2009 Honda Pilot vs. 2008 Mazda CX-9 vs. 2008 Toyota Highlander

371 messages, Last post on Jul 02, 2009 at 9:55 AM

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What is this discussion about? Mazda CX-9, Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander, Car Comparisons, SUV

2009 Honda Pilot vs. 2008 Mazda CX-9 vs. 2008 Toyota Highlander - Although we've been hearing about a mad dash to get out of sport-utility vehicles and into fuel-efficient compacts, the reality is that seven- and eight-passenger crossover SUVs like the 2008 Mazda CX-9, 2008 Toyota Highlander and 2009 Honda Pilot aren't going away anytime soon. (more)

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#362 of 371 Re: April sales, 2009 [ceric] by nxs138 May 02, 2009 (4:08 pm)
Replying to: ceric (May 01, 2009 11:48 pm) I'm still amazed that Honda is selling so many Pilots: general reviews make it seem like an average SUV, even Consumer complains about lackluster interior fit and finish, poor acceleration, low mpg, and road noise (it rates below all the SUVs you have listed in May sales). I guess it does have good functionality, though. Then again, it is a Honda. Might be the reason why a few colleagues at work want to buy the new Honda Insight Hybrid, even though the new upcoming Prius is almost the same base price, bigger, quieter, and gets nearly 10 mpg more....ah well. Replies to this message: citivas (May 02, 2009 7:03 pm) nxs138 (May 03, 2009 3:03 pm) berri (May 03, 2009 4:48 pm) and 1 more...
#363 of 371 Re: April sales, 2009 [nxs138] by citivas May 02, 2009 (7:03 pm)
Replying to: nxs138 (May 02, 2009 4:08 pm) First, I think you hit on it with “good functionality.” The ’09 Pilot Touring is my first Honda, so I have no loyalty to them. I did have loyalty to Toyota and have owned a variety of brands. I tried pretty much every 3 row CUV on the market last summer before settling on the Honda, including most of the luxury brands, so price was not a primary factor (only in relation to relative value for the money). I test drove the Honda early in my test drive survey and wouldn’t have guessed it would end up on top. I hate the exterior look, even now, and am not in love in the interior either. I would agree with most of your listed criticisms, except MPG. It’s not as good as the Highlander but is on par with any and better than many three row CUV’s. And in real-world conditions, it’s beating our Toyota Sienna and our former Lexus RX300. But virtually every other model was eventually eliminated due to lack of features. We absolutely refused to get new car without integrated Bluetooth and it was shocking this was still missing from the GM line even at the high end, especially since it is illegal in many states including our own to use a cell phone while driving unless you have a hands-free solution. I use the Pilot as my cell phone mic and speakerphone almost every day. I just say “call office” or “call home” etc. and am good-to-go. The Toyota was ridiculous with its lack of memory seats, cramped 2-seat third row that couldn’t split and its middle second row seat that was useless. And we really wanted true iPod integration, not the silly AUX jack most of the cars settle for. Between Sat radio and our fully-integrated ipod, which we can control by voice or from the steering wheel and read on the large LCD screen and never worry about the battery on long trips because it is charging, we never need the CD or AM/FM radio. And the Pilot nav is simply excellent, the best I have used including high-end Garmin and Tom Tom’s. It lacks real-time traffic data re-routing but otherwise is awesome. And then there’s space and capacity. We have used all 8 seats surprisingly often. The ability to seat adults in all three rows, have that 8th seat and to splint the back row 60/40 has been priceless. The capacity is great too. I can take a ski trip with adult skis in the back, with the second row up and half the third row still in use – so all the equipment in the car (not on top) and 6 passengers, no problem. I don’t regret it to this day – I love this car, more than I expected to. It also drives great. I also initially didn’t like the acceleration