this is the 2016 honda pilot when it debuted the chicago auto show it really
surprised us for its total styling departure
gone were the blocky trucking lines replaced by really sleek modern looking
angles we already know the new pilot looks great but how is it behind the
wheel after spending a full day driving it i can tell you it's better in just
about every way
the previous pilot felt really slow loud and cumbersome to drive the new model
changes all that and it has much more refined road manners
the newly optional 9-speed automatic promptly and smoothly ticks off shifts
for strong low end power and unlike some other nine speeds it doesn't feel too
busy or awkwardly hunt around for gears fuel efficiency is up this year with
both the standard 6-speed automatic and the new available 9-speed automatic
honda says highway fuel economy is up by two miles per gallon on the road the new
pilot is much quieter with better isolation from wind and road noise
the right is also smoother for better overall ride comfort handling is still
not a pilot strong suit however lean around corners is pronounced but it
never feels poppy had a completely redesigned the interior of the pilot and
it was in real need of an extreme makeover
Ron is all the cheap plastic that line to the -
in its place is a lot of soft touch materials and some pops of interesting
materials like this velocity black plastic trim
also new to the cabin is an electronic gear shifter
I find that it looks kind of cool with a button layout but it's really not very
easy to use or ergonomically place
it's kind of awkward another win for this cabin is the large clear 8-inch
multimedia touch screen
it's easy to use it has an a garmin navigation system with clear graphics 3d
set up if you want one of the pitfalls is that it is operated via the touch
responsive buttons
I did not have a problem with them I found them very responsive and prompt
other editors of question whether this is a good system
small item storage is really good there's a really large center console
with a small partition in the middle
there's two cup holders up front and then there's also some storage in the
door and
more bottle holders on the door the pilot comes standard with a second-row
bench
these two captains chairs are new option for 2016
they're only available on top trim levels however but they're very
comfortable they slide back and forth and they also recline other new features
for this cabin are a panoramic sunroof newly available for 2016 and heated rear
seats one really great family feature is this button right here with one touch it
slides the second row seat forward so you can easily access the third row the
opening to the third row is still pretty small but honda says that they increased
it by over an inch
they also said the step in is lower but it's still pretty hard to get back to
the third row for adults
third row Headroom is actually pretty good i fit pretty well back here
leg room isn't bad either especially if the second roast is slid forward to
accommodate third row occupants what I don't really like is this third row
bench seat
it's firm it's flat and it actually is raised up higher so you sit in kind of
an uncomfortable means up position which is actually pretty common for three row
SUVs what I really like about this third row is the extra set of latch anchors
back here for car seats
it has two anchors for one car seat and it also has three top tether anchors
making this third row really versatile for families with kids in car seats
so the cargo area behind the third row has a couple of neat features
there's two Finn's one on each side they're plastic lined good for carrying
a plant without making a mess
also there's underfloor storage you pop this up and there's a storage well you
can also take this out and flip it around
pop it in and you have a hard plastic surface good for carrying muddy shoes
makes for easy cleanup room behind the third row is actually pretty competitive
with 18.5 cubic feet
it offers a little bit more than the toyota highlander and nissan pathfinder
but less and chevrolet traverse and the ford explorer the 2016 honda pilot is
efficient comfortable stylish and versatile
it should be a win for honda and a win for families shopping the three-row SUV
class