2011 Honda Pilot

The Pilot is Honda's mid-size crossover utility vehicle, offering a rugged look combined with a very passenger-friendly package and surprisingly good on-the-road performance.

Four-wheel-drive models can tow up to 4,500 pounds.

From a practicality standpoint, the interior of the Honda Pilot interior brims with cubbies, holders, and bins for accoutrements of all sorts.



The 2011 Honda Pilot’s strengths are a spacious third-row seat, lots of storage cubbies, and a powerful engine, but it can’t keep up with competitors when it comes to interior quality and braking performance.



Along with its spacious third row and excellent safety scores, the Pilot boasts a powerful V6 engine and impressive towing capacity. It also comes with three rows of seats (though it seats seven rather than the Pilot’s eight) and boasts a better 19/25 fuel economy rating.



At a glance, the "Honda Pilot" would seem to do a fine job as a family hauler. In sum, we think the Pilot is an adequate choice for a midsize or large crossover SUV. The 2011 Honda Pilot is a midsize crossover SUV offered in four trim levels: LX, EX, EX-L and Touring. Each is available with either front- or all-wheel drive. The EX adds 17-inch alloy wheels, foglights, painted body molding (versus black plastic), roof rails, heated exterior mirrors, an eight-way power driver seat (with two-way power lumbar), steering-wheel audio controls, tri-zone automatic climate control, an in-dash six-CD changer, and satellite radio. Optional on the EX-L is a rear-seat DVD entertainment system and a voice-activated navigation system bundled with Bluetooth, an iPod interface and a 10-speaker premium audio system.



Powertrains and Performance

The Honda Pilot is motivated by a 3.5-liter V6 that generates 250 horsepower and 253 pound-feet of torque. Front-wheel drive is standard, but all Honda Pilot models are available with an all-wheel-drive system that automatically apportions power to the rear wheels -- up to 70 percent -- when front slippage occurs. This system also has a driver-selectable "lock" feature that routes maximum torque to the rear wheels at speeds below 19 mph.



Still the Pilot's EPA estimates of 17 city/23 highway mpg and 19 mpg combined (16/22/18 for AWD models) are merely average for this segment.



Safety

Standard safety equipment includes stability control, front-seat side airbags and full-length side curtain airbags. In the government's new, more strenuous crash testing for 2011, the Honda Pilot earned an overall rating of four stars out of a possible five, with four stars for overall frontal crash protection and five stars for overall side crash protection.The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety likewise awarded the 2011 Honda Pilot its top "Good" rating for both frontal-offset and side-impact crashes.



Interior Design and Special Features

Mimicking the Honda Pilot's utilitarian exterior styling, the interior features a rugged and blocky theme. The Honda Pilot also keeps stride with the competition with its roomy third-row seats.



Driving Impressions

In terms of performance, the Honda Pilot is burdened by a lack of power and a hefty curb weight. On curvy roads, the Honda Pilot also feels rather cumbersome. In our testing, however, that positive feel ran counter to the Pilot's rather long stopping distances.