Did you recently rush to buy a new vehicle before tariff-related price hikes? A reporter is looking to speak with shoppers who felt pressure to act quickly due to expected cost increases; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com for more details by 4/24.
When you read the comments being made about the factors of seat comfort and noise, you would think we were all driving different vehicles. I am 5'10" and 230 pounds. I am butt challenged to a certain extent but not extremely so. When I sit in the seat the big roll in the front strikes me at mid thigh and after a period becomes very uncomfortable. If the seat were flat all the way out to the front of the roll it would be fine. The cushion should be a little(lot)softer. I am a big man, but I did not buy a corolla. I bought a big suv. I felt that it could have had(should have) a full length seat. In my wildest imagination, I can't see why they made it so hard. As far as the noise goes, simply driving a quiet suv and comparing reveals the answer. There are many things that I like about the Pilot. (I call mine "Porky Pig") I like the size, width and heft. I like the space inside. I like the power of the engine. I don't like the front floor mat, driver's side. I like the cargo capability. I don't like the front seat and the noise. I am trying to understand how anyone could call the seats very comfortable and the interior quiet in motion. My advice; be aware if you are a prospective buyer. the seats are uncomfortable, and the vehicle is noisy. Give it a good look before you buy.
Have you tried adjusting the seat bottom to make it flat or even angle down in the front? That may help your comfort level.
I rent a lot of Exploders, Expeditions, Escapes, Tauraus and a few Jeep Grand Cherokees. I usually drive 1000 miles during the 7-10 days I'm in them. I get a lot of seat time. The Pilot is more comfortable, smoother and quieter than all these, in my opinion.
I have to assume you didn't get a power seat (?). I never tried the LX, so I don't know what the seats are like and how they can be adjusted, but in our EX-L, its got the 8-way power seat and you can make that seat bottom flat or tilt forward if you want.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
"Also.. Over 70mph on Michigan roads are brutal an anything other then a Crown Vic or Buick."
I was talking about comparisons between 60 and 70+ on the same road. So, obviously you are confused. You have the perception of some things like, Crown Vics and Buicks are quiet, Michigan's roads are brutal, and Honda Pilot is quiet at all speed, you just can't/won't accept anything that says what you believe in is not always true. I can see why you get confused so easily.
It's not a perception. It's an absolute fact. Are you in Mi. or Al.?
None of this matters really. I'm just surprised to read some of the comments here on ride quality and noise levels. It's as though some people here have a completely different vehicle than my Pilot. I'm not in love with my Pilot at all. I was very indifferent during the purchase. But I can't deny it's quality in Ride and Comfort.
So from my experience I have to wonder about things like.... Did Honda make some running improvements with the Pilots for later year production... Are the unhappy owners more used to Buicks... Are the unhappy owners drastically over inflating their tires... Or... Are some of you confused and actually own CRV's and Not Pilots.
Don't laugh, stranger things have happened. It wouldn't surprise me at all if someone out there actually looked in the garage after my comment and said...Opps, that's a CRV not a pilot. LOL They do look a lot alike.
These are all legitimate questions aside from my sarcasm about CRV's or Crown Vic drivers. I don't mean to offend anyone.
Drew PS. It doesn't hurt to double check tire pressure. Dealers tend to lower it for test drives and over load them during services.
interesting you mentioned the CRV. I just helped my sister buy one this past weekend. I was amazed at how noisy and unrefined that is compared to the Pilot. But, then again, it was $10K less.
As far as the Pilot, I'm beginning to wonder if there isn't a big difference between the EX and LX. Logic would say no since its the same vehicle with just a few trim items changed, but who knows. Maybe there is a difference in the amount of sound deadening material, carpet quality, etc. If I was really curious, I should probabaly go find an LX to drive and find out for myself how it compares.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
"It's not a perception. It's an absolute fact. Are you in Mi. or Al.?"
