10 Honda Pilot Competitors to Consider

2018 Honda Pilot Elite driving in the city ・ Photo by Honda

Honda is not a company that rushes into things. When its competitors were making hay with body-on-frame three-row SUVs in the late 1990s, Honda responded with the unibody 2003 Pilot crossover. While many competitors have been forced to rethink their mid-size SUV strategy, the Pilot has soldiered on through three generations with evolutionary, rather than revolutionary, changes.

The 2018 Honda Pilot is available in five trim levels: LX (starting at $30,900), EX ($33,330), EX-L ($36,760), Touring ($41,970), and Elite ($47,470). The Pilot still comes with a 3.5-liter V6 gasoline engine, featuring 280 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque, and a six-speed automatic transmission with front-wheel drive. A nine-speed transmission is available in Touring and Elite trim levels, and all-wheel drive is available on all trim levels but the base LX. 

Here, presented in alphabetical order by brand, are 10 Honda Pilot competitors to consider.

2018 Acura MDX

If you like the Pilot but crave more luxury, consider the 2018 Acura MDX, which shares a platform with the Pilot. The MDX has remained among the leaders as it has evolved through three generations (2001 to 2006, 2007 to 2013, and 2014 to the present). The MDX comes with a 3.5-liter gasoline V6 engine (290 hp/267 lb-ft of torque) and is also available as a hybrid with a 3.0-liter gasoline V6 and three electric motors (one front/twin rear) with a combined system power of 321 hp and 289 lb-ft of torque.

Gas-only models come with front-wheel drive or Acura’s Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) system, while all hybrids have SH-AWD. MDX prices start at $44,200. Add $2,000 for SH-AWD; $2,000 for the Entertainment Package, $4,400 for the Technology Package, $6,050 for the Advance Package, and $3,500 for hybrid gasoline/electric system.

Photo by Acura

2018 Chevrolet Traverse

The Chevrolet Traverse enters 2018 with an all-new design, marking the start of its second generation of production. The 2018 Traverse shares a platform with GM’s other three-row crossovers, the Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia. All three compete directly with the Honda Pilot, with Traverse as the popularly priced example.

The Traverse excels as a minivan alternative with an easily accessible and genuinely roomy third row. It comes with either a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline four-cylinder engine or a 3.6-liter V6 that’s naturally aspirated (not a turbo), both with a nine-speed automatic transmission and choice of front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. Prices start at $30,925 for L FWD and go up to $53,595 for High Country AWD.

Photo by General Motors

2018 Dodge Durango

With seating for up to seven passengers, the 2018 Dodge Durango is a mid-size unibody crossover vehicle with a range of available engine selections. The base engine is a 3.6-liter V6 with variable valve timing. A 5.7-liter Hemi V8 is available, and a 6.4-liter Hemi V8 is available in the performance-oriented SRT model. Pricing starts at $29,995 for the base SXT RWD and goes up to $62,995 for the SRT AWD.

The Durango shares many mechanical and engineering features with the popular Jeep Grand Cherokee, and it can be seen as a sleeper alternative to that popular vehicle — as well as a good competitor for the 2018 Honda Pilot. Durango sales have been steady for the past five years, and show no signs of slowing as it continues in its third generation of production.

Photo by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles

2018 Ford Explorer

The Ford Explorer got a healthy head start on the Honda Pilot. It started out as a rugged, truck-based body-on-frame SUV in 1991, and was built that way for four generations until 2011, when the fifth-generation vehicle emerged as a car-based, unibody crossover.

The 2018 Explorer is a mid-size three-row crossover, available with three engine choices — a 3.5-liter naturally aspirated V6, a 2.4-liter EcoBoost turbocharged inline four-cylinder, or a 3.5-liter EcoBoost turbocharged V6 — and front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. Five trim levels are available: Base (starting at $32,140), XLT ($34,175), Limited ($42,090), Sport ($45,950), and Platinum ($53,940). Far from its rugged roots, the Explorer can be scaled up with lots of premium features and accessories.

Photo by Ford

2018 Hyundai Santa Fe

Hyundai has played a bit of a name game with Santa Fe over its three generations. For a few years, the three-row Santa Fe variant was named Veracruz, but in the current generation, the two-row Santa Fe is called Santa Fe Sport while the Pilot competitor three-row is the 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe, sharing a platform with the Kia Sorento. That will change next year when the three-row vehicle becomes the Santa Fe XL. 

