What's Hot
Seats eight, holds 4x8 sheets of plywood
Refined road manners, package
Cylinder deactivation feature boosts mileage
| What's Not
Boring styling
No lower-cost FWD model
Less torque than V-8 competitors |
What's New
With a 15-horsepower increase for 2005, the only real news for 2006 is the Variable Cylinder Management system.
Key options
Can leather make you safer? In the Pilot it can, since the stability-control system comes standard on the top-of-the-line, leather-clad EX-L model. The base LX is quite stripped-down, with steel wheels, no smoked glass (a telltale sign of a base-model SUV), and even no outside temperature gauge. For many, the midgrade EX is probably just right. As with all Hondas, options are grouped in trim levels, and only a few minor dealer items are available individually.
Others to Consider
Ford Explorer,Nissan Pathfinder,Toyota 4Runner