Tougher Looking 2009 Honda Pilot

by Chris Jackson – www.car-data.com

The SUV market is splitting rapidly, with crossover vehicles taking the place of minivans assuburban people-haulers, and body-on-frame vehicles playing up the advantages of being real trucksinstead of tall station wagons. In this increasingly specialized market, there’s not much room fora vehicle that attempts to please everyone while excelling at nothing.

Even so, it may come as something of a surprise which side the Honda Pilot has chosen. For itsall-new, second-generation incarnation coming in 2009, the Pilot is unabashedly a truck. A new,larger body has been squared off, and its suburb-friendly features are balanced by a standardtrailer hitch and an increased towing capacity to please buyers who need a vehicle sturdy enough totackle jobs heavier than grocery shopping. With much of the competition drifting toward “crossover”vehicles that are more carlike, Honda wants to play up the Pilot’s real truck skills as well as itsfamily-friendly elements.

The new vehicle is immediately recognizable as a Honda, but the Pilot sports a new, bricklikebody and a floating six-sided grille flanked by larger headlamps. The faux skidplate under thefront bumper remains. It looks significantly tougher than before, with a thick C-pillar thatcreates a distinction between the passenger and cargo sections of the vehicle. The tall, uprightdesign bears some resemblance to an old Isuzu Trooper, actually. The Pilot is bigger, too; the bodyis about an inch wider and 2.9 inches longer.

That added size is most apparent in the interior. The 2009 Pilot features more comfortableseating for up to eight passengers thanks to that improved interior room. It’s also a fulleight-passenger vehicle, with room for three adults across in each of the second and third rows. Awealth of LATCH connectors allows up to four child seats to be installed, in a variety ofconfigurations, making the Pilot a great toddler-playdate bus. Honda has also moved the gearshiftlever to the instrument panel, freeing up console space.

Varying tones and textures give the Pilot’s command center the appearance of having beenassembled from many disparate elements, but also make the controls easier to navigate; the soundsystem controls are a collection of frosted-teal buttons, while the climate control and informationcenter buttons look different. The center console features a retractable rollaway lid, largecupholders and an auxiliary sound system input. Naturally, satellite radio, a DVD entertainmentsystem and a navigation system are available. A USB jack and backup camera that displays in therearview mirror are also on the options list, and the new Touring model makes it easy to have allof the options. The Pilot Touring is a new top-of-the-line model. Like the Odyssey Touring minivan,the Pilot Touring batches all of the luxury options into a single package. Honda hopes to capturebuyers who want a “tougher” vehicle than the Acura MDX.

Behind the passengers, a clever rear cargo net stretches out above the load floor, allowing fortwo-tiered grocery bag carrying and extending the available space without folding the rear seat.Five grocery bag hooks are also spread through the cargo area; the Pilot’s a grocery-friendlysport-ute. A new split tailgate eases loading, and a power tailgate is available. The rear seatsfold easier thanks to repositioned latches and revised hardware, and both rows of seats fold flatinto the floor to open up an 87 cubic-foot cargo area.

The 3.5 liter V6 under the hood is exclusive to Honda’s SUVs, distinct from the 3.5 found in theAccord. A two-stage variable intake manifold with larger valves and a cold air intake are used toimprove engine breathing. This 250-horse engine is equipped with Honda’s Variable CylinderManagement (VCM) for improved fuel economy. Most buyers are familiar with the concept by now: onthe freeway, up to three of the cylinders can be shut off, conserving fuel, and the Pilot canactivate them when they’re needed for passing or climbing grades. The middle, four-cylinder modeincreases VCM’s flexibility, enabling it to extend the fuel savings to in-town driving as well.What’s notable about the new VCM system on the Pilot is that it’s smoother and quieter than before,with seamless transitions. The only evidence that it’s working from the driver’s seat is the ECOlight on the dash. Active engine mounts and active noise cancellation are used to help eliminatethe additional vibration caused by cutting off cylinders. The 16/22 fuel economy rating is an eightpercent improvement over 2008, and doesn’t affect the Pilot’s ability to tow up to 4500 pounds. ThePilot’s five-speed automatic transmission is equipped to handle the additional load of towing witha standard oil cooler. A trailer hitch is also standard equipment.

It’s equipped like a truck, but it doesn’t drive like you’d expect a truck to. The squared-offdesign is actually misleading; the new Pilot is more aerodynamic than before. Lightening trickslike an aluminum hood and magnesium engine components help to offset the size increase, and weighthas not gone up by much. Honda has also massively increased its use of high-strength steel in thePilot’s body, creating a much stronger safety cage around the passenger compartment. I didn’t testthis, of course, but a redesigned impact zone in the front distributes crash energy moreefficiently as well as being compatible with smaller cars. The Pilot earns five-star safety ratingsin all categories.

On the freeway, the Pilot is reasonably quiet, and better-behaved than its somewhat wobblypredecessor. This truck drives big, but manages to avoid being ponderous. I noticed a lot of tirenoise, especially over cracks in the road. The available all-wheel drive is a fully automaticsystem, and off-road ability is improved with a new Hill Start Assist. Pilot pricing begins around$27,600.

Specifications:
All specs are for the 2009 Honda Pilot
Length: 190.9 in.
Width: 78.5 in.
Height: 72.7 in.
Wheelbase: 109.2 in.
Curb weight: 4504 lb.
Cargo space: 20.8 cu.ft. (all seats up); 87.0 cu.ft. (all seats folded)
Towing capacity: 4500 lb.
Engine: 3.5 liter SOHC V6
Drivetrain: five-speed automatic transmission, all-wheel drive
Horsepower: 250 @ 5700
Torque: 253 @ 4800
Fuel capacity: 21.0 gal.

Est. mileage: 16/22