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Another good review with interesting tidbits about construction

3K views 19 replies 11 participants last post by  SoapPlant 
#1 ·
#2 ·
Reading it now. Wonder when the webmaster will add a page dedicated to collecting Pilot Reviews? Would help those who are shopping around and not have to go digging through all the forums. Now back to reading...
 
#5 ·
Yes, we were cracking up at the 4x6 comment in the brochure. It should be more like "Yes folks, just score & snap off that extra 2 feet from any standard sheet of drywall and you can easily carry it securely in the back of your new Pilot!" Gotta love those marketing guys!
 
#6 ·
4X6

I was just at Home Depot and you wouldn't believe it:

They actually have 4X6" plywood...same price basically as 4X8. Just like those little tiny bags of potato chips that cost the same as a big bag. Must figure that if we are willing to pay over MSRP or near MSRP for our vehicles to carry the 4X6" plywood we would be more than willing to give up those two feet of "free" wood...?
 
#8 ·
Re: question about article

stimpsjd said:
In the article it talks about theft-deterrents...basically making the lock mechanisms inaccessible. Question is, if you were to lock yourself out of your Pilot, how could you get in?
Yeah, I liked the part about, "steel guards deflect sophisticated tools like bent coat hangers from the lock rod and latch mechanism..." :p

Also, this begs a good question - Does the Pilot utilize any "lockout prevention" features, similar to those in my '98 Accord? I can't remember all of the in's and out's of it, but I do know its virtually impossible to lock your keys in the car (sound of knocking on wood). I know just as I say this, there's a ton of people out there who have locked their keys in their Accords, or its going to happen to me!

I think on the Accord, assuming the keys are in the ignition, if you try to manually lock any of the doors, by pushing down the lock button on the inside, and holding out the handle on the outside while closing the door, the other door locks automatically pop up, right? Of course, if the keys aren't in the ignition (say for instance, sitting on the seat or in the trunk), then I guess you're screwed!

So, does the Pilot work the same way?
 
#9 ·
Variable Torque Management (VTM-4)

I thought this was interesting...

"A unique feature of the VTM-4 is that it drives the rear wheels whenever the vehicle accelerates, even on dry pavement. The advantages of this are: less torque steer, better traction from a standing start and increased vehicle stability."

Did anyone else know this?
 
#11 ·
Re: And yet another one...

alxab said:
This review was pretty good.
"...its activity bin for children that just invites the slopping of ketchup, mustard, and french fries..."
and
"...I put it up slopes, up and over and down berms, and through muck and water and rocks and logs with which most Pilot owners will never challenge their car. It handled it all with ease."

That means it'll handle my tendency to run over curbs as well.
:D

"This thing seats eight but has nine cupholders. Go figure."

(Eleven for those of us who ordered the extra holder for the front console area. We like our coffee/water/assorted fruit drinks.)
 
#13 ·
Re: Variable Torque Management (VTM-4)

SoapPlant said:
I thought this was interesting...

"A unique feature of the VTM-4 is that it drives the rear wheels whenever the vehicle accelerates, even on dry pavement. The advantages of this are: less torque steer, better traction from a standing start and increased vehicle stability."

Did anyone else know this?
Nope, I would like to see confirmation of this somewhere else in print.
 
#14 ·
Re: Re: Variable Torque Management (VTM-4)

autobahn said:


Nope, I would like to see confirmation of this somewhere else in print.
Here are a couple quotes I came across while doing a quick search on the Net. One is in reference to the Acura MDX, and I'm assuming the Pilot employs a similar, if not exact version of the MDX VTM-4. The other is non-specific to either model. I'll see what else I can come up with tonight:

"Otherwise, the Acura is a front-wheel-drive biased truck that directs power to the rear wheels whenever you accelerate hard, or whenever the transfer case senses front wheel slip. The system operates seamlessly, with no driver interaction necessary, unless you want to lock the VTM-4 at low speeds. Stomp on the gas pedal on a loose gravel road, and all four wheels bite hard with little wheelspin. Do the same on wet pavement and the truck launches forward with no tire losing traction. Seamless indeed."

http://www.ellsworthamerican.com/wheels/archive/2001_acura_mdx.html

"... calculates where torque is needed and proactively applies power to the rear wheels, whenever you accelerate from a stop or at speed. Unlike many systems, VTM-4 ..."

www.tlexplorer.com/hotdata/www.tlexplorer.com/ advertiser/Acura_CL_Type_S/_92918/C.pdf

(This one was a broken link, but I copied the blurb from Google)
 
#15 ·
Autobahn & SoapPlant :

This is form Honda's Sales Tip Liturature that I TOOK from my Honda sales guy:

" VTM-4 distributed torque as needed to all four wheels while the vehicle is accelerating on all types of surfaces, in either forward or reverse gears. Rear wheel torque rises smoothly from zero to the max ( 55% of total engine torque) in proportion to vehicle acceleration."

The statement in the review is correct and it agrees with the Honda's own sales manual.

KE
 
#18 ·
SoapPlant- Keys locked in the car

The Pilot does what you describe the same way as the Accord, if the keys are in the ignition and you press the driver's side lock down with the door open, all locks pop back up. So you could possibly lock your keys in the car by leaving them on the seat. BTW, my CR-V was even more "foolproof" in that you couldn't press down on the lock with the door open at all, keys in or not, you had to either lock the doors with the key after you were out, or you could use the keyless entry after the doors were all shut, so you couldn't even leave them in the seat. That didn't stop me from locking my keys in it once anyway :rolleyes: I'll post that in the brain fart thread that is going around. But anyway, if you have the keys in the ignition, you can't lock the doors with the door open.
 
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