Houston Cars

Meet the brand new 2009 Honda Pilot.  In typical Honda fashion, the new Pilot sticks to the formula that made the last version a success.  However, they did go a bit out of the norm.  The first thing you’ll notice when looking at the Pilot is a big, ugly, awkward grill.  The new pilot also seems a bit more squared off in the last version.  Think of a cross between the old Pilot, a Scion xB and the new Acura RL.

Looks aside, the 09 Pilot is, well, a Honda.  The interior is upgraded, though a bit controversially.  The shifter moves up to the dash, ala the CR-V.  I’m not really sure it works there, but surely it was done as a packaging / function thing.  The third row grew a little, but it’s still tight.  Still best for your kidlets.  If you have a bit of stuff you want to hide while you continue shopping, you can make use of the underfloor storage behind the third row.  It’s only 2.8 cubit feet, but still a handy addition.

Power is up a little, to 250 HP.  That won’t touch the class leaders, but Honda doesn’t care about that.  Gas mileage also improved slightly, to 17 city / 23 highway on the 2WD model.  That’s about par for class.  I was honestly hoping Honda would throw us a surprise here, and put out some crazy numbers.  Let’s take a look at the overall specs:

2009 Honda Pilot Specs

• 250 HP 3.5 liter V6
• Variable Cylinder Management ( VCM )
• 5 speed automatic transmission
• FWD or AWD
• 18 cubic ft of cargo room behind third row
• Seating for 8
• EPA Says: 17 MPG city / 23 MPG highway ( FWD model )

2009 Honda Pilot Reviews

Cars.com reviews the 2009 Honda Pilot and has this to say -’The Pilot was an appealing choice for families in the market for a three-row crossover before it was redesigned, and it remains so in its new, more refined 2009 form. When it was launched for the 2003 model year, the Pilot was one of just a few large crossover SUVs available. Today, however, there are many worthy challengers, like the CX-9 and Acadia, that match up well with it. When automakers redesign a model, they have to be able to — at a minimum — hang with the competition, and the Pilot does that and more in the categories that matter most.’

Autblog reviews the 2009 Honda Pilot and has this to say -’Overall, the 2009 Honda Pilot isn’t likely to set anyone’s heart aflutter. It’s designed for function, i.e. hauling a bunch of people and/or stuff around in relative comfort. For what this vehicle is supposed to be, it seems very capable. It’s smoother, quieter and apparently more fuel efficient than its predecessor, and if you choose the new Touring trim level, equipped to be almost on par with its more expensive Acura sibling, the new Pilot is quite a bargain. If Honda would just take another look at the dashboard materials and the upright face, we’d probably be good to go.’

Car and Driver reviews the 2009 Honda Pilot and has this to say -’Behind the wheel the new car is better in just about every way. Gone from the steering is the slight dead spot on-center, and the ride has been stiffened appropriately, getting rid of the previous car’s somewhat mushy-soft behavior. Acceleration feels similar (figure on 0-to-60 mph in the mid-seven-second range), there’s still some torque steer when accelerating vigorously out of corners (even in 4WD models), and the steering isn’t nearly as quick nor the tires as grippy as in such sporty wannabes as the Mazda CX-9. Is this a problem? Probably not, considering the Pilot’s mainstream, family-oriented buyers’