Although recent Honda products may not look very exciting or competitive, they have an uncanny way of impressing us by delivering the goods without fuss. You can criticize the new Civic all you want about its bland styling and hit-and-miss interior, but it remains a solid, easy-to-live-with car that delivers solid fuel economy and reliability.
Same thing goes for the Honda Pilot. It's got rugged looks, but doesn't stand out from the crowd of midsize SUVs. It doesn't have the most powerful engine in its class, yet offers plenty of pep and decent fuel consumption. And it's got room for eight passengers -- eight normal-size passengers.
Efficient powertrain
The 2012 Honda Pilot features the company's well known 3.5L V6. In this application, it develops 250 hp and 253 lb-ft of torque, it includes cylinder deactivation for saving fuel under light loads, and is managed by a 5-speed automatic.
On paper, it seems low on power compared to a 270-hp Toyota Highlander or a 280-hp
Volkswagen Touareg. However, the Honda Pilot's V6 and gearbox make the best out of the situation, as the big SUV accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.4 seconds.
It was also pretty quiet on the highway. A 6th gear would probably help fuel economy; at 100 km/h, the engine spun at 2,000 rpm, a little higher than expected. Still, the Pilot delivered an acceptable average of 11.8L/100km over the course of the week.
That included a weekend trip up in the woods with five people and gear on board. Driving down gravel roads was obviously not a problem for the high-riding 2012 Honda Pilot, and road noise was well isolated. More communicative steering would help to feel the road better -- although, that's more of a concern in the winter than in the summer.
The all-wheel drive system in the 2012 Honda Pilot is front-wheel biased; when a loss of traction is detected, engine power is sent to the back wheels. It's a reactive system, maybe not one of the best out there for battling a snowstorm, but the VTM-4 can be locked in four-wheel drive mode at the touch of a button for added confidence behind the wheel. On the other hand, you can only lock it while travelling under approximately 30 km/h.
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| The Pilot is equipped with a 250-hp 3.5L V6 that features fuel-saving cylinder deactivation technology. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour) |
Room for eight
The 2012 Honda Pilot is one of the rare SUVs in the midsize class that can accommodate up to eight passengers -- make that eight adult passengers. The square shape of the truck means there isn't a sloping rear roofline to cut down third-row headroom, and foot space back there is adequate.
As usual in three-row SUVs and crossovers, you either haul people or cargo, but can rarely carry both. In the Pilot's case, you do get 589 litres of cargo space when all seats are occupied, which isn't bad at all. Fold down both rows in the 2012 Honda Pilot and you get 2,464 litres of cargo volume; that's average in the category, and much less than in GM's immense
Chevrolet Traverse,
GMC Acadia and
Buick Enclave triplets.
The 2012 Pilot's pilot gets a commanding view of the road ahead, with good all-around visibility and a good driving position. The Pilot is also a shopping mall parking-lot champ, with an excellent turning radius. As mentioned earlier, this Honda is extremely easy to live with, and behind the wheel it feels smaller than it really is.
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| The 2012 Honda Pilot is one of the rare SUVs in the midsize class that can accommodate up to eight passengers. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour) |
Interior improvements
This year, the Honda Pilot received a minor facelift as well as some changes to the interior assembly. The centre stack was revised; gone is the translucent faceplate, while the button layout has been shuffled around a bit. These aren't big changes, but stylistically it looks better even though it lacks the quality feel of a Volkswagen's cockpit.
The last Honda Pilot I drove had dash panels that didn't quite line up properly, but such was not the case in this 2012 version. The navigation and infotainment system's screen was updated with cleaner, sharper graphics, and remains easy to use. The Touring trim we tested also included a rear-seat DVD entertainment system with wireless headphones and extra output jacks which worked flawlessly while front-row occupants listened to music.
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| The centre stack was revised; gone is the translucent faceplate, while the button layout has been shuffled around a bit. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour) |
No-hassle trims and pricing
The 2012 Honda Pilot LX 2WD form starts at $34,920, while our top-shelf Touring version is listed at $48,520. Between those two extremes are four other trim levels with incrementally more equipment.
The domestic brands such as the aforementioned GMs, the Dodge Durango and the Ford Explorer offer more selection in trims, equipment and powertrains. They also have electronic safety gizmos the Pilot lacks, like blind-spot monitors and adaptive cruise control. Nevertheless, the Pilot is well equipped and its simplified model lineup makes the purchase process easy.
It may lack excitement, but the 2012 Honda Pilot is a solid SUV buy that simply makes the everyday grind much easier to handle.
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