I think I test drove everything...

[rosewood]

If you are still looking to get a 2006 Pilot, I can run down a quick set of comparisons from what I test drove. As the Pilot was my first new vehicle, I looked at everything with an equal eye and landed on the pilot.

Acura RDX - I wasn't impressed with the space I got nor the look of this Midsized SUV. I drove it around the block, felt cramped and took it back.

Chevy Tahoe- I felt comfortable in this but also felt a bit on the cramped side when moving out of the front seats. The lack of options really killed this for me.

Ford Escape - It just felt ... cheap. Also, no love on the options either.

Ford Explorer - It felt more solid then the escape but until I went to the higher end models, the options from factory were a bit lacking. 4-5 Ford dealers in my area ... none could show me the Nav Ford is using. I didn't feel like I got much more in the way of space compared to the pilot and I did eat it on some gas milage.

GMC Envoy - I've never felt more cramped in such a big vehicle in my life. I didn't even make it out of the lot before I had to get out and let the sales guy park it. I felt like I was in a coffin.

Honda CRV - I don't want to knock on the little sister of the vehicle I bought but I have to say, what is up with the tire on the back and the uncomfortable seats and lack of options?

Mazda CX-7 - I loved this car, even though it is a gas hog and requires premium fuel. The turning radius on this thing was amazing and it felt like a sport car. It had some options to maximize the space but being a cross over, it had sacrificed some. The nav was OK but not that great. The wife hated it though... she is 5'2" and couldn't see over the wheel.

Toyota 4Runner - I made it 3 blocks in this car and hit my head 4 times. The fourth time I actually drew blood and got it on the new car. Where was I driving? A regular residential road. I think the space and the ride need a little work on the 4Runner and so does the interior of one I left at the dealership.

Anyways, just a quick hit list of what is out there. For the price and the size ... I wouldn't have gone with anything but the pilot.

[jl_ss]

Originally posted by rosewood
If you are still looking to get a 2006 Pilot, I can run down a quick set of comparisons from what I test drove. As the Pilot was my first new vehicle, I looked at everything with an equal eye and landed on the pilot.

Acura RDX - I wasn't impressed with the space I got nor the look of this Midsized SUV. I drove it around the block, felt cramped and took it back.

Chevy Tahoe- I felt comfortable in this but also felt a bit on the cramped side when moving out of the front seats. The lack of options really killed this for me.

Ford Escape - It just felt ... cheap. Also, no love on the options either.

Ford Explorer - It felt more solid then the escape but until I went to the higher end models, the options from factory were a bit lacking. 4-5 Ford dealers in my area ... none could show me the Nav Ford is using. I didn't feel like I got much more in the way of space compared to the pilot and I did eat it on some gas milage.

GMC Envoy - I've never felt more cramped in such a big vehicle in my life. I didn't even make it out of the lot before I had to get out and let the sales guy park it. I felt like I was in a coffin.

Honda CRV - I don't want to knock on the little sister of the vehicle I bought but I have to say, what is up with the tire on the back and the uncomfortable seats and lack of options?

Mazda CX-7 - I loved this car, even though it is a gas hog and requires premium fuel. The turning radius on this thing was amazing and it felt like a sport car. It had some options to maximize the space but being a cross over, it had sacrificed some. The nav was OK but not that great. The wife hated it though... she is 5'2" and couldn't see over the wheel.

Toyota 4Runner - I made it 3 blocks in this car and hit my head 4 times. The fourth time I actually drew blood and got it on the new car. Where was I driving? A regular residential road. I think the space and the ride need a little work on the 4Runner and so does the interior of one I left at the dealership.

Anyways, just a quick hit list of what is out there. For the price and the size ... I wouldn't have gone with anything but the pilot.

Oh you didn't drive everything, there are still a lot more vehicles in the SUV catagory . I am curious what you mean when you say lack of options quite a few times. For example, the Tahoe has more available options than the Pilot (e.g. you can get DVD and Navi, power mirrors, etc.). The 4Runner drives like that because it is a truck based SUV good for towing and off-roading - I hit my head on my test drive also. The equivalent Toyota to the Pilot would have probably been the car based Highlander. But as you found the best value for a mostly on-road SUV is the Pilot.