See, that's what I was talking about: You believe what you want to believe. When was the last time you visited MI? Michigan roads were terrible. They are much better now. In the past 3,4 years, I-75, I-94, I-275, and most part of I-96 and M-39 (Southfield Fwy) have been rebuilt/resurfaced. Michigan's gas tax and price have been raised (from one of the lowest in the nation) to pay the bill. Michigan roads may be bad again in 5-10 years, but they are in pretty good shape right now.
So, yes, I live in SE MI, metro Detroit area. But go ahead, tell me more absolute fact about Michigan.
Back to topic, re. Pilot's high speed noise, most is wind noise, with some road/tire noise, not much engine noise at all. Compare to lower speed (around 60mph), wind noise is much worse. Also, I inflate the tires with my own air compressor w/ built-in gauge, to 32PSI, a little less in winter.
PS. As for the AL confusion, if you dug deeper, you would have found Alabama is the 1st(#1) state from the states list, thus the default for townhall members who didn't bother to pick his/her own.
Well as a matter of fact.. I spent most of the last two weeks in Michigan. What I like most is the 70mph limits that allow me to get out faster. (sorry, it's a joke)
My business partner lives in Brighton and our company is Based and Incorporated there. He's lived there all his life and complains about the roads all the time. Ever read the auto publications based from there? They seem to agree more with my perception about your roads in their Auto Reviews.
No matter... seems like you live in an area where the roads are fine. It's a silly arguement.. sorry I brought it up.
Although I am overall very happy with the Pilot, it has not proven to be as quiet as I would prefer. The engine is very quiet, but the road/wind noise is pretty evident above 50mph. I guess it can't be as quiet as the MDX, or the masters of quiet: Lexus.
i'm getting an 04 in a few weeks. the seat in my tribute is terrible. hope the pilot seats are better. as for noise, at my age i won't notice. anyhow, does the pilot have a mounted antenna or is it in the roof or windshield. guess i should know the answer but don't. am wondering if my e-zpass mounted on my interior windshield will work. pontiac transport i owned had antenna in windshield and i had to mount the e-zpass thing on the license plate.
I believe the antenna is in the rear driver side glass. I wish it were like the MDX so maybe the reception would be better. Oh well, can't have everything.
If you listen to AM radio a lot, be aware nearby power lines can make a loud booming noise if they are across the road you drive on. Power lines along the road do not interfere with the AM radio. FM are not affected at all. I don't know if Honda consider this a design defect or just "tough luck".
I suspect many of the road noise problems are related to tire selection. My 03 Pilot came equipped with Bridgestone Duelers and so far (600 miles) seems fairly quiet, even at speeds above 70 mph. Don't know whether the Goodyear Integritys are any better, but from research I've done one of the Michelin models would seem best matched for the Pilot.
Yes.. I noticed some Pilots at the dealer with Bridgestone's last week. Now I'm wondering if those complaining about noise have those. I have the Goodyears and the ride is very quiet and smooth.
I've never really had great luck with Goodyears after they get some wear on them.. but.. we'll see. I did have Bridgestones on my last Montero and was not all that happy with them.. Too Soft.. they develop a flat spot after sitting idle for more than a couple days.
I am the dismayed owner of (what was) an attractive white '03 Pilot.
The Pilot seems to have an odd paint issue that none of my past cars have had.
After 3 months and 6k miles I now have several small areas where the paint is gone. This is due to rock chip (front bumper), possible door ding (rub strip on pass side), same on driver side, and a quarter sized piece of missing paint on the rear bumper where someone contacted the car while backing out of a parking space.
The big one on the bumper I understand - and it will be fixed for $270.
However, the other three are questionable. It seems instead of dinging or denting, these "contacts" just rip the paint off the car showing black underneath.
I am concerned that in a few years this white car is going to look like a Dalmation!
Anyone else experiencing this? My other cars show a scratch or a ding, this one.....paint tears off!
