Honda Pilot vs Mazda CX-9 vs Toyota Highlander

478 messages, Last post on Nov 27, 2009 at 7:13 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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#336 of 478 Nov, 2008 sales figures by ceric Dec 02, 2008 (3:04 pm)
1st: Highlander: 6980 (+907 hybrids) 2nd: Pilot: 5601 3rd: CX-9: 1716
#337 of 478 Re: Anyone look at the Buick? [golic] by nxs138 Dec 09, 2008 (10:08 pm)
Replying to: golic (Dec 02, 2008 6:19 am) Test drove the Enclave before buying the CX-9. Very nice vehicle inside and out, quiet ride, although it felt more sluggish and had more body roll than the Acadia and the the CX-9, and is definitely tuned for comfort and not for "sporty" driving. If you're into more of a "floaty" ride as opposed to a sports sedan feel, I'd recommend the Buick over the CX-9. At the time the Enclave had the transmission issue (hesitation, etc) and no bluetooth, and Buick wanted too much money for it, so it fell off our list. But with the new engines and features going in, I would definitely consider it if I was in the market. Buick is here to stay,imo. Sells very well in Japan/China. I think the Chevy Traverse is also worth a look, it starts out cheaper than the Buick but has a nice interior. But the CX-9 trumps both of those, imo, I still can't get over how well I can carve the twisties with it! (as you can see, I prefer a somewhat more aggressive "tune" in a vehicle). Replies to this message: golic (Dec 10, 2008 5:51 am) nxs138 (Dec 11, 2008 3:10 pm) 4kids3dogs2cat (Dec 11, 2008 4:58 pm) and 3 more...
#338 of 478 Re: Anyone look at the Buick? [nxs138] by golic Dec 10, 2008 (5:51 am)
Replying to: nxs138 (Dec 09, 2008 10:08 pm) Thanks nxs, for that comparison. That does help. I do need to look at the cx-9, as well. Which car would you say has the larger cabin? And what about the cargo space behind the 3rd row? Basically, I need something where I could put a hockey bag, baseball equipment bag behind it. Does one vehicle have a significant advantage over the other in behind the 3rd row storage? Replies to this message: nxs138 (Dec 11, 2008 3:10 pm) 4kids3dogs2cat (Dec 11, 2008 4:58 pm) nxs138 (Dec 11, 2008 7:09 pm) and 2 more...
#339 of 478 Re: Anyone look at the Buick? [golic] by nxs138 Dec 11, 2008 (3:10 pm)
Replying to: golic (Dec 10, 2008 5:51 am) The Lambdas have more space behind the 3rd row than the CX-9. Of the Lambdas, the Buick seemed to have less room because of the interior panels, I believe, but you don't lose that much (you lose a bit in width, I believe, but again, not all that much). With the 3rd row up in the CX-9, you'd barely be fitting a hockey bag back there, so the extra few inches of room in the Lambdas might help you. As a practical example, when the 3rd is up I can fit 2 rows of grocery bags nicely on the cargo floor. In the Lambdas, you might be able to fit 3 rows. If storage space behind the 3rd row is critical, I hate to admit it but you'd be better off with a Lambda than the CX-9. The worse contender is the Highlander, you wouldn't be able to fit an umbrella stroller behind that 3rd row! Replies to this message: 4kids3dogs2cat (Dec 11, 2008 4:58 pm) nxs138 (Dec 11, 2008 7:09 pm) citivas (Jan 08, 2009 10:36 am) and 1 more...
