Honda Pilot reviews

2009 Honda Pilot Interior Features

Regardless of trim level, the Honda Pilot interior appears well though-out and assembled, with functional touches at every turn and a luxury factor that increases alongside price. In simple terms the base LX will do everything a Touring will do except reposition your seat and mirrors or open and close the power tailgate.

The cloth upholstery on LX and EX is comfortable in temperature extremes and a subdued design with just enough pattern to hide stains that become part and parcel of any eight-seat vehicle. One may desire more features from higher-priced models yet the basics are all here, including power windows and locks and air conditioning for front and rear. Just like the priciest Pilot, door armrests have soft cushioned elbow pads and there's no cheap feel in frequently felt surfaces. All trims offer four interior colors dependent on paint hue. Premium models are upgraded with nicely textured leather, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift lever, and more upscale door panel trim.

The front seats deliver good support for long-term comfort and bolsters on the seatbacks provide lateral support without imposing thigh cushions you'd have to climb over for every entry or exit. The power driver's seat on the EX adjusts in one more plane than the LX and is easier underway for minor improvements in finding the ideal position and height, yet we had no fatigue or wish for more after hours in an LX.

The middle row seat provides essentially the same room as the front seats, including good toe space under the front seats. This seat split-folds 60/40 with the short cushion on the right side for easiest loading, both sides slide fore and aft for maximum flexibility or keeping that baby seat closer, the climate control is handy at the back of the console, and each door has two cupholders in the armrest and dual pockets below. Although it appears as merely a fixed cushion above the center armrest, the center headrest easily lifts and extends to a useful height.

The third row is easily accessible: One lift of the lever at kid's eye height in the center row backrest tilts the seat and slides it forward for third row access. As with all crossovers this is the restriction point as the rear seat offers good space and getting there is easy for limber kids and slender adults. Like the middle row, this seat splits to fold flat, has three usable headrests and offers storage on both sides. The optional rear-seat entertainment system is much the same as the top-ranked setups in the Odyssey and Acura MDX.

At least in LX and EX trims this is a jump-in-and-go kind of ride. No fumbling about looking for where to put the key (or a start button), a one-touch tilt-and-telescope function to put the wheel where you want it, and generally intuitive controls; for example, the intermittent wiper settings are defined by the number of raindrops to match precipitation to wiper speed. Stability system and park sensor (Touring) defeat switches are to the left of the driver so hooligans bent on embarrassing mom won't turn them off at an inconvenient moment.

Gauges appear as a clear overlay with black markings floating above a white background and red needles swinging between the layers. A foot-operated parking brake rides above a good dead pedal to rest your left foot on without pointing toes, and the shifter is next to the wheel on the left side of the central control area.

On most Pilots this area features an info display at the top for miscellaneous data, silver-trimmed audio controls, black-framed climate controls, a box-shaped bin at the bottom and an omnidirectional vent on either side. On the Touring it gets busier and ventures beyond that jump-in-and-go realm that frequently accompanies audio-video store showrooms on wheels.

At the top a shaded navigation screen for the system that supports voice recognition and electronic breadcrumbs to retrace your off-road route back to pavement. Below that are a slim display