{"id":94232,"date":"2015-05-20T00:01:19","date_gmt":"2015-05-20T04:01:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/?p=94232"},"modified":"2015-05-19T23:53:25","modified_gmt":"2015-05-20T03:53:25","slug":"first-drive-2016-honda-pilot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/2015\/05\/first-drive-2016-honda-pilot\/","title":{"rendered":"First Drive: 2016 Honda Pilot"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The 2016 Honda Pilot can push up above $40,000 in high-trim models.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What\u2019s in a name, Shakespeare famously asked. He was, of course, referring to a rose. But we might ask the same about the word, minivan. Once one of the most popular body styles on U.S. roads, sales have slumped sharply in recent years as style-conscious buyers have migrated to SUVs and crossovers.<\/p>\n

Honda, however, has come up with an interesting solution. Give buyers a minivan and just call it something else. Officially, the 2016 Honda Pilot is a utility vehicle. But for all intents and purposes, it\u2019s a minivan minus the sliding doors.<\/p>\n

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Reviews You Can Trust!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

First introduced in 2003 and redesigned six years later, the third-generation Honda Pilot is more than just an update. It adopts a much more stylish exterior, an even more lavish interior, and plenty of new safety and creature comfort technologies. What stays the same is Pilot\u2019s focus on providing the sort of comfort, functionality and flexibility that, in years past, would have drawn buyers to conventional minivans, including Honda\u2019s own Odyssey model.<\/p>\n

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The third-generation Honda Pilot made its debut at the Chicago Auto Show last February.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That\u2019s not to say the 2016 Honda Pilot is without flaw. It does have its issues, some niggling and modest, a few more noticeable. But, on the whole, the gen-3 model is likely to live up to the maker\u2019s expectations and become one of its pillar products, alongside the Accord and Civic lines.<\/p>\n

Officially unveiled at the Chicago Auto Show last February, the \u201916 Pilot revealed what Honda officials declared a \u201cdramatic shift\u201d in styling. It boasts more curve to its silhouette, with a creased hood designed to emphasize power, and more sculpting to its fenders and doors. The new model gets a more stylish, three-dimensional approach to the older Pilot\u2019s triple-bar grille, as well as a more aggressive fascia.<\/p>\n

(<\/em>Click Here<\/span><\/a> for a review of the newest Honda CR-V.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Overall, the new model stays close to the dimensions of the gen-2 Pilot, picking up just 3.5 inches in length. Most of that goes into the cabin, and the added inches make it easier to gain access to the third row, especially with a new one-touch second-row seating design that\u2019s easier to fold out of the way.<\/p>\n

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Like older models, the 2016 Honda Pilot will be available in 7- or 8-seat configurations.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Like the outgoing model, the 2016 Pilot can be ordered in either 7- or 8-seat configuration, depending on whether you want that middle row with a pair of captain\u2019s chairs or a bench seat. As with a number of other recent Honda products, seating can be reconfigured in a variety of ways to enhance comfort and cargo capacity.<\/p>\n

Overall, the goal was to put even more emphasis on the Pilot\u2019s traditional \u201cdual purpose,\u201d says chief engineer Marc Ernst, \u201cboth family functionality and premium appeal.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are, for example, more soft touch materials, and such niceties as an 8-inch touchscreen, as well as a 4.2-inch multi-information display in the gauge cluster. Honda has updated the available navigation system for the new model, with such features as a 3D rendering that offers a virtual display of what a motorist will actually see.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s where a couple of those niggling issues pop up. For some reason, Honda engineers have become wedded to touch-based controls, even when they are less convenient and intuitive. The virtual volume slider simply isn\u2019t as easy to operate as a knob.\u00a0 We\u2019d also prefer a tuning knob and even a rotary dial to operate such functions as zooming in and out on the navigation screen.<\/p>\n

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Pilot's Intelligent Traction Management display.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That touchscreen also displays the image from the Honda Lane Watch system, a unique take on blind spot warning which relies on a camera mounted under the right side mirror. While there are some pluses to this visual system, rather than just getting a beep or flash, there also are some downsides: unlike more conventional blind spot technology, Lane Watch does not monitor the driver\u2019s side of the vehicle. And as soon as you turn on your right signal, anything on the touchscreen, including navigation directions, temporarily disappear.<\/p>\n

(<\/em>Click Here<\/span><\/a> to check out the all-new 2016 Honda HR-V crossover.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The list of new, high-tech features on the 2016 Honda Pilot could go on for some time. Here are a few other key additions:<\/p>\n