If it's like our Dodge Grand Caravan the captain's chars are better with older kids. They just quickly go through the gap to get into the third row instead of flipping the seats. And the space between the seats cuts down on the bickering and fighting.

It's bad for a baby's car seat if you want it in the middle of the row, you have to pick a side or put it way back in the third row.

 

Happy: the 2016 is the first Pilot with 7 seats as a feature ever. So no comparisons between 7 and 8 seats possible.
There is a lot more room behind the third row now. You can fit a big ice cooler there with room to spare

 

The OP appears to be asking for feedback from those that have owned 7/8 seat vehicles... Not pilots specifically.

 

I currently own a 2008 odyssey EXL which can be configured on-the-fly for either 7 or 8 passenger mode. And I have the same decision to make as you do.

My oddy has a narrow seat "slice" that can be quickly installed between the middle row chairs to turn the middle row into a 3-seat bench complete with seatbelt anchored in the ceiling.... I have three kids (4,10,13), but have never used this functionality. I guess that should tell me something.

The room behind my third row seat is probably larger than that of the 2016 pilot, but the exact amount will be unknown until this summer.

My car seats have always been installed directly behind the driver. Never in a rear row... Too hard for me to get back there and ensure a perfect fit.

 

I loved having captains chairs in my Sienna. We didn't have to unlatch or move a carseat in order to utilize the 3rd row, therefore the 3rd row was used a lot more often. When we traded the Sienna for our Pilot, it was an adjustment to have a bench seat again. While we do enjoy having an extra seat in the 2nd row, we never use the 3rd row. Instead of moving the 2nd row to get back to the 3rd, the kids just prefer to slide in the 2nd row together. If our next vehicle is at the price point where we are able to choose between captains chairs and a bench, we would definitely go back to captains chairs

 

Here's the problem I see with captains chairs if you have 3 kids, as I do: you will never have full access to your cargo capacity. In our '04 Pilot, we have taken many road trips, camping trips, and shopping trips to IKEA and the like. In these situations we have needed every cubic inch of storage we could get behind the 2nd row. Fortunately my Pilot has a rear bench seat so it was not a problem. If it had captains chairs, one of my kids would have to sit in the 3rd row, effectively killing a huge chunk of available cargo space. Captains chairs in the middle row is a deal breaker for me, hence the Pilot (as well as the Highlander) is a no-go for me since the higher trim levels (which I would want) make the 2nd row captains chairs mandatory. Bad move, Honda (and Toyota).

 

I agree with you 110% here. We have a 2006 pilot and 3 kids ages 9, 7 and 2.5. As convenient as captain chairs are, I would HATE to give up all that cargo space for road trips or big item purchases. We have a Thule carrier and I still don't want to give up that cargo space. Very bad move by Honda and Toyota to not offer the bench on those higher trims. We are looking to replace our aging Pilot in the next year or so and I have no idea what we will go with (although I do love the Enclave just not fond of American made).

 

Thanks a lot for your suggestions guys and I am feeling the same thing that I won't be able to use the trunk sace if I have captain chairs. May be the new one touch sliding feature would make things easy for kids to get in and out. But like the previous comment that I would like to get the higher trim and yet had 8 seats but it's not the case I guess. I guess we will have to wait till we actually see it in person and see how much space do we have with all seats up. I really hope it can fit a double city select stroller and couple of carry on hand bags so that we can go on long trips. Also I really hope my son like to sit at the back seat because not sure if he would enjoy the rear entertainment from the third row as It will be little too far for him to see the screen.

 

My Sienna had captains chairs in the 2nd row. My Pilot has a bench. They're just different... Some pluses and some minuses:

Benefits of Captains chairs:
- Access to the third row is faster and easier (no need to flip a lever and slide the seat forward). For an adult of older kid, this is minor, but younger kids have trouble with the lever and sliding the seat back into position again.
- The space between the two seats can be used for "stuff" (reading material, stuffed animals, ...).
- The dog can easily find a comfortable place to lay down on the floor.

Some negatives:
- The seats don't fold as neatly over and out of the way to make a smooth cargo surface.
- One less seating position for birthday parties and the like - where lots of kids need to pile in.
- It's not possible for a kid to move over to the middle when they want to be able to see out the front window.

