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2023 Pilot Cargo Volume vs The Competition

3134 Views 21 Replies 12 Participants Last post by  Hogan773, 
zachman1750
Hey Folks. I've got a deposit down on a 2023 Pilot, and part of the reason we decided to go with the Pilot over the competition was that the cargo volume seems excellent comparatively. That being said, after digging into specs, it seems that cargo volume can be a bit deceptive. Here's an article that speaks to this.

What I'm struggling with understanding is whether the cargo volume of the new Pilot is actually better than the competition, based on the way it's been measured. For example, Honda's own website (click "See all features and specs" -> "Interior Measurements") states that the new Pilot has 18.6 cubic feet or 22.4 cubic feet depending on whether you measure it with the SAE J1100 standard or "Based on SAE J1100 cargo volume measurement standard plus, where applicable, floor space between seating rows and seats in their forward-most and upright position". Since I saw many articles referencing the 22.4 cubic feet measurement, I assumed that the Pilot truly had a cargo volume advantage over the competition.

Now, behind-the-third-row cargo volume was one of the most important things for us when deciding upon a vehicle, and this is a very competitive segment. When you look at Edmond's comparison of the 2023 Pilot vs the 2023 Telluride, you can see that they appear to be using the lower number from Honda rather than the higher number, indicating that the Telluride's cargo volume is actually about 2.4 cubit feet larger.

We also shied away from the 2023 Sequoia partly for this reason. We saw that the cargo volume was essentially the same between the 2023 Pilot and Sequioa (22.4 and 22.3 respectively) and that the overall cargo volume was gobs higher (112.1 cubic feat vs 86.9 cubic feet), and said, "why would we buy this massive SUV if it's actually not any bigger in the interior?". For additional comparison's sake, the 2023 Expedition (not Max) has total cargo area of 104.6 cubic feet and a behind-the-3rd-row cargo volume of 20.9 cubic feet, which further reinforced our thoughts. All this being said, those numbers for the Pilot drop to just 87 cubic feet and 18.6 cubic feet respectively if you use the SAE J1100 standard without "floor space between seating rows and seats in their forward-most and upright position". The problem is, Toyota, Ford, and Kia/Hyundai give no indication of how their measurements are done, so it's hard to say what apples to apples actually looks like.

All of this seems to speak to the first article I linked's point that cargo measurements are deceptive. Those of you who have seen various other vehicles in your search in person, what are your thoughts on the Pilot's cargo volume versus the direct and indirect competition (Telluride, Explorer, Palisade, Highlander, Sequoia, Expedition, etc.)? Have you done any measurements or real-world tests with bags/strollers yourselves to see how it stacks up?

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J
I ran into this when I bought my 2017 Pilot. Cargo area for the Pilot and Highlander were listed as basically the same, which turned out ot be a joke when you actually looked at the two.

For some reference, some the vidoe reviews said that they thought that the space is probably a bit bigger than the Telluride.

See if you can get a look at both.
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davidwil83
A lot of the manufacturers do this to claim their cars are the biggest. It should still be among the biggest (minus the GM ones at least) in segment, but I wish they all used the same measurement criteria so that you could actually compare.
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Ruturaj
I haven't got a chance to test drive pilot yet but I don't think I would be able to compare spaces visually that are visually close. From what I found

Telluride
Cargo Volume (SAE): behind 1st row / behind 2nd row / behind 3rd row
87/46/21 cu. ft.

Pilot Sport
Cargo Volume (behind 1st-row) 87.0 cu ft / 111.8 cu ft
Cargo Volume (behind 2nd-row) 48.5 cu ft* / 59.5 cu ft*
Cargo Volume (behind 3rd-row) 18.6 cu ft* / 21.8 cu ft*

Pilot Touring
Cargo Volume (behind 1st-row) 87.0 cu ft* / 112.4 cu ft*
Cargo Volume (behind 2nd-row) 48.5 cu / 60.1 cu ft
Cargo Volume (behind 3rd-row) 18.6 cu ft / 22.4 cu ft

Seems like SAE J1100 standard plus measures volume under the lid of storage well which just SAE doesn't. Based on the number didn't change between sport and touring trim for former but did for later. So I think Pilot might have advantage if you want to use that space.
From numbers it seems like combined leg space is 1 inch lesser in Pilot than Telluride. I think Pilot is making up for space difference in interior height.

