Overview & Reviews
Since its launch for the 2003 model year, the Honda Pilot has helped shape the market for crossover SUVs with three rows of seating. Offering V6 power, respectable fuel economy, a comfortable ride, plenty of interior space and seven-to-eight-passenger seating, the Pilot is exactly the kind of vehicle that appeals to growing families who are leery of traditional minivans. Other crossover SUVs might be sportier to drive or more stylish on the inside, but Honda's three-row crossover appeals to your practical side and packs in a lot of functionality.
Choosing a Pilot is straightforward, as Honda packages equipment in a few basic trim levels rather than offering countless options. Regardless of the year, all Honda Pilots give you three useful rows of seating and lots of storage slots, though early models are smaller and aren't quite as accommodating for teenagers in the third row. Cargo capacity has also increased over the years.
User Reviews:
Showing 11 through 20 of 3,304.00-
Over 278,000 miles... - 2003 Honda Pilot
By Stephen Wollman - October 22 - 6:30 amMy wife and I are now Piloteers. I bought my first pilot--an03--in 2013. The guy I bought if from had sent his last kid to college and didnt need the extra car, otherwise Im sure he wouldve kept it. It had 245,000 miles on it. Since weve owned it (its been my wifes primary driver) weve rolled it up to 278,000. Other than standard maintenance, Ive put no money into it. It literally still handles like its brand new. The invinceable V-tech engine is very quiet, and the transmission doesnt slip in the least. As of a week ago, we are now piloteers for life. I gave away my perfectly good Chrysler Pacifica and bought my wife a newer pilot with half the mileage. The 03 is now mine. I will never buy another vehicle. When my oldest gets into high school (in the next two years) I will give him the 03 and buy another. Make no mistake, the honda pilot is the absolute distance you can take your dollar. It is well worth the money.
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love after 10 years - 2005 Honda Pilot
By lena - October 19 - 9:18 pmI had times with 13 mpg in the city traffic holdups. So prepare to pay for gas. Reliable, but dealer maintenance prices are $500-650 after a few years.
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Little less than 20k and many electrical problems - 2015 Honda Pilot
By New Piloteer - October 7 - 2:11 amAt less than 20k miles - Driver power seat only moves back and forth plus lumbar support, up/down and recline stopped working - just found out today Passenger side up/down stopped working- just found out today glass hatch stopped working (door button/remote/button on the rear door)- fixed by dealer 3-zone climate control stopped displaying the setting status on the middle display. The rear still works fine. - waiting on dealer ordered parts The car is pretty loud on highway, but nice in town and city express ways. Its bulky but relatively easy to maneuver because of its tight turning angle and responsive steering. This car wont win any drag race but the target buyers wouldnt care about it either. It has enough power with the responsive transmission to easily move around the towns and cities. Tried the 2016 Subaru Forester and 2015 CR-V, but are much smaller with adequate power. But the CVT they have making the acceleration hectic and less predictable, which is horrible on stop and go city traffic, or making left turn on intersections. The MPG figure as pointed out by so many already, not very green or Honda like (CR-V come to mind). But theres nothing new here, even the 2016 new Pilot is still horrible in this department. If you care about MPG, this is not your car for sure. The main drawing power for me is the square boxy look and feel (while driving) of the yester-year. Its truck-like road manner matches the look as well. This is what my family happens to appreciate - the quiet and smoother and longer mini vans and Mazda CX 9/Highlanders give them sea sickness. Also, I found the Pilot easier to handle on highway than Toyota Highlander and Camry. The Toyotas are bit over sensitive to steering and make driving it a bit nervous on crowded multi-lane highways. Pilot somehow feels more stable in similar situations, as clumsy and boxy as it is. As for alternatives, the 4-runner is less practical for our purposes, too expensive and we are not into off-road. The GMC/Ford/Chevy are much bigger than we need and more expensive as well, with questionable reliability (had many Americans in the past to prove my doubts). But, the recent sleuth of electric problems on the Pilot makes me wonder about Hondas reliability. I do hope that these problems are just my one time bad luck and things will be rosy from here. I am holding my breath with fingers crossed...
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rotor problem - 2013 Honda Pilot
By scott - October 6 - 12:23 pmIm generally happy with my pilot but Im miffed currently. This summer the truck started to vibrate while braking on the highway. A quick Internet search found many complaints of warped front rotors at low mileage. Hondas position is that repair isnt covered under the warranty. The dealer charged $180 to cut the front rotors. Honda should do right by its customers and issue a recall to cover these defective parts.