Not sure what you are comparing but my previous auto's pretty much were the same. If a stone gets thrown at you at highway speeds, it's going to take the paint off your front hood. If a metal shopping cart brushes aginst one of your doors, the paints coming off.
I do a lot of highway driving and my red subaru is full of small white spots.
My Mazda and BMW have paitn chips as well. When it happens to these cars a hard price of paint breaks off the car essentially leaving a chipped area with flat intact paint all around it. If desired it would be very easy to dap a bit of touch up paint on it and have a decent result.
On the pilot, when "things" happen, is "rips" the paint and crinkles it up, rather than taking off a solid chip of paint. The result is not a flat area around the missing paint but a crinkle that is an eyesore, and not easy to touch up since it is not flat.
I also have a white Pilot and within 4 months had 2 very bad chips in my front bumper. We ended up getting the nose/bra and it's kind of funky--don't know if I like it yet. I know it will protect it from rocks and such, but it reminds me of people that put plastic on their sofa's, to keep it looking nice for the next owners. Is it really worth it?
I know EXACTLY what you mean! I likened it to little girl's play nail polish that never really hardens....you can just kind of push it and it will come off. I got a door into my Pilot's side, and I was able to push the crinkled up paint back over the spot. It didn't chip. It is almost too soft or flexible to chip, if that makes any sense.
Nothing was worse than my previous Montero and Durango. The Montero was bad just on painted plastic but the Durango... OMG... if you looked at it funny you'd damage the finish!
I actually have been lucky so far with my Pilot. I have some damage but it was caused by people scratching the fender and then from a Garage Door scraping the rear gate while it was opened. I have a Great Detailer who was able to hide the damage well with touch up paint.
I'm actually shocked that I have not had any Chips yet. I shouldn't have said that, I'm heading out on a short 100 mile trip here soon.
it sounds like there might be a bad batch of painted vehicles out there? Perhaps they had a day or hour where the drying lights weren't functioning properly or something on the assembly line?
Paint peeling off like that doesn't sound normal? You search other message boards to see how prevalent this issue is.
Have read that Honda was going have the 2nd row seats slide so as to give more room to what is basically an unusable 3rd row seat (for an adult/teen). Does anyone know if this is true.
Yes, the seats move 100mm to allow more room for the 3rd row. It was confirmed by some new owners of 04 pilots. That is why I am ordering an 04 just for the heated seats and 2nd row seats adjustable not like the 03 pilots.
We bought a 2003 Pilot back in July 2002 when they first came out. In July 2003, the rear spoiler/hatch broke. It was replaced, then broke again just 9 days later! It was then replaced a 2nd time and broke just 8 days later! It is now being replaced for the 3RD TIME and then must go to the body shop due to body damage caused. Question...is this a design defect (affecting every 2003 & 2004 Pilot manufactured) or a manufacturing defect (affecting certain Pilots manufactured at a specific time)? Any owners with this problem have any repair success stories? FOR THE RECORD, THE PILOT IS SILVER. Thanks to all who respond.
I was suppose to get my pilot today. I live on an island so it was coming by boat. Something told me not to get my hopes up. Well, it did not make it over. Now I have to wait one more week. You all can't imagine how disappointed I am.
sorry to hear it. It will be worth the wait, though.
we also had delays in getting our Pilot. "oh, its on the truck and should be here by the end of the week" 2 days later: "The truck got delayed, it may be middle of next week" 2 days later: "I don't know. I'll give you a call when I hear something."
Then it just showed up unexpectedly, so it was a nice surprise in the end.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
What I mean by "breaking" is breaking in the literal sense of the word. Having had it broken 3 times, I'll clarify. The spoiler shifts out of place, rubbing against the roof, scratching and denting the roof, and making it extremely difficult to open and close the trunk. Some discussions in here have referred to it as "warping" but I'm not so sure that that's accurate. And I have personally heard of a spoiler doing exactly what you inquired about...it broke off in the wind and fell to the street. Why the interest? Have you had problems? And for anyone experiencing this problem, I received some new information today. Apparently it is not a design defect that could affect every Pilot ever made. According to Honda, certain Pilots have been affected and they supposedly have a vin# list. Thanks.
no, i haven't had the problem, but I like to be on the lookout and, if something like that happened, I could say to the wife "oh, yeah, I read about that... this is the answer."
