2011 Honda Pilot Overview

Honda Pilot

The Honda Pilot can handle four adults and four kids easily. The Pilot is a midsize crossover SUV. Pilot is efficient among eight-seat crossovers. For 2011, Pilot EX-L offers satellite-linked navigation; and Pilot Touring comes standard with a DVD entertainment system. Pilot was redesigned for the 2009 model year.

Each model is offered with front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive (4WD). Navigation and a rear-seat DVD entertainment system are available only on the top two trims

The 2011 Honda Pilot returns mostly unchanged from last year. At a glance, the 2011 Honda Pilot would seem to do a fine job as a family hauler. In sum, we think the 2011 Honda Pilot is an adequate choice for a midsize or large crossover SUV. The 2011 Honda Pilot is a midsize crossover SUV offered in four trim levels: LX, EX, EX-L and Touring. Each is available with either front- or all-wheel drive. The EX adds 17-inch alloy wheels, foglights, painted body molding (versus black plastic), roof rails, heated exterior mirrors, an eight-way power driver seat (with two-way power lumbar), steering-wheel audio controls, tri-zone automatic climate control, an in-dash six-CD changer, and satellite radio. Optional on the EX-L is a rear-seat DVD entertainment system and a voice-activated navigation system bundled with Bluetooth, an iPod interface and a 10-speaker premium audio system.

The 2011 Honda Pilot is motivated by a 3.5-liter V6 that generates 250 horsepower and 253 pound-feet of torque. Front-wheel drive is standard, but all Pilot models are available with an all-wheel-drive system that automatically apportions power to the rear wheels -- up to 70 percent -- when front slippage occurs.

Safety
Standard safety equipment includes stability control, front-seat side airbags and full-length side curtain airbags. Mimicking the 2011 Honda Pilot's utilitarian exterior styling, the interior features a rugged and blocky theme. The Pilot also keeps stride with the competition with its roomy third-row seats.

Driving Impressions
In terms of performance, the 2011 Honda Pilot is burdened by a lack of power and a hefty curb weight. On curvy roads, the Pilot also feels rather cumbersome. In our testing, however, that positive feel ran counter to the Pilot's rather long stopping distances.

The 2011 Honda Pilot expands availability of its navigation system – slightly – but is otherwise a rerun of the 2010 Pilot. Should you buy a 2011 Honda Pilot or wait for the 2012 Pilot? Any model-year 2012 freshening, however, won’t change Pilot’s interior dimensions or basic engineering.

The 2011 Honda Pilot is visually unaltered from the 2010 model and returns in four levels of trim: basic LX; midline EX; leather-upholstered EX-L; and top-of-the-line Limited. The 2011 Pilot LX has plainer wheels than the other models and lacks their roof rails, fog lamps, and chrome exhaust tips. Otherwise, all Pilots look almost identical. Honda says Pilot’s squared profile, blistered fenders, and chunky front end answer customer demands for a masculine look. Pilot’s basic anybody architecture is shared with the Honda Odyssey minivan and the MDX crossover SUV from Honda’s premium Acura division. Pilots have four side doors and a top-hinged tailgate with separate-opening glass. All 2011 Pilots continue with a choice of front-wheel drive or Honda’s Variable Torque Management (VTM-4). VTM-4 is an all-wheel-drive system that operates in front drive unless sensors detect front-wheel slip. Pilot’s maximum towing capacity is at the upper end of the scale for V-6 crossover SUVs, with AWD models capable of pulling trailers weighing up to 4,500 pounds and front-drive Pilots able to pull up to 3,500 pounds.

The 2011 Pilot is otherwise solidly competitive for features and amenities. (Second-row captain’s chairs aren’t part of the Pilot program.) Both rear benches split and fold, allowing Pilot to haul a 4-foot-wide plywood sheet laid flat. The 2011 Pilot is again available with a sunroof and power heated front seats, depending on model.