Article Comments - 2009 Honda Pilot First Drive and Full Test

54 messages, Last post on Jul 18, 2008 at 10:15 AM

You are in the Honda Pilot Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & tidester

What is this discussion about? Honda Pilot, SUV

First Drive: 2009 Honda Pilot -First Impressions: No longer a minivan in disguise, the Pilot brings clever utility to the crossover concept. (more)

Full Test: 2009 Honda Pilot Touring - Bottom Line: Honda's second shot at the Pilot is more useful than ever, even if it hides beneath an overwrought skin.(more)

Outline

Messages Page 4 of 7: 1; 2; 3; 4; 5; 6; 7; Prev; Next; Last

#23 of 54 Re: Ugly Sells [carbunt] by josephd05 Apr 18, 2008 (6:29 am)
Replying to: carbunt (Apr 17, 2008 6:19 pm) All subjective. I personally think the new Accord is by far the most attractive one yet, inside and out. Reminds me of a 5 series. It also handles MUCH better than the previous generation. My only problem with Honda is this whole Rotary dial Nav design instead of touch screen. Their Nav design is by far the greatest other than that.
#24 of 54 Nice To Have All Those Clever Touches, But... by verdi942 Apr 18, 2008 (11:36 am)
Too big, too fat, too thirsty for these days of $4.00 and up gasoline. Unless it's not a daily driver, that is.
#25 of 54 Love 08 accord by josephd05 Apr 18, 2008 (12:29 pm)
My wife gets 25mpg on average, and 30mpg all highway. She has a 2008 EXL-NAV. Very comfy and handles great. Road noise is there, just like most hondas, but she drives 25k a year, i know this car will be rock solid for 200k miles. Can't say the same for most of the competition.
#26 of 54 Great, joseph, by verdi942 Apr 18, 2008 (1:23 pm)
My friends with '08's never see the bright side of 22MPG; it's good to know that a lighter foot can get 30MPG. Will the '09 be better? Replies to this message: josephd05 (Apr 18, 2008 1:29 pm)
#27 of 54 Re: Great, joseph, [verdi942] by josephd05 Apr 18, 2008 (1:29 pm)
Replying to: verdi942 (Apr 18, 2008 1:23 pm) Yeah, funny I actually challenged myself to hit 30mpg. Basically doing 75mph using mostly cruise control. Many people don't realize these 4 bangers can kill you at the pump of you constantly rev them up to high. My 2006 V8 4runner gives me 16 city and as high as 22mpg highway, which is great for a V8. Why? because of the low end torque, I rarely drive above 3k rpm.
#28 of 54 First drive by batman47 Apr 18, 2008 (4:02 pm)
Report about the first driving of the 2009 Pilot may be found in this link http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2008/04/pilot-pricing.html
#29 of 54 Re: How ugly thou art, let me count the ways... [stingraydave] by elroy5 Apr 18, 2008 (9:27 pm)
Replying to: stingraydave (Apr 16, 2008 9:59 am) Since people can never find fault with Honda's engineering, quality, and reliability, all they have to fall back on is "It's ugly". Give me a break. If you are looking at a Honda vehicle as a "Style" statement, you are missing the whole point. To a Honda owner for many years, the "H" on the front grill makes it beautiful. Function over Form, it's the Honda way. After a few years with the Enclave , you will be crawling back to Honda. Even a Ferrari looks bad, when you're standing beside it on the interstate. Replies to this message: budi (Apr 21, 2008 7:18 am)
#30 of 54 Re: Styling...umm...unhelpful. [mfisher4] by bigbadkahuna Apr 19, 2008 (11:50 am)
Replying to: mfisher4 (Apr 16, 2008 10:15 pm) You are obviously an English major rather a car person. While I am impressed with your use the English language, I have to keep reminding myself that opinions are like a**holes, in that everyone has one. I am currently driving my second Honda Pilot (2006) having previously owned a 2004, and I can tell you that the new styling is refreshing, and I can't wait until I am able to purchase a 2009. I'll be willing to pay list price for it, and won't need to be given a "massive discount" to sign on the dotted line. The new and improved features, added length and width, and more utilitarian features are only icing on the cake in my opinion. I actually think that the strategy of a common design theme to distinguish one brand from another is a very smart thing for a manufacturer to do, and obviously so do the folks at Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Infinity, and many other car companies. I don't think that Honda will have any difficulty selling the new Pilot. As for the "ugly stick" that you claim has been applied to the Honda models you mentioned, it is interesting to note that the models you list have received universal acclaim for their styling and performance. So, mfisher4, I could not disagree with you more. They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I don't know how many Pilots or Hondas you own, or plan to buy. I am sure however that Honda will survive quite nicely even without you, while you sit on the sidelines waiting for a "massive discount" that will more than likely never need to happen.
#31 of 54 Re: Article Comments - 2009 Honda Pilot First Drive [jt8] by bigbadkahuna Apr 19, 2008 (12:18 pm)
Replying to: jt8 (Apr 15, 2008 2:32 pm) I actually agree with your opinion about there oftentimes not being enough differentiation between a manufacturers base line and premium offerings. It was certainly the case between the old MDX and the old Pilot. IMO, there was little to make the MDX worth more than the Pilot, and therefore I bought the Pilot. With the new Pilot and MDX, I believe that Honda has now put out a big effort to give each brand their own distinctive features. I am actually surprised at the lack of similarities between the two, and that is a good thing IMO. I recently purchased a new luxury car, and chose the Infinity M Series over the Acura RL becuse I felt there was not enough difference between the new Accord, and the OLD RL. Obviously Honda agreed, since they recently redesigned the RL to give it more of a distinctive look. Replies to this message: carabel (Apr 19, 2008 3:16 pm)
#32 of 54 Re: Article Comments - 2009 Honda Pilot First Drive [bigbadkahuna] by carabel Apr 19, 2008 (3:16 pm)
Replying to: bigbadkahuna (Apr 19, 2008 12:18 pm) I like luxury brands when I can afford them but wouldn't pick outside of true lux like Mercedes, BMW, or Cadillac for maintreams. Why, no question about the luxury branding or the tradition of luxury branding. Household has MB for car and a Pilot for utility - well Pilot until the kids are a little older to respect the fine luxury SUV's. Little kids are a bit rough on cars. I think there is a fine line between Acura and Honda and Lexus and Toyota. Just my opinion. As for the 2009 Pilots - the followers will follow as long as Honda keeps their tradition of safety, reliability and rumored good customer treatment.