Base price: LX, $27,360; EX, $29,730
Vehicle type: front-engine, 4-wheel-drive; 5-door 8-passenger wagon
Interior volume, F/M/R (cu ft) 62/56/39
Cargo volume, seats up/maximum (cu ft) 16/90
Wheelbase 106.3 in
Length/width/height 188.0/77.3/70.6 in
Turning circle 38.0 ft
Curb weight 4400–4450 lb
EPA city/highway mpg 17/22
Fuel-tank capacity/range 19.2 gal/326 mi
Passive restraints driver and passenger front and side airbags
POWERTRAIN
3.5-liter SOHC 24-valve V-6, 240 hp; 5-sp auto
SUSPENSION
F ind, struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar
R ind, multilink, coil springs, anti-roll bar
BRAKES
F/R vented disc/disc
ABS standard
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HONDA PILOT
For years, Honda rebadged the Isuzu Rodeo, calling it the Passport, to give its dealers something to sell while developing its own model which finally arrives as the 2003 Pilot.
The new SUV shares its underpinnings and powertrain with the Acura MDX—although not its sheetmetal—and both trace their lineage to the Odyssey minivan, a front-drive, unit-body design. The Pilot’s structure, however, is beefed up with integrated perimeter frame rails, which should help it stand up to the beating that goes with moderate off-highway use.
At 188.0 inches, the Pilot is 3.6 inches longer than the Toyota Highlander but shorter than the Ford Explorer and the Chevy TrailBlazer. The Pilot isn’t quite as tall as its Ford and Chevy rivals, but it stands 2.3 inches taller than the Toyota.
Like the MDX, the Pilot rides on struts up front with a coil-spring, multilink arrangement at the rear designed to allow a flat load floor. It also has the MDX’s wide track—66.3 inches front and 66.5 rear—numbers that make it by far the widest in its class.
Again, like the MDX, the Pilot is propelled by a 3.5-liter SOHC 24-valve VTEC V-6 rated at 240 hp and 242 pound-feet of torque, mated to a five-speed automatic. Though this is a stout powertrain, it’s lugging a lot of mass—4400 pounds—and our best 0-to-60-mph run in early testing was 8.1 seconds, quicker than the much lighter (by about 450 pounds) Highlander but a second slower than the more powerful TrailBlazer.
The Pilot’s standard VTM-4 (Variable Torque Management 4-wheel-drive) system has a dashboard switch that locks both rear half-shafts to get the driver unstuck (there’s no center or rear differential), but it operates in just the first two gears and unlocks at 18 mph. Otherwise, the system operates primarily in front-drive and sends torque to the rear wheels when spin is detected up front.
Being a first-cousin of the Odyssey, the Pilot combines a minivan’s usefulness with sport-utility style and versatility. There’s stadium seating for eight—two, three, and three (although Honda freely admits the third row “is for kids”)—with a half-dozen child-seat anchors in rows two and three and separate rear-seat climate controls.
As in other Honda family haulers, the Pilot’s major storage capabilities are enhanced by a dozen cargo tie-downs and all sorts of nooks and bins.
Like most mainstream SUVs the Pilot isn’t designed for mountain-goat terrain, but it will handle the worst any average owner is likely to throw at it. With aplomb. And in comfort.
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