Honda Pilot Trailsport

Test drove one today and I have to say I'm impressed. It's much larger inside and out than a 5th gen, but was pretty quick, especially after putting it into sport mode. Seating comfort and seat positioning is leaps ahead of my 5th gen especially because I'm tall. It seemed to have a decent amount of clearance especially for the mild trails I do. Does anyone here own one of these and can provide any feedback on how it compares as a daily?

I've narrowed my choices down to:

Another 5th gen 4runner (get the last model year and last V6)

Land cruiser 1958 (not super excited about paying 57k for cloth, manual adjusted seats and hard interior plastics)

Honda Pilot/Passport Trailsport

 

My neighbors have used a Pilot as their family vehicle for several years. They have two kids in college and its their only vehicle with more than two seats. They never go off road, but it seems to hold plenty of vacation gear and two kayaks.

 

My brother bought one of these last year. Sure, they have tons of room and give you a comfy/quiet ride, but it's no off roader by any means. Every time he drives it over to my house, I bust his balls about his "mom mobile". Which is why he probably hasn't visited me in a few months? Hmmm.

Regardless. I bet it's a great daily vehicle for many uses. Hauling the family around, running errands, commuting to work, long road trips, etc...

 

Didn’t daily it but I looked at a Passport but ruled it out due to a combination of the following:

• Push button shifter, need special tool to hit emergency shift release under the hood
• I’m 6’ 1” and bump my head into the open hatch
• The Honda mid-sizers are almost full-size wide (78.5” vs 80”) but the new Tacoma, 4Runner have caught up.
• No room for a full-size spare but I believe the Pilot has room.
• Not a big deal but I wanted to skip Direct Injection

Pros though:

• Zippy, more economical
• Honda’s iVTM4 AWD will beat the pants off any part-time 4WD 4Runner in any on-road condition.
• Spacious (Honda packaging at work!) So much headroom, even with a sunroof but less vertical space floor-to-roof in the trunk due to storage and the spare being under there.
• Push-button seat folding, footwells still accessible (compared to 2 row 4Runners)
• There’s technically an aftermarket, JonDZ has a heavily modified Passport and it has taken all the trails and mods like a champ - except for the transfer case breaking IIRC.
• The Passports I was looking at cost a LOT less
• No driveshaft lubrication
• under-trunk storage

YMMV:

• The 20:1 crawl ratio is good for a crossover, no hill descent control but the new Pilot I believe has it and also shares the 20:1 ratio in the new 10 speed(?)
• I didn’t want a sunroof, leather nor a powered hatch so that meant going for an older Sport trim. Passport starts at EX-L now and those are standard
• Trailsport doesn’t add much to the Passport, but it adds more to the new Pilot - whether it’s worth it is another question. I’d probably go buy a base Pilot and toss on skid plates instead if it was me.
• Minimum clearance on a crossover is right where important belly bits start. Minimum clearance on the 4Runner is below the frame I believe. Also weigh how much risk tolerance you have and how much headroom you want. My Kia was great but things could get dicey fast at its limits.
• Other than drive modes, the AWD system is automatic. Nothing wrong with that but I like having a manual 4H-approximation lock button like the older Pilots/Ridgelines, my Kia. Sand mode is as close as it gets but I don’t know about the new Pilot’s off-road mode.
• Chief limitations will likely be approach angle and transmission, AWD clutch temperatures. (and the rear clutches take a special fluid)
• Street-oriented ride means likely bumpier ride off-pavement
• You’ll probably want to swap out the 18” wheels for a set of 17” ones

Driving Sports TV on YouTube has a bunch of off-pavement/road reviews for a wide variety of vehicles that I think will interest you.

 

With my 2nd hand experience in terms of reliability Honda Pilot is in my not to buy list. My friends have experienced fuel injector failures early as 30K miles if I'm not mistaken, if not 35K. One is in round 2 of problems. Can't complain because it's direct injection only vehicle.

Cylinder deactivation is another reason for me not to buy Honda Pilot.

 

That is a very well thought out and logical reason why to buy or not to buy one. You gotta stop doing that man. The internet does not like rational, logical and well thought out discussions!

 

Grand Cherokee with the Hemi

 

Sorry, Hemi is gone for 2024

 

Check out the Grand Highlander with Land Cruiser's powertrain

 

I'd expect any decent crossover to be better than a 4Runner as a daily. I'd probably be in a Highlander or RX if I didn't off-road.

 

I'd rather have a Grand Highlander than a Grand Cherokee.

 

Nah, I love my GC, it is a fun vehicle.

 

Check this out if you want power and comfort

https://www.carfax.com/vehicle/1C4RJFDJ3MC561064?no_ul=1

 

I used to own a 2023 Passpport and I found it to be an impressive car. The AWD is fantastic, but it is no off roader by any means. It can do dirt and super easy trails to get to camping sites and that’s about it. Anythjng else is abusing it.