I also thought I may be able to figure out design defect vs. install problem.
So they say its a design defect for certain Pilots? Are they saying they put the mounting points in the wrong place? So the stress of hitting your roof, etc, is causing it to break off? What are they going to do about it? Replace the whole tailgate?
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Thanks qbrozen. I know there are a lot of people that had the same type of disappointment. I just have never had to wait for a car. I always go on the lot, pick on up, and drive off the same day.
But like you said. It will be worth the wait. Just 5 more days that's all.
>>The spoiler shifts out of place, rubbing against the roof,<<
I haven't had or heard of the problem but here's a thought:
How many kids and how old? You might do some spying or check for little finger prints on the spoiler. I have to admit, after some spy work I've solved more than one mystery by finding the little culprits for damage. Kids love to grab on, pull on, hang on and just about anything else.. to things they're not supposed to. I'd be suspicious after the second and third failures.
I had to have my spoiler replaced. On hot days the gap between the spoiler and the lip of the roof went to zero. If I tried opening the hatchback it would pinch the spoiler against the roof lip. If I had let the hatch open all the way by giving it a little push, my roof would have been damaged.
This is a common problem according to my dealer and reading other message boards on the internet. The frustrating part was how long it took them get the replacement unit in. I don't know if it was just my color (black) that was back ordered or what, but it took about 6 weeks to get it in. I couldn't use my hatchback for those 6 weeks.
The new one seems to maintain a 3/4" gap, even on hot days, between the spoiler and the roof lip. My dealer said it was a redesigned spoiler, which is why I had to wait so long. Don't know if that was just an excuse, but it does seem to fit better now.
My husband and I have 3 boys (twin 5 yr. olds & an 8 yr. old). We presently own a Ford Windstar and our lease is up next month. I am interested in the 2004 Pilot but my concern is the leg room between the 2nd & 3rd row seats. Also, I don't know if I would want to put all 3 boys in the second row. It may be too tight with them so close together. My husband likes the Pilot but wants me to consider the Ody. I have been driving a van for six years and wanted something a little more sporty. If there is anyone out there with some advice, I would truly appreciate it. We also need to consider the cargo space we would have if one of the boys sat in the third seat. Please help with any information.
well, it really depends on what you consider "sporty" to define. Since the Oddy has the same engine as the Pilot, I would expect it to probably be quicker (given lower weight and lack of AWD), but I could be wrong, I'm just making an assumption. And the Pilot is certainly not a handling demon. So, in my book, it doesn't quality as "sporty." But maybe your idea of sporty is different.
The '04 Pilot has an adjustable 2nd row, so that should help that 3rd row legroom issue. I find the 2nd row in our '03 to be very generous in terms of legroom, so I imagine that there should be room for you to slide the 2nd row forward a bit and give that 3rd row more room. But I also see no reason why 3 kids can't sit in the 2nd row comfortably. Its quite wide.
As far as cargo room, both the 2nd and 3rd rows have split-foldown. So you can fold just part of that 3rd row if you want to give a bit more cargo room with someone sitting there. The only time we've been tight is when we had 2 adults (1 of them is rather wide) and a suitcase in the 2nd row, 2 kids in the 3rd row on the 60% portion (or maybe its 70/30 split, I don't know offhand) and the smaller portion folded flat for our dog. Plus 4 backpacks behind the 2 kids.
edit - just checked and see the Oddy is only 50 pounds lighter than the Pilot... so only a marginal difference in straight line performance.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
When I said "sporty", I meant the exterior look of a minivan compared to the pilot My decision is between going with a van or an SUV. I hope that clears my interpretation of "sporty".
