Looking for a new vehicle

Honda puts out a good product all around. My wife has a heavy foot and she still manages 19mpg. When I drive on trips and such I get 22mpg. It was really our only option as I will not own anything other than a toyota honda or Mazda, and a van is just not my wife's style. The 4wd works really good. Seats are super comfortable on long trips, I have 3 car seats in the middle row and 2 adults have ridden in the 3ed row with plenty of leg and knee room. The floor board is resessed for the 3ed row so the passengers can ride in comfort. Also it has the biggest cargo space in its class.

A few things I don't like
Eco mode took awhile to break in
18" wheels limits tire choices
Came with a hitch but trailer wiring harness is $250 (there's no other way around this if u r gunna tow u need the harness)
Windshield is $309 to replace.
It's pricy I can't remember how much we paid. I know I got them down 3k under sticker.

I really don't have that much to complain about. It's a great family SUV that meets our needs in everyone spec.
We have the ex-l

Check out piloteers.org

 

Awesome info!

My wife is the same way. Has a small army of kids, but loathes vans... She even gags a little when she says it. lol like "vah-an"

I was looking at one with 17" wheels, so I think that would probably be better. Our Rav has 17's so that works. Maybe even swap our new snow tires onto it. Definitely have to watch out for that though.

I paid extra for the tow package on the truck, so if needed we can always use that. I haven't towed anything in years anyway, and the last time it was just a car transport trip for a buddy of mine. No wife or kids with me. Good to know though!

What is the eco mode? I saw that on a van some friends of ours just bought, but I'm not sure what it does or how it works.

 

eco mode apparently gives better mpg by cutting off 3 cylinders to the engine, it kinda hesitated at first but now it kicks in with no hesitation after about 10k miles (we have 18k on it already). Im not sure the eco mode actually gives better mpg for a lead foot mom but it comes standard on all pilots.
im sorry we have 18'' wheels (i wish michelin made the ltx ms2 in this size)

Im sure u need 4wd in bfe ny but these pilots perform well in 2hi in the snow as they are fwd suvs.

My wife came from a 4runner so this thing screams mommy mobile in her eyes as she has a sporty 4x4 taste. (Just tint the windows @15%) But a mommy is what she is, every once in a while i give her a ride in my Toyota!!!
Heres how much room the back has, ive had to put the middle row seats down a few times for her to take stuff to work and wow its huge back there! We put weathertech mats throughout, thats a must for us as the winter months bring snow here in the high desert.

 

Awesome! I definitely prefer fwd to rwd in the winter. We want 4WD given the number of hills we have to cross and roads they don't like to plow. It's not uncommon for me the push through 6+ inches of snow with the truck to cut down a side road in the city while the plows are trying to open the main arteries.

We also live 20 miles outside the "city" I work in. So back country roads make 4wd very useful.

She's pretty conservative on driving, so the Eco mode might actually do well for her! I like that it drops one of the cylinders if you don't need it. Is that an automatic thing, or do you have to turn it on?

I love the amount of room you have there! That looks damn close to my truck bed! Between 4 kids, snow pants, boots, coats, etc we can pack the Rav full. Sometimes we take the truck just for the bed we grocery shop! That wouldn't be the case with the Pilot. lol

Good to know the foot well is recessed for the 3rd row too. That's been our big complaint about most 3rd seats. No place to put your feet.

Damnit, now I want to skip out on my lunch break to talk to the honda dealer! lol

 

yes, eco mode is automatic. im not sure how many cylinders it cuts out! Once my 3 girls start xc skiing and boarding we will have plenty of room between the roof rack and rear cargo space for gear!

Ive pushed through 4-6'' of snow with ease in fwd with no problems, then as i came to a hill the awd system kicked in! You wont have to worry a bit in a pilot! It will do just as well as our trucks. Im not at all comparing our 4x4 off road capability to a pilot but as far as snow the pilot can hold its own!

 

They seem to have some power too. Rated for 250hp per the sticker. One backed out in front of me on a hill on the way into work while I was doing 60, and I didn't have to slow down or pass it. Both doing 70 by the top.

 

Is bet the pilot is far better in snow than a Tacoma. Better weight distribution and a center diff is good.

 

Once the pilot is in its power band it really takes off. The 1st gen pilots had way more pep when they had v-tech.
They took it away when they got away from cool sporty cars, now honda is geared towards the best mpg lineup and always safety ratings.

I would not hesitate taking either vehicle in any winter condition. If the road is not closed by DOT im drivin!!! I think this combo of vehicles complements my family in the best of ways!

 

Honda pilot, acura MDX, or Toyota highlander would be my vote. Wife has a 2005 MDX and we love it. It has a 3rd row but isn't that easy to use. Hopefully the newer ones are better for that.

