2007 Honda Pilot e-LX from North America - Comments

No problems at all mechanically.

This Honda Pilot has all the options including GPS navigation with integrated back up camera and voice command. The Pilot is high quality and drives fine. However, there are a number of design issues and faults that I was not aware of until some time spent behind the wheel. Some of the short comings are:

Radio controls are not in traditional locations...confusing.

Front seats are quite firm and too short for thighs.

When the gas tank is 1/2 to 3/4 full, the gas sloshes when starting and stopping... apparently no baffling.

Way too much interior road noise even for an SUV.

Fuel economy is okay, but no where near the advertised 22 mpg highway. Fuel gauge is inaccurate... goes down quickly from full to half, then slows.

I paid almost $1000 extra for receiver hitch option installed by dealer. Includes hitch, transmission cooler, and power steering cooler. Miserable tow vehicle even towing 1,500 lbs. Fuel economy drops to 12 mpg and engine is at 4,000 RPM most of the time in 3rd gear... even on flat roads. Now I understand why the power steering cooler! Continuous high RPM would overheat the power steering pump.

Rear lift door does not extend high enough even for normal height male... I have the bumps to prove it! Shutting the lift door is a challenge... too much spring.

The 2007 Pilot is a nice car and the engine is smooth, quiet and powerful, but I would rather have a Chevy Tahoe or Trail Blazer. Honda hasn't figured out how to build an SUV yet!

I would not even put the Trail Blazer under any consideration in any circumstance. It is rated as one of the most poorly built and designed vehicles.

I wrote a review on a 2007 Honda Pilot and while it's a good contender in the class, it has just as dated styling as the Trailblazer, it's mildly underpowered and nowhere near perfect. The Trailblazer isn't awesome either, but is definitely worth considering next to the Pilot. You sound like one of those 'import only' types who will overlook any vehicle just because it's American.

Nope. I just read the list of 20 worst vehicles by Forbes. Trailblazer made the list for poor quality. At least the Pilot is well built. I would personally buy one of the new GM Suv's. A new Pilot should be coming out sometime in 2008 as a 2009 model.

Actually, I would be surprised if any import could compete with an American vehicle, they are still and always will be far superior then the imports. Much experience has brought me to the conclusion that many people will write off an American vehicle only because of what they hear, and not from what they know.

Well you know, it depends on what the intended use is. I know a couple of people who love their Honda Pilots. In both cases, the wives drive them to work in city or suburban conditions, so they are fine for driving in inclement weather, maybe a couple of inches of snow, having a little more room than a sedan for groceries and "stuff." They use them as light duty station wagons, which is exactly what they are. If that's all you need, great.

However, if you are thinking of towing something, driving on National Forest service roads to go camping, or going anywhere that you might encounter mud or soft ground, you'll find quickly that you're only fooling yourself to think of a Pilot as a real SUV or 4x4.