Toyota Highlander vs Honda Pilot

[scrappinmom]

Drove both the 08 Highlander & the 08 Pilot...LOVE my Highlander. I had a Honda CRV and was looking to a larger car....

Love my Highlander - its comfy, lots of cupholders (ok trival....but I'ma Starbucks nut so it's important to me) I love that my 2 girls (14 & 9) have plenty of room for themselves & have the little console thingy inbetween them. Ours has that 3rd seat in the middle of the second row & it's a breeze to snap out the console & snap inthe seat..which works great when toting their friends around. We only use the 3rd seat when we have company or lots of friends. Ihave sat back there when dh is driving & what I like is I'm not too hot or too cold, I can still hear the music and it's comfortable..

Sitting in both I had more room in the Highlander than the Pilot.

 

[momofrrr]

We test drove both and decided on the Pilot becasue of the second row seats. The seat are over the back tires tires which we felt squeezed you when you were getting in and out. The Pilot is very roomy and comfortable to ride in. My DH is very high on the Honda quality, we put our DD17 in a CrV for her first car and she loves it. We have suggested a trade to something a little more girlie but she loves her car. She has plenty of room for her soccer stuff, band stuff and skate board in the back. I guess my vote is for the Pilot. I am so jealous, I would love a new car.

 

[~Kristina~]

I have an 08 Pilot and I have no ugly's to report. Dh test drove the Highlander and said it handled poorly compared to the Pilot. I love my Pilot, I don't think I'll buy anything other than Honda now.

 

[~Kristina~]

Buy American

Sorry to burst the "American" car bubble. I've done the Customs paperwork for GM/Dephi and Chrysler. They are anything but American! Most parts are from Canada, Mexico, and Japan and various OTHER countries. Cheaper parts and work elsewhere thanks to NAFTA.

It's a shame really.

 

[DISdreamin']

Sorry to burst the "American" car bubble. I've done the Customs paperwork for GM/Dephi and Chrysler. They are anything but American! Most parts are from Canada, Mexico, and Japan and various OTHER countries. Cheaper parts and work elsewhere thanks to NAFTA.

It's a shame really.

I can't recall for sure, but I think some years back the Crown Vic or something like that was named best import as it was 50+% imported parts. Can't recall for sure, and it might be urban legend.

Anyways, I don't think you can go wrong with choosing based on what you like. Toyota and Honda don't swing and miss too often. I'd still steer clear of the first model year of a redesign or new model - that's just me - but in general I think they build solid cars.

 

[joybeth]

Pilots ARE made in the USA!

Doesn't matter. Where do the profits go? The Japanese people are warm and snug in there beds while your neighbors are in foreclosure. Don't think it won't eventually affect you.

jb

 

[Crazy4Disney72]

I have a 2007 Pilot and I LOVE it! It's very comfortable, handles well, gets decent gas mileage (better than my 2000 Grand Caravan did) and we've never had a problem with it at all. I was going to say that my friend has a Highlander, not sure what year, maybe 2006, but it's definitely not as roomy in the second row seat as the Pilot, but I've read other responses that the Highlander has more interior room now. Either way I don't think you can really go wrong with a Honda or Toyota.

 

[Fall1]

I test drove both and LOVE my Highlander.

DH bought a Highlander in 2003 and he loves his so when it came time for me to get a new car, I thought about it too. I had always been a Honda Accord driver, so I assumed I'd get the Pilot, but I didn't like it as much.

To me, the Pilot is more "trucky" and the Highlander is more like a car, even drives that way.

We've never had any issues with either our 2003 or 2007 Highlander.....I say get one!!!!

 

[LisaMommy]

After our last car was totalled by my lovely DH, the Pilot and Highlander were high on my list to check out. Test drove both and ended up with a Mazda CX-9. However, if I were to pick one, it would probably be the Highlander. I agree with the PP that said the Pilot is more like a truck whilst a Highlander feels more like a car. Good luck with your choice, both are nice cars.