Sporty is in the eye of the beholder. I think the Ody has a pretty agressive look for a mini-van, much more so than the Pilot who's looks I consider very sedate.
Subjectively, you should always get a vehicle you like looking back over your shoulder at. Cars should make you feel good.
But objectively, unless you have a need for the SUV characteristics of the Pilot (AWD, better towing, better off-road capability), the Odyssey is a roomier, quieter, smoother, and more comfortable car, and certainly a better people hauler.
IOW, if you get a Pilot without need for its SUV capabilities for looks alone, you're paying for the style factor with a lesser vehicle for what you'll use it for. Which may be a perfectly acceptable tradeoff.
"....the Odyssey is a roomier, quieter, smoother, and more comfortable car, and certainly a better people hauler".
The Odsyssey has more room in the rear seats, but the Pilot has slightly more space up front. I'm not sure what you are basing your quieter / smoother comment on since they both use the same 3.5L 240 hp V6 engine and I think the transmissions are similiar as well. I wouldn't even give a complete victory to the Ody in the people hauler category since the Pilot can technically seat 8 vs 7 in the Ody. Granted I wouldn't stick adults in the rear for long rides, but for the shorter trips with lots of kids, the Pilot wins.
If you live in an area that has snow during the winter months, it's nice to have AWD. That's what eventually led us to purchase the Pilot vs the Ody.
Another area where the Pilot actually wins in passenger and cargo room is when you have normally have five people on board. With the Pilot, three will fit fairly comfortably into the second row, leaving a lot of cargo room behind the second row with the third row folded down.
With an Odyssey, you can only put two people in the second row, so then you have to open up the third row, leaving less cargo room behind it.
This is an important distinction for some families, especially those with three kids.
Good points about 2nd vs. 3rd row seating tradeoffs in the Odyssey and Pilot.
On the smoother/quieter comment, SUVs are burdened with an additional differential, a transfer case, considerably higher unsprung weight, larger wheels and tires, generally more aggresive tires, and a higher ride height which increases turbulence under the vehicle as well as making the vehicle less aerodynamic. The engine in the Odyssey also has an easier job which reduces noise and engine RPM. That doesn't make a Pilot a rough/noisy vehicle, but I believe any back-to-back objective comparison of the Pilot and Odyssey would find the Odyssey to be a smoother and quieter cruiser.
Again, this doesn't mean that the AWD and other advantages of the Pilot shouldn't carry the day for many buyers.
On the smoother/quieter comment, SUVs are burdened with an additional differential, a transfer case, considerably higher unsprung weight, larger wheels and tires, generally more aggresive tires ...
Crossovers/car-based SUV's like the Pilot don't have a transfer case, though. They don't have a low-range's extra weight and low-range for off-roading. Sure the Pilot will weigh more with the AWD equipment, but it's not exceptionally large. The wheels and tires are also not much bigger, they're both 16", just slightly wider on the Pilot. Doesn't mean the Odyssey isn't quieter or smoother, though.
I'm also not sure if I'd classify the Pilot as having "considerably higher" unsprung weight. NHTSA computes the Static Stability Factor of the Odyssey at 1.32, and the Pilot's at 1.30. A 0.02 difference is quite small.
Finally, IIHS hasn't crash-tested the Pilot yet, but most folks assume it'll do as well as the MDX did. In which case the Pilot's offset frontal crash test scores will be a step better than the Odyssey's.
For my pilot, the auto UP/DOWN feature on the driver side is not working. I'm sure it was working some time back. Any possible reasons? Did any one else see this problem.
I've got 3 also and went from a van to a Pilot. Mine are all older than yours and they fit fine in the 2nd seat for a very long vacation drive. We needed the cargo space, so none of the 3rd seats could be up. With a Pilot, that was possible...in a van it wouldn't have been. The van only had 2 seats in the second row, so we would have actually lost a lot of storage space for the trip. But, with the 3rd row up, there is not much space....enough for a small grocery trip, but not a trip to Costco.
