2016 Honda Pilot Review: Totally Upgraded

2016 Honda Pilot Review: Totally Upgraded

Big and blocky on the outside but underneath just a roomy, family-friendly crossover, the previous-generation Honda Pilot might be managed a little too hard to look like something it wasn't. It was like Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory gearing up in full Under Armour apparel to fake his way into an iron man competition. Now, the fully redesigned 2016 Honda Pilot has a better traditional crossover look. It's perhaps a more honest approach, and it's supported by new installations that have made this third-generation Pilot a much better option for a three-row large crossover than ever in the past.

The Pilot’s recognized for its usefulness, and that’s in full force in this new version. Three rows of seats have room for about eight passengers. The front seats are just about ideally shaped, and with step-in height nearly an inch lower than before, the Pilot is a really good bet for smaller or older drivers. The middle row is adult-friendly, and for the very first time, you can get a version with two captain’s chairs and a pass-through. The seat reclines for long drives and possesses his own tray table and cup holders.

Honda implies the new Pilot is roughly 300 pounds less heavy in comparison with the previous generation and has 30 more horsepower. With 280 horsepower on tap from its 3.5-liter, direction-injection V-6 and a nine-speed transmission that delivers a much wider gear spread than the previous generations' five-speed, this a considerably faster, more responsive Pilot. Honda claims 7 seconds to 60 and I see certainly no reason to doubt that. I didn't need to paddle-shift through the gears to accelerate onto the short onramps of the Hudson Parkway; the Pilot has good enough pop to make merging simply a matter of dropping your right foot.

Cargo space is important in an SUV. Pilot has a great amount behind the third row (16.5 cubic feet), second row (46.8 cubic feet) and first row (83.8 cubic feet). There’s smart concealed storage beneath the load floor in the rear, a fabulous place to stash a briefcase or computer bag out of site when parking.