 

[SLK1]

DH has had TWO Pilots and loved them (me, not so much - I thought they were unattractive on the outside, not to mention the back seats were uncomfortable and we were cramped all the time - we have four kids). Anyway, never driven the Highlander. But...I just bought a Buick Enclave and if you don't HAVE to have a Pilot or Highlander (why those two???), try it out. I went to buy a Yukon XL and came home with the Enclave - it is a great car, and there are tons of them on the road. Give it a try!!! It seats seven, with the option of eight.

 

[millerjmls]

I have a 2005 Toyota Highlander and absolutely love it. It is by far the very best vehicle I have ever owned. It also the first to never have given me any problems at all. We were so happy with it that we just purchased a second Toyota (a 2009 Corolla) for our daughter. It handles well and does great in the snow. I drive 50 miles round trip to work and have really packed on the miles too. I can honestly say that I don't have a single complaint about this vehicle. I can also say that I will definitely be headed back to Toyota for our next one too. After owning Chevy, Nissan and Ford I am most happy with the Toyota.

 

[KadysMom]

I love my Pilot. My mom has a 04 Highlander. We call it her SUVan. It is a minivan through and through. It is smaller than my pilot also. She says mine is too big for her to park and I think hers is too small. So I guess we both got exactly what we want in our SUV's

 

[Jennabeth]

Another Pilot lover here. We have a 2003 Pilot that we've owned for 5 years. I love the flexibility of the folding seats and the fact that we can (and have) hold 8 people. I'm 5'3" and can sit in the 3rd row comfortably. We took 8 adults on a 4 hour road trip with no problems. Because of the way the seats split, we were able to fit 2 kids and 4 adults and enough luggage for a week at Disney. It does drive "trucky" but that's okay because we wanted a truck when we bought it. I can confidently parallel park and back it into parking spaces without feeling like I can't see anything around me. I love all the windows. I will buy another one when this one dies, if I still need the space (it only has 70,000 miles on it so it may be a long time).

 

[arjones31]

Pilot!! I CANNOT drive a truck (have had multiple fender-benders in my husbands - am no longer allowed to drive it), and I can get around in my Pilot beautifully. It drives almost exactly like my old Accord, just higher up. Gas mileage is okay for me, but I live close to work and we only drive long distances three or four times a year. Good luck, and enjoy whichever you choose!

 

[thegreggersmom]

Another enthusiastic vote for the Pilot! I bought my 2005 used about 8 months ago and LOVE it. Went from owning compact Fords (first an Escort and then a Focus -- both of which were constantly in need of some repair or another) to what I thought would feel like driving a semi. Am very pleased to report that there is lots of room in the Pilot and it runs and handles great.

 

[1stluvispooh]

Well thanks for everyone's responses. Today I got a chance to test drive a Highlander. DH and I have the same opinion now I just have to convince DH to buy sooner vs later. Especially since my current car stranded me and the kids yesterday. At least we made it to our neighborhood before it happened. The power of prayer!

 

[weHEARTmickey]

...... my current car stranded me and the kids yesterday. At least we made it to our neighborhood before it happened. The power of prayer!

Bless your heart. That is such a helpless feeling. Hopefully you can get something soon. Oh, and yes...prayer definitely works!

 

[Stinkerbell1973]

Currently on my second Highlander. Will never drive another car!
First one got to 106k miles, never had anything done other than routine maintenance. Got my second one (2008, Sport edition) one year ago today. LOVE IT!

 

[WeCantWait]

I have the 2009 Pilot EXL and absolutely love it. There is nothing I don't like about it. Good luck with your decision.

 

[thisthingsgottawork]

2009 loaded. Fast, bulletproof, awd and over 20 mpg. Only real complaint is that the seat bottoms for the front seats are short for American sized people.

Did not like the Honda at all, and the Toyota just didn't compare with the performance of the Subie.

Wade