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2003 Honda Pilot Mid-Size Sport Utility Vehicle
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We're a hard group to pin down. Often we think we want something like a tough truck with lots of capability and then get disappointed with its clumsiness when we live with it for a while. This underlines the history of the SUV in the US. After ten years of trucks, buyers seem to have quietly decided that they really want station wagons and minivans that look like trucks.
"Yeah, keep them tall and tough looking, and give us all wheel drive, but make them easy to get into and let's have lots of wood, leather and gadgets," seems to be the market mantra.
Honda first gave us the CR-V small utility and it satisfied all those roles, and it has become the class of the small ute market. The Pilot is Honda's first entry into the mid-size SUV market. They have learned their lessons well.
According to Honda's Frank Paluch, "We need an adventurous image but still want safety and a good road feel. We don't want bad fuel economy and any clumsy aspects. The goal is family adventure with a Yosemite image. We want to put Sport uppermost in Sport Utility."
If you're looking for styling excellence, Honda is not the place to go. Their styling is identifiable, but safe. Even bland. They claim to have used a Pelican utility case as the model for the outside while the interior used the theme of a backpack for padding and function. Not the usual expansive words we usually get, but highly responsive to what the public is really looking for. Imagine a big CR-V.
The interior is perhaps the most important aspect, with a clean dash with instruments contained in a tight cluster, and lots of storage nooks. The high mounted radio and heater/AC controls keep the driver's eyes on the road. There is the possibility of 8-passenger seating if the rear folks are kid sized, and each rear seat rises above the row before; a welcome design detail. There's good support and shape in the front seats, but the layout is utilitarian in the rear. Yet with panoramic glass and lots of room (it appears to be 4.5 in wider than the mid-sized competition), Pilot will satisfy family needs. And the kid's activity tray in the center and nine cup holders will keep lots of clutter in check and the DVD video player can make trips shorter.