Comments
As far as the noise goes, simply driving a quiet suv and comparing reveals the answer. There are many things that I like about the Pilot. (I call mine "Porky Pig") I like the size, width and heft. I like the space inside. I like the power of the engine. I don't like the front floor mat, driver's side. I like the cargo capability. I don't like the front seat and the noise. I am trying to understand how anyone could call the seats very comfortable and the interior quiet in motion. My advice; be aware if you are a prospective buyer. the seats are uncomfortable, and the vehicle is noisy. Give it a good look before you buy.
Also.. Over 70mph on Michigan roads are brutal an anthing other then a Crown Vic or Buick. I wake up every morning thankful I'm not there.
Drew
Have you tried adjusting the seat bottom to make it flat or even angle down in the front? That may help your comfort level.
I rent a lot of Exploders, Expeditions, Escapes, Tauraus and a few Jeep Grand Cherokees. I usually drive 1000 miles during the 7-10 days I'm in them. I get a lot of seat time. The Pilot is more comfortable, smoother and quieter than all these, in my opinion.
-Pete
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
I was talking about comparisons between 60 and 70+ on the same road. So, obviously you are confused. You have the perception of some things like, Crown Vics and Buicks are quiet, Michigan's roads are brutal, and Honda Pilot is quiet at all speed, you just can't/won't accept anything that says what you believe in is not always true. I can see why you get confused so easily.
None of this matters really. I'm just surprised to read some of the comments here on ride quality and noise levels. It's as though some people here have a completely different vehicle than my Pilot. I'm not in love with my Pilot at all. I was very indifferent during the purchase. But I can't deny it's quality in Ride and Comfort.
So from my experience I have to wonder about things like.... Did Honda make some running improvements with the Pilots for later year production... Are the unhappy owners more used to Buicks... Are the unhappy owners drastically over inflating their tires... Or... Are some of you confused and actually own CRV's and Not Pilots.
Don't laugh, stranger things have happened. It wouldn't surprise me at all if someone out there actually looked in the garage after my comment and said...Opps, that's a CRV not a pilot. LOL They do look a lot alike.
These are all legitimate questions aside from my sarcasm about CRV's or Crown Vic drivers. I don't mean to offend anyone.
Drew
PS. It doesn't hurt to double check tire pressure. Dealers tend to lower it for test drives and over load them during services.
After that, alone time in the Pilot is pretty nice and quiet.
Seriously, are you folks meaning road noise, engine noise, noise with the windows open?
As far as the Pilot, I'm beginning to wonder if there isn't a big difference between the EX and LX. Logic would say no since its the same vehicle with just a few trim items changed, but who knows. Maybe there is a difference in the amount of sound deadening material, carpet quality, etc. If I was really curious, I should probabaly go find an LX to drive and find out for myself how it compares.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
"It's not a perception. It's an absolute fact. Are you in Mi. or Al.?"
See, that's what I was talking about: You believe what you want to believe. When was the last time you visited MI? Michigan roads were terrible. They are much better now. In the past 3,4 years, I-75, I-94, I-275, and most part of I-96 and M-39 (Southfield Fwy) have been rebuilt/resurfaced. Michigan's gas tax and price have been raised (from one of the lowest in the nation) to pay the bill. Michigan roads may be bad again in 5-10 years, but they are in pretty good shape right now.
So, yes, I live in SE MI, metro Detroit area. But go ahead, tell me more absolute fact about Michigan.
Back to topic, re. Pilot's high speed noise, most is wind noise, with some road/tire noise, not much engine noise at all. Compare to lower speed (around 60mph), wind noise is much worse. Also, I inflate the tires with my own air compressor w/ built-in gauge, to 32PSI, a little less in winter.
PS. As for the AL confusion, if you dug deeper, you would have found Alabama is the 1st(#1) state from the states list, thus the default for townhall members who didn't bother to pick his/her own.
