Who were the contenders? The Honda Pilot EX-L, the Chevrolet Traverse 1LT, the Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring, the Dodge Durango Crew, the Toyota Highlander, the Kia Sorento SX, and the Ford Explorer XLT. All vehicles where judged by an expert panel consisting of James R. Healey of USA TODAY, Kristin Varela, Joe Wiesenfelder, and David Thomas of Cars.com, and Ben Davis of the PBS TV show Motor Week. The SUV’s were also judged by the family of the Kochs (pronounced “Cooks”); Tarek and Heather (both 38), McKenna, 8, and Bryson, 5. The score’s breakdown is as follows: 65% expert score, 25% family score, and 10% fuel economy.
All of the judges had their own likes and dislikes about all the vehicles including the Pilot. The primary likes pertaining to the Pilot include spaciousness and the controls. “I loved the large LCD screen...great iPod integration, Bluetooth audio and a DVD player in back for the kids.” said David Thomas. “More than I’d expect of a Honda at this price ($36,170).” added Joe Wiesenfelder. Storage was also well liked in the Pilot. There were only two features that the judges were impartial to regarding the Pilot. “The ride is firm; there’s noticeable wind noise at high-way speeds,” says Wisenfelder. There was also a small question on the styling of the vehicle with James Healey calling it, “Clunky” and “Squarish”, but in the end the Pilot still came out on top.
Thomas’s final review advised that the Pilot has a high level of quality and comfort teamed with all the great entertainment features. “I’m not sure how you top it” — and the competition was unable to. With a final score of 752.1 — the Pilot could not be beat and ruled the shootout. Stop in and visit with one of our Sales Consultants to schedule a test drive today! Excerpts from USA Today
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