Road Tests: Long-Term Test

Video highlights of this vehicle

"Oh no! Not another SUV!" We can hear our readers' protests against the newest Edmunds.com long-term car even before receiving our first e-mail. What makes us so confident in this reaction? It has to be the fact that many of our editors said the same thing when the Evergreen Pearl Pilot EX rolled into the Edmunds.com parking structure. Yet even as we question the need for yet another SUV in the fleet, our readers made the Pilot the Most Researched Vehicle on our Web site in the month of June. Seems we can't get away from these sport-utility-type thingamabobs.

Of course, we all know the secret to SUV sales success in the 21st century is giving potential buyers all the rugged, rough-and-tumble image of an SUV with none of the stereotypical SUV driving characteristics (tippy handling, harsh ride, flaccid steering response and poor gas mileage). About the only classic SUV traits consumers still want are the high riding position and its cargo capacity. You might say king-of-the-road sensations are a key part of the new SUV equation.

Honda has a history of knowing what the customer wants and delivering it with superb accuracy. However, the company copped out with its first SUV offering when it rebadged an Isuzu Rodeo and called it the Honda Passport, which placed last in an eight-truck SUV comparison test back in 2000. This charade went on for eight years — 1994 to 2002. For 2003 the company has reworked the Odyssey minivan platform into a highly capable SUV dubbed the Pilot. If you think the Pilot shares much of its mechanical architecture with Acura's similarly sized MDX (another Odyssey offspring), you're absolutely right. The drivetrain in both consists of a 3.5-liter V6 that makes 240 peak horsepower. MDX gets bumped to 260 hp for '03. Suspension tuning is a bit stiffer in the Acura for sportier handling, but the softer Pilot can match, if not surpass, competitors like the Toyota Highlander and Ford Explorer in terms of cornering stability. It also gets decent gas mileage (17 mpg city and 22 mpg highway) and rides more like an Accord than a Chevy Blazer (or TrailBlazer).

Our specific long-term Pilot is an EX with leather and the navigation system. We had a difficult time locating a Pilot with these options, and when our dealer did find this model he informed us it was the only one in the state of California. Even this Pilot wouldn't have been available to us if the original buyer hadn't decided to go with a different color (apparently, the Evergreen Pearl wasn't her cup of tea).

There are no factory options for a Pilot EX with leather and navigation, but the dealer directed us to the Honda Web site where we could pick from a number of dealer-installed accessories. Normally, we recommend against dealer accessories because of the excessive markup on such items. However, after reviewing the accessories and their associated prices, we decided to have the dealer install the following items: Crossbars for the roof rails ($193), Reverse Sensing System ($658), Auto Day-Night Mirror ($287), Cargo Cover ($138), Trailer Tow Package with Auxiliary Transmission and Power Steering Cooler ($1,082) and a Headliner-Mounted DVD Entertainment System for the rear seats ($1,675). The prices quoted include dealer installation charges, and we should note that the DVD entertainment system is not listed on the Honda Web site, but was available through Goudy Honda in Alhambra, Calif. (These were the prices at the time of purchase and are subject to change.)

In our opinion, each of these dealer accessories represents a worthwhile addition to the Pilot's use as a family utility vehicle (there are also plenty of wood grain interior trim and chrome exterior bits to add, if you're into that sort of thing). However, the prices paid for these accessories were generally higher than industry standards. For example, the $1,675 we paid for the dealer-installed DVD system (which is the same amount charged by the factory) is $575 more than that charged by Mercury for a similar system in the Mountaineer.

Keep in mind that if you want both the navigation and the DVD systems on a Honda Pilot you must get a Pilot with the factory nav system and then have the DVD system installed at the dealer. Of course, you could trust an aftermarket shop to do the work, but the aftermarket installation won't come with a full Honda warranty. Honda has traditionally kept its factory option lists short, but we think the company may want to address this issue, particularly if it is planning to expand further into the truck market.

We've put just over 1,000 miles on the Pilot during our first month of ownership. So far the only glaring issue is the design of the fold-and-slide mechanism for the second-row seats. The seats use a convenient outboard lever that lets each section (it's a 60/40-split seat) flip down before the entire section slides forward. Pushing the seat up and back locks it into position. However, unlike the second-row seats in the Odyssey, the Pilot's second row has only one default position: all the way back. In this position the second row offers plenty of legroom, but third-row legroom is greatly compromised. If the second-row seat could be moved forward a few inches, and locked into place on the sliding track, the third row would become far more capable of transporting full-size adults while still offering adequate legroom to second-row passengers. To us, this modification makes perfect sense. The tracks are already there and the second-row seats already slide fore and aft. Adding a couple more positions where the seat can lock down would cost little, but greatly increase seating options. The current design puts the Pilot at a disadvantage compared to the third-row seating accommodations in our long-term Ford Explorer, but still ahead of the game when compared to midsize competitors with no third-row option, such as Toyota's Highlander or the upcoming '03 Nissan Murano.

We'll delve further into the Pilot's strengths and weaknesses, plus take a closer look at its DVD entertainment system and navigation system in the months ahead. Stay tuned to see how Honda's entry into this competitive segment stacks up.

Current Odometer: 1,054
Best Fuel Economy: 18.3 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 15.9 mpg
Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 17.3 mpg
Body Repair Costs: None
Maintenance Costs: None
Problems: None