Overall, I like Captains Chairs, but not enough for it to be a factor in vehicle selection.

 

New poster here. My wife and I are currently in the research process to replace our RAV4. We have one child, and another on the way. When we started the process we didn't give much thought to seating arrangements, but now we are absolutely looking at a vehicle with Captain's Chairs. We talked to several friends who owned older generation Pilots and other vehicles with bench seats and they all said the same thing: once you put more than one child seat in, getting to that third row seat is such a pain you never use it. Even our friends who owned vehicles such as the MDX or Infiniti's JX-35/QX-60 with systems designed to make third row access less frustrating with child seats mounted reported these frustrations. So as we began our process the first vehicle we saw with Captain's Chairs was the new Highlander. We liked it, but soon after we checked it out we found out that Honda was going to unveil a new Pilot with available Captain's Chairs, so we decided to delay our purchase decision until after we can check out the new Pilot. For us, the old Pilot with no Captain's Chairs was a non-starter, so with this redesign Honda has found a potential new customer.

 

Having had a mazda 5 with the captains chairs before, it was nice having the pass through. But with the pilot we definitely like the 3 across seating. We have an almost 5/almost 3/newborn set up. thankfully the almost 5-er is in a high back booster and he is in the passenger side/tilt and slide seat so that even with his car seat, it slides forward all the way to let people in the 3rd row. our almost 3 year old sits in a full 5 point harness (diono car seat, which is awesome) in the middle because he can climb into his seat and its not a far reach to help him buckle. Newborn is behind the driver for probably obvious reasons. Mainly ease of getting the carrier in and out.

When the kids are older however, we'll probably be wishing for the captains chairs. LOL. But with the tilt and slide seat, I think we'll be good. If it was the clunkier fold and tumble seat like many of the other SUV's have it would be a lot more annoying. Having the 8 seats definitely gives us the most flexibility.

The best of both worlds though would be to get the Odyssey removable center seat with captains chairs in the pilot. why they don't figure that out is beyond me. Seems like a no brainer and solves the issue right there!

 

The best of both worlds though would be to get the Odyssey removable center seat with captains chairs in the pilot. why they don't figure that out is beyond me. Seems like a no brainer and solves the issue right there!

AMEN and can I get another AMEN!!!

 

I have two kids now, and we want a third. I bought our Pilot with this in mind. I think the bench seat is more versatile for us. However, we don't have people climbing in the back all the time now, and our kids aren't fighting for personal space or with each other.

Here is our set up: I have a three year old and a 6 month old. They sit next to each other on the 60% portion of the first row. We can flip out the 40% when someone needs to climb in the back. It also allows another passenger to sit next to the kids. We can legitimately get 5 adults in the car - 2 in front, 1 in the first row, and 2 in the third row. We drive around town with this set up a lot. We could probably squeeze another kid in the third row if we really needed it.

My in-laws got a new suburban with captain chairs. They had a bench in their old one. The seats are nice, and it is a lot easier climbing to the third row. When we had one kid, we took some long road trips with them. My daughter's car seat would be in the middle position, and she would have two adults on either side of her. We can't do that now with the captain seats. One of the adults has to be in the third row. Also, if you have two convertible car seats, I am not sure there is enough room to squeeze by them to get to the center aisle to get to the back.

But if I had older kids, I think the captain chairs would be better for us. They get their own space, and we don't have to pack as much equipment when traveling, so cargo space is less of a concern.

 

Prospective buyer here as well. Don't plan on having more than 2 kids so I definitely want captains chairs as it will keep them separated as well as make access to the third row much easier.

Is there any concrete evidence on which trim levels will have captains chairs available? The original press release of the car in February in Chicago stated that the elite trim level would have captains chairs as standard. Sometime in the last week honda updated the 2016 pilot page on their website with more info and it now says "The Pilot Elite features two cozy 2nd-row captain’s chairs, and all other models have seating for 8." My interpretation of this is that only the elite trim level will have captains chairs and every other model will get a bench seat. This would be a departure from what Toyota is doing where their top trim has captain's chairs, but you can get them as a $275 option on the XLE & up trims.

Finding out the answer to this is kind of holding up my vehicle purchase since I won't consider a Pilot higher than EX-L and want captain's chairs. Has anyone seen a dealer order guide to confirm what is available on what trims? If the car is going to be available in ~July I would expect to see a leaked order guide by now....

