The new, third-generation Honda Pilot SUV looks like it now belongs in the family portrait alongside its dapper younger siblings, the CR-V and HR-V crossovers.
Until now, the Pilot looked more like a distant cousin than a sibling to the other two. Its throw-back boxiness was a design echo from a bygone age when SUVs were built to look rugged. Today’s SUVs are our all-purpose family haulers, much in the way minivans were a generation ago. But increasingly, looks are important to SUV buyers, too. Fittingly, the 2016 Pilot loses the stern right angles that made the older generation look like an ice cream carton on wheels.
By carving character lines into the side panels and crafting a bold fascia and tapered tail section, the Pilot looks right at home next to the stylish SUV offerings from the likes of Hyundai, Toyota, Jeep and GM. It also gives Honda a formidable trio of good-looking SUVs to boost its already rocketing SUV sales.
Rodney Bethune, sales manager at Honda of Cleveland, says that the new Pilot is stirring interest with his customers and copies the new HR-V, introduced earlier this year, and are flying off the lot. He said the new styling and technology upgrades to the Pilot make it a more potent package.
The new Honda Pilot features a reworked dash and lots of tech upgrades.
Fast facts
* Model: 2016 Honda Pilot EX-L * Exterior color: Lunar Silver Metallic* Interior color: Gray* Engine: 3.5-liter V-6* Horsepower: 280* Transmission: six-speed automatic * Fuel economy: 27 mpg highway, 19 mpg city* Dealer: Honda of Cleveland* Price (as tested): $36,785