- Roomy interior with eight-passenger seating

 - Versatile storage and cargo-hauling abilities

 - Many standard features

 - Comfortable ride

 - Smooth power delivery

 - Mediocre towing capacity

 - Feels big behind the wheel

 - Can't combine rear DVD player with navigation system

The Pilot is Honda's reply to America's massive appetite for midsize SUVs. It debuted in the 2003 model year and is very similar mechanically to the popular Acura MDX, a vehicle itself based on the previous-generation Odyssey minivan. Knowing that lineage alone should indicate to you that the Pilot is indeed something quite desirable. In creating the Pilot, Honda's goal was to build the ultimate American family adventure vehicle. To meet the challenge, the Pilot is equipped with seating for eight, a powerful V6 engine and a versatile interior. It handles capably on pavement and offers a reasonable level of off-road ability. It's also tempered with Honda's traditional strengths in dependability, quality and safety.

The four-door, eight-passenger Pilot comes in two trim levels: LX and EX. As is typical of Honda offerings, nearly everything comes standard. This includes air conditioning; cruise control; power windows, mirrors and locks; keyless entry; a rear window defroster; and a CD player. Going with the EX adds alloy wheels, auto-off headlamps, an eight-way power driver seat with lumbar, extra interior storage, automatic climate control, HomeLink and steering wheel-mounted audio controls. On EX models with leather (EX-L), a sunroof, XM Satellite Radio and heated seats come standard, with a DVD-based navigation system and a DVD entertainment system available as options. Unfortunately, buyers must choose between the nav and entertainment systems -- you can't get both. The entertainment system includes a 9-inch flip-down LCD screen.

Four-wheel antilock disc brakes with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) come standard, along with stability control, side airbags for front occupants and head-protecting side curtain airbags for all three rows. In government crash tests, the Pilot earned a perfect five-star rating across the board for front- and side-impact protection. In frontal-offset crash testing conducted by the IIHS, the Pilot received the highest rating of "Good."

The Pilot seats eight passengers. The second- and third-row seats are positioned theater-style, meaning that they are elevated to give occupants a better outside view. Legroom for second-row passengers is quite good, but the tight third row is best suited for children. Both the second and third rows are split 60/40 and can be folded flat to expand the Pilot's cargo capacity. Maximum cargo capacity is 90 cubic feet.

As the Pilot features a stiff unibody structure and a fully independent suspension, it is quite smooth and comfortable on normal roads. However, with a curb weight of more than 2 tons, there is no denying the Pilot's bulk, and some drivers might find it a bit clumsy around corners. In terms of off-road ability, the Pilot can take on common hazards such as boat ramps, washed-out gullies and rough roads, but not much more.

EmZee

American Honda Motor Co., Inc., posted record January sales of 98,394 Honda and Acura vehicles, up 20.7 percent from January 2005, the company announced today.  Honda Division  also broke records for the eighth consecutive month, with sales up 24.4 percent over January last year to 84,413 vehicles.
    Honda Division light truck sales surged 17.6 percent to 37,124 on the strength of Pilot, Odyssey, and Element, while the redesigned 2006 Civic helped drive Honda car sales up 30.4 percent to 47,289 units. "With annual sales increases for each of the past 12 years, we are committed to continued growth in 2006, despite an increasingly competitive market," said Dick Colliver, executive vice president of American Honda.
"Others in the industry are tightening their belts, but we remain committed to steady, incremental growth.  The addition of new models, including the Fit in April and the all new CR-V in the fall should push us to another record year in 2006."
    Increasing consumer awareness of the Honda Pilot as a class leader in safety content, coupled with the improved fuel economy offered by models equipped with Honda's Variable Cylinder Management(TM) (VCM(TM)), contributed to Pilot's best-ever January with sales up 13.1 percent to 9,999.  Sales of Element and Odyssey also grew 14.2 and 10.3 percent, respectively.
    Recently named North American Car of the Year, the all-new 2006 Civic Sedan, Coupe and Hybrid models' combination of exciting styling and thrifty fuel economy helped push the Civic to another January record with sales up 56.2 percent, while Accord sales grew 9.8 percent.
    Acura Division posted record January sales of 13,981 vehicles, an increase of 2.3 percent over January 2005.  Strong sales of Acura's performance luxury sedans helped set a new monthly record of 10,140 for total cars, breaking a 16-year-old record of 10,087 set in 1990.