But that Passport unlike the new Pilots have the old i-VTEC SOHC engine and the ZF9 transmission which I personally find far better to the new DOHC non VTEC V6 and Honda’s own jerky 10 Speed

 

I break family and friends chops about a multitude of items in the hopes that they will stop coming by but they keep showing up. Maybe we can talk more another time so I can get some tips from you about what worked.

 

Cam you even get a 1958 for long? I thought that was going to be a super limited run. Not to mention, would probably not be found for at the base price anywhere. They’ll probably all come packaged with raptor steps a hand-applied pinstripe for an extra 10k lol

The cloth seats are probably not going to be a problem though. I’ve seen Toyota cloth in the Crown, and if it’s anything like that, they’ll be fantastic. Rich corinthian cloth!

 

We have been a Honda household since the day my dad got a 77 Civic CVCC when I was a toddler. I can’t remember a time in the last 40 years hasn’t been at least one in the garage, I have personally owned at least 5..


Having said that, our last 2 Pilots have not been up to the Honda quality I remember from the 90s. We had a 2008 that developed an engine tick at 110k that no amount of valve adjustment would cure (tried dealer and indies).Replaced that with a 2017 that’s my wife’s daily right now and it had the injectors go at 60k

As an on road drive it’s great.. Stiffer/harsher than the 4R but very zippy and handles fantastic. For road trips the space can’t be beat. In the winter on icy/slushy roads the torque vectoring AWD is miles better than any 4x4.Id never take it off-road or though a foot of unplowed snow but that not what it’s for, that’s why we have the runner.


But still, when the time comes to trade it we re going in a different direction. Maybe Grand Highlander, or maybe something electric.Just don’t trust Pilot reliability anymore.

 

My step father had a 2009 Honda Pilot. He dogs his vehicles. Towing boat at highway speeds and off road to spots. Hauling home shit. Daily driver. Lives in TX Hill country.
He just got rid of it last year with 219K miles still going.

So even though not my personal style of SUV, that thing was a work horse and survived him. I won't down Honda.

 

The last time my brother decided to avoid me for 5months was when I gave him a hug and said "Whoa there, you aren't so little anymore little brother!".

His wife laughed, our mom laughed and a stranger laughed. His wife sent me a text telling me that I really hurt his feelings.

5months later when he came by again, he was 20lbs lighter. So yeah, making fun of other IS productive.

 

My brother just told me his new wife was pregnant. I asked him in front of my folks and the whole family if we knew who the father was. Of course my mother didn’t like that joke and neither did my brother but I’m hoping that buys me a month or two. So far so good.

 

I like the Passport over the Pilot but both are good road vehicles. Years ago when I got my Tacoma I was taking a look at the Ridgeline but wanted real 4wd and mod capability.

 

Manual cloth seats for $60k is absurd

 

60 thousand for a car is absurd in my opinion . I recall in my early Thirties when I was going to buy a Land Rover my father said something to me that clicked. This was probably 20 years ago. I forgot the price but think it was in the $40k range. I sometimes work in shitty neighborhoods so my father asks me why I’m spending so much on a car to get back and forth to work and would I leave a briefcase with 40k on the curb unattended? I ended up buying something else more reasonable. Car prices are through the roof as is everything now.

 

Bro,I have so much to teach you. If you wanted him to leave you alone for years your response should have been.

"Yeah, I know, and he'll look JUST like me.". Then wink at the wife.

 

I don't think there ever existed a reliable engine with cylinder deactivation. More so, in many cases otherwise solid engines became problematic when cylinder deactivation was added.

 

Or good old - say hello to your wife and my kids when you get home.

 

I wanted to buy a new Passport recently, but held off waiting for it to get the new design from the Pilot.

 

That's actually pretty tame, coming from an older brother. If your own brother can't be brutally honest with you, who can?

 

I bought a 2004 pilot AWD new. Best vehicle I have owned, but it was built in Canada and turned out to be a low problem year, no VCM and 5 sp tranny with a hidden 4th gear only speed control could find. The shifter gave 1, 2, 3 &D. Sold it at 235,000 miles. No major work on any components. I talked my daughter out of buying a new one last year and found her a very clean 2019 SR5 that she loves for her small family. I believe the new Pilot/Passports models have been over engineered and I fear are now unreliable. A buddy got a new Passport when they came out and got rid of it within a year.

 

If I'm not mistaken my friends Pilot has a VTM4 lock. I think it's pretty serious as it should engage at almost stopped speed on low gear if I'm not mistaken. My friends 1st gen Pilot is by far reliable than the 3rd gen pilot. I bet he would never sell his 1st gen.

2019 SR5 is a fantastic option vs 2020 with Toyota Sense. (Just my opinion but driver needs to take 100% responsibility of the machine.)