2011 Honda Pilot

The redesigned 2011 Honda Pilot puts on a clinic, demonstrating most everything a midsize sport-utility ought to be and tossing in a couple of things you might not expect.

All 2011 Honda Pilots share the same strong engine, wide array of standard safety features, and roomy eight-passenger seating.  The 2011 Honda Pilot lifts the curtain on the second-generation of this critically and commercially successful midsize SUV. Like the first-generation, on sale model years 2003-2008, the 2009 Honda Pilot is a so-called crossover SUV. Crossovers eschew rugged truck-like body-on-frame engineering for a lighter, car-like “unibody” design. Below the sheetmetal, the 2011 Pilot shares its basic structure with the MDX premium midsize-SUV from Honda’s upscale Acura brand.

The 2011 Honda Pilot continues with a 3.5-liter V-6 as the sole engine, though it has more power and better fuel economy than the previous version. It comes in four trim levels, each offering a choice of front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. The Pilot is built at Honda’s plant in Alabama.
 

The 2011 Honda Pilot is slightly longer, wider, taller, and heavier than its predecessor, but its exterior dimensions remain among the tidiest in the midsize-SUV category. Interior volume grows, too, and no competitive SUV uses its cabin space more efficiently.

Styling is an evolution of the previous look, still upright and square, but more self-consciously macho. Fender flares are exaggerated, roof pillars are thicker, and the nose looks like the snout of some sort of robot bulldog. Honda says Pilot’s stylists were inspired by “the beveled lines of an ultra-rugged laptop computer.”

New-for-2011 features include a tailgate with separate-opening glass, anchoring locations for four child seats (up from two and the most in the class), a steering column that telescopes as well as tilts, and front windows that automatically power up as well as down. Standard wheel and tire diameter is 17 inches, up from 16, and now standard is Hill Start Assist, which keeps the Pilot from rolling backward during the driver’s transition from brake to accelerator.

Under the hood, the 3.5-liter V-6 has 250 horsepower and 253 pounds-feet of torque, up from 244 and 240. More significantly, it utilizes the newest iteration of Honda’s Variable Cylinder Management, which automatically transitions between six, four, and three cylinders to balance power needs and fuel economy.  A five-speed automatic remains the sole transmission but the shift lever is relocated from the steering column to the base of the dashboard.

Price sujbect to change without notice.  For the latest pricing / specials for lease or purcahse please contact IMAX Auto Group.

• 3RD Row Seating
• Alloy Wheels
• Privacy Glass
• Traction Control
• ABS
• Front & Rear Air Bags
• Front Side Air Bags
• Dual Front Air Bags
• MP3 (Single CD)
• AM/FM Stereo
• Cruise Control
• Tilt Wheel
• Power Door Locks
• Power Windows
• Power Steering
• Air conditioning
• Stability Control

• 2002 BMW
  X5

  $15,995

• 2010 Nissan
  Murano

  $25,995