2011 Honda Pilot Review and Prices

By Chuck Giametta

Table of Contents
2011 Honda Fit Review and Pricing
2010 Honda Pilot Review and Prices
2010 Honda Pilot Review and Prices
2009 Honda Pilot Quote

2011 HONDA PILOT BUYING ADVICE

• The 2011 Honda Pilot is the best SUV for you if you haven’t completely crossed over.

• The 2011 Honda Pilot leans toward the SUV side of the “crossover SUV” equation. Basic components of its engineering can be found in Honda’s Odyssey minivan, so it’s not based on a true truck chassis. But unlike rivals such as the Toyota Highlander and Chevrolet Traverse, Pilot tries mightily to look like a truck-tough midsize SUV. Some of its butch styling may soften if Honda decides the 2011 Pilot deserves a mid-cycle freshening. But its underskin design won’t change much, and that’s a good thing.  

• Should you buy a 2010 Honda Pilot or wait for the 2011 Pilot? Waiting for the 2011 Pilot could get you the look and features that’ll carry this design generation to its conclusion. But only Honda can know when Pilot’s freshening will come – and its plans may already have been affected by the economic tumult. Plenty of buyers are happy with the 2010 Pilot – it’s the best-selling SUV in its class. So if you like what you see today, buy the 2010 Pilot with the knowledge that whatever changes occur for model-year 2011 or 2012, they won’t make this fine crossover obsolete in any way that matters.    

2011 HONDA PILOT CHANGES

• Styling: If Honda repeats the pattern set by the first-generation Pilot, today’s version will enjoy a six-model-year lifespan, 2009-2014, and get its mid-cycle freshening for model-year 2012. Whether this second-generation Pilot will have a longer run and when it might be updated in the interim depends on many factors -- some beyond Honda’s control. What’s easier to predict is that mid-cycle styling changes won’t alter Pilot’s basic shape. It’ll keep a blocky body that’s large enough to fit three rows of seats yet compact enough to make it relatively easy to maneuver and garage. Indeed, no other eight-seat SUV handles better than the Pilot. Honda says this second-generation Pilot’s squared profile, blistered fenders, and chunky front end were in response to customer demands for a masculine look. It’s unlikely to tamper with that character, particularly if it fills its graceful-SUV gap with a wagon offshoot of the midsize Accord, tentatively called the Accord Crosstour. The 2011 Pilot would be well-served, however, by a new grille that didn’t look like preteen orthodontia. And a simpler layout of the dashboard controls would be appreciated, too

• Mechanical: Pilot’s 250-horsepower 3.5-liter V-6 has proven its mettle with fine acceleration and good throttle response. Honda likely senses little need to add power, particularly if it would compromise fuel economy. This V-6 already uses Honda’s high-tech Variable Cylinder Management system that automatically transitions between six, three, and four cylinders to optimize gas mileage. Honda might be tempted to further boost the 2011 Pilot’s fuel economy by substituting a six-speed automatic transmission for the five-speed. It could also resurrect plans to offer this SUV with the diesel V-6. That quiet-running, clean-burning engine reportedly was yanked when the economy tanked and diesel fuel prices spiked. A diesel V-6 could get Pilot over 30 mpg on the highway and a range of 600 miles per tank. No matter what happens, the 2011 Honda Pilot will continue to offer front-wheel drive or Honda’s Variable Torque Management all-wheel drive.

• Features: Like previous Pilot owners, 2011 Honda Pilot buyers are likely to be happy with a four-tier lineup that consists of base LX, midrange EX, leather-upholstered EX-L, and top-of-the-line Touring models. Every 2011 Honda Pilot will come with antilock four-wheel disc brakes, traction control, and an antiskid system. Also continuing as standard will be head-protecting curtain side airbags that deploy in side collisions as well as in impending rollovers. Seating has consisted of front buckets and second- and third-row bench seats. Second-row captain’s chairs haven’t been part of the Pilot program, though Honda may see some advantage in adding them for the 2011 Pilot. The second- and third-row benches each hold three people and Honda’s proud that Pilot is among the few SUVs with anchor positions for four child safety seats. Both rear benches split and fold, allowing Pilot to haul a 4-foot-wide plywood sheet laid flat. Folding the third row drops it into a well in the rear floor. With all seats in place, this well ingests a fair volume of luggage and, along with a mesh shelf above, gives Pilot enough cargo-carrying versatility to compensate for its lack of body length relative to other eight-passenger SUVs. Honda offers no factory-installed options, instead adding features with each step up the model line. The 2011 Pilot will again be available with a sunroof, power heated front seats, a navigation system with voice recognition, rearview camera, Bluetooth phone link, USB connection for iPod and other MP3 devices, and rear DVD entertainment. Honda could of course insert a new model into the 2011 Pilot lineup to blend some features availability. Expanding the navigation system beyond just the Touring model is overdue, for example. And adding “all-four-corners” vision to the rearview camera that’s part of the navigation system would enhance safety and convenience.