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Started off trouble-free, but... - 2007 Honda Pilot
By krazykarguy - October 6 - 8:55 amWe purchased this car in 2010 with 55k miles. We were shopping for a lower-end EX or even an LX, but the wife didnt like the colors of the other Pilots on the lot that were EX/LX. We ended up with the [more expensive] EX-L because of the color. The car was initially operated in RI, and we used it in VT. It was involved in an accident that showed up on CarFax prior to our ownership (which was disclosed by the dealer), but was repaired to a high level, so I was OK with the purchase. We expected a growing family, so we wanted a larger vehicle, with high safety ratings, and large cargo capacity. We also wanted to tow a pop-up camper with it in the future. AWD was a must because of the snow that was expected annually in Vermont. We quickly noticed that the Pilot was a great long-distance cruiser, and very comfortable to boot. The engine was a little overwhelmed at times due to the large bulk of the Pilot, but overall was up to the task. Fuel economy was around 18-19 mpg all the time - maybe 20 on the highway if you were really gentle. AWD was great in the snow, especially with a set of snow tires (a prerequisite for VT winter driving). Towing, however, was another matter. Hills were to be feared, and the engine was over-taxed, all the time. Acceleration with a 1,700 lb trailer was unacceptable. The brakes always seemed to be soft and not incredibly powerful, pedal pressure seemed not in line with braking power. This, of course, was amplified while towing. Also worth noting - when adding a tow hitch - be certain to clean the threads on the RH side before attempting to install the bolts - if the bolts get bound up, then you have a high likelyhood of breaking the welded capture nut loose on the inside of the frame rail. To correct this issue requires removal of the entire 2nd and 3rd row of the interior, and making a 3" hole in the cargo area floor to access the loose nut. Maintenance was relatively simple, and the minder on the dash made it easy to keep track of. I performed all of the maintenance on the car, and my only complaint was that when the oil filter was removed, the oil would drain on the front subframe, making a mess. All other maintenance (including the timing belt/water pump at 105k) was straightforward and uncomplicated. I did NOT like needing to replace the rear VTM-4 differential fluid every 15k miles, though... that seemed really excessive - especially since it requires a GALLON of Honda fluid at $40 a gallon. Now, on to the problems: 1.) While every car in Vermont will develop rust from the salt eventually, the Pilot did a relatively decent job at resisting it. When we finally traded it in, the underbody was pretty clean for a VT car. However, the door moldings retained dirt, sand, and filth really badly, and I dont want to know what the steel doors looked like underneath. 2.) June, 2014 - At about 120k, the lower portion of the right rear knuckle on the car fractured, leaving the lower mount of the shock dangling in place. Had I not noticed it immediately, it would have cut the tire. Honda did not have a single replacement part anywhere in the country, and I was forced to replace it with a used component. The replacement of that component required removal of all of the suspension and brakes in that corner of the car and a $900 repair bill. Keep in mind that this is a cast-iron part, and should be good for the life of any vehicle. 3.) November, 2014 - At 130k, the power steering rack began to leak badly, despite two proper fluid maintenance services having been performed since 2010. Replacement of this component is also excessively labor intensive - requiring 15 hours of labor to remove. I was not happy about this. This was a $1700 repair. 4.) January, 2015 - The final nail in the coffin for the Pilot was that the rear differential began to howl at any speed above 35-40 mph. This was despite the fact that the fluid changes had been performed regularly, with the expensive Honda fluid. Research showed that this would be a $1000-$1500 repair, with a used differential. We got rid of it for a 2011 Kia Sorento SX.
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LOVE IT - 2011 Honda Pilot
By Brian Peters - October 1 - 4:33 pmI have owned my 2011 Pilot for two years now and have nothing but great things to say about it. The amount of cargo space and thought that went into this vehicle goes well beyond its truck like exterior. (Which I love) This SUV has places to store things behind every corner, and even has plenty of room when I have 8 people packed into it. IT never slips & slides in the rain or snow, and has been nothing but reliable to me since I purchased it in the summer of 2013. The only thing I have had to replace is the brake pads, but thats expected in any large 3 row crossover. Its get up and go is good, but I struggle to overtake cars on the highway without really hitting the gas pedal. Overall, I would recommend this vehicle to any family that does not want a minivan, wants a bang for there buck, and wants to ride in style. My rating for the Pilot? 10/10 best car I have ever owned.
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Serious ECO Issues *** Do Not Buy *** - 2013 Honda Pilot
By Michael - September 28 - 8:49 pmI purchased a 2013 Pilot Touring 2WD fully loaded and noticed hesitation when the vehicle is in ECO mode. The dealer is aware of the problem but says there is no fix for the problem. My problems started at 3000 miles. The problem really occurs when in ECO mode going up hill. When the stuttering/hesitation starts you will feel as though you are on a rodeo bull. In addition, I notice serious front-end shaking with no evident cause. I though I was the only person, but when Googled I discovery many pilot owners experiencing the same issues. See the links below. http://www.piloteers.org/forums/14-problems/33382-2013-pilot-constant-eco-vibration.html http://www.carcomplaints.com/Honda/Pilot/2013/drivetrain/power_train.shtml Sincerely, Michael
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Battery died - 2014 Honda Pilot
By Tito espinal - September 28 - 6:51 pmI have a 2014 Honda Pilot EXL The car its been killing the battery for the past 5th on rounded days. I but the truck from paragon Honda in queens [contact info removed]
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Blue Smoothy - 2015 Honda Pilot
By Mark - August 29 - 9:20 pmI always wanted a Pilot, but couldt justify the cost, but I finally made the plunge and love it. Sure, I looked at the 2015 Highlander and almost spent a few grand more to get the latest tech, and maybe in retro spec I should have, but the family and I love our Pilot and how it gets us around in our daily lives. The DVD player for the eight and twelve year olds are a must. Great MPG and my wife and I love how it glides down the road. Would buy another one. One crazy thing though... I had all four brake calipers rust, just surface, and Rivertown Honda replaced them under warranty without more than a "Hey guys what do you think of this." Cant say enough about how easy that was and a new 2015 Civic for the day without charge. Thanks Honda and Rivertown Honda of Grandville, MI.
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My Dream Luxury SUV!!! - 2012 Honda Pilot
By R.W. Bey - August 23 - 6:12 pmSince I have purchased and driven my "luxury SUV" , I have enjoyed every moment behind the wheel. Thank you Honda!!!!