on the test drive but once I owned it I figured out the trick and now find it very responsive. It also brakes much more naturally and smoothly than any of the Toyota/Lexus’ we have owned. On top of all that, our Honda dealers in the area were much more competitive with each other and eager to make a sale than the Toyota or Maxda dealers – the CX-9 was the only other CUV I would have been happy with in the end, but I couldn’t get passed the screwed up, limited cabin tech on the ’08 model. Bottom line, some people prioritize style, some people the “ride,” and some people prioritize feature and function. Toyota scored a home run in the latter – even its Acura cousin doesn’t have the iPood integration, lacks an 8th seat (and the 3rd row is virtually useless for passengers). I really wish the Toyota had gotten it right – and I realize it did for users with smaller families and different priorities. But no one else touched it for features… Replies to this message: nxs138 (May 03, 2009 3:03 pm) berri (May 03, 2009 4:48 pm) nxs138 (May 04, 2009 4:34 pm)
#364 of 371 correction by citivas May 02, 2009 (7:08 pm)
Sorry, I meant "Honda scored a home run with the latter.." (I wish Toyota had) Replies to this message: ceric (May 02, 2009 9:17 pm)
#365 of 371 Re: correction [citivas] by ceric May 02, 2009 (9:17 pm)
Replying to: citivas (May 02, 2009 7:08 pm) Highlander deserves to lose in sales (even with the new I4 engine offering) due to its lousy and cheap 3rd row seat. Just my opinion.
#366 of 371 Re: April sales, 2009 [citivas] by nxs138 May 03, 2009 (3:03 pm)
Replying to: citivas (May 02, 2009 7:03 pm) I agree with all your assessments concerning the Pilot: in the end, it's a solid package that has a lot of good features. Honda did a good job packaging all the little features that people want right out of the box, even though the Pilot looks like that box. When it first came out, I would have bet that it wouldn't sell all that well since there was so many new, sleek CUVs, but man was I wrong. Functionality still sells, so it was a good move on Honda's part. Replies to this message: berri (May 03, 2009 4:48 pm) nxs138 (May 04, 2009 4:34 pm)
#367 of 371 Re: April sales, 2009 [nxs138] by berri May 03, 2009 (4:48 pm)
Replying to: nxs138 (May 03, 2009 3:03 pm) The poor tire choices Toyota is putting on the Highlander and Venza shows they are becoming the new GM. I don't think Toyota has the customer focus that Honda does. Replies to this message: nxs138 (May 04, 2009 4:34 pm)
#368 of 371 Re: April sales, 2009 [berri] by nxs138 May 04, 2009 (4:34 pm)
Replying to: berri (May 03, 2009 4:48 pm) My wife and I really wanted to like the Highlander--nice acceleration, comfortable, not too big and bulky--but there were many little negatives that made you scratch your head: no split seats on the 3rd row, no memory seats, the Limited had really fake-looking wood (which is why I would have picked the Sports model), the steering felt really light (reminded me of my dad's 1981 Malibu that you could steer with your pinky), and worse of all the dealers around us were locking us into really expensive packages. And there were signs where they cheapened out, like that felt headliner that looks like it was already pilling... They say that as a company gets bigger, it gets more expensive to run...I guess Toyota has to make cuts somewhere, and unfortunately it's showing in their vehicles.
#370 of 371 Re: Pilot [udcc123] by lithnights May 06, 2009 (8:14 pm)
Agree about the importance of the split 3rd row. That is what sold me on the Pilot over the Highlander. We've had our 2008 for two months now and have already utilized the split 3rd row multiple times. We've had someone sit in the 3rd row and still be able to fold down part of it for groceries or a stroller. Also, it's especially cool for the kids (nieces, nephews for now..my kids in the future) to climb in through the lift, and climb into the split 3rd row since I have two car seats in the 2nd row. With the Highlander, that would be difficult to say the least.
#371 of 371 June, 2009 sales figures by ceric Jul 02, 2009 (9:55 am)
Pilot: 8171 Highlander: 6885 (inc. Hybrid and I4 version) CX9: 1568