Driving Sports

The 2009 Honda Pilot, redesigned for 2009 to add more utility and more luxury than before. We see it as moving up from competing against the Pathfinder and, instead, setting its sights on cars such as the Escalade and, indirectly, the Land Rover. But Honda hasn’t delivered a copycat pimp-daddy cruiser or a jungle wagon, no -- they’ve upped the luxury but also kept it modestly sporty at the same time. Probably not unexpected from the company that brought us VTEC technology.

The 2009 Pilot we’re testing today is the full-loaded 4WD Touring edition, which runs a cool $38,395.

This being 2009, even SUVs are getting environmentally conscious. For example, if we keep the revs low enough, the Pilot rewards the driver with an Eco light -- an illuminated pat on the head. What’s going on behind the scenes is the Pilot deactivating one to three cylinders to improve gas mileage. So, it is doing something, though this whiz-bang feature saves a mere 1-2 mpg, according to Honda.

The gadgetry starts at the aft: Don’t you hate it when you walk up to your car and you have to actually use your own muscles to lift the back door? Honda has made this easier, with an automated lift. Of course, other cars feature this same gimmick, but it’s not very common option for a car that starts at under $30-Grand.

There's more to this techno hit-parade. Our test car also has pull-up sun screens, rear-passenger temperature and audio controls, massive Starbucks cargo area that also keeps your coins and the service manual in easy reach, Honda’s navigation system, steering-wheel mounted controls, and DVD player with a full complement of audio controls in the rear. Just put the wireless headphones on your kids and let them rock out.

Oh, wait, there’s more: A 512-watt stereo with XM Radio, CD-Changer an iPod USB interface and a Bluetooth hands free we weren’t able to get working. It also has cruise control, 8-way power leather seats, rear-view camera, proximity sensors, sunroof, third-row seating, stability control, active noise cancellation and blah blah blah. Do you get it? It’s has everything, okay?  Well, except hill descent controls. It doesn’t have that.

Under the hood is Honda’s 3.5-liter V6 good for 250-horsepower. In our test rig it is mated to a 5-speed automatic transmission with “Grade logic control” which is supposed to reduce gear hunting. And, since we didn’t even notice any issues with the transmission, it seems to work.

Quibbles are few: The built-in navigation system is certainly the poorer cousin to the excellent system Honda installs in the Acuras, even though the hardware controls are identical. We understand there should be some difference between Honda's everyday and premium brands, but regardless of what it says on the nose, $40-Grand is a premium vehicle. Also, the dash is an odd mix of fussy "premium" elements (glass inserts) and cheap plastics. It simply doesn't look very good.

Overall, this is a great rig for the family that lives mostly in the suburbs, but also needs the power of a real all-wheel drive system for the occasional camping or hiking excursion. Without all the options, the 4WD Pilot starts at around $29,000. You can get a 2WD version for 2-grand less. Whether considering the top or bottom of the line, we think the Pilot has something to offer most SUV shoppers.