ditto with Chevy and Dodge. Why not Honda?
However, why would Honda make the Pilot look like the PREVIOUS generation CR-V??
Class leader in many areas what are in it's class
(i'm trying to compare with a "known" size, should i tell my wife that it's bigger inside than a Explorer, ML320, Trailblazer, Highlander...MDX, RX300, Expedition, Ody minivan ? what then)
Ordering information--when will we get that and option lists and configuration.
Colors--standard Ody, MDX or Honda colors.
Safety-the flying of FYI from my honda dealer talks of 5star front and side crash safty, but it hasn't been test crashed, how does the ody and Mdx handle this , what about off-set crashes?
Style--my wife likes the way the new CRV looks so that's off the plate. she is impressed with the features as per official honda newsletter to dealers.
Waiting list--i'm first:)
http://www.carclickbc.com/carclick/articles/011102/41218.html
A while back someone asked if it would be available in Canada at all, the article would indicate that it will be, although a bit later in the summer than the U.S. release date. The article is not clear if "starting in June" means manufacturing or delivery to U.S. dealers. Given Canadian release is "later this summer" I would expect it to be in U.S. dealers earlier than August.
Also interesting that the Canadian Pilot will not have the navigation system or rear DVD entertainment system as options. I suppose they are just trying to differentiate with the MDX in Canada. I don't think MDX demand is quite as red hot in Canada, although it's still strong.
I understand and agree that it does share some styling with the previous gen CR-V, but I've read comments comparing other parts to the JGC, Highlander, and even Suzuki. I think ya'll are making too much of the CR-V resemblance.
BTW, I showed pics of the Pilot to my wife. She looked at it for about 10 seconds and said "looks like a minivan". I think with the Pilot, Honda has succeeded on one count -- it's made the MDX look like an SUV in comparison.(IMO)
http://www.hondacars.com/news/press.html?y=2002&r=773
I would never buy a butt ugly vehicle (IMO the Pilot does not qualify) but performance, reliability and safety carry more weight than styling in my purchasing decision. IMO.
Does anyone feel that the MDX's sell price will actually come down later this year, especially when the less expensive Honda sibling brought into full production?.
I think the differences will be similar too. The Odyssey has a very slightly dumbed down 3.5 engine, only slightly, no seat memory, no 6 disk option? Just a theory about the pilot.
I am currently waiting for an MDX to come in. If there is a more powerful 3.8 available that gets better mileage in December, for the same price, well, that will bite for me.
But what is your point, anyway? That the Pilot looks a lot like the CR-V, one of the best-selling small SUV's of the last five years? Yeah, the Pilot must be destined for failure! hehe
Honda can't have the Pilot look too good because they need a big enough difference for people to justify buying the MDX.
I remember when the MDX was first released (I'm sure Wmquan remembers this too). A fella named Drew posted two side by side pics of the MDX and the Rodeo from the back end. Every character line is the same. Exactly the same. It didn't matter that the proportions were completely different, people where posting that they wouldn't buy some pimped up Rodeo clone because of it.
I look at the Pilot and I understand that the headlights make it look like a CR-V. But I see a greater resemblance to the Highlander which shares the same eyes.
The MDX also looks better in person than in pictures. There are some subtler curves that just don't show up well in pictures, especially those sized for delivery over the Internet.
I remember a couple of folks being very disappointed when Honda/Acura showed the MDX. They thought that the MDX concept showed a more aggressive sports-car-turned-SUV, and felt the actual MDX looked more like a "slab-sided family-mobile." I think the MDX looks good, and the Pilot has a more conservative, typical Honda-ish appearance.
Purely subjective, but I think the best-looking SUV is the (highly impractical but fun) X5, with second place maybe going to the new Volvo XC90 (though I'm sure some people won't like its look).
No car will please everyone but I know the Pilot will have people knocking down our doors.
The phone calls are already flooding in and it's frustrating since we have such limited information at this point.
The Pilot is so roomy inside BECAUSE it is boxy. Like the Odyssey. They took the MDX and straightened out some of the "curves" (not that the MDX has that many) in order to gain interior space. Given the boxy interior, the only way they could add "curves" to the exterior would be to add cladding, extra sheet-metal, and the like. I for one am glad they didn't go that route.
So you and others are disappointed that Honda hasn't taken more risks with the styling. But the majority of the Honda-buying public is going to find the practical nature of the Pilot, where function takes precedence over form, to be highly desirable.
