Japanese companies have had a very tough time trying to please North-American tastes. Their compact cars are too small and weak, their medium models used to be considered ugly for their standards, and their luxury ones usually don’t have an image strong enough to be competitive. Full-size vehicles of their own, in turn, never existed: models such as Toyota Tundra and Nissan Murano were created from scratch exclusively for that market. When it comes to Honda, the same scenario features Ridgeline and Pilot. The only difference is that, while most of the others present only average sales, Honda’s pick-up can be considered a failure as much as Pilot can be considered a success. One can say the biggest reason for both is the company’s decision of subverting the original concepts a little bit.
Pilot has gone through a very similar transformation to what Audi did with the current Q7. That boxy, old-fashioned SUV look from the previous generations was replaced with a silhouette which sits between the sportiness of an SW and the imponence of a minivan. Honda’s latest design language appears up front, whose lights are connected to the upper grille by chrome bars that make part of both, and at the rear fascia, which features boomerang-shaped lights. Besides, making the entire lower portion with black plastic aids to a lighter look. There’s a lot of resemblance with many other Hondas, and this is great when we think of HR-V or CR-V. However, if we go to names such as Odyssey, which targets much more similar buyers, things might become counterproductive.
Nevertheless, Honda seems to have all figured out. Not only does the new Pilot use a brand new platform, it’ll also underpin a new generation of the minivan (expected for next year). To the crossover, this meant a 3.5-inch increase at the overall length and 1.7 at the wheelbase, along with another inches added to internal dimensions. Most of this stretch went to the rear portion, which means this car is more family-friendly than ever. Such feeling is enhanced by new features such as huge storage areas, a reversible cargo lid designed to keep dirty and/or wet objects away from the trunk carpet, and up to five USB ports. Besides, the three second-row seats (from a total of eight) can have one-touch folding and, at upscale trim levels, get replaced by a duo of full-size chairs.
There are several interesting equipments which appear at the optional list: Honda is trying to offer Pilot as a more upscale model, so now you can have items like panoramic sunroof, 20” wheels, and many electronic safety alerts. Under the hood, there’ll be the new direct-injected 3.5 V6, whose output isn’t known yet. It works with a six-speed or, in upscale trims, a nine-speed automatic transmission with automatic start-stop. Besides, the two-stage Variable Cylinder Management can turn off three whenever they’re not needed. If you don’t want the standard front-wheel-drive, Honda offers a new AWD system with an improved rear differential so as to maximize traction. After being officially released in this year’s Chicago Auto Show, this vehicle will go on sale in the next few months.