Steve, Host
My business partner lives in Brighton and our company is Based and Incorporated there. He's lived there all his life and complains about the roads all the time. Ever read the auto publications based from there? They seem to agree more with my perception about your roads in their Auto Reviews.
No matter... seems like you live in an area where the roads are fine. It's a silly arguement.. sorry I brought it up.
Best of luck to ya.
Drew
anyhow, does the pilot have a mounted antenna or is it in the roof or windshield. guess i should know the answer but don't. am wondering if my e-zpass mounted on my interior windshield will work. pontiac transport i owned had antenna in windshield and i had to mount the e-zpass thing on the license plate.
I've never really had great luck with Goodyears after they get some wear on them.. but.. we'll see. I did have Bridgestones on my last Montero and was not all that happy with them.. Too Soft.. they develop a flat spot after sitting idle for more than a couple days.
Drew
The Pilot seems to have an odd paint issue that none of my past cars have had.
After 3 months and 6k miles I now have several small areas where the paint is gone. This is due to rock chip (front bumper), possible door ding (rub strip on pass side), same on driver side, and a quarter sized piece of missing paint on the rear bumper where someone contacted the car while backing out of a parking space.
The big one on the bumper I understand - and it will be fixed for $270.
However, the other three are questionable. It seems instead of dinging or denting, these "contacts" just rip the paint off the car showing black underneath.
I am concerned that in a few years this white car is going to look like a Dalmation!
Anyone else experiencing this? My other cars show a scratch or a ding, this one.....paint tears off!
I do a lot of highway driving and my red subaru is full of small white spots.
On the pilot, when "things" happen, is "rips" the paint and crinkles it up, rather than taking off a solid chip of paint. The result is not a flat area around the missing paint but a crinkle that is an eyesore, and not easy to touch up since it is not flat.
I actually have been lucky so far with my Pilot. I have some damage but it was caused by people scratching the fender and then from a Garage Door scraping the rear gate while it was opened. I have a Great Detailer who was able to hide the damage well with touch up paint.
I'm actually shocked that I have not had any Chips yet. I shouldn't have said that, I'm heading out on a short 100 mile trip here soon.
Drew
Paint peeling off like that doesn't sound normal? You search other message boards to see how prevalent this issue is.
THANKS
FOR THE RECORD, THE PILOT IS SILVER. Thanks to all who respond.
The only other spoiler problem I heard is one that warped and scraped the paint (may have been on this board or may have been on "problems" board).
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
we also had delays in getting our Pilot.
"oh, its on the truck and should be here by the end of the week"
2 days later: "The truck got delayed, it may be middle of next week"
2 days later: "I don't know. I'll give you a call when I hear something."
Then it just showed up unexpectedly, so it was a nice surprise in the end.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
I also thought I may be able to figure out design defect vs. install problem.
So they say its a design defect for certain Pilots? Are they saying they put the mounting points in the wrong place? So the stress of hitting your roof, etc, is causing it to break off? What are they going to do about it? Replace the whole tailgate?
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
But like you said. It will be worth the wait. Just 5 more days that's all.
I haven't had or heard of the problem but here's a thought:
How many kids and how old? You might do some spying or check for little finger prints on the spoiler. I have to admit, after some spy work I've solved more than one mystery by finding the little culprits for damage.
Drew
I had to have my spoiler replaced. On hot days the gap between the spoiler and the lip of the roof went to zero. If I tried opening the hatchback it would pinch the spoiler against the roof lip. If I had let the hatch open all the way by giving it a little push, my roof would have been damaged.
This is a common problem according to my dealer and reading other message boards on the internet. The frustrating part was how long it took them get the replacement unit in. I don't know if it was just my color (black) that was back ordered or what, but it took about 6 weeks to get it in. I couldn't use my hatchback for those 6 weeks.
