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So when it comes to good reliable family
Transportation two of the vehicles that first come to mind have to be the toyota highlander and honda pilot
They have been battling it out for years
But now the highlander is back with an all-new
Generation and is ready for a rematch since it lost to the pilot in our last comparison
So without further ado, let's see if this new highlander improved enough to knock off the pilot
All right, so to start things off here we will go ahead and talk about the pricing and equipment of these two
Starting off with the pilot. It received a new top trim level for 2020 called Black Edition
It builds upon the elites equipment and raises the final price tag after destination
250 thousand seven hundred and fifteen dollars for
The all-new Highlander. We also have the highest trim which is now called platinum for 2020
With a couple small options and destination added in its final price is only about a hundred dollars more than the pilot at
Fifty thousand eight hundred and seventy two dollars
Now launching into the exterior these two look just as different as they always have
For 2020 the Highlanders front design actually gets a bit more subdued and now has a classier look
but the pilot goes the opposite direction with this black edition now looking sporty-er than ever before as
Far as the lighting both offer fully LED headlights and fog lights except for incandescent turn signals
Moving to the rear styling they continue to look very different here as well
But the actual features are the same including the fact that neither have exposed exhaust tips
In regards to the wheels they both measure in at 20 inches and their designs nicely match with the overall
Styling that each one is going for
Now moving beyond the appearance to the features
The mirrors are heated with blind spot monitoring
but only the pilot includes power folding and auto dimming abilities in
Addition to those BSM systems both Toyota and Honda give you their entire safety suites as standard equipment
That means they both have automatic emergency braking Lane Keeping Assist adaptive cruise control and automatic high-beam headlights
Once again on all the models not just these higher-end trims
And when it comes to the warranties both of them share three year
36,000 mile basic warranties and five year 60,000 mile power train warranties
However, highlander will give you two years of complimentary maintenance
Finally the last thing to mention on the outside is that both of them can tow up to 5,000 pounds with all-wheel drive and proper
trailering equipment
Alright that is it for the exteriors so now let's check out the more important family focused interiors
Now heading up to the SUVs both vehicles of course has smart entry systems as well as remote start
But one thing to keep in mind is that the Toyota requires a subscription to the in tune app in order to keep that
Functionality after the trial has expired now
First taking a look inside the two interiors look wildly different just like the outsides
in the Highlander, it has real leather finished in the platinum exclusive glazed caramel color scheme and
For the pilot. It also has real leather seating finished in black with special red accents
In regards to the seats themselves both include ten ways of adjustment heating ventilation and two-person memory
Now one of the biggest areas that impact satisfaction with an interior is the quality of the materials used
Starting with the pilot
Obviously it is the older product but it still uses nice soft touch
plastics with stitching on the upper areas and piano black trim for the lower parts
The highlanders materials have improved vastly with this new generation
And it now has lots of soft touch materials faux wood and leather right on the dashboard as well as along the center tunnel
This makes the Toyotas cabin feel like the more luxurious and special place to spend time
Now one area where they are similar is with the gauges both have 7-inch multifunction displays with lots of information
But one advantage of the highlander is that it includes a head-up display, which is missing from the pilot
And coming back to the steering wheels they are leather wrapped and heated and both also have rain sensing wipers
Next up we have one of the other very important sections storage
Usually Honda's dominate this part, but for this highlander is actually on top
While both of them have giant center consoles the Toyota secret weapon is the versatile storage shelf
Which runs across most of the front
In regards to the shifters Toyota's is traditional and Honda's is electronic push-button
But only the pilot has paddle show
However in Reverse only the highlander gives you a
360-degree camera systems and only the highlander has an electronic parking brake
Now moving on up the dashboard both have three zone automatic climate controls
One important difference though. Is that the
Highlander requires you to move into the display if you want to adjust the zones or the rear climate
Alright so now let's go ahead and compare the audio system
Overall I'll have to give the edge to the Toyota
And now that brings us to the infotainment systems
First of all Toyota has chosen to use a mega 12.3 inch display
Which is obviously larger than the 8 inch display in the Honda
however, as far as the other main features
they are the same since both have integrated navigation systems as well as apple carplay and android auto and
Finally ending the front part of the cabin the highlander does have a smart mirror and both of them have panoramic movers