2011 HONDA PILOT PRICES

• Honda’s no-options policy makes Pilot pricing appear steep when compared to the base prices of some other midsize SUVs. Comparably equipped, however, the 2011 Honda Pilot will be priced competitively with key rivals.  

• The release of 2011 Honda Pilot prices will come shortly before these models go on sale. But expect the 2011 Honda Pilot LX to come in just under $30,000 and again include front and rear air conditioning, an audio system with a subwoofer and auxiliary input jack, manual driver’s seat-height adjustment, and a trailer hitch. (All prices listed in this report include the manufacturer’s mandatory destination fee. Honda’s fee was $710 for 2009.)

• EX and EX-L models have accounted for about 60 percent of Pilot sales and that’ll likely continue with the 2011 model. Based on 2010 Honda Pilot prices, expect the 2011 Honda Pilot EX to list for around $32,000 with front-wheel drive and $34,000 with AWD. It should again have upgraded cloth upholstery and come with a power driver’s seat, steering wheel audio controls, outside temperature gauge, heated side mirrors, CD changer, alloy wheels, and fog lights.  

• Following the same pattern, the 2011 Honda Pilot EX-L should be priced around $35,000 with front-wheel drive, $36,500 with AWD. Counted among EX-L standard features are leather upholstery, a power moonroof, heated front seats, and a power front passenger seat. Its rearview mirror incorporates a screen that displays an expanded rearview when backing up.

• Estimate the 2011 Honda Pilot Touring at around $38,000 with front-wheel drive, $40,000 with AWD. It adds to the EX-L a voice-activated navigation system with rearview camera that displays on the nav’s dashboard screen. Bluetooth cell-phone connectivity, front and rear parking sensors, a power tailgate, memory seats and mirrors, USB linking, second-row window sunshades, mirror-mounted turn indicators, and chrome body side trim also should continue as 2011 Honda Pilot Touring features.  

• Only EX-L and Touring models have been available with the factory-installed DVD entertainment system. It has added around $1,600 to their price and includes a 9-inch-diamter ceiling-mounted screen.

2011 HONDA PILOT FUEL ECONOMY

• Honda’s fuel-saving cylinder furlough system helps put Pilot mid-pack among midsize crossover SUVs for city fuel economy. But Pilot is heavy relative to key competitors, and its blunt shape isn’t notably aerodynamic. Helped by six-speed automatic transmissions, many rival six-cylinder crossover SUVs beat Pilot for highway gas-mileage.

• Honda could see a need to address these issues with the 2011 Pilot. If it does, 2011 Honda Pilot fuel economy ratings could better the 2010 model’s 17/23 mpg (city/highway) with front-wheel drive and 16/22 with AWD.

2011 HONDA PILOT RELEASE DATE

• The 2011 Honda Pilot should be in showrooms by late-summer 2010.  

WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE HONDA PILOT

• There’s no stopping the rush to crossover SUVs. Consider the demise of truck-based stalwarts such as the Chevrolet TrailBlazer in favor of the Traverse. Even the next-generation Ford Explorer, due as a 2011 model, will abandon its separate frame for a unibody structure. So the Honda Pilot was ahead of the curve under the skin while remaining loyal to traditional SUV styling cues. Hard to argue with that strategy given healthy sales and it suggests future Pilot styling will fly the macho end of the crossover spectrum.

• That’ll be sound strategy if the Accord Crosstour comes to fruition. It’ll give Honda a counterpunch to the swoopy Toyota Camry-based Venza in an emerging category of station wagon-like crossovers, of which the Ford Flex is another example.

• For power, Honda is less committed to hybrid proliferation than arch-rival Toyota, which has promised a hybrid powertrain in each of its models within a few years. So the possibility of a Pilot hybrid appears remote. Honda has been tentative about turbocharged gas engines, too, and a naturally aspirated four-cylinder would likely make for an underpowered Pilot. But don’t discount the diesel idea. Far from the smoking, rattling, polluting diesels of yore, these engines are highly developed and extremely popular in overseas markets. It’s plug-and-play technology that may prove appealing for Honda, given the tougher federal fuel economy rules coming on line in 2011. Diesel fuel prices falling more in line with those of gasoline helps, as well.

2011 HONDA PILOT COMPETITION

• Toyota Highlander: This crossover challenges Pilot for quality, resale value, and reliability. It seats seven and has more swept-back styling than Pilot. Highlander offers a hybrid model and a four-cylinder engine in addition to a powerful V-6. Base-price range spans roughly $29,000-$43,000. No big changes likely until after model-year 2012.

• Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Acadia: These GM crossover cousins both seat eight, but Acadia hews to the traditional-SUV look while Traverse leans toward the softer lines of the Buick Enclave, which is also built on this platform. All are roomy and refined, but larger than the Pilot and tougher to maneuver in tight spaces. No major changes to either are expected for the next few model years.  

• Mazda CX-9: Among the shrinking number of midsize SUVs with three-row seating, this stylish crossover shares its underskin design with the five-passenger Ford Edge. The CX-9 is bigger outside than the 2010 Pilot, but not usefully larger inside. No major changes planned until after model-year 2012.