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Comments
Did you notice whether MDX had more room than Pilot? SOmeone told me that Pilot acatually had a little more room. Also I heard the Pilot 06 style was going to be radically different, I find that hard to believe already!!! Tell us what you get?
the mdx has just slightly less room--not significant enough that you notice it. and interestingly, i drove a ford expedition this afternoon and although it's obviously bigger and has more leg room, it has no additional rear storage area. isn't that odd?
anyhow, i wnated to say one thing to you and i apologize for being pushy, but you mention you've got three under 11 and one in a booster seat. admittedly, i'm a carseat [non-permissible content removed], but i just wanted to tell you why i'm buying a new car. i was bringing my 45 # 6 year old daughter home from school, and was stopped at a red light at the bottom of the freeway exit. a guy on dope hurtled around the corner, never touched his breaks, hit me doing approximately 55 and pushed me into the two cars stopped in front of me. i had a concussion and some sprains. my car, while not totalled, needed to be replaced.
my daughter walked out of the accident without even a bruise and was not sore the next morning. she was in a 5 point fully harnessed britax husky carseat. the husky goes up to 80 pounds. (the new boulevard has better side impact protection and goes up to either 45 or 60, i can't remember right now). the emt's who responded to the collision were absolutely amazed she was unharmed as was my pediatrician. so those $250 carseats my husband really thought were a waste turned out to be the best investment we ever made. we went out the next morning and replaced all of them. just food for thought -- not trying to preach.
Your dear husband is right.
I only wished that today’s Honda Odyssey would have been around 10-15 years ago, that might have kept me from having to buy a boxy, gas guzzling, full size conversion van.
I've known a couple of people who were in bad wrecks (they were ok but their cars were totaled) who went out and immediately replaced their cars.
Judging by what they got, I think they were in a bit of shock from the wreck.
If you think you are settling or being rushed, just go rent something for a week and think about it.
Glad everyone was ok!
Steve, Host
Maybe Honda is too embarassed to recommend that schedule , so they just ask the dealer service advisers to recommend it?
I went to test drive a Odyessy and Pilot last night for a nice long drive. The Odyessy is definatly roomier even than my older one but whatever that is in the drivers seat that pushes out at you while sitting ( I have heard people complaining about this on the Odyessy forum) is very annoying. What in the heck is that? My back was really aching and whatever coming out at it from the beginning. That reason alone I would not buy the Odyessy and spend 30K+. The Pilot was a complete different ride, more upright and muich more comfy seats. I do agree though that with 3 kids and sometimes labrador with us it could and would be squishy. My son who is almost 11 sat in 3rd seat just to see how that would be he said it wasn't bad for short drives but it wasen't just 123 in getting his long legs down and did look like a tight fit.
have no idea what to get, I really do not want to buy American car, will keep looking.
I just bought a Canadian assembled '05 Pilot. Love it so far, seems extremely well put together.
I don't know what problems you had with your Yukkie, but for comfort and room, that's a hard card to beat. I was like you, about not buying a domestic brand, but I'm looking at two cars now, both GMs. Good luck!!
Any experiences, knowlege or information about towing with a Pilot would be greatly appreciated. Other than this issue it has been a great vehicle.
Thanks!!!!!
Check with your local dealer and finish it Off if possible. I am also going to close the deal today.
Wondering...is there any particular reason for you to wait for late summer or early fall ??
I am so pleased with my Acura that I am considering the Pilot to replace my 10 year-old Ford minivan (too big). I love the navigation system in the Acura and want one in my new car. I do think the Pilot is rather bland which is why I haven't taken the final purchase step yet. Is there going to be a redesign for 2006? Also, how much room is there in the Pilot? I have to haul a dog cage and dog in the cargo area.
But we also say in the Vehicle Overview that "Equipped with the optional dealer-installed tow package, the Pilot's trailer towing rating is 3,500 pounds. (link)
Check out the Towing tips for SUVs discussion too.
Steve, Host
As i understand it, currently Pilots are being assembled at both facilities, but soon will be built only in Alabama.
Has anyone compared two of them and noticed a quality control difference ? Any other opinions ?
I went and drove a Sienna again on Tues, I really love the way that minivan handles, however once again I started to get tingleyness in my leg. As I have said I have had back problems for years with sciatic nerve issues though I have never sat in a car where it has bothered me in that way. Unfortunatly this salesperson I dealt with was a real jerk as far as letting me drive it for a longer distance so I am going to go back again tomorrow for longer. I also drove the Sequoia, that is a very nice SUV, it does drive more stiffly than my GMC but it was comfy.
So if the Sienna doesn't work out than it will be between the Sequoia, or Pilot, I guess. I have had an Odyessy and I would rather not go to that van but would if I had to. What do people think of Acura MDX? The Pilot I heard was very similiar but several thousands less.
I think now I am at the point where I should just get a car that would best fit my needs whether it was comfy or not and deal with it with cushions or whatever.
I really considered the MDX before I bought the Pilot. However, to me the $8,000 price difference between the MDX with Touring and DVD, and the Pilot with DVD didn't make financial sense. Another thing is that you can get the MDX with DVD AND Navigation. The Pilot, as you are well aware of, comes with either DVD OR Navigation. May be the Pilot 2006 Model Year (MY) will offer the combo DVD/NAV package like the MDX.
Also when driving, the MDX feels a bit more heavy/bulky. The Pilot feels more like a sedan. Again just my opinion. This is the opinon of a guy that drives a BMW 5 series with sports package on daily basis.