Now heading out back as 3-row crossover x' you could really say that the rear areas are just as important as the front
So it's certainly a good thing that these are among the largest in the class
the enlarged Highlander for 2020 does have the edge in legroom, but the head rooms are virtually the same as
Expected both use captain's chair seating arrangements with full sliding and reclining abilities and they are also heated
And as far as your other rear amenities both have pretty much the same stuff including rear climate controls
two charging USB ports and a household outlet
However, the pilot does have one bonus feature which is a rear entertainment system with all the same cool functionality from the Odyssey minivan
Moving on to the next row of seats access is simple in both
And as far as actually setting in the third row
You will notice a pretty significant difference since the pilot does have several more inches of both legroom and Headroom
Now heading out back both have kick activated power tailgates and
Once they open up you'll find very similar cargo capacities
The Highlander has grown past the pilot in two of the measurements
But since they are less than five percent apart, we won't award any points here
Additionally neither of them offer a power folding third row
All right. So with the interiors all covered, let's go ahead and take them out on the road
While these two have been very dissimilar to each other so far they have much more in common under their hood
Both use naturally aspirated three-and-a-half wheter v6 engines that make very similar power numbers
All right, so first hanging off here in this all-new Highlander
This area here it does feel familiar and that's because it does have the same powertrain as last year
Not a bad thing though really quick
I get enough to highway speed power definitely feels more than adequate
You know, this is a big three row vehicle. But yeah, and it doesn't feel underpowered. Some of the competition does feel underpowered
but this
Definitely seems like it gets things up to speed
Really well, like I said once again just very comfortably very quietly
It just kind of just executed everything in such a way that it just blends into the background
Their power is cut to the ground via all four wheels and through an 8-speed automatic in the Toyota and a 9 speed automatic
in the Honda
while the pilots transmission has received some complaints in the past both transmissions performed well in our testing
And as I had already mentioned
The powertrain isn't the whole thing is carryovers that does include the 8-speed automatic transmission
Once again, this was already a pretty new transmission. It was homily been in the highlander for two or three years, I think
And it does a great job though this application just like it does another Toyota and Lexus products
Very smooth just blends into the background for the most part
And it does have a willingness to drop a gear and get you up to speed when necessary
Yeah, this transmission was retuned last year during refresh
Previously there have been some complaints about it and they've definitely done a good job. It seems pretty responsive
Like Mason said this show thing is is smooth under different throttle applications
The only small thing that I have noticed is just a little bit of a hesitation
When you're shifting between Drive and reverse, it just takes like a little second more than some other vehicles that I driven
But nothing nothing bad and nothing that you wouldn't get used to
Now as far as the broader driving dynamics both drive pleasantly as expected in this class
Obviously comfort is of paramount
importance and the new highlander delivers with a very comfortable ride in nearly Lexus levels of quietness and
Getting up to speed here
You know, I want to talk about probably the most important part about the Highlanders driving dynamics
And that's quite frankly just how smooth it rides
Within this cabin. I kind of touched on it a little bit earlier with in terms of the engine
But as far as the suspension is concerned really does a fantastic job
It honestly feels kind of like I would say it's just a tad worse than the Lexus RX, which is a fantastic
Compliment because when you go over a bump you really don't feel much of anything
It has a lot of refinement to its ride which is what buyers really are wanting in this segment
The same can also be said about the pilot which feels almost exactly the same as the Acura MDX from behind the wheel
You know in writing here at 55 miles an hour I can just say how comfortable I am
You know, like we've been mentioning comfort is the top priority with this pilot. They're not trying to mix sport in or anything like that
And this is just going to be comfort for all three rows
I mean you hit I mean we're going over a bridge you can barely hear it
And you can't really feel any of the bumps either
And that's just going to be a testament to how comfortable this car is going to be if you want to do a road trip
Everyone in your family is going to be comfortable in this car
Finally finishing this part the highlander setup is slightly more efficient, but once again not in a point worthy way
Well, that's it folks for another comparison between two heavyweight three rope crossovers
It was a pretty tight race, which is a testament to the staying power of the pilot despite its age
both have distinct advantages and
Disadvantages, so make sure to check them out at your local dealers before decide
Anyways, thanks for joining us for another car confections comparison and be sure to subscribe for more comparisons as well as our signature
full review videos
Take care!