Honda Pilot - 2005 Review

In Jan 2008, I bought my third Honda .  It was a no-brainer to decide which brand of car to buy, as the other two I've had have been utterly reliable, with low maintenance costs. 

In 1986 I bought a new Civic Hatchback.  I was still driving it in 1999; it had 187,000 miles and was going strong.  I wanted to upgrade to a CRV, but it was hard to think of spending money on another car, when the one I had ran so well. In the spring of 1999, I was in an accident, and the car was totaled.  I was fine (so was my dog, thank God), which was remarkable, considering we were hit head-on!

At that time, I went into the local Honda dealer to see about getting the CRV.  I really needed a bigger car, as I was always carrying things to and from my Mom's house (out of state) necessitating renting a larger vehicle, since my car wouldn't hold it all. Although it was amazing how much stuff I could get into the Civic; moving furniture occasionally, though, was a deal-breaker.
The CRV was a hot car at that time, and there weren't a whole lot of them to choose from.  It had only been available in the US since 1997.  I initially considered getting a used vehicle, but they were difficult to find, and the ones I did locate were almost as expensive as the new ones.  The dealership didn't have either of the colors I wanted, so they had to order mine from Japan.  It took about a month, and the dealership kept me informed about the progress on getting it to Virginia: when it was loaded onto the ship, when the ship got into the US port, etc.  Finally, I got it, and was very happy, especially with the way that car hugged the road.  Not long after I took possession of it, I was working in the mountains, and I really gave it a test of how it handled on curves and hills.  i was extremely impressed. It was also incredibly comfortable to drive, and being only 5'1", I sometimes have problems getting cars to 'fit'.  I could reach the controls, etc with no problem.

I still own the CRV, with just over 100,000 miles on it.  In Jan, we lent it to my nephew, who was in dire need of a car. While not exactly as 'sexy' a car as a 19-yr old boy might desire, he was appreciated the reliability (something he didn't have with his previous car, a VW Jetta), the low cost of maintaining it, and the good gas mileage.  At some point, we may sell it to him.

This turn of events resulted in me needing another vehicle.  My husband and I shopped around online, and found a Certified Used Pilot at a nearby Honda dealership.  A 2005 model with all the options (except navigation) and with only 38,000 miles, it was a great deal at around $20,000.  That also included a one year warranty. We were in need of a larger car anyway.  The CRV wasn't large enough to carry my elderly Mom, her walker, the 77 lb lab, me and my husband and luggage, or shopping bags.  The Pilot is a much better fit.  I can even wheel her walker (folded up) into the back, and not have to angle it over, so that leaves plenty of room in the back for anything we need to carry.
We drove it to from Virginia to Florida in Feb, and it really made that long trip enjoyable.  I do have to make some adjustments for my petite size though: I have to use a pillow behind me, as the seat is too long for me to reach to floor without slouching. Even with the pillow, I still have to have the seat up so close that I'm too far up to use the center console as an armrest.  While this isn't a big problem around town; during a multiple hour drive, my arms were getting quite fatigued. So, I use a small pillow under each arm. This spans the gap between my elbow and the center console, and between my left arm and the armrest on the door.  I truly think this car was designed for a much larger person.  The seat itself is also very wide from door to console.  I realize I'm off the spectrum of the average height range they used to design cars for, so I have no problem making the adjustments for that.  After all, I'm not driving a custom designed vehicle!

One of the features I really enjoy is the moon-roof: because of the type of glass, I can keep the cover open, and it doesn't make the car too hot or too bright.  It opens two ways, first it slides back, of course, and you can stop it at any point. Second it tilts up.  Both functions are easily reachable to the left of the steering wheel. It is simply the touch of a button to open, close or tilt.  When I leave my dog in the car (only in moderate weather), I enjoy leaving it open, in addition to leaving all four windows down a few inches.  I don't feel a threat from theft (of the dog or vehicle contents) and it gives more ventilation.

I like the leather seats, although the light gray would not be my first color choice, had I bought it new, as well as the exterior color (Pearl sagebrush green). It looks a lot more dark gray than green, although in certain light, it can have a blue or green cast to it.
The car has four jacks for plugging in electronics - when traveling with my husband, the technophile, this is a Godsend!  The primary outlet that I use for charging the cell phone is pretty unique: it's inside the center console box. While that would be awkward to have to open the box each time I get the phone out, it's not because on the front of the box there's a little door that swings open (hinged on the bottom) on an angle, and inside the  little door is a shelf, where the cell phone fits in, and hooks up with the charger there. Neat design!
The second outlet is on the bottom of the dash, the third is on the back of the bottom of the box, conveniently located for passengers riding in the back. And the fourth is in the back on the side panel in the cargo area.

There is a third row of seats, but I always keep it folded down.  The seats themselves aren't uncomfortable, but getting into them is challenging. I don't think this is an uncommon problem with mid-sized SUVs that have a third row. You either need to be a kid or a gymnast to get into these seats easily.

My car also has a towing package, 7 CD changer, audio controls on the steering wheel, automatic climate control, and a rear air conditioner.  That AC in the back is especially helpful when the dog is a passenger. The dark glass on the rear windows really helps with keeping the car cool.  And for a car with eight cylinders, the gas mileage is reasonable.

My overall favorite feature of the car, though is the ride.  Smooth, comfortable and relaxing!  This car wins, hands down, for being the best car I've ever owned!