 

The wife has an MDX which is the acura version of the pilot. It is phenomenal in the snow. The awd system will get you going in any conditions.

 

The new mdx is amazing if your budget alows.

 

We have a 7 seater 2010 4Runner and also a 8 seater 2013 Honda Pilot. The Toyota is pricier but nicer than the Pilot. Bought the Pilot instead of a minivan because the price was basically the same and seating capacity was the same. As far as space, the third row is a little tight but will comfortably sit a normal size adult on both vehicles. I can't really compare the driving dynamics of both as one is 2wd and one is 4x4 but power is adequate on both. I haven't towed with either but the Pilot gets better mileage at about 26-27mpg all highway driving. Again, can't really compare the 4Runner with mpg as it's 4x4. My suggestion is to test drive. I know Kia sits 7 0r 8 as well and the price is a bit lower than both Honda or Toyota.

 

4runner, tahoe, suburban. Only suv choices that exist in my mind. I won'g buy an unibody SUV. I want full frame. Good luck, you'd be happy with any of those three. I love the 4runner. But would've rather had a trail model.

 

Why no unibody? Just curious.

 

Rigidity. I think the unibody technology is amazing but i still like old technology. If it has a frame i know i can hook to it and drag it, jack it, put it on jack stands, etc.

 

Gotcha, valid reasons.

 

I'll second RideFast's recommendation for the Pilot. Mrs. Smith wanted one, so we got the 2013 Pilot LX, except 2WD.

The ECO mode learns your habits, then cuts off 2 cylinders. On really flat roads, like the highway, it cuts off 3 cylinders for more MPG. This is where it gets interesting. Some people, and I can tell where this would piss some off, report when ECO goes into 3 cylinders, it unbalances the engine and it feels like you are driving over rumble strips. Mine did this for a while, but it doesn't do it anymore.

I made a game out of seeing how good I could do MPG-wise using the trip calculator's computing. We took our summer vacation in Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware. I got 31 MPG going between 55-60. During fill ups, I calculated 30mpg, so the computer is optimistic. This is with two teens, me and Mrs., and a trailer hitch tray full of luggage. Also A/C on the whole time. Around town it's 15-17, depending on how long she lets it idle in the morning.

Likes: Pretty well equipped for base model. Backup camera, privacy glass, 3 zone automatic climate control, all models come with hidden class 3 trailer hitch, lotsa room for passengers.

Dislikes: 3 cylinder deactivation (2 cylinder is fine), low model has no outside temp gauge/compass, When 3rd row is folded flat, the cargo floor slants towards the tailgate, so groceries are sometimes a bitch.

 

Looks like they start at $42k.... Just a weeee bit out of our price range at the moment!

I've looked at the 4Runner, and know a friend that had one. It was basically a tacoma SUV. lol Same 4.0l V6, same gas mileage, same size to drive. lol That friend went back to another Rav4.

Quite honestly I'm not sure I want to bother with Toyota again. I really don't have time to dick around with catalytic converters, topping off oil, resetting codes, and repairing it in time for state inspection each year. The P0430 code in the truck is really starting to piss me off too, but at least it doesn't shut down anything on the truck while I try to figure it out. I dealt with the oil burning BS with my Corolla, and, well, there are several reasons we traded it.

I told her to get an escalade or similar sized SUV and I think she wanted to kill me. Lol An old bronco maybe, with 35's. haha That she wouldn't mind. Then again, she doesn't like driving the Taco due to the size. I can only imagine her in a Suburban. LOL

Yeah, I can see that rough idle being kind of annoying, but at the same time turning off 3 cylinders to save gas is cool. Does it do that when you stop in traffic too? Seems like that would be the perfect time for it. Especially slow moving construction zones, rush hour traffic, and red lights.

We tend to load groceries in the truck since we have 4 kids to feed. So we're used to trying to keep things from tipping over. haha We use the back seat and floor a lot. So we'd probably only fold the seats down for large items, and with the truck that would only happen rarely.


Regardless, thanks all of you for the info. I have an appointment to talk to one dealership tomorrow to see what that can do, then we'll probably stop by a Honda dealership after.

That Honda dealer has a 08 Pathfinder with 78,000 on it for $14,995. Anyone have thoughts on that? Looked like it was in good condition, and the wife likes the fact it as selectable 4WD like the taco. The rest were AWD, or some automatic setup like the Rav4.

 

Ouch! The pathfinder EPA MPG estimated range is 12-22MPG... The average is worse that the truck! Worst I've ever gotten is 14 while towing another truck!

 

Don't know about the newer Pathfinder but we have an old 1997 Pathfinder with about 211K miles. Besides the maintenance items replaced, the only thing replaced was a thermostat. Still running strong.

I guess if you're buying new, look at a Honda Pilot. Got our 2013 LX for $26,500.