Starting at $30,850 for a front-wheel drive SE and going up to $41,300 for a Limited Ultimate all-wheel drive model, the 2018 Santa Fe is available in just six configurations. A direct-injected 3.5-liter V6 is the only engine choice, hooked up to a six-speed automatic transmission. Hyundai’s famous "America’s Best Warranty" makes the well-equipped Santa Fe a good competitor for the Honda Pilot, with 10 years or 100,000 miles of limited powertrain coverage as a highlight. 

Photo by Hyundai

2018 Kia Sorento

The Sorento is one of the vehicles that announced to the world that Kia was ready to join the big leagues. The three-row midsize crossover Sorento starts at $25,900 for a front-wheel drive L and peaks at $46,300 for an all-wheel drive SX Limited model. It comes with a choice of 2.4-liter naturally aspirated (non-turbo) or 2.0-liter turbocharged inline four-cylinder engines or a 3.3-liter direct-injected naturally aspirated V6.

Front-wheel drive is standard, and all-wheel drive is a $1,800 upgrade on all but the base L. In addition to sharing a platform with the Hyundai Santa Fe, the Sorento also comes with a 10-year/100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty. The Sorento’s attractive exterior and interior design, along with excellent build quality and engineering, make it a solid competitor for the Honda Pilot.

Photo by Kia

2018 Mazda CX-9

Mazda vehicles are recognized for their fun-to-drive character, and the CX-9 fits the bill. All-new in 2017, CX-9 is Mazda’s flagship crossover vehicle. The CX-9 comes standard with Mazda's Sky-Activ Handling with G-Vectoring Control, a torque-vectoring system that manages engine output to subtly shift vehicle weight on turn-in and cornering, resulting in less effort and smoother handling.

Starting at $32,130 for Sport front-wheel-drive models and going up to $44,315 for the Signature all-wheel-drive, CX-9 comes with a 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine (250 hp/310 lb-ft of torque) and a six-speed automatic transmission. All-wheel drive is an $1,800 option on Sport, Touring, and Grand Touring models, and standard on the Signature. The CX-9 has the edge on the Honda Pilot when it comes to driving enjoyment.

Photo by Mazda

2018 Nissan Pathfinder

The Pathfinder started out life as a rugged body-on-frame (truck-based) SUV, much like the Ford Explorer. The Pathfinder evolved over generations into a mid-size three-row crossover. Unlike the Honda Pilot and almost all of the other competitors listed here, Pathfinder uses a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) in each of its variants, as opposed to a conventional geared automatic. This feature can take some getting used to for the enthusiast driver but is usually transparent to most drivers.

Each 2018 Pathfinder comes with a 3.5-liter direct-injected V6 engine, and front-wheel drive is standard with all-wheel drive a $1,690 option. Prices start at $37,750 for the S FWD and run up to $44,260 for the Platinum 4x4.

Photo by Nissan

2018 Toyota Highlander

If you’re considering a Honda Pilot, you’d be wise to compare it to Toyota’s three-row crossover. The 2018 Toyota Highlander starts at $31,230 for the base LE front-wheel drive model, while the loaded Limited Platinum all-wheel drive model will set you back $46,860.

The Highlander’s secret weapon is a hybrid gasoline-electric engine, available in variants ranging from the Hybrid LE all-wheel drive (starting at $36,870) up to the Hybrid Limited Platinum all-wheel drive ($48,480). The Highlander Hybrid posts EPA fuel economy ratings of up to 30 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway. You don’t have to sacrifice performance for hybrid efficiency, because the Highlander Hybrid’s gasoline engine is a 3.5-liter V6 whose combined horsepower rating with electric motors is 303 hp.

Photo by Toyota

2018 Volkswagen Atlas

VW enters the three-row crossover competition this year with the all-new 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. Starting at $30,750 for S 2.0T front-wheel-drive models and going up to $48,740 for the SEL Premium V6 4Motion four-wheel drive, the Atlas is the first VW three-row vehicle that wasn’t a minivan or Microbus.

Two engine choices are available: a 2.0-liter turbocharged direct-injected inline four-cylinder and a 3.6-liter direct-injected naturally aspirated V6. A seven-speed automatic transmission is standard with both engines. VW’s "The People’s Warranty" provides six years/72,000 miles of bumper-to-bumper protection, fully transferable to the next owner within the warranty period — an impressive factory feature among competitors to the 2018 Honda Pilot.

Photo by Volkswagen