THIRD-GENERATION THREE-ROW SUV IS PERFECT FOR THE MINIVAN-AVERSE What is it? Even as Honda prepares to unleash the 2016 HR- V a vehicle it calls a “gateway drug” to Honda ownership -- into a roaring compact crossover market, it hasn’t turned its back on larger offerings. The stalwart CR-V received a facelift for the 2015 model year and the automaker has redesigned its three-row SUV from the ground up for good measure. ON SALE: June 2015 BASE PRICE: $30,875 AS TESTED PRICE: $47,300 DRIVETRAIN: 3.5-liter V6; six-speed automatic or nine-speed automatic OUTPUT: 280 hp @ 6,000 rpm; 262 lb-ft @ 4,700 rpm CURB WEIGHT: 4,054 - 4,317 lbs
The resulting 2016 Honda Pilot is an eminently practical, tech-laden SUV aimed directly at, to paraphrase a Honda rep, the 1.1 million Americans who need a people-hauler but can’t bear being seen in a minivan. Or at least a healthy chunk of them. As it enters its third generation, the Honda Pilot has shed its boxy, truck-like looks and picked up a set of 20-inch rims -- a first for Honda -- plus LEDs by the bucketful, a suite of optional safety tech including a collision mitigation system and rear cross-traffic alert, a sleek infotainment system and a whole lot of USB charging points scattered throughout the cabin. It seats seven passengers when equipped with second-row captain’s chairs or eight if you opt for second- row benches.Additionally the vehicle gets a new-to-Pilot range-topping Elite trim offering those captain's chairs and just about everything else Honda could put into it, save for the HondaVac. Gotta give buyers some reason to look at the comparably priced Odyssey , we suppose. We're sad to say we didn't take the Pilot muddin'. But you can, thanks to a driver- selectable 'mud' mode. PHOTO BY HONDA
All Pilots come equipped with the same direct- injected 3.5-liter V6; depending on the trim level, you get a six- or nine-speed automatic transmission plus either two- or four-wheel drive. Good for 280 hp and 262 lb-ft, the V6 makes the ’16 Pilot both more powerful and more efficient than its predecessor (a seamless stop-start system doesn’t hurt fuel economy, either). When equipped with two-wheel drive and the nine- speed automatic the Pilot returns an estimated 23 mpg combined.The Pilot's i-VTM4 all-wheel drive system, which uses torque vectoring instead of power reduction to direct power to the appropriate wheel or wheels, includes a variety of driver-selectable traction management modes for better performance on snow, mud or sand. The Pilot can tow, too -- properly equipped 2WD vehicles can haul 3,500 pounds (the same as the Odyssey), and 4WD Pilots have a 5,000-pound capacity. This doesn’t give pickup purveyors much to fear, but it’s enough to haul a camper, boat or flatbed trailer full of a family's worth of dirt bikes. When the Pilot goes on sale this June, pricing will start at $30,875 for the most basic, two-wheel drive LX model. The fully loaded four-wheel drive Elite sets you back $47,300. (Both prices include $880 destination.) Between those two extremes there’s a dizzying number of trims and price points see the document at the bottom of the article for a full breakdown. An all-new body and a new-to-Pilot chassis help make the third-generation model lighter and more rigid than the previous vehicle. The new Pilot Elite loses 286 lbs compared to the old Pilot Touring
The resulting 2016 Honda Pilot is an eminently practical, tech-laden SUV aimed directly at, to paraphrase a Honda rep, the 1.1 million Americans who need a people-hauler but can’t bear being seen in a minivan. Or at least a healthy chunk of them. As it enters its third generation, the Honda Pilot has shed its boxy, truck-like looks and picked up a set of 20-inch rims -- a first for Honda -- plus LEDs by the bucketful, a suite of optional safety tech including a collision mitigation system and rear cross-traffic alert, a sleek infotainment system and a whole lot of USB charging points scattered throughout the cabin. It seats seven passengers when equipped with second-row captain’s chairs or eight if you opt for second- row benches.Additionally the vehicle gets a new-to-Pilot range-topping Elite trim offering those captain's chairs and just about everything else Honda could put into it, save for the HondaVac. Gotta give buyers some reason to look at the comparably priced Odyssey , we suppose. We're sad to say we didn't take the Pilot muddin'. But you can, thanks to a driver- selectable 'mud' mode. PHOTO BY HONDA
All Pilots come equipped with the same direct- injected 3.5-liter V6; depending on the trim level, you get a six- or nine-speed automatic transmission plus either two- or four-wheel drive. Good for 280 hp and 262 lb-ft, the V6 makes the ’16 Pilot both more powerful and more efficient than its predecessor (a seamless stop-start system doesn’t hurt fuel economy, either). When equipped with two-wheel drive and the nine- speed automatic the Pilot returns an estimated 23 mpg combined.The Pilot's i-VTM4 all-wheel drive system, which uses torque vectoring instead of power reduction to direct power to the appropriate wheel or wheels, includes a variety of driver-selectable traction management modes for better performance on snow, mud or sand. The Pilot can tow, too -- properly equipped 2WD vehicles can haul 3,500 pounds (the same as the Odyssey), and 4WD Pilots have a 5,000-pound capacity. This doesn’t give pickup purveyors much to fear, but it’s enough to haul a camper, boat or flatbed trailer full of a family's worth of dirt bikes. When the Pilot goes on sale this June, pricing will start at $30,875 for the most basic, two-wheel drive LX model. The fully loaded four-wheel drive Elite sets you back $47,300. (Both prices include $880 destination.) Between those two extremes there’s a dizzying number of trims and price points
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