2009 Honda Pilot First Drive

Introduction

What’s New – The 2009 Honda Pilot helped to define the whole segment with a combination of comfort, utility and ability that other manufacturers have only recently surpassed. With the new Pilot, Honda once again takes a leading position with a more powerful engine, sleeker styling and a more luxurious interior.

Why It Matters – The new Honda Pilot offers buyers a wide range of options, including a new Touring trim level for those who want an added dose of luxury in their rides. New engine technology makes the Pilot more fuel efficient than before, and an innovative cargo management system virtually doubles the carrying space behind the third row.

Honda Pilot – 2009 First Drive:You can’t please all the people all the time, or so the saying goes. Generally speaking it’s true. Satisfy one group and you leave others wanting. Cater to the second group and, whoops, now the first are left out in the cold.

It’s a conundrum carmakers are faced with all the time. If the first group wants a big comfortable vehicle that can carry eight passengers, and the second doesn’t want to drive something that feels more maritime than Main Street, where does the company plant its flag? After all, you can’t please both groups right?

Wrong.

The 2009 Honda Pilot is one of those rare vehicles that come admirably close to giving everybody what they want. Need room for the family? Check. Want tight parking-lot maneuverability? Check. Need a livable third row, with enough room behind it for more than a box of paper clips? Check, and check. Yet with the new Pilot there’s more: More power, more luxury, more features, and thanks to the new Touring trim, more models than before. Yes, the second-generation Honda Pilot improves on its predecessor in every way, while at the same time surpassing most of its competition in every category.

Wait, did we just say “most?”

Yes, because as good as the new Pilot is – and it’s very good – it fails to give a serious knockout punch. In particular, there is one competitor which still gives it a run for its money. It doesn’t wear a Toyota or Nissan badge, instead, it says “GMC” in huge letters in front, and “Acadia” in chrome block on the back. Since its introduction, the GMC Acadia it has been our benchmark for the class, and while the new Pilot definitely knocks it around, the GMC is still standing.

But more on that later.

Still, the 2009 Honda Pilot once again claims a top spot on our list of desirable crossovers thanks to its clever packaging, combination of features, clever engineering and innate goodness.

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2009 Honda Pilot - Notable Features

The 2009 Honda Pilot is loaded with new features, many of them in the new Touring trim level, which introduces a variety of luxury touches that weren’t available before. In addition to a standard moonroof, leather, and navigation system, the Touring offers up a power driver’s seat with memory, corner and backup sensors and a rear-view camera, a USB port for iPod integration, and a power liftgate. It also has chrome exterior trim, unique wheels and is pre-wired for a trailer connection.

All Pilots get numerous safety advances, not the least of which is the implementation of Honda’s ACE body structure. Standing for Advanced Compatibility Engineering, it’s designed to both absorb impact energy and avoid override or underride conditions, as can occur when a large vehicle impacts a smaller one, or vice versa. All Pilots also come standard with four-wheel anti lock brakes, standard stability and traction control, and active front head restraints. The front and side airbags use the occupant position detection to determine whether they should deploy or not. For the kiddies, Honda has incorporated three LATCH points in the second row and one in the third row, meaning the car can carry four child seats at once, a boon to big families that don’t want to drive a huge vehicle like the Chevy Suburban or – horrors – sully their hip reputations with a minivan.

Cargo convenience was high on the list of priorities for the new Pilot, so the hatch now has glass that opens separately, handy for throwing in small items. However, the biggest cargo news and one of the killer new features in the Pilot is the cargo management system behind the third row. Poor cargo space behind that third row is a major sticking point for many of the Pilot’s competition; read our reviews of cars like the Toyota Highlander or Hyundai Veracruz for examples. While they claim to offer three rows and cargo space, most compromise cargo for leg room, leg room for cargo, or both are lousy.

The Pilot manages to offer a reasonably comfortable third row and decent cargo space. There is usable floor space behind the seats, as in the GMC Acadia and other GM Lambda-platform crossovers, and the Pilot’s upright proportions mean you can fit tall objects as well. However, the Pilot goes one further. Lift up the floor behind the third row, secure it to the seatbacks, and unfold the attached cargo net. Suddenly, you’ve virtually doubled your cargo area, and since the net can hold a good 22 pounds.

2009 Honda Pilot First Drive

Bigger, better, and once again the one to beat

Introduction

Introduction

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2009 Honda Pilot - Notable Features

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