#340 of 478 Re: Anyone look at the Buick? [nxs138] by 4kids3dogs2cat Dec 11, 2008 (4:58 pm)
Replying to: nxs138 (Dec 11, 2008 3:10 pm) That's the great thing about the Sienna, it has the "storage well" behind the third seat which increases your storage space quite a bit because it is deep down and you can pile stuff up. I can't see why these crossovers can't have the same kind of setup. Advantage to the minivan in this regard.. Replies to this message: nxs138 (Dec 11, 2008 7:09 pm) citivas (Jan 08, 2009 10:36 am) lithnights (Feb 05, 2009 5:35 pm)
#341 of 478 Re: Anyone look at the Buick? [4kids3dogs2cat] by nxs138 Dec 11, 2008 (7:09 pm)
Replying to: 4kids3dogs2cat (Dec 11, 2008 4:58 pm) My dad bought a Sienna last year, and to tell the truth, it's very nice. Tons of space behind the 3rd row, much more than the Lambdas. It has a lot of pickup, might be just as fast or faster than all these crossovers. And ease of entry with the sliding doors is nice with the kids. Crossovers have nothing on the interior space of minivans, I can see why larger families should flock to minivans as compared to SUVs, if not only for all that space behind the 3rd row. Since we only have 2 kids, the CX-9 was more than enough. If crossovers had that well, they would lose their "stylish" back end look (i.e. I guess you would really have bring the rear bumper down more to accomodate the longer door, and I guess the rear wheels would have to come forward a bit). But then again, there's no reason why they couldn't tweak a minivan to make it look more cross-overish, i.e. lose the sliding doors, and angle the back end a little more..... Replies to this message: citivas (Jan 08, 2009 10:36 am) lithnights (Feb 05, 2009 5:35 pm)
#342 of 478 Dec, 2009 sales by ceric Jan 05, 2009 (3:02 pm)
Highlander: 7761 (or 7781 - not sure) - including hybrids Pilot: 6735 CX9: 2103
#343 of 478 Re: Anyone look at the Buick? [nxs138] by citivas Jan 08, 2009 (10:36 am)
Replying to: nxs138 (Dec 11, 2008 7:09 pm) We own a Sienna, just a few years old (still current model) and still in great shape with low mileage, and now an '09 Pilot. The entire family now prefers the Pilot and the Sienna is only getting used when when both cars in in use at the same time. Don't get me wrong, we love our Sienna too. Overall, you definitely can fit more storage in the Sienna and definitely more if you have the full third row up for seating. And it is easier to access the third row and the rolling doors are very convenient. The downsides: You can't get an 8 seat version like our Pilot with the high end features and finishes (the second row bench is only available on the base model). As a related issue, the lack of a second row bench is also very limiting in terms of seating options for larger families. One of our three kids still has to be strapped into a 5-point harness in a child seat, requiring him to pragmatically be in the second row. In the Sienna this left only one seat available for an adult, requiring both grandparents to climb into the rear and be squished. In the Pilot they can both sit in the second row with more room than the Sienna third row. It has no factor-installed towing package and even the expensive after-market ones are limited by how low the back sits to the ground; The seating comfort for adults in the third row is much better in our Pilot than our Sienna. This surprised us, but my in-laws spend a lot of time there and said it was no contest. The AWD is not as good in the Sienna as the Pilot and it has no option to force it on as the Pilot does. The Sienna (no Toyotas yet) also doesn't offer iPod intergration, a critical feature for us. There are some other things we prefer about our Pilot over our Sienna but that's the top of mind. They get very similar gas mileage -- the Pilot does about 1 MPG better than the Sienna. Replies to this message: lithnights (Feb 05, 2009 5:35 pm)
#344 of 478 How would one fit two car seats in the 2nd row AND get in the 3rd row? by lithnights Feb 05, 2009 (5:35 pm)
Replying to: citivas (Jan 08, 2009 10:36 am) Citivas, Still hanging around this board? I've read all your posts about the Pilot..very helpful. I wanted to ask how you manage to fit two car seats in the 2nd row AND manage to get someone in the 3rd row. We test drove the Pilot the other day and were wondering how this would be done assuming you have a car seat on the left end and one on the right end of the 2nd row. OR would one put the car seats right next to each other (taking up an end seat and the middle seat)? I noticed only the CX9 would allow one to even move the 2nd row all the way up to touching the back of the front seats, without moving car seats. Thanks!
#345 of 478 by citivas Feb 05, 2009 (6:26 pm)
In my experience you can have up-to three car seats side-by-side in the second row, but you can't have more than one that requires tethering if your goal is still to access the third row by pushing the second row seat forward. Others have allegedly tethered two seats in the second row, side-by-side on the drivers side and middle seat but it would have to be a couple of untypically narrow seats to do this and still allow adequate clearance for the 40 percent passenger side to slide forward without interfering with the middle seat. This hasn't been a problem for us for two reasons: 1) We rarely need to move the second row seat to access the third row. By default our third row is used for our 7-year old who LOVES to access it from the tailgate. Same with her friends when we carpool them. With our setup we could easily move the second row but they neither find this as fun nor have the patience to wait for our help. 2) Our oldest now just uses an booster which is small enough to still slide the 40 percent side forward or if he’s sitting on the passenger side it is easy to temporarily move since its light and not tethered… Good luck with your decision and negotiation. Replies to this message: lithnights (Feb 05, 2009 7:11 pm) golic (Feb 06, 2009 7:03 am) lithnights (Feb 06, 2009 7:58 pm) and 2 more... gks1969 (Aug 27, 2009 6:29 pm)