Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
Meet your fellow owners in our Owners Clubs
Honda Pilot 2003 through 2005
Tagged:
0
Comments
XTerra - What part of "size" did you not understand?
Trooper - No 3rd row for a vehicle that size. Dated design, dated engine, dated SUV. Read: Isuzu Ascender.
Liberty - What part of "size" did you not understand?
Wrangler - What part of "size" did you not understand?
PILOT may just be a prototype name. I doubt Honda will call it Passport though (they may want to forget it).
I'm glad the interior is cheap, if it translates into price significantly below the MDX. The Highlander didn't end up much cheaper than its luxury equivalent - a loaded HL gets very close to the RX in terms of street prices. I hope Honda differentiates the luxury and non-luxury prices more than that.
Then again, Highlander was truly one of a kind. With increased competition in this segment, some prices might go down.
In fact, once the PILOT comes out, the Highlander might be a much better value - with lower street prices, higher quality (Hondas aren't stellar in their first year, the HL was) and similar capabilities.
Oh, this is exciting. I'll hold on to my Forester until this new segment comes alive.
--Bart
HondaSUV.com (AKA CR-V IX) has opened a new forum for the Pilot. The CR-V IX has long been the most popular and useful on-line resource for the CR-V. Check it out. The more users they attract the better the information that gets published there.
I have owned LOTS of Honda's and Acura's in my life. I still own my 1991 NSX. I never had this problem before Honda started installing side-impact airbags. In fact - I think my NSX is one of the MOST comfortable cars I've ever owned.
Honda and Acura [like most other car companies] have ALSO shortened the seat bottoms. [the part you actually SIT on] I don't know WHY this is happening. I think it's a mistake. Chrysler is particularily 'bad' when it comes to this. Maybe 'they' want people to THINK there is more leg room than there really is - I don't know. Perhaps the price of foam-rubber has gone through the roof. Your guess is as good as mine.
IF you're a smaller person AND/OR a 'narrow' bodied person - you probably won't know what I'm talking about. If you're comfortable sitting in your side-impact airbag equipt Honda or Acura - well - good for you. BUT I can't help but wonder IF Honda has EVER walked through a typical Walmart in a typcial U.S or Canadian city. Perhaps they should. Then maybe - JUST MAYBE - they'll come to realize that MOST people are NOT 'skinny little things'.
I hope the new 'Pilot' brings Honda/Acura BACK to the good old days when they DID make a VERY comfortable 'car'. [even for 'us' big guys]
Craig!!
We own three cars with seat-mounted side impact airbags. An Audi A6, and Audi A4, and a Toyota Highlander. I've also sat in a new Passat and Volkswagen GTI which had seat-mounted airbags. All have EXTREMELY comfortable seats with long seat cushions.
It's all about design. My friend has a Honda Civic with the side-airbags, and the seats aren't too bad.
This vehicle has to compete, not only for Highlander customers, but also 4-Runner, Explorer, Grand Cherokee, Durango, etc.—plus Passport customers. Many of these folks want and/or need a Low Range.
Bob
Well, the first thing I noticed was how uncomfortable the seats in the 2001 were compared to my '93. The seat bottoms were noticeably shorter, which seriously cut back on the thigh support that my '93 offers (and I'm only 5'8").
The salesman I was with admitted that he also owns a '93 Accord and he noticed the same thing when he bought a 2001 for his wife earlier that year.
I wonder why?
"Though it shares platforms with the upscale Acura MDX, the new Honda ute will be smaller on the outside yet roomier on the inside, with lots more of what Paluch called 'stuffable storage.'"
Wasn't this thing supposed to be 8 inches longer?
Jerry
They will lose a substantial amount of potential customers, those who need or want a 4-Low Range. Unlike the *Cute-Ute* market, there are a lot of people in the mid-size SUV range who do need/want 4-Low. Unlike what most people think, it's not just needed for off roading. people who pull heavy boats out of the water and up steep boat ramps appreciate having 4-Low too. And—early reports suggest the Pilot will have a 4500 pound boat towing capability. That's a lot of weight to pull up a steep boat ramp with just a 3.5L engine and no Low Range. The *locking 4WD mode* is not the answer here. A low set of gears are.
Also, in the Highlander vs. 4-Runner issue, keep in mind that the 4-Runner is an old design, in serious need of an update. My understanding is that there will be an all-new 4-Runner in the fall. Only then can any accurate comparisons be made as to the in-house Toyota *on-road-ute* vs. *off-road-ute* issue. I see a huge amount of all-new Explorers and TrailBlazers out there. So there clearly is a big market for traditional Low-Range-equipped mid-size SUVs.