Embargo is lifting tomorrow, watching review from journalist might be helpful or taking measuring tape to dealership.
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M
Ruturaj said:
I haven't got a chance to test drive pilot yet but I don't think I would be able to compare spaces visually that are visually close. From what I found

Telluride
Cargo Volume (SAE): behind 1st row / behind 2nd row / behind 3rd row
87/46/21 cu. ft.

Pilot Sport
Cargo Volume (behind 1st-row) 87.0 cu ft2023 Honda Pilot – SUV | Honda / 111.8 cu ft2023 Honda Pilot – SUV | Honda2023 Honda Pilot – SUV | Honda
Cargo Volume (behind 2nd-row) 48.5 cu ft* / 59.5 cu ft*
Cargo Volume (behind 3rd-row) 18.6 cu ft* / 21.8 cu ft*

Pilot Touring
Cargo Volume (behind 1st-row) 87.0 cu ft* / 112.4 cu ft*
Cargo Volume (behind 2nd-row) 48.5 cu ft2023 Honda Pilot – SUV | Honda / 60.1 cu ft2023 Honda Pilot – SUV | Honda2023 Honda Pilot – SUV | Honda
Cargo Volume (behind 3rd-row) 18.6 cu ft2023 Honda Pilot – SUV | Honda / 22.4 cu ft2023 Honda Pilot – SUV | Honda2023 Honda Pilot – SUV | Honda

Seems like SAE J1100 standard plus measures volume under the lid of storage well which just SAE doesn't. Based on the number didn't change between sport and touring trim for former but did for later. So I think Pilot might have advantage if you want to use that space.
From numbers it seems like combined leg space is 1 inch lesser in Pilot than Telluride. I think Pilot is making up for space difference in interior height.

Embargo is lifting tomorrow, watching review from journalist might be helpful or taking measuring tape to dealership.
Click to expand...
The SAE J1100 definition does not explain for the massive difference between the cargo volumes behind the 2nd and 1st rows, in the case of behind the 1st row, about 25 cu ft, they must be counting all the nooks and cranny in the car including cup holders and under the seats!

At the end of the day, the Pilot realistically increased about 2.0 Cu Ft in cargo volume behind the 3rd row seat (to 18.6 cu ft), the numbers are the same for the 1st row and second row as in the 2022 model., it still lags the segment leaders Telluride/Atlas/Traverse.
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Ruturaj
medalllione said:
The SAE J1100 definition does not explain for the massive difference between the cargo volumes behind the 2nd and 1st rows, in the case of behind the 1st row, about 25 cu ft, they must be counting all the nooks and cranny in the car including cup holders and under the seats!

At the end of the day, the Pilot realistically increased about 2.0 Cu Ft in cargo volume behind the 3rd row seat (to 18.6 cu ft), the numbers are the same for the 1st row and second row as in the 2022 model., it still lags the segment leaders Telluride/Atlas/Traverse.
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Definitely pilot has grown. Combined leg space increased by 3.1 inches. Second row did get most of the increment (2.4 inches). I am pretty sure it is still behind telluride but I don't think by much once you consider the extra volume in hidden storage well under the lid, otherwise it would suffer (especially if you store middle seat).
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Ruturaj said:
Definitely pilot has grown. Combined leg space increased by 3.1 inches. Second row did get most of the increment (2.4 inches). I am pretty sure it is still behind telluride but I don't think by much once you consider the extra volume in hidden storage well under the lid, otherwise it would suffer (especially if you store middle seat).
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The Telluride has lots of storage place in the storage well, I am not certain that the Pilot has more; in fact I'd argue that the Telluride may have more usable space because in the Pilot Touring, for example,, it is compartmentalized into 3 portons. We'll see what the reviewers say once the embargo lifts tomorrow.
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Ruturaj
medalllione said:
The Telluride has lots of storage place in the storage well, I am not certain that the Pilot has more; in fact I'd argue that the Telluride may have more usable space because in the Pilot Touring, for example,, it is compartmentalized into 3 portons. We'll see what the reviewers say once the embargo lifts tomorrow.
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I thought those partitions were removable.

