I have an '05 LX 4cyl sedan which I love, and am strongly considering a Pilot EX for my wife. Does anyone who owns or has experience with one have any strong opinions on the Pilot? thanks much

My dad and his girlfriend both have the 06 Pilot and they LOVE them. I, being the favored son ;-), get to drive them all the time and they really couldn't be more well balanced. They do not handle like an SUV and feel honda solid. I own an 07 accord ex-l and they are very comparative in handling and feel. It has enough power for us to haul 8 of us plus a 10' trailer full of stuff, yet gets very good gas mileage because of it being a v-6... Huge Huge :thmsup: for the Pilot.

We had an 03 Pilot & LOVED it. We traded it for a Ridgeline only because it fit our needs more now. I miss the Pilot. I liked it better in many ways. I'm still working on getting past the butt ugly dash of the Ridgeline after a year!! :lmao:

...and am strongly considering a Pilot EX for my wife

Dude...I almost fell out of my chair...I thought you said you were considering buying a pilot for your EX-wife. :paranoid:

Couple years ago I was on some of my favorite backroads in my Accord, I caught up to a Pilot and the guy was really cookin...that's my fond memory of them :lmao: Great handling SUV's for sure :thmsup:

They handle great. My mom has an 04, and imo, it kindof feels a bit heavy. I used to have a 4Runner, and my dad has a 4Runner, and compared to that, it feels a bit heavy. But I believe it does weigh a bit more, and it does have less torque.

It handles great though, can't complain much. Very responsive, handles like a car. It feels safe when you are driving it.

Have you test driven one yet? I'm sure you'll fall in love with it.

They feel very solid, quite nimble for an SUV, snd quite secure.

I really like the Honda Pilot in General, and if gas were cheaper I would be a happy to drive a Acura MDX!

They really don't drive like SUV's, but I think the handling is a bit off from the Accord. I've only driven an 05 EXL, which I believe has more power than earlier models, and it pulls strong from stoplights, which adds to the safe and solid feeling.

Good luck!

The current Pilot is a nice piece. The only thing that I particularly don't like about it, is the road noise.

The new generation should be due soon, as the MDX is on a new platform, so the Pilot should be following shortly.

thanks for the feedback, very encouraging.

My ex-gf had a Pilot that I had access to regularly. It was, fortunately, nothing like a another friend's Suburban or my brother's Blazer. Just as versatile and capable as those two (if not more) but much more car like. I didn't get "handling anxiety" going from my Accord to the Pilot like I do other SUVs but I wouldn't push the Pilot too hard in corners. For an SUV it handles well. She didn't tow anything but often had 5 - 7 people onboard and it scooted around no problem. Roomy and even the third row isn't too bad. I could sit back there for a 2 hour road trip to Pittsburgh as long as the A/C is cranking - but I wouldn't go any longer than that. And with the 'magic seats' easily tumbled down, plenty of cargo space in the rear. Lots of storage nooks and crannies too.

If you don't need AWD, keep in mind there are FWD only versions that feature VCM (cylinder deactivation) for a little better fuel mileage on the hiighway and slightly quicker acceleration (minus the AWD hardware). Tho I would guess resale wouldn't be as good on FWD models simply because people expect AWD on this type of vehicle.

Pilots - hmmm - let's see. :wave:

Owned 2. Wife had an '04 EX-L 4WD with DVD. Had it for 3 years and 38k miles on a lease, turned it in just this past month. She loved it, kids loved riding in it. Only reason she didn't get another is because of worsening arthritis in her hip and knee, she needed something lower to get into. See my signature below to see how we fell of the Honda wagon for her vehicle. :lmao:

Me, I currently lease an '06 LX 4WD. Had it for about 18 months, have almost 20k on it, and I have nothing negative to say at all (ok - maybe if the mpg's were a bit better....). The improvements they made between '04 and '06 are significant in terms of drivability. Much more responsive, smoother, and features like VSC and drive-by-wire throttle are definite improvements. I use it to tow, haul things, and people. The wife always has the leather and DVD unit, and I have the cloth and upgraded radio unit.

Pilots are great - you won't regret getting one! :thmsup:

andy

Just traded our second one. I really liked them, but on mine the gas mileage was something that I struggled with. I was getting anywhere between 13-15 around town, many times closer to 13. It would have been great other than the mileage. I was disappointed because I did not drive it hard. Comfortable, roomy, handled well, nice features. Just be sure that the mileage is not going to be a problem. Mine was a 4wd for reference.

2 Pilots for us. First one was a 2003 Pilot Ex, no leather, no dvd. Very solid suv, handled great, lots of room, good in the snow, etc...

Current Pilot is a 2006 Ex-L w/dvd ent system. The restyled front end with projector headlights and fogs is much more attractive than our '03 Pilot with no fogs or projectors. Pilot has plenty of power with very good accel for an suv, handles good in the rain, snow, etc...I don't notice road noise like someone else mentioned. Can't go wrong with a Pilot, I have no negative comments to say about ours.