Bob
Case in point is the comparison between the RWD-biased Liberty/Cherokee/Grand Cherokee/Montero and the FWD-biased MDX. All these vehicles use a beefed up unit-body construction, and are considered mid-sized SUVs. Yet the RWD-based 6-cylinder Jeeps and Montero, with a tow package can tow 5000 pounds. The FWD-biased MDX , with a tow package can tow only 4500 pounds—and that is if it's a boat trailer. Other trailers are restricted to 3500 pounds.
BTW, I'm convinced this is due to the FWD vs. RWD, not IFS/IRS vs. solid axles. The IFS/IRS equipped new Explorer, with a tow package can tow over 6000 pounds. The IFS/IRS Montero can tow 5000 pounds. In fact, the IFS/IRS Explorer can tow more than the IFS/solid axle TrailBlazer.
I wonder how the the Pilot addresses this issue? My guess is that more Pilot owners, than MDX owners, will be towing.
Bob
But once it's introduce I hope it will be a wake up call to all those over sticker Acura dealers and list price inforcers. I will delay my purchase of the MDX base till then, maybe I order a 2003 MDX?
Of course, if the Pilot stickers at around $25,000 (fat chance), they will sell every one they build for $28,000 without batting an eye....and the Pilot will probably be worth it.
If a well-equipped, mid-level Pilot (LX?) stickers for around $29,900 (my guess), It will be a tough choice between a Pilot for $32,000 or an MDX for $35,000.
I found it particularly interesting that the FIRST THING you noticed [about the 2001 Accord] was the seat. Can you imagine how uncomfortable you'd be on a long trip?? I think it would be interesting to actually MEASURE the seat in your 1993 Accord and compare those measurements to a seat in a NEW Accord. [or any OTHER new Acura or Honda]
I have also 'wondered why' this is happening. Perhaps seats are smaller [now] because woman are a bigger influence in the marketplace. It's not just Honda seats that are uncomfortable. As I mentioned in my first message - Chrysler has ALSO 'shrunk' their seats. Ever look inside of one of those PT Cruiser's?? The front seats look like doll-house chairs. LOL
If you have time - would you LIKE to measure the seat in your Accord??
Take care
Craig!!
Length
Width
Height
weight
Here's the orginal Pilot, for anyone that's curious.
http://www.honda-pilot.freeserve.co.uk/images/main/pilot.gif
I wonder if the 3rd row (capable of holding 3!) is the MDX/Odyssey kind: folds flat into the floor?
I think the Pilot will have the same kind of 3rd row as the MDX, just wider
Bob
Well, out of curiosity, I measured my '93 Accord's driver seat cushion. From where it touches the bottom of the seatback to the front edge of the seat, it measures approximately 21".
BTW, my Buick's driver seat measures 20.5" and is also very comfortable.
I dunno if the pilot will be cheaper than the Highlander, but it'll probably offer more content and utility for the same lofty price.
I currently drive an MDX and cargo space is my only complaint. Well, the driver seat is uncomfortable, but I'm getting used to it.
http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB1008536943125274680.htm
....Honda, which likes to think of itself as the Little Car Company that Could, is about to give Detroit fits again. Last week, Honda executives used their annual holiday party for the Detroit automotive press to unveil the long-awaited Honda version of the highly successful Acura MDX sport utility....
....The Pilot could quickly become a symbol for the fragility of the SUV franchise that has sustained Ford, GM and Chrysler for nearly a decade. If Honda's plans don't go awry, the Pilot will demonstrate that it is possible to build a seven-passenger sport utility (OK, Honda insists it's an eight-passenger sport utility) with ample room, enough towing power to haul a 21-foot boat, and still average more than 20 miles per gallon. The Pilot's V-6 won't sway Americans who want to tow really big stuff. But for the adventure-shopping crowd, the Pilot will be a draw. With the growth rate in sales of midsized sport utilities already flattening out, the advent of the Pilot might just be enough to tip the whole sector into a price war....
Adding more gas to the fire is the fact that Lexus will be offering a GX 470 for '03. I think(?) this may be based on the all-new 4-Runner, which is due in the fall, but with the Lexus V8.
In Japan and other markets, they offer a Land Cruiser Prado, which uses some 4-Runner gear, but is packaged in a vehicle that looks more like the Trooper. My understanding is that this is also due to be redesigned, which could also be the basis for this new Lexus.
In any case, I think it will fall in between the RX 300 and the LX 470.
Bob
http://www.wieck.com/public/*2PV_031714
In fact, the only mid-size SUV that is capable of holding 8 is the Dodge Durango - which uses a 3 seat bench up front.
Bob
http://a1008.g.akamai.net/7/1008/5509/1008026204/autoweb.com.au/autonews/images/hnd0112111fhi.jpg
Though they are outrageously overstylized, they do they accurately show the basic design of the vehicle. Similar pics of the CR-V showed the interior whih turned out to be a dead ringer for the actually dash layout. So I think what you see is what you get.