[andyschneider]

I'd like to poke a bit about your test drive of the Chevy Tahoe. Before getting our first Pilot in '04, I'd owned a 2001 Chevy Tahoe LS. Had it for about 3 years with 45k on the clock. It had cloth interior, front buckets with full console, 3rd row seating, rear air, most basic options. If I put it head to head with my Pilot, it would be really hard to choose. I've driven both vehicles on lengthy trips, towed my utility trailer around, and driven each in the winter extensively. The things about the Pilot that are better are driving size (smaller feel to drive) and less thirsty at the pump (15mpg was the max on the Tahoe, closer to 20 for the Pilot). But living every day with the Tahoe, getting in and out, putting kids in/out, driving on the highway, was a real pleasurable experience. And I'm a fairly big guy, so I pay attention to enter/exit egress on cars I drive.

So, I'd like to hear more about the lack of options and other issues you saw...

andy

[rosewood]

Originally posted by jl_ss


Oh you didn't drive everything, there are still a lot more vehicles in the SUV catagory . I am curious what you mean when you say lack of options quite a few times. For example, the Tahoe has more available options than the Pilot (e.g. you can get DVD and Navi, power mirrors, etc.). The 4Runner drives like that because it is a truck based SUV good for towing and off-roading - I hit my head on my test drive also. The equivalent Toyota to the Pilot would have probably been the car based Highlander. But as you found the best value for a mostly on-road SUV is the Pilot.

I realize I didn't drive everything. I looked at a lot more then I drove though. Saturns. Subarus. Chrystler. Jeep. Dodge. However, those I sat in and instantly knew it wasn't for me.

The Highlander was one I looked at and knew wasn't for me. Of course, YMMV but I just wanted to toss up some quick notes for those in the market.

Originally posted by andyschneider
I'd like to poke a bit about your test drive of the Chevy Tahoe. Before getting our first Pilot in '04, I'd owned a 2001 Chevy Tahoe LS. Had it for about 3 years with 45k on the clock. It had cloth interior, front buckets with full console, 3rd row seating, rear air, most basic options. If I put it head to head with my Pilot, it would be really hard to choose. I've driven both vehicles on lengthy trips, towed my utility trailer around, and driven each in the winter extensively. The things about the Pilot that are better are driving size (smaller feel to drive) and less thirsty at the pump (15mpg was the max on the Tahoe, closer to 20 for the Pilot). But living every day with the Tahoe, getting in and out, putting kids in/out, driving on the highway, was a real pleasurable experience. And I'm a fairly big guy, so I pay attention to enter/exit egress on cars I drive.

So, I'd like to hear more about the lack of options and other issues you saw...

andy

I should have phrased that better - I didn't do well in the back seats, the front seats I did okay with. Your post made me do a double check with edmunds and I see that there is a nav option for the Tahoe. The sales guy I worked with at my local Chevy dealer said that and a few other things were not going to be available to me in an 06 and that the new 07s would. This apparently is sales guy bull**** so I stand corrected.

With that said, I'd still take the more economical (up front and at the pump) pilot.

[rocky]

The shortest short list I had, after eliminating many of your selections was the Toyota Sequoia and Ford Freestyle. The latter I felt was under powered and under reliable, the former, I loved but I wanted to get away from 14-16 mpg.
The Pilot as that fable goes, was and is just right.

[Jet-Pilot-64]

Originally posted by rocky
The shortest short list I had, after eliminating many of your selections was the Toyota Sequoia and Ford Freestyle. The latter I felt was under powered and under reliable, the former, I loved but I wanted to get away from 14-16 mpg.
The Pilot as that fable goes, was and is just right.

...still have a 240hp V-8?

[jl_ss]

Originally posted by Jet-Pilot-64
...still have a 240hp V-8?

273 hp @ 5400 rpm; 314 lb.-ft. @ 3400 rpm

[jcbama85]

My quest was a little different than yours. I have a 2002 Ford Explorer and while it has served me well (a previous job required me to do some serious off roading, driving mining roads, crossing streams, etc.) and it did well. My wife will continue to drive it.

A new job will require me to drive quite a bit and I need to be able to haul equipment and will be driving in areas where there will be quite a bit of snow. On demand 4wd is a necessity, but I won't be driving off road.

On my short list were the following crossovers/SUVs

Nissan Murano
Mazda CX-7
Honda Pilot
Hyundai Santa Fe (2007)
Toyota Sequoia
Chevrolet Tahoe

Here are my impressions of each:

Murano: I originally thought this would be the one. I thought CVT, mileage and styling would win the race. I liked the looks and styling. It drove well. Key factor was price.

CX-7. 4 banger didn't thrill me much. Smaller than I wanted. Looks are good, but it's a little too station wagonish for me. Pricing is good. Handling doesn't match the looks.

