Vehicle: 2009 Honda Pilot Touring
Price as tested: CDN$49920

Performance: The Pilot, as always, is powered by a sole powertrain. This is Honda’s 3.5 liter SOHC V6 24-valve with i-VTEC. Its good for 250 hp and 253 lb/ft of torque. Consider Pilot is a heavy vehicle, weighting in at close to 2100 lb for our loaded Touring tester, it needs a large engine to motivate a monster. As one expects from a Honda, this engine is a marevlous engineering when it comes to refinement, smoothness and NVH. Its also surprisingly peppy both off-the-line and in the mid range. 253 lb/ft of torque arrives at 4800rpm has provided decent pick-up for such a heavy vehicle. Its only mated with a 5-speed automatic gearbox. The gear ratios are low enough for decent acceleration while the 5th or overdrive gear is tall enough for comfortable highway cruising. There is one drawback, however, its the lack of a 6th gear. Consider Pilot’s competitions, Mazda CX-9 and Hyundai Veracruz, have both 6-speed automatic gearbox. Honda should offer one more gear in the Pilot since its a, first and foremost, an engineering-driven company. An additional gear would make Pilot an even more comfortable and relaxing highway cruiser than it already does.

What make Pilot stands above the rest of the peers is the standard of the Advanced Variable Cylinder Managment, or what Honda called VCM. This technology is able to adjust how many cylinders it needs to use depending on engine rpm, engine speed and the load it carries. Pilot is the 1st 6-cylinder SUV to offer this feature, while its Accord silibing was the 1st 6-cylinder sedan to come with this advanced technology. This Pilot is able to run on both 3, 4 or 6 cylinders at times. So does it work in real life situation? Our test average of Pilot’s fuel economy of 12 liters per 100km average is nothing short of impressive, we actually beaten Honda’s official fuel economy figure.

Handling: Pilot’s VTM-4 AWD system is a seamless system that most drivers won’t noticed when it starts to work. Its VTM-4 lock has a desired effect when one will get stuck, it will transfer the power from the other 3 wheels to the offending wheel when pushed the button on the dashboard. The added bonus is this VTM-4 lock is able to work up to 80 mph.

Other than the advanced AWD, Pilot’s driving dynamics is a delightful surprise consider its status of life. The steering provides decent feedback and responsiveness, its delighfully precise when pushed. The chassis is stiff enough without any twist and rattles. Its the sort of build quality and chassis refinement we expect from Honda. While there are quite amount of body rolls and understeer. The suspension is composed enough to settle itself after it releases the load. Its also supple enough to provide a comfortable ride quality without all those loose feel that is so familiar with Pilot’s competitions. It feels firm without feeling bouncy. Pilot’s Vehicle Stability Assist has worked accordingly. While you won’t expect Pilot to have the capabilities of a Porsche Cayenne when pushed, Pilot’s VSA only steps in when necessary. Judging from the target audience Pilot is going after, its level of instrusiveness is more than understandable before it rears its ugly heads.

Brakes: With 4-wheel discs and standard ABS, as well as brake assist. Pilot’s braking performance is much better than expect consider of its 3900 lb curb weight. The stopping distance is decent while the pedal has an eager feel to driver’s right foot, which really shows how much effort Honda has put through when engineered the Pilot.

Interior: Both the 2nd and 3rd row of the Pilot are surprisingly comfortable. When it comes the 3rd row, it got decent amount of head and legrooms thanks to Pilot’s boxy profile. Honda designers have put nice touches for both 2nd and 3rd row seats like cupholders and center armrest. 2nd row’s middle passenger is more comfortable than 3rd row.

The driver’s seat is equally comfortable and ergonomic friendly. There is a huge trip computer in the center of the dashboard, while the stereo, automatic climate control and automatic gearlever all placed around the console area. That means everything else feel right at driver’s hand when needed. There is one huge criticism, unfortunately, regarding Pilot’s interior quality. There are just more hard plastic than I expect in a Honda, or a vehicle costing close to 50 grand.

The hatch’s liftover is low and have a wide cut-off. Honda designers has figured out the way to open the rear glass to throw small items into the cargo area, instead of forcing to open the rear hatch.

Conclusion: The Pilot is the swiss army knife of SUV. It got an excellent powertrain, handles surprisingly well and superb interior layout. If you are in the market for a surprisingly fragile V6 SUV that is able to seat 8 persons, you should look no further than this Pilot.

OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2009 Honda Pilot
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Performance: 4/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 4/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 4/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 4/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 4/5
Value-for-money: 3/5

Overall rating: 4/5