The Minivan Problem - 2016 Honda Pilot Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.comEdmunds.com Member, Administrator, Moderator Posts: 10,316
edited September 2016 in Honda
imageThe Minivan Problem - 2016 Honda Pilot Long-Term Road Test

Our long-term 2016 Honda Pilot positions itself well as a minivan alternative, but can it hold a candle to a minivan when it comes to cargo capacity?

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  • bohiobohio Member Posts: 59
    Travis, really? Your article didn't discuss anything about the actual stuff you needed to carry; you merely listed the cargo room specs of each vehicle. We need real world insight, such as "I found I could bring my bicycle, Yeti cooler, slack line, inflatable hot tub, and 6 cases of MREs and 10 gals of bottled water in the Pacifica. In the Pilot, there was only room for the bike (with the front wheel removed first), Igloo Playmate cooler, slack line, and we decided to eat in restaurants at the destination. If it's merely a contest of cargo volume specs, then get the RAM Promaster or Nissan NV and carry all your gear and the local Legends (formerly Lingerie) Football League team.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited September 2016
    I could carry a 4x8 sheet of plywood in my Grand Caravan all locked up and out of the weather, and it shoud drive and park more like a car than a Promaster or NV (although I did toy with getting a Transit Connect briefly).

    The lower liftover height is a big plus for me although I'd love another inch of ground clearance.
  • legacygtlegacygt Member Posts: 599
    No surprises here. Went on vacation with 4 adults and two kids this summer. Drove to the airport in a Tahoe and we had half the 3rd row folded flat and suitcases packed to the ceiling. Got to our destination and rented a minivan. No seats folded and the same luggage fit behind the 3rd row with most of the rear glass unobstructed. Minivans are simply great at fitting passengers and cargo.
    That said, there is one cargo situation where I prefer most CUV/SUV setups and that's the case where you need to deploy or fold the 3rd row while you have stuff in the cargo area. This is simply not possible in a minivan where the rear well must be clear of cargo in order for the seats to work their magic. This means unloading the cargo area in order to deploy or fold the 3rd row. A huge deal? No. But the same process is quicker in a typical CUV/SUV. (There are exceptions to this. When it comes to 3rd row folding, the Explorer works more like a minivan and the Quest acts more like a crossover.)
  • cjasiscjasis Member Posts: 274
    And vans have sliding doors which are INCREDIBLY useful when you have kdis. And most owners never go off road or tow so those capabilities are lost on a huge percentage of crossover and SUV buyers. And vans typically get better real world MPG. And they're usually less expensive to insure. But hey... don't buy a better product for your needs because some dude up the block thinks that vans aren't as cool as his lifted Tahoe.
  • nyccarguynyccarguy Member Posts: 17,258
    5 plus years ago, my wife and I purchased a 2011 Honda Pilot EX-L w/ Navigation. It is currently paid off and has just over 83,000 miles on the odometer. It runs great and hasn't given us a hint of trouble. There have only been a handful of times during the last 5+ years that the Pilot hasn't been up to the task of hauling (plywood, pipe, washer & dryer). If I were shopping today, I'd most likely go with an AWD Sienna.

    2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD

  • gslippygslippy Member Posts: 514
    It's tough to beat a minivan for true utility. Our 09 Sedona has served us far better than any SUV could have.
  • tom_in_mntom_in_mn Member Posts: 61
    nyccarguy said:

    If I were shopping today, I'd most likely go with an AWD Sienna.

    Loved the room in my AWD Sienna but I'll never do run flats again, although it will have real tire pressure sensors as opposed to the abs based ones my '04 has. Plus you can't get a tow package on it anymore. But not being able to stand up a bike with the front wheel off in my Highlander is really it's only negative.

  • berriberri Member Posts: 10,165
    Minivans are not just for kids or hauling. They make excellent vehicles for bad back egress.
  • tslbmwtslbmw Member Posts: 172
    Off the Pilot topic, but on the minivan utility topic: I bought an 2007 Honda Ody when my wife and I had our 3rd child -- it felt like a must. We kept it for two years and couldn't wait to get rid of it. Fast forward to 2016 and my kids are now 13, 11, & 8 -- and we've owned two Ford Flexes since the day I sold the Ody. The family decided we wanted to go on a cross country road trip this summer and we were convinced we'd just rent a minivan for our 3 week excursion b/c the Flex simply isn't big enough with the 3rd row up to handle our luggage. After learning that the cheapest minivan we could rent for our trip was over $3000 (!!!), I decided to check the used market thinking I could buy one and then sell it for roughly what I bought it for at the end of the summer. Enter our 2012 Honda Ody Touring -- much longer story, short, we've loved our new Ody so much that I sold the Flex and we're going to keep this puppy for the long haul. You just can't beat the space utilization for 3 kids, their friends and all the soccer balls you can carry!
  • berriberri Member Posts: 10,165
    You can buy minivans for a lot less than crossovers as well. Often lower sticker and more room to dicker.
  • natschampnatschamp Member Posts: 22
    Having owned a 01 Odyssey for 12 years and 135 K miles, followed by a Wrangler Unlimited and now a 2016 Pilot LX , a few observations. Cargo capacity ; well the 01 Odyssey wins ; but at the expense of my reinjuring a bad back when lifting out the heavy, bulky second row seats.
    The Pilot's seats quickly fold up/down and the cargo space is 85% of what the Odyssey was, so I don't miss that much cargo space.
    I briefly considered the Pacifica, but I was hesitant for two reasons : 1) Chrysler quality control and with a new design, I felt issues would come up.2) Resale time- Pacifica likely to drop like a rock, Pilot not so.
    Now, I have an All Wheel Drive with a lot of cargo space , nice styling, and the potential for better resale .
    Never considered the current Odyssey because of the styling and once again, heavy second row seats. Ditto Sienna. Quest and Sedona don't have stow n' go, so they were ruled out plus their resale is poor.
    If Honda had their next Odyssey ready, I certainly would've considered it... but only if it had stow n' go, which as of yet, know seems to know.
    My LX Pilot is a nice vehicle ; especially since it uses a 6 speed auto that works fabulously great. Don't really miss 20 " wheels, leather, 9 speed rotary dial tranny, sunroofs, etc
    . Oh, and I will use the 14K I saved from not buying the Elite on a half dozen real nice cruise vacations.
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