Honda Pilot vs Mazda CX-9 vs Toyota Highlander

477 messages, Last post on Nov 26, 2009 at 9:54 PM

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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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#297 of 477 Re: Another feather in the cap of.... [guy1974] by citivas Nov 13, 2008 (1:42 pm)
Replying to: guy1974 (Nov 13, 2008 1:03 pm) This was an issue for us too so we tried putting 3 car seats in the second row in most of our test drives. All of ours are front-facing at this point. However, we've been there with the rear-facing. Actually, alternating front and rear facing is usually easier than all front facing in most cases, though that is a short term issue as you'll be turning them around soon enough... One of the reasons we ended up with the '09 Pilot was this exact issue. The Highlander simply cannot fit 3 car seats side-by-side in most cases (it obviously depends on the exact models). You can try to force it, but you're risking their safety to force them over one another. And when you upgrade to a booster seat as we now have in one case, forget about being able to click the seatbelt in and out with three side-by-side. The Highlander is really only 2.5 seats at best in the second row... The Mazda could do it but it was tight. The Honda was the most roomy side-to-side, and was the only one with capacity for 3 people in the third row too (and thus the only one with a 60/40 third row split seat that matches the second row which is more flexible for mixed passenger / storage options). We hated the Honda styling too but if seating capacity and flexibility is a critical issue for you, the Honda is the winner among the Totota/Honda/Mazda. We did look at the GM line but didn't do our seat test because we didn't like them enough to do the deeper dive. But they were pretty spacious so I suspect they will be similar to the Honda in this regard. Personally I would be nervous about buying a GM vehicle right now, given the uncertainty abou the future of the company, but maybe that's just me. Even if you assume they are bailed out and survive as a company, they may have to close a lot of dealerships which means you may have to travel further to get warranty support. And it may be harder to get parts, etc. down the line. Replies to this message: guy1974 (Nov 18, 2008 11:57 am) citivas (Nov 18, 2008 12:18 pm)
#298 of 477 Re: Another feather in the cap of.... [4kids3dogs2cat] by citivas Nov 13, 2008 (1:57 pm)
Replying to: 4kids3dogs2cat (Nov 03, 2008 7:29 pm) For what it's worth we have an '04 Sienna (same design as the current model year) and an '09 Pilot now and the Pilot has become the car of preference for family trips when the grandparents are visiting (and with any other adults for that matter). They substantially prefer it in terms of seating comfort and convenience over the Sienna mini-van. The reason is the 3-seat second row. One of our three kids is young enough that we still have to buckle him into the 5-point harness straps built-into his car seat. That makes putting his seat in the third row and impracticality in the Sienna. Plus the third row isn't big enough in the Sienna for all three car seats side-by-side. So the grandparents are forced to either split up or both go in the third row. In the Pilot they were able to sit together in the second row next to our youngest and found it dramatically more comfortable and spacious than being forced to climb back to the third row in the Sienna. Also for what it’s worth, they themselves own the current model Highlander Hybrid and after having spent some time in our Pilot prefer it in terms of rear-seat comfort and in features (they loved being able to plug their iPod in and have it play through our car system and thought our nav system was significantly better than theirs). We’ve also been getting better gas mileage out of our Pilot than our Sienna ever did. The net result was what was supposed to be my car and the “trip” car has become our main “family” car for everywhere. The poor Sienna only gets used when we need both at the same time… We have absolutely no “mini-van stigma.” We could care less what we’re seen driving in. We’ve just naturally gravitated toward the Pilot from real world use and convenience. Replies to this message: 4kids3dogs2cat (Nov 19, 2008 6:47 pm) tourguide (Nov 20, 2008 4:03 am)
#299 of 477 Re: Another feather in the cap of.... [citivas] by guy1974 Nov 18, 2008 (11:57 am)
Replying to: citivas (Nov 13, 2008 1:42 pm) Citivas - thanks for a great reply. I recently sat in a Chevy Traverse and a Honda Pilot (and an Odyssey - although I just can`t stomach a minivan!). The Chevy is more spacious but it is a little bigger so that is as expected. My wife who usually favors imports said the Chevy's interior was better than the Pilots in terms of design and quality of materials (glovebox material was the only truly hard plastic surface). I share your concern about GM and will be holding off until the new year but what annoys me is people who ignore GM and Ford products out of a 1980'2/90's mindset of domestic = bad and import = good. All companies make good and bad vehicles (however you measure that - design, fun, reliability, fuel economy) and GM deserves credit for some great large crossovers. The other question I have is do people recommend having a child in the third row if you have three children? Captains chairs are not an option in the CX9 or Pilot but are in the GM's and Ford Flex. Opinions from experienced parents welcomed. Replies to this message: citivas (Nov 18, 2008 12:18 pm)
#300 of 477 Re: Another feather in the cap of.... [guy1974] by citivas Nov 18, 2008 (12:18 pm)
Replying to: guy1974 (Nov 18, 2008 11:57 am) In my experience if you have little kids (i.e. pre-teen) it will be hard to keep them from the third row because they will want to be there, assuming its comfortable enough for them (even my 7 year old rejected the third row in the Highlander as too cramped, but I think she would cry if I told her she had to sit in the second row of our Pilot instead of the third). The kids like to climb out of the rear tailgate of the car rather than have slide the second row forward. We don't let our 3 year old back there (despite his wanting to be) because its too hard to strap him into the car seat. By the time they are 4-5, they can do it themselves and its not an issue. These newer cars have full side-impact air bags that extend to the third row and unlike some older or still smaller CUV's the seats are not right up against the rear of the vehicle in the event of a crash. I definitely don't dismiss the American cars out of hand, though I know some do. I've owned a Ford SUV. For me the lack of good tech (like bluetooth) eliminated the GMC line this time. And despite all their supposed incentives and "employee pricing" the deals still were not as good as Honda, Mazda or others were offering off of their MSRP's.