What I don't understand is Pilot gets less combined leg space (by an inch), and less cargo volume behind third row then how it has same cargo volume (87 cu. ft.) behind 1st row as telluride.
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no1cub17
medalllione said:
The Telluride has lots of storage place in the storage well, I am not certain that the Pilot has more; in fact I'd argue that the Telluride may have more usable space because in the Pilot Touring, for example,, it is compartmentalized into 3 portons. We'll see what the reviewers say once the embargo lifts tomorrow.
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Sorry - what embargo?
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Ruturaj
no1cub17 said:
Sorry - what embargo?
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Auto journalist who got press vehicle have embargo till tomorrow. Whatever review out there from journalist doesn't include driving impressions or actual numbers but there would be new ones coming out tomorrow. Most review you see are done on production cars. And you can blame Honda for this dumbness.
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M
Here, Redline Reviews says the cargo space behind the 3rd row is about 18.8 cu ft, so technically, about 2 cu ft more than Gen 3.

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zachman1750
I looked at a Telluride in person today. I think the biggest advantage of the Telluride over the Pilot Elite is that the telluride allows you to lower the cargo floor to a flat position and get a deep cavity behind the rear seat. It appears that the Pilot has a deeper cavity for the middle seat storage, but it’s not flat and you can’t lower the cargo floor cover down to match it.

A few other unrelated notes: we felt that the Telluride was a very nice and spacious vehicle and would work well for a variety of reasons. Ultimately, we didn’t buy it because we haven’t seen a Pilot yet in person. There were also a few small quirks in the interior that we felt made it feel really cheaply built despite a number of luxury-class features and high quality seats/leather. A good example is the incredibly thin and cheap feeling plastic that they use for the volume and seek knobs, the lack of wireless CarPlay, and some cheap feeling faux metal trim pieces that also didn’t seem well anchored to the panels themselves. Perhaps it’s just because it had “Kia” on the outside, but we walked away not feeling totally convinced of the vehicle’s quality and like we wanted to wait to see a Pilot.
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H
I am shopping between the Telluride and the Pilot and the rear cargo space matters a lot to me since we camp a lot and we'll need all three rows occupied. The lack of rear cargo space has already eliminated the Subaru Ascent, Toyota Highlander, and the Mazda CX-9 from our search.

This is how Honda defines the rear cargo space:
"Based on SAE J1100 cargo volume measurement standard:" 18.6 cu ft
"Based on SAE J1100 cargo volume measurement standard plus, where applicable, floor space between seating rows and seats in their forward-most and upright position:" 22.4 cu ft

Huh??? What does that even mean?

This is how Kia defines the rear cargo space:
Cargo Volume (SAE) behind 3rd row: 21 cu. ft.

Since the 3rd row seats don't move forward, I don't see how they get from 18.6 all the way to 22.4, which is a huge difference. If they are counting the space underneath the lid, well the Kia also has a lot of storage underneath as well.

To finalize, I think the best way to compare the two is to say the 23 Honda Pilot has SAE 18.6ft of rear cargo space compared to the 23 Kia Telluride's SAE 21 cu. ft of cargo space. Both have extra room below the storage lid, but not enough of a difference to argue against the Telluride having significantly more storage.
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Loca’s Mom
HopeItRains said:
I am shopping between the Telluride and the Pilot and the rear cargo space matters a lot to me since we camp a lot and we'll need all three rows occupied. The lack of rear cargo space has already eliminated the Subaru Ascent, Toyota Highlander, and the Mazda CX-9 from our search.