The new one seems to maintain a 3/4" gap, even on hot days, between the spoiler and the roof lip. My dealer said it was a redesigned spoiler, which is why I had to wait so long. Don't know if that was just an excuse, but it does seem to fit better now.
-Pete
We also need to consider the cargo space we would have if one of the boys sat in the third seat. Please help with any information.
The '04 Pilot has an adjustable 2nd row, so that should help that 3rd row legroom issue. I find the 2nd row in our '03 to be very generous in terms of legroom, so I imagine that there should be room for you to slide the 2nd row forward a bit and give that 3rd row more room. But I also see no reason why 3 kids can't sit in the 2nd row comfortably. Its quite wide.
As far as cargo room, both the 2nd and 3rd rows have split-foldown. So you can fold just part of that 3rd row if you want to give a bit more cargo room with someone sitting there. The only time we've been tight is when we had 2 adults (1 of them is rather wide) and a suitcase in the 2nd row, 2 kids in the 3rd row on the 60% portion (or maybe its 70/30 split, I don't know offhand) and the smaller portion folded flat for our dog. Plus 4 backpacks behind the 2 kids.
edit - just checked and see the Oddy is only 50 pounds lighter than the Pilot... so only a marginal difference in straight line performance.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
If I had twins and an 8 YO, I'd get the Ody.
But objectively, unless you have a need for the SUV characteristics of the Pilot (AWD, better towing, better off-road capability), the Odyssey is a roomier, quieter, smoother, and more comfortable car, and certainly a better people hauler.
IOW, if you get a Pilot without need for its SUV capabilities for looks alone, you're paying for the style factor with a lesser vehicle for what you'll use it for. Which may be a perfectly acceptable tradeoff.
- Mark
The Odsyssey has more room in the rear seats, but the Pilot has slightly more space up front. I'm not sure what you are basing your quieter / smoother comment on since they both use the same 3.5L 240 hp V6 engine and I think the transmissions are similiar as well. I wouldn't even give a complete victory to the Ody in the people hauler category since the Pilot can technically seat 8 vs 7 in the Ody. Granted I wouldn't stick adults in the rear for long rides, but for the shorter trips with lots of kids, the Pilot wins.
If you live in an area that has snow during the winter months, it's nice to have AWD. That's what eventually led us to purchase the Pilot vs the Ody.
With an Odyssey, you can only put two people in the second row, so then you have to open up the third row, leaving less cargo room behind it.
This is an important distinction for some families, especially those with three kids.
On the smoother/quieter comment, SUVs are burdened with an additional differential, a transfer case, considerably higher unsprung weight, larger wheels and tires, generally more aggresive tires, and a higher ride height which increases turbulence under the vehicle as well as making the vehicle less aerodynamic. The engine in the Odyssey also has an easier job which reduces noise and engine RPM. That doesn't make a Pilot a rough/noisy vehicle, but I believe any back-to-back objective comparison of the Pilot and Odyssey would find the Odyssey to be a smoother and quieter cruiser.
Again, this doesn't mean that the AWD and other advantages of the Pilot shouldn't carry the day for many buyers.
- Mark
Crossovers/car-based SUV's like the Pilot don't have a transfer case, though. They don't have a low-range's extra weight and low-range for off-roading. Sure the Pilot will weigh more with the AWD equipment, but it's not exceptionally large. The wheels and tires are also not much bigger, they're both 16", just slightly wider on the Pilot. Doesn't mean the Odyssey isn't quieter or smoother, though.
I'm also not sure if I'd classify the Pilot as having "considerably higher" unsprung weight. NHTSA computes the Static Stability Factor of the Odyssey at 1.32, and the Pilot's at 1.30. A 0.02 difference is quite small.
Finally, IIHS hasn't crash-tested the Pilot yet, but most folks assume it'll do as well as the MDX did. In which case the Pilot's offset frontal crash test scores will be a step better than the Odyssey's.
Did any one else see this problem.
Thanks,
MM.