2007 Honda Pilot

A couple of years ago, my husband received a Honda Ridgeline pickup for review, and I fell in love with that little truck.

Since then, whenever we've gotten any Honda vehicles for testing I have taken interest, and for the most part, have found them to be quite pleasing.

While some people say Honda products are bland, I find them to be attractive.

But they're also quite practical, which probably is the most important attribute of a vehicle – especially for a busy woman.

The Pilot, Honda's midsize crossover utility vehicle, is no exception. It's full of convenience features that seem to be aimed at women and families. Among those features are lots of cubbies for storage of everything from maps and toys to drinks.

Getting into the Pilot is almost like sitting down in your favorite easy chair. The seat in my test vehicle didn't come with those annoying side bolsters that show up in “sporty” cars, and the bottom cushion was long enough to support my thighs comfortably.

The door handle is easy to reach once you've sat down. I like to be able to pull the door closed quickly, especially with all the rain we've had recently.

I also like for a vehicle's cockpit to be simple, with all controls within easy reach and all gauges easy to read. The Pilot's instrument panel is thoughtfully laid out, and everything is clearly marked and well lighted.

While the audio controls do require a little study and some getting used to, the system has great sound. I'm a fan of satellite radio, which was included on the test vehicle, but the system has MP3 playback capability as well.

I think women carry more “stuff” on a regular basis than men do, and the Pilot is quite accommodating in that respect. The interior is minivan-like, which isn't surprising, since the Pilot is derived from the Honda Odyssey van.

The center console has a flat surface with rails on each side that allow a purse to remain in place without sliding off into the floor or the passenger seat. There is a cell-phone holder near the driver's elbow (but please, for safety's sake, leave the phone holstered and use a headset while driving).

My test vehicle was not equipped with a rear-seat DVD entertainment system, but there were several power outlets throughout the cabin, including one A/C outlet. On a road trip, the kids could hook up their own personal DVD or CD players, or even some games, so their batteries wouldn’t run down. You could even bring along a small electric cooler to keep drinks and snacks in.

The “conversation mirror” that pops down from the overhead console allows mom to have those “eyes in the back of her head” that kids hate. It's a wonderful feature, giving the driver a view of every rear seating position.

Among my favorite features of today's new cars are the built-in navigation systems. The one in the Pilot isn't as intuitive as some I've found, and required a little more study. The touch screen is a little tricky, especially for those with long fingernails or unsteady hands. Overall, though, it was user-friendly except for vague instructions at the beginning of the route guidance – i.e., which way to turn out of the parking lot or driveway. Of course, always program your route before you start driving.

The Pilot's spare tire is mounted underneath the car, rather than in the cargo compartment. While that leaves more room for stuff inside the vehicle, it can be inconvenient when it comes time to change a flat. The spare has to be lowered using a special tool, and you need to read the directions carefully to figure out how to do it. Maybe some practice in the driveway at home would be a good idea instead of waiting until you have a crisis on a busy highway. The tools stow away nicely in the side of the cargo area.

To increase cargo space, the rear seat folds flat quite easily, and there is lots of storage space under the rear floor. I love storage space!

The middle seat also folds flat into the floor for even more cargo space – up to 87.6 cubic feet. With only the third seat folded, there room for 47.6 cubic feet of stuff. And with the third seat in place, there is 15.9 cubic feet of cargo room.

There are child-seat anchors, multiple tie-down points, and cargo nets, all adding a great sense of security when hauling kids and stuff. The middle seat also has door pockets and back-of-seat stretch mesh pockets for whatever the kids bring along.

There are two more cup holders and a tray (for a Happy Meal or two) on the fold-down console.

The rear cargo area, with the third seat folded down and the tailgate up, would be great for a tailgate party. But it doesn't have to be at a football game (who needs football?); it could be a nice “bluebonnet” tailgate party, or perhaps a “riverbank” party. Load up your stuff and your people, and head out on a day trip. Stop someplace beautiful and enjoy your stylish, handsome, versatile, and comfortable Honda Pilot.

Honda restyled the Pilot for 2006, adding more standard features and making the exterior look a lot like the aforementioned Ridgeline, which itself is essentially a Pilot from the front end to the back of the middle seat. At that point, the vehicle is chopped to eliminate the third seat and cargo area of the Pilot and create a small, open pickup bed. Honda sells a fancier version of the Pilot as the Acura MDX.

The base Pilot model is the LX, which (for 2007) starts at $27,690 (including destination charge) with two-wheel drive, and $28,990 with all-wheel drive. The midlevel model is the EX, which begins at $30,240 and comes with cloth seats. The one I tested was the top trim level, the EX-L, which comes with everything in the EX plus leather seats. The EX-L models begin at $32,540 (with two-wheel drive and without either the rear entertainment or nav system).

EX-L models with all-wheel drive start at $33,840.

With the rear entertainment system, EX-L models begin at $34,140, and with the navigation system, at $34,740.

The Pilot's prices are comparable to those of the Toyota Highlander, Nissan Murano and Ford Edge, its main competitors.

My test vehicle was the EX-L with the nav system and two-wheel drive; this same model with all-wheel drive is $36,040.

Oddly, if you buy the Pilot with the nav system, you can't get the rear-seat DVD entertainment system, and vice-versa. Most vehicles in this class offer both, and upscale buyers often choose to add both so the kids can watch their movies in the back while the parents can monitor the nav system up front.

A 3.5-liter V-6 engine, connected to a five-speed automatic transmission, powers the Pilot.

It has 244 horsepower and 240 foot-pounds of torque. In the two-wheel-drive model, it also has cylinder deactivation, which cuts out three of the cylinders during highway driving to help with fuel economy.

Models with cylinder deactivation are EPA rated (2007 model year) at 18 miles per gallon in the city and 24 mpg on the highway, compared with 17 city/22 highway for the all-wheel-drive models, which have the same engine without the deactivation feature.

Women especially will appreciate the Pilot's safety features, which include side-curtain air bags for all three rows of seating. Electronic stability control also is standard, along with four-wheel disc antilock brakes.

Standard on the LX model are remote keyless entry, power windows with auto-up/down driver's window, dual power mirrors, adjustable steering column, front and rear air conditioning with air-filtration system, AM/FM/compact-disc four-speaker audio system, cruise control, multifunction center console with cell phone cradle, painted alloy wheels, body-color side molding and a theft-deterrent system.

EX models have most of what comes in the LX, plus automatic climate control, rear privacy glass, a six-speaker audio system, a six-disc in-dash CD player, steering wheel-mounted audio controls, body-color side mirrors and door handles, machined-alloy wheels, roof rails, fog lights and a HomeLink universal garage/gate opener.

The EX-L model adds leather on all three rows of seats, a power moon roof, the conversation mirror, an overhead sunglasses holder, and, on models without the navigation system, a rearview mirror with built-in digital compass.

There is a 19.2-gallon fuel tank, and you can use regular unleaded gasoline.

Emma Jayne Williams is a Texas-based freelance automotive writer. Contact her at emmajayne1948@yahoo.com