This is how Honda defines the rear cargo space:
"Based on SAE J1100 cargo volume measurement standard:" 18.6 cu ft
"Based on SAE J1100 cargo volume measurement standard plus, where applicable, floor space between seating rows and seats in their forward-most and upright position:" 22.4 cu ft

Huh??? What does that even mean?

This is how Kia defines the rear cargo space:
Cargo Volume (SAE) behind 3rd row: 21 cu. ft.

Since the 3rd row seats don't move forward, I don't see how they get from 18.6 all the way to 22.4, which is a huge difference. If they are counting the space underneath the lid, well the Kia also has a lot of storage underneath as well.

To finalize, I think the best way to compare the two is to say the 23 Honda Pilot has SAE 18.6ft of rear cargo space compared to the 23 Kia Telluride's SAE 21 cu. ft of cargo space. Both have extra room below the storage lid, but not enough of a difference to argue against the Telluride having significantly more storage.
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Since cargo space is a big determining factor for you, I strongly recommend you actually crawl into the back of each SUV you are considering with a tape measure. Cargo space measurements found online are rarely specific enough. Usable cargo space is what really matters and your specific use for the space impacts how much is actually usable for you.

According to Google, my friends 2014 Traverse has 32.4 ft.³ more cargo space than my 2017 Pilot. We know from experience we can fit way bigger items in my car than hers. The interior of mine is kind of boxy and the hatch is a really big opening. Her interior has more decorative curves, but has a smaller hatch and less usable space for large items. When going on a trip, she can shove a lot of duffel bags in, but when she needs to move a piece of furniture, she calls me.
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H
That's a great idea. I'll post what I find.
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B
Hope it rains

I think there's a couple different ways you "could" measure it. The rear seats recline, effectively reducing cargo volume. The tray also can go into a lower spot, but only if you don't have the 8th seat stored away. Thus the range if I had to guess
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H
I agree you gotta just take the time to go to a dealer and touch and feel it (and bring your tape measure too).
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Ruturaj
HopeItRains said:
I am shopping between the Telluride and the Pilot and the rear cargo space matters a lot to me since we camp a lot and we'll need all three rows occupied. The lack of rear cargo space has already eliminated the Subaru Ascent, Toyota Highlander, and the Mazda CX-9 from our search.

This is how Honda defines the rear cargo space:
"Based on SAE J1100 cargo volume measurement standard:" 18.6 cu ft
"Based on SAE J1100 cargo volume measurement standard plus, where applicable, floor space between seating rows and seats in their forward-most and upright position:" 22.4 cu ft

Huh??? What does that even mean?

This is how Kia defines the rear cargo space:
Cargo Volume (SAE) behind 3rd row: 21 cu. ft.

Since the 3rd row seats don't move forward, I don't see how they get from 18.6 all the way to 22.4, which is a huge difference. If they are counting the space underneath the lid, well the Kia also has a lot of storage underneath as well.

To finalize, I think the best way to compare the two is to say the 23 Honda Pilot has SAE 18.6ft of rear cargo space compared to the 23 Kia Telluride's SAE 21 cu. ft of cargo space. Both have extra room below the storage lid, but not enough of a difference to argue against the Telluride having significantly more storage.
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Iirc the difference between numbers comes from 2 things, as you said space under storage lid and some more from adjusting 3rd seat angle to 90 degrees.
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Cahokia
Get a sprinter van for commercial work.
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H
Cahokia said:
Get a sprinter van for commercial work.
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I actually looked into them out of curiosity before because I have some friends that have them. Really cool for what they are and how you can mod them. My use-case for my next vehicle is going camping with two kids, two dogs, kayaks/sups, and all the camping gear. I think I can do that with both the Pilot and the Telluride, but the more rear cargo room the better.
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