2007 Santa Fe. Pretty good. Drove well and styling is MUCH better than the ugly pre 07 models. Concerns about the reliability (even with the warranty) was my primary concern.

Chevy Tahoe. I like the new Tahoe. It is significantly nicer than the pre 07s. Quality looks better and it drives well. V-8 is more power than I need and the price is more than I wanted to spend.

Sequoia. Very nice but the styling is a little dated for me. The current models look just like the 01s. It's pricy and the mileage isn't what I wanted. Toyota's reliability made this a strong candidate. Ultimately it was a little bigger than I wanted.

Honda Pilot. While the Pilot wasn't better in every catagory, it was consistently better in my key areas and the pricing was so compelling it made the decision easy for me. The Pilot is very well thought out. Honda clearly understands what people are looking for in a car. Little things like the cell holder in the console prove that Honda does the little things right. The V-6 is very smooth and the handling is sure. The seats are outstanding. It sits up high and is sized just right. It feels very solid and is relatively nimble for a car this size. With the year end clearance the decision was easy.

[mgorbsk]

You guys will probably hate this, but the Wife drives less than 4 miles to work, so she will just keep the Accord for that. I am thinking about getting one of the Ford Expedition EL that are coming out. I know, the gas sucks, but we'll still have the Pilot for around town and use the Ford for when company is here or roadtripping. We'll have a 2nd kid soon, so two car seats in the Pilot doesn't leave a lot of room for visiting Family. I hate having to take two vehicles everywhere when visiting. Have you seen the inside of this thing? HUGE. Tons of room behind the 3rd row. I know it's a Ford, but I'd get the extended warranty and the miles would stay low. I like it!

[GreenMachine]

Originally posted by jcbama85

Chevy Tahoe. I like the new Tahoe. It is significantly nicer than the pre 07s. Quality looks better and it drives well. V-8 is more power than I need and the price is more than I wanted to spend.

I still can't believe GM is using 4 speed autos in their "all new" SUV's. I think I read they will eventually use their 6 speed auto, now only available in the Escalade and Yukon Denali, in all their trucks and SUV's. I would hate to buy one now and find out a more economical 6 speed auto is standard equipment a few months later.

[jcbama85]

Originally posted by GreenMachine


I still can't believe GM is using 4 speed autos in their "all new" SUV's.

That is unreal. It is amazing to me how GM and Ford don't get it. The occasionally show signs of doing things right (The interior inprovements for the new Tahoe design for example) and then the offset it with stupid things like this.

After driving my new Pilot for a couple of weeks, I drove my wife's Explorer the other day. I did not realize how much better quality the Pilot is over the Explorer. Poor interior fit, cheap plastic, rough ride, loud, the Explorer is dreadful compared to the Pilot. I'll do my best to stay out of the Explorer in the future.

[Rob79]

May I suggest the newly revamped 2007 Hyundai Santa fe, it is close the the same size as the pilot but has some nice options for the price. If oyu are in teh US though the prices are fairly close, it is just us Canadians get crapped on up here for pricing, even though we make the frickin things. Anyways jsut thought you might want to take a look. I mentioned this before in another thread and I did get some interest but not much, now that the J.D power specs are out and Hyundai is the best in quality out of any other manufazcturer except the luxary makers, maybe more people will sit up and take notice, Hyundai is becoming a competitor. Good luck in teh hunt >

Sory Jay, I remembered getting flamed but now that I think about it, that was another board altogether. It was a pretty good discussion, but never really ended up anywhere. Sorry for the flaming comment. Still suggest everyone takes a look at he 07 SF huge improvment, but I still like the Pilot better also but for dollar for dollar the SF wins

[jay]

Originally posted by Rob79
May I suggest the newly revamped 2007 Hyundai Santa fe, it is close the the same size as the pilot but has some nice options for the price. If oyu are in teh US though the prices are fairly close, it is just us Canadians get crapped on up here for pricing, even though we make the frickin things. Anyways jsut thought you might want to take a look. I mentioned this before in another thread and I did get flamed pretty good, but now that the J.D power specs are out and Hyundai is the best in quality out of any other manufazcturer except the luxary makers, maybe more people will sit up and take notice, Hyundai is becoming a competitor. Good luck in teh hunt >

I reread that earlier thread and, unless I totally mis-understand flaming, wonder how you can claim you were flamed at all. We're not shy on this board, but you weren't flamed. Most seemed in agreement that Hyundai quality has improved, and the new Sante Fe is worth a look, and no posts were personal attacks.