2003 Honda Pilot

After much research and many test drives we bought a Honda Pilot LX.

'We' are your average family, 2 adults, to kids (3 and 6 yrs old) and 2 dogs (which counts as the extra 0.5 child!)

We've had the Pilot for about a month now, so I'll describe our buying experience and initial reactions.

The lease was running out on our 2 door Explorer. So we started looking. My wife wanted a big car, something that could hold all our family (and the dogs) and our gear. We do a lot of camping, skiing and we have 4 bikes to carry. We also camp in the desert and even take our kids to mountain cabins in the winter, thus we needed 4 wheel drive. She wanted a four wheel drive minivan, or a (Shudder!) Suburban. Myself, I tend to be cheap (i.e. I don't want a house on wheels) and the environmentalist in me just can't stomach a 10 mpg car.

So we looked. If you haven't been out there all the GM stuff is cheap, and way overpriced. Our relatives had caravans, but they had horror stories about broken trannies. I considered another Ford Explorer, but the dealer of our last Explorer treated us like *&^%!.

So, finally the local Honda dealer had a Pilot we could test drive. We took it on a long drive. The kids loved it. They each get their own cupholders and the passenger can climb into the back to 'help' them as needed. (This we did test while moving! A minivan would be better, but this task is much easier compared than in our Ford Explorer)

What really impressed me was the interior quality. The plastic doesn't 'give' and it doesn't squeak. It's roomy and light. The Chevy Blazer seemed claustrophobic. And the folding rear seats fold flat into the floor, unlike the either the Explorer or Blazer. Visibility is not as good as in our little Escort. The main front pillars are huge and I can't glance back to see if there are any cars in my blind spot. The pillars here are big too. You have to rely on your side mirrors, which is taking me little time to adjust too.

Another factor that sold me is that the 4wd of this car is all we really need. We don't go off road, just on dirt roads, and on snowy roads, so we didn't need low range,bush bustin 4wd.

In comparison, with all the rebates, incentives etc., both the Ford Explorer and the Trail Blazer would cost just as much, or even more!

So because of the quality, the EPA estimates and the Consumer Reports recommendation we decided to buy one. After much haggling via the phone with 3 separate dealers, we finally got MSRP but it had a 2 month wait. We decided on the LX version, but we got them to throw in a roof rack and keyless entry. This is the basic model, no DVD, no CD changer, no leather no climate control, no power seats. But it has just about everything else, cruise control, AC, CD player, Automatic, power rear view mirrors and power windows. (Does anyone remember when we had to crank windows open?)

We finally got the car. The first few times I got in, I hit my head on either the door or the door frame. The door is angled a bit more than I'm used too, but I figured it out and I haven't hit my head lately. The car drives in a nice neutral manner. It goes where you point it at the speed you want. It's almost forgettable, which is important when driving with kids. And it's quiet, a little road noise, but not harsh. All the controls are easy to use and understand, although I had to play with the CD player's tone/base/balance/fade knob to figure it out. And, the gas cap isn't tied to the car. It has a mounting spot to

Honda pilot has good gas mileage, it's smooth driving is another thing I like about it. I dislike the poor qurlity of it's speakers, every other thing about this vehicle is fine.

We needed a vehicle that could transport our family as well as some friends or grandparents and we didn't want to join the mini-van crowd. This vehicle got 20 mpg on its first weekend out of town. Living in Minnesota we also appreciate the 4 wheel drive. My trust in Honda is being rewarded so far. Everything seems to be designed intelligently and manufactured exceptionally well.

Sorry to have taken so long to write this review. We love the Honda Pilot, everything was as described. When I picked-up the vehicle, the owner had discovered that the windshield had a crack in it. He took care the the problem. Great seller, went out of his way to make this purchase a truly enjoyable experience.