#301 of 477 by guy1974 Nov 19, 2008 (6:37 am)
I noticed that the good tech as you call it are in the 2009 Lambdas - bluetooth, rearview camera in the auto-dimming rear view mirror (a very cost effective option to the usual rear view camera in navigation option), onstar with navigation etc. Replies to this message: thegraduate (Nov 19, 2008 7:18 am) guy1974 (Nov 24, 2008 5:01 pm) thegraduate (Nov 24, 2008 8:53 pm) and 6 more...
#302 of 477 Re: [guy1974] by thegraduate Nov 19, 2008 (7:18 am)
Replying to: guy1974 (Nov 19, 2008 6:37 am) Do they have an actual Navigation system, or the pay-by-month voice guidance, with no actual maps? Replies to this message: guy1974 (Nov 24, 2008 5:01 pm) thegraduate (Nov 24, 2008 8:53 pm) guy1974 (Nov 25, 2008 7:26 am) and 4 more... citivas (Nov 25, 2008 7:35 am)
#303 of 477 by citivas Nov 19, 2008 (9:34 am)
Yeah, I heard the the '09 GM;s were finally going to catch-up with the world on Bluetooth but that didn't work for my buying schedule (and I was already uneasy about GM's future... Unfortuantely, their nav system (like Toyota and Mazra who use the same vendor) still is useless while driving (i.e. can't be programmed by even the passenger). That feature alone may have been the feather that tipped the scales for me to Acura/Honda, which the seating capacity tipping it to Honda. Also, in my case I just didn't get a good vibe from the local dealerships. They didn't seem that interested in selling cars. They weren't eager to offer a test drive or humor me on detailed questions, their pricing wasn't competitive (even when I tried getting Internet quotes from multiple local dealers they were the least responsive or competitive brand), etc. It's really surprising given their market situation that they seemed so complacent, but then again maybe that helps explain their market situation...
#304 of 477 Re: Another feather in the cap of.... [citivas] by 4kids3dogs2cat Nov 19, 2008 (6:47 pm)
Replying to: citivas (Nov 13, 2008 1:57 pm) For us, it was different. We had lots of kids (4) and no grandparents, so we much prefer the captains chairs in the 2nd row instead of the bench seat. For two reasons. First, with the captains chairs it was much easier to get access to the third row. You didn't have to slide any seats or do anything. No pinched fingers or any hassle. Once the kids are big enough to not need car seats, they can just walk between the captains chairs on the way to the third row as long as the minivan or crossover doesn't have a console storage thing in between the captains chairs that can't be removed. The other thing is that with the captains chairs, the kids are seperated in the middle row and can't fight over little things such as touching each other or inane childish activity. Replies to this message: tourguide (Nov 20, 2008 4:03 am)
#305 of 477 Re: Another feather in the cap of.... [4kids3dogs2cat] by tourguide Nov 20, 2008 (4:03 am)
Replying to: 4kids3dogs2cat (Nov 19, 2008 6:47 pm) seperated in the middle row and can't fight over little things such as touching each other or inane childish activity. This is really a false sense of assurance that this type of activity will not occur simply due to the captain's chairs. If you feel better about your choice this way, fine, but there is no difference in vehicle dimensions between the two options of bench or bucket seats back there and the last time I checked, sibling arms do not magically shrink when entering the vehicle. Of course your vehicle may have certain magical properties I am not aware of.
#306 of 477 by 4kids3dogs2cat Nov 20, 2008 (5:41 pm)
You're mistaken. It's not a false sense of anything. Our previous minivan had a middle bench and we had infighting problems that were alleviated when we bought the new minivan with the captains chairs. For example, favorite toys or stuffed animals that slid across the bench seat to the other kid while the car made a turn magically don't slide anymore when there are captains chairs instead. It was a fact for us, not false anything. Of course, that was equalled in importance by the much easier access to the third row. Two important reasons to get the captains chairs, IMO. Replies to this message: tourguide (Nov 21, 2008 4:25 am)