Honda Pilot

[jel0511]

Originally posted by GIOny
I test drove both the acura mdx and the pilot. The pilot won out, it has more shoulder and head room-you can compare the stats on edmunds.com and also it was about $10,000.00 cheaper. Has the same exact engine.

THat was true in the 02 Pilot, but the 03 MDX has a 260 HP engine, and the 04 MDX has a 265 HP engine. The Pilot still has the 240 HP engine. Also, if it matters the MDX comes with VSC, whereas the Pilot does not.

 

[GIOny]

thanks for the update on the engine Jel, I didn't realize that it had changed. Don't get me wrong, the MDX is a beautiful suv but it was just alittle out of my price range. Jel, this is totally off topic but I love the color in your signature. How do you do that?? GIO

 

[katerkat]

We just bought a Pilot and I LOVE it. Totally! We loved it on paper - high safety ratings, low maintenance, good resale value, etc. It drives like a car (we don't like "truck" SUVS) and is wider, so I don't feel like it's going to rollover on turns. (I felt that in the Pathfinder.) I've sat in the back a bit and I think it's roomy enough for adults. A friend has been in the third row and said it was a little cramped - but we bought it assuming the third row will be for the kids when our parents visit. Plus, the back is very roomy - we have a large dog crate for the cats, and I fit that and about five other boxes and my skis. Good for us since the military likes to move us a lot!

As for wear and tear, I drove it from Mississippi to NJ and back (about 1000 miles each way) and it did fine....but it was brand new then. It's about to drive to Oklahoma (another 700+ miles) then to Washington State (nearly 2000 miles), so I'll let you know in June how it's doing!

 

[jel0511]

sorry double post

 

[jel0511]

You have to use code to make things appear in different colors. For example you have to write [ color=red][ /color] before and after what you want red. It will appear red and the code will not. If you say blue instead of red, it will appear blue. see like this No spaces though, I did that so the code could appear.

 

[PrincessDeb]

Just like my3kids, we had a minivan (Dodge Caravan) and hated it. It had a comfy ride but needed thousands of dollars worth of work done before we were even done paying for it. Never again! Third bad Dodge! I learned my lesson! We decided that we wanted an SUV so that we could possible tow a boat that we hadn't purchased yet. My husband researched just about everything and the Pilot seemed like the best bet-price, economy and safety ratings were great. We liked it because it's built on a car chassis (probably the same as the Odyssey although I forget) so it rides more like a car. The Toyota 4-Runner is more like a truck-I have a friend who had some scary close calls with rolling in a 4-Runner and bought a Toyota Highlander which he loves. Our kids all love the Pilot and even our teenager's friends don't mind squeezing into the third row. We love the versatility as well. We used to have to take seats out of our van and leave them at home on long trips so we had room for the luggage and gear. Now we just fold the seat into the floor which is so easy even I can handle it! We have the leather seats which do get wrinkly easily although they might have fixed that in 2004, don't know. We also have the DVD player-our kids are happy to take long trips now, especially my 9-year old movie buff. Glad to answer any more questions!


Deb

 

[crz4mm2]

I drove a Pilot today. I love it. THe ride is nice, the power was more than adequate. The seats are comfy. I really really like it alot.

Thanks for all the help. I will let ou know what I decide.

Cathy

 

[ToyStory Fan]

Originally posted by PrincessDeb
... The Toyota 4-Runner is more like a truck-I have a friend who had some scary close calls with rolling in a 4-Runner and bought a Toyota Highlander which he loves. ...


Deb

It must've been an older style 4-runner, because the 2003+ is all-new and definitely not as "truck-like" as the old ones.

The Highlander is nice, but compared to the Pilot it is technically a different class since it lacks the 3rd row and is significantly smaller. The Pilot was ranked as a best value/best in class by Car and Driver. Personally I think it is a little "plain-vanilla" in styling, but the MDX just isn't that much better IMO to warrant the extra $$.

The Volvo XC90 and the VW Touareg are also nice from what I hear, but both have very European styled interiors which are usually love'em or hate'em.

 

[katerkat]

Originally posted by ToyStory Fan
It must've been an older style 4-runner, because the 2003+ is all-new and definitely not as "truck-like" as the old ones.

We test-drove the 2004 and it was more car-like than truck-like.

Originally posted by ToyStory Fan
The Highlander is nice, but compared to the Pilot it is technically a different class since it lacks the 3rd row and is significantly smaller.

It is smaller, but the 2004 Highlander has a third row. Talk about cramped!!

 

[GIOny]

Thanks for the info Jel, about the color signature, I'll try it!!
Cathy I'm glad you liked the pilot, happy price negotiating, if you have AAA they may be able to get you some kind of discount. Good luck!!

 

[ToyStory Fan]

Originally posted by katerkat
...It is smaller, but the 2004 Highlander has a third row. Talk about cramped!!

WHATTTTT???? Who do they expect to fit in that third row. My parents have a Highlander and I can't even begin to imagine putting someone back there in a 3rd row.

 

[katerkat]

Originally posted by ToyStory Fan
WHATTTTT???? Who do they expect to fit in that third row. My parents have a Highlander and I can't even begin to imagine putting someone back there in a 3rd row.

I thought the dealer was crazy when he showed it to me. I'm not sure I would even be able to fit kids back there! Plus, when it's up, there's NO room behind it for anything.

 

[JayCT]

We too had a Dodge Caravan that we had to put a lot of money into. Never again! We put like $3000 into it. When the mechanic told me that we probably were going to need a new transmission in the next 20,000 miles (it had 90,000 miles), that was it. We went out and bought an MDX. We bought the Caravan in 1996 because it was the only minivan that had the extra door at the time. Its styling was way ahead of all of the other vans at the time. DW actually liked the room but the reliability was aweful. Anyway we bought the MDX in 2001 and DW loves it. It is so comfortable. We only use the third row when we have our kids friends, so it is fine for our needs. DW has put a lot of miles on it for work. I think there are like 60,000 on it already (I don't look because it will just upset me) and we haven't had any problems. I will say we liked the Caravan's second row captain seats. The kids were able to lay back in them, but other than that we really don't have any complaints. I have a Honda CRV that I love. Before that I had an Accord that had 120,000 miles on it with absolutely no extra money put into it, just oil, brakes and a battery. DW had an Acura Integra that she loved and had no problems with. The only reason we got rid of it was because it was too hard to get DS in and out of the car seat in the back. Hondas are know to be very realiable. Consumer Reports rates them very high. you won't be sorry if you get one. Jay