You can buy a Pilot EXL RES for below $30,000 including destination. A Touring MDX with RES goes for $38,000. These are the prices in Southern California. Only you can decide if the $8,000 price difference is worth it. To me it wasn't.
Spyderred.
What are the chances of some interior changes on the Pilot for 2006? Is a telescoping wheel too much to hope for on a mid model refresh?
Wondering how many people tow with their Pilots?
I know I wouldn't want ANY used vehicle that had been used for heavy towing very often!
I know of people that didn't get a vehicle because there wasn't enough legroom in front, but in actuality the car/suv had extra seat bolts that for under $300 or for a DIY'er could have made the car work. It is an option that most people don't even think about, but adjusting/replacing a seat is not much for a body shop.
Still, if I'm looking at two used cars and one has a Class 3 hitch on the back and the other one has no hitch, I know which one I would be looking at!
popup times - towing rules
I think Honda and others put the limits as high as possible partially for bragging rights. The Pilot is the only SUV/truck that has a seperate number just for boats. Why? this is just a guess but maybe so they can claim a higher towing rating than all the minivans out there?
Also what percenage of owners tow? how about tow near the limit in mountains? with high winds? and tow nearly all the time? Have a well balanced trailer? Know what they are dowing? Probably less than 1% of owners.
Just a thought....
--Jay
Judging by a cursory look at the the state of the equipment out there (dragging safety chains, missing chains, non-working lights, etc.), I give anyone towing anything a wide berth.
Did we mention Towing tips for SUVs lately?
Steve, Host
As best I can tell, the Pilot and MDX are NOT good for towing at 3,500+ lbs, let alone 4,500 lbs. If you are towing in hilly terrarin, take that number down SUBSTANTIALLY further - like 2,000 lbs. The higher rating for a boat is due to the presumed better aerodynamics. However, up a hill, you are lifting dead weight and aerodynamics is of little meaning.
My hometown Acura dealership is on Lake Erie where about 120% of the people who can afford an MDX can afford a boat. In this area (flat terrain) a 3,500 lb boat hauled for short distances to and from the lake would be "O.K." according to my dealer. Anything greater in distance, weight or hills and you are wearing your engine and transmission at a much higher rate than normal. This is direct from the Acura dealer in a boat oriented market.
The 3.5 liter Vtech 6 cylinder is a great engine. We got 23.5 mpg over 700+ miles of highway driving over the Memorial Day weekend. But it sacrifices brute strength for efficiency. Since 97%+ of our driving is going to be the later, I will get a cheap used pick-up truck if I want to buy a 3,500+ lb boat. Or just dock it permanently. Our other choice would be to trade the MDX for a LR3 and get 7,000 lb+ towing capacity, but about 17-18 mpg on the highway and Land Rover reliability issues.
P.S. Note that the 2.0 liter 240 hp S2000 has a total capacity - people and cargo - of only 400 lbs. So I have always been suspicious of the Pilot's and MDX's claim that they can tow 4,500 lbs. Towing is what they make V8's and diesel engines for, not high output, low torque "V-tech" V-6's. And the brakes on our MDX are very weak compared to our TL (Brembo). I suspect that they would be fried quickly trying to hold an extra 3,500 lbs on a downgrade.
Any guess as to what these changes would mean independently and comboned to Pilot MPG?
Right now it is 17 city and 22 hwy for AWD and no VCM.
I just want to provide you with some of my experience with my 05 Pilot EXL after 2000 miles.
This is the first Honda I ever own. My other vehicles are Ford Explorer and BMW 325i.
I have always thought of Honda and perhaps Toyota as quality automobiles based upon reputations.
I like the roominess of the Pilot eventhough I have yet to utilize the third row seats. The ride is quite nice with more than enough power. I 'm not very impress with the mileage,
I 've been averaging 18 miles/gal.
There are some annoying issues with the Pilot:
_ Slossing noise from fuel tank, if the tank is more than half full and you are driving in heavy traffic with lots of stop and go and not having the radio on.
_ Rattling noise from driver side door, the noise sound like wire harness inside the door are not well secured.
_ Loud flapping noise cause by the cargo cover, if the third row seat are down and the cargo cover is installed from behind the second row seat.
There are also other functions and features that I think Honda engineering team overlooked:
_ Doors not automatically locked when car in motion
_Buttons on steering wheel are not lighted, try using them when driving at night
_The volume button on the steering wheel goes up and down, but the channel button only goes up.
_ Glove box also not lighted
_Sun roof control buttons not in good location, obstructed by steering wheel
I do travel on business quite a bit and thus drive lots of American made cars as rental.
I 've seen my share of bad dashboard layout, now I see that Honda is not much different.
phamj
Any suggestions are welcomed.
Thanks.
If VCM is included you can make some inferences from the VCM and non-VCM Odysseys. VCM seems to add 1 mpg city and 2 hwy.
If waiting is possible I would but it may be November before you see anything.
So perhaps 18 city and 23 hwy are possible?
We are looking into getting a heavier tow vehicle such as a superduty pickup. We average only 12 mpg towing the boat with the Pilot and do it on a weekly basis in the summer. We could buy an F250 Superduty crew cab and be able to tow in excess of 10,000 lbs and still beat this mpg while towing with more safety and reliability, also would help out greatly plowing 250 foot driveway in the winter.
The Pilot is an excellent AWD vehicle but it is not on my list of vehicles to tow with. We bought it thinking it was the best of both worlds. Great mpg and room and would be able to tow, well you can't have everything.