I do agree with Carguy62 (see I'm not just being difficult). I expect that Honda considers moving into the mid-sized SUV arena something of a risk on it's own. The few times that Honda has taken risks with styling it hasn't been recieved with the greatest enthusiasm (look a Preulde in the eyes for an example). Also, the MDX is supposed to be the stylish and trendy SUV for the image sensitive public. Why build an another one?
Also, why not have a longer overhang? Offroad capability? That'll please the 5% that actually go offroad, and some that want to pretend that they'll go offroad, but crimp space for most buyers. Doesn't make sense to me.
Those are too big improvements that were missed.
Many dealers I talked to will not give their customers a chance to order the color or accessories that they want. Their attitude is - "Take what I give you...and consider yourself lucky." Well, I found one dealer here in Minnesota that is actually taking orders for the July allocation. In addition, they seem to have a few May and June production vehicles available for sale to the first person who is willing to lay down a deposit. They are selling at MSRP and have been great to deal with. It is nice to see that there are still a few good ones out there - I know who I will buy from!
The timing on MSRP info is a bummer, but I guess it is nice to know I shouldn't expect to see official pricing for a while. Now I will not have to look for it everyday... :-)
Thanks for the inside scoop on the Pilot - keep the info coming...
I dunno if a longer overhang would be possible. It would add weight. This might be a problem for braking, fuel efficiency, acceleration, less payload, and the length would make parking more difficult. The extra materials would cost a bit. I dunno what effect it might have on emergency handling. On the plus side, it would mean a huge space for cargo and the vehicle could be sold as a direct competitor to the big Ford, Chevy, and Toyota.
Couldn't make much sense of the rest of your post.
If the Pilot is anything like the MDX (and it should be) it'll have "light duty" offroad capability, which is about all the vast majority of potential buyers will ever need.
"Designers looked to hard-case luggage for inspiration when styling the exterior and used the stuffable versatility of a backpack to fashion the cabin."
Maybe they should call it the Honda Samsonite!
tiresqueal : You might get a used MDX when they start coming off 2 year leases. you will have to get friendly with a local Acura sales man though.
My point was that I think that's a mistake. It seems that car execs. are still focusing on the original SUV customer that cared about off road capability. I think there's a lot more potential customers trading in cars and vans, and they are more interested in on road handling, and interior space. This should be especially true for buyers interested in a Honda.
Having said that, and while I (and others) have commented on whether they like the looks of the Pilot; once you've conveyed those opinions, there's not much sense in continuing the discussion. Chances are you're not going to convince others of your position—unless you can state "practical reasons" to support your position. If it "functions better" because of the way it looks, then you are on solid ground. If, on the other hand, your design discussion is centered on whether it looks "pretty," you're fighting a losing battle. There are far too many deep-seated psychological reasons why people like or dislike certain things, and that I'm not qualified to explore.
Bob
These forums of newly designed vehicles fall into one the following stages. I've seen it will my LS430, Highlander etc. We are in stage one. Some of you are in Stage denial. Styling critics of my ls430 i live on the inside, day in day out quality. love it love it. same for honda. They have a better loyalty quotient then mercedes ever had, high resale, value quality HEY IT'S A HONDA. So spare me the 'gore', data..please more.
STAGE 1: New intro, very few have seen it. Discussion on styling, look alikes, speculative nature.
STAGE 2: Car mags drive it...rave reviews...people can't wait till they can "see" one. Discussion boards move to mag articles and pictures.
STAGE 3: Car at dealers, people can see, drive, compare....it's all ready a huge success with long lists. Discussion boards, any discounts,how do i get on the list 250 miles from home, talk of dealers messing with the customer, add ons to increase price or just add $$$$ to list. Discussion turns to price features comparo
STAGE 4: Some get it and extol the virtues, people share where when how and why they by, personal driving experience now shared on forum.
STAGE 5: More people have it, more want it. Discussion of minor flaws and "what should have been done" slight improvements, accolades.
STAGE 6: Mature forum, tidbits, posts/per day fall off to typical.
The 3rd row seating looks only a little bit smaller than the 2nd row, and I assume the 2nd row is the same size or a little wider than the 2nd row on the MDX.
If those assumptions are correct, seating kids there should not be a problem. I own an MDX and drive 3 teenagers every day in a car pool to school with no complaints.
Also, the 60/40 split should be a great asset and one that's not available other SUV's (to my knowledge). That will let you seat 7 and fold the 8th for some extra storage, or seat 6 with a good deal of extra storage.
Of course it won't seat 8 adults, but I find it hard to believe there are many drivers that need to seat 8 adults. So if you're realistic about your needs, you should be very happy with this feature, and this vehicle.