2017 Honda Pilot Review
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Edmunds' Expert Review
byTravis Langness
Reviews Editor
Travis Langness has worked in the automotive industry since 2011. He has written thousands of car-related articles and tested and reviewed hundreds of vehicles over the course of his career.Pros
- A versatile, roomy interior with spacious rear seats
- Ride is smooth and compliant in most conditions
- Better fuel economy than rivals
- Multiple clever storage compartments
Cons
- Nine-speed automatic transmission lacks refinement
- Collision warning and adaptive cruise control are overly sensitive
- Third-row access is narrow
- Touchscreen interface isn't very intuitive
What’s new
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility has been added to Pilots with the 8-inch touchscreen (EX and above). Otherwise, the Pilot carries over unchanged.
Vehicle overview
With lots of space, a versatile interior and even a bit of off-road capability, the 2017 Honda Pilot is appealing for all sorts of reasons. Capable of towing up to 5,000 pounds and comfortably carrying eight passengers, the Pilot is utilitarian by almost all standards. Getting the kids in and out is relatively easy, and options such as a Blu-ray rear entertainment system turn road trips into a breeze. And for daily commutes, the quiet cabin and smooth ride make the Pilot extremely livable.
Despite all its virtues, the Pilot isn't perfect. Our top complaints include oversensitive safety systems such as the adaptive cruise control, the finicky (but optional) nine-speed automatic transmission, and a not-so-user-friendly infotainment interface. They're small issues, however, and they're not enough to dampen our enthusiasm for this big Honda SUV. If you're in the market for a three-row crossover, we definitely recommend checking out the 2017 Honda Pilot.
Notably, we picked the 2018 Honda Pilot as one of Edmunds' Best Family SUVs for this year.
What's it like to live with?
With a spacious cabin, exceptional comfort and a tremendously roomy cabin, the Honda Pilot is the quintessential three-row crossover. As soon as we got behind the wheel of this newest model, our editors universally agreed: The Pilot was the best of the bunch. We immediately reached out to Honda and secured a fully loaded Elite model for our long-term test fleet. Over the course of a year and 25,000 miles, we drove our Black Forest green tester to Las Vegas, Sacramento and Oregon. Usually, it performed the commuting duties typical of a family-friendly SUV. To read about our experiences, read our long-term Pilot test. Note that while we tested a 2016 Pilot, all of our observations still apply to the 2017 model.
Edmunds' Expert Rating
4.0 / 5When it comes to three-row SUVs that offer modern amenities, plenty of room for large families and surprising efficiency, the 2017 Honda Pilot is at the top of the list. It hits all the high notes for versatility, comfort and efficiency, not to mention Honda's reputation for reliability.
Trim tested
Each vehicle typically comes in multiple versions, although trim levels share many aspects. The ratings in this review are based on our full test of the 2016 Honda Pilot 2WD Touring w/Navigation and Rear Entertainment System (3.5L V6; 9-speed automatic).
Scorecard
| Overall | 4.0 / 5 |
| Driving | 3.0 |
| Comfort | 4.5 |
| Interior | 4.0 |
| Utility | 4.0 |
Driving
3.0With ample power and respectable handling, the Pilot is among the athletes in the three-row SUV segment. It's a winner on mountain roads, easily gets up to speed, and can manage light towing and slippery surfaces with the optional all-wheel drive.
Comfort
4.5Given its above-average ride quality and seat comfort plus ample space in first and second rows, the Pilot is a very comfortable SUV. Ease of use is very high, too, which makes the Pilot a convenient and easy SUV to live with.
Interior
4.0The Pilot exhibits typical Honda efficiency and build quality. Use of space is very good with lots of storage. Practical features such as the easy-entry third row and flat load floor with the second and third rows lowered make a difference when hauling cargo and people.
Utility
4.0Though it can't tow as much as truck-based SUVs such as the Chevy Suburban, the Pilot is still an extremely utilitarian vehicle. Its large, well-thought-out interior proves extremely useful when you stuff it full of passengers or their gear.
Technology
Though some controls in the Pilot are reasonably intelligent and intuitive, the active safety features err on the side of caution and can be intrusive. Also, the lack of a volume knob is a frustrating omission that you have to deal with on a daily basis.
Which Pilot does Edmunds recommend?
Our recommendation for the Pilot is the EX-L trim level. It's a good balance of feature availability and price, but more importantly, it has the standard six-speed automatic transmission, which we prefer to the optional nine-speed transmission. The EX-L comes with plenty of features such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, a sunroof, a power tailgate, heated front seats and one-touch sliding second-row seats. And, if you're so inclined, you can add the available Honda Sensing package that includes features such as adaptive cruise control and forward collision mitigation.
2017 Honda Pilot models
The Pilot is a three-row crossover SUV that poses as a good alternative for a minivan. It is offered in LX, EX, EX-L, Touring and the Elite trim levels. All seat eight people, with the exception of the Elite, which has second-row captain's chairs that reduce capacity to seven.
