Before you get your pilot’s licence, you have to fly solo.
In my case, that means a week alone with two kids aged four and one. Please make sure your tray tables are securely fastened and your seats are in an upright position. Also, better get the airsick bags ready.
Happily, Honda’s three-row crossover is designed for this sort of thing. No longer pretending to be a truck-like SUV, it’s now just a bigger version of the strong-selling CR-V. Passenger hauling is the priority, with a view towards clever cubbies and easy folding seats.
There are, however, a lot of vehicles in this class that provide the same kind of cargo-n’-kids friendliness. As we head down the runway, how much Honda character does your Pilot have?
Design
As mentioned, the new Pilot is basically a larger CR-V. And it looks it.
For the most part, that’s a good thing. At the expense of standout character, the Pilot’s smooth, square lines have a certain soothing anonymity. It looks respectable: just the sort of thing for dropping your kids off at school then hurrying home in stealth mode.
LED-accented headlights and taillights are standard, and Honda’s three-bar grille livens up what’s essentially a box with the corners belt-sanded off. Eighteen-inch alloys are standard, or you get 20-inch alloys with the Touring trim.
It’s not very exciting, truth be told. However, compare this laid-back demeanour with the angry face of something like the Toyota Highlander, and the Honda starts looking pretty likable. The Pilot doesn’t shout – but who wants a pilot that does?
Environment
If the exterior of the Pilot rates as Bigger CR-V, then the interior gets a grade of Not Quite An Odyssey. If you need more space, buy a minivan. If you regard sliding doors with the same distaste as acid-wash jeans, then this is as close as you’re going to get.
On one hand, like all three-row crossovers, the Pilot doesn’t have the deep cargo well of a minivan when all three rows are in use. Even with a floor that can be lowered to create a little more room, there’s only 524 litres of space behind the third row. If you’re only using the middle row, it’s a much better 1,583 l.
In terms of practicality and comfort, however, the Pilot is right there. The front seats are excellent, and the rear seats are more than large enough for adult-sized children (who should move out and get a job already, the frequent flyer freeloaders). Fitting two car seats for smaller fry was simple.
If you’re boarding a party of four, or just want to put your noisier passengers back in third row economy class, the Pilot offers clever tricks like a low-mounted one-push button to fold the middle row seats. It’s perfect for kids too small to clamber up and haul forward a seat.
Up front there’s a host of spaces to stow your luggage, including two-tier panels in the doors, and a huge central cubby. The eight-inch touchscreen that controls infotainment functions is bright and modern – a big improvement over previous Honda systems. However, some functions are buried in weird sub-menus, and the screen is very prone to fingerprint smudges. Get your co-pilot to swab it down as part of a pre-flight check.
Performance
Many would-be Pilot owners might have got their first taste of Honda behind the wheel of a lightweight little Civic in the university years. Simple, quick, nimble – too bad you’ve traded all that youthful fun in for a mortgage, kids, and a plodding crossover, right?
The Pilot, however, does not plod. Actually, it’s almost ridiculously quick, running a mid-14 second quarter-mile, and to 100 km/h in a little more than six seconds. That’s nearly VW GTI territory.
The heart of the matter is Honda’s excellent 3.5-litre V-6, which makes 280 horsepower at 6,000 r.p.m. and 262 foot-pounds of torque at 4,800 r.p.m. It’s very smooth, and comes alive at higher RPMs with a genuine VTEC kick in the pants. A crossover that loves to rev? Who knew?
Handling-wise, this is a high-riding crossover that weighs more than 2,000 kilograms. It is not a fighter plane. With a true torque-vectoring rear differential and well-tuned suspension, however, the Pilot feels lighter on its feet than its rivals.
The nine-speed transmission isn’t as fussy as you might think, with the only oddness being the utterly pointless push-button shifter (it takes up the same space as a regular shift lever). Shifts are smooth in standard mode, and quick if you’re making a pass or on an onramp.
Even with the 20-inch wheels, the ride is relatively smooth – no turbulence here. Road noise is muted, though the Pilot feels a little floatier than other large crossovers. The Toyota Highlander, for instance, drives with a much heavier feel.
Further, the Pilot comes with an autopilot of sorts in its Honda Sensing suite of technologies. Standard on most models, the package includes adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warnings, and lane-keeping assist. Get out on the highway and set your speed, and it’ll make the daily commute just a little less dreary.
Features
Honda Sensing is standard on all Pilots except the slow-selling LX model, which starts at $35,590 for a front-wheel-drive version. EX and up models have all-wheel-drive as well, and the fully loaded, $50K+ Touring model continues to be a favourite amongst those who don’t care much for badge snobbery.
Fuel economy is solid for a full-sized crossover, with the V-6 managing to return real-world results that match the numbers on the window. Official figures are 12.4 (litres/100 kilometres) in the city and 9.3 on the highway.
Green light
Surprisingly quick; comfortable, well-thought-out cabin; feels nimble on the road.
Stop sign
Anonymous styling; less cargo room than a minivan; infotainment still a bit cluttered.
The checkered flag
Fly the family-friendly skies.
Competition
Toyota Highlander ($33,555): Freshly updated, the Highlander gets a new, more aggressive front end, and a few other tweaks. Power from its 3.5-litre V-6 is now above 300 h.p., and the hybrid version is quicker as well, for city slickers on the move.
The Highlander is less of a handler than the Honda, but also feels more planted. The Entune infotainment system is less flashy, but more intuitive.
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