Edit: Looks like there is a media embargo that ends on May 20th so maybe we'll get pricing and option lists Wednesday along with the rest of the final specifications. Hopefully.

 

This would be a departure from what Toyota is doing where their top trim has captain's chairs, but you can get them as a $275 option on the XLE & up trims.

Adding any individual option to the Pilot is a departure from Honda. Honda sells its vehicles by trim line with the features included in that trim. The absolute exception is the option of Navigation or RES to the EX-L trim. Its just the way Honda markets and sells their vehicles. Toyota likes adding individual options to their vehicles in an ala carte style, so finding the perfectly optioned Toyota can be a trying experience.
If you are adamant about not buying any trim higher than an EX-L with wanting Captain's Chairs, then be prepared to go visit your Toyota dealer. I'm not expecting to hear anything different in the next couple of days with regard to vehicle content.

 

Much more information on spec will be released on May 20. I suspect the captains chairs will be as you suspect an Elite only item at least south of the border.

 

And we have our answer. Captain's chairs are only available on the $47k elite trim. Ouch.

 

Oh my. Just saw the 2016 Pilot for the first time. (I am totally happy with my 2013 EX 4WD) I absolutely HATED what Honda did with '07 CR-V, slicking it down like that. Now, looks like there is zero reason to choose Pilot over the multitude of the other slicked-down, minivan-ish SUVs.

My only hope is that 2016 will bring such a popularity nosedive for Pilot that by the time I am shopping for a new car, they bring the boxy shape back.

Otherwise, bye-bye Honda. :28:

 

You're probably out of luck. According to Honda, the biggest factor that negatively impacted the 2nd gen pilot sales was it's boxy shape. People, including me, didn't like it. The old pilot wasn't a truck, nor was it even truck based so why they tried to make it look like one when the trend was to make crossovers sporty and sleek is beyond me.

 

That is interesting. I was looking for an SUV with adult sized space in the 3rd row and good gas mileage and wanted the upper trim of each I considered. All the ones on my short list had captains chairs except the 2015 Pilot. That was a major reason I just bought my 2015 Pilot Touring. The bench allows me to seat 5 adults comfortably for road trips and have plenty of cargo space which is my primary use for the vehicle.

 

I bought the Acura MDX over the Toyota Highlander because the bench seats made more sense, especially if you have three kids plus luggage & stuff during vacations. Many Highlander buyers opted for a lower trim because they wanted the bench seats.

 

Hmmm, captains chairs might be the perfect solution to separate my boys and give their older sister free reign of the third row.

 

Hmmm, bench seats might be the perfect solution to separate my boys and give their older sister free reign of the third row.

You meant Captains Chairs to "separate" the boys?

 

Having had both a mini van with captains chairs and now our Pilot with double bench, we definitely like bench better. Kids only get bigger and will have more friends, and you'll be in carpools that involve sports gear at some point. The captains chairs are nice, but for practicality the bench seats can't be beat. So many configuration options. Grandmas coming along? No problem. Huge hockey bags full of gear needs to go in the very back for 3 teens? No problem. Need to move a huge piece of furniture? No problem. If you plan on keeping the car long term and not leasing, the bench seats give you the flexibility in configuration no matter the situation as the kids get bigger.

Also worth a mention. We have two teens, a boy and girl, who bicker constantly and the bench seat has never been a problem. On road trips the arm rest comes down and serves as a tray for their drinks, phones, ipads, food, etc.

 

Will someone send this reply to HONDA? Perfect!!!!:29::29::29::29:

 

I truly do find it idiotic that one must give up the middle bench to get the high trim line. And by high trim I'm not just talking luxury features, but additional safety features as well. And it's not just Honda pulling this crap, it's Toyota too (Highlander). Maybe others as well.

At least throw in a removable center seat, a la Odyssey.

This single issue forces me from considering a new Pilot or Highlander whatsoever and pushes me into the Durango/Explorer/etc. camp.

 

I had high hopes for the Highlander but that third row is way too small. Current Explorer seemed really awkward to maneuver 2nd and 3rd row functionality and the interior seemed to have an antiquated feel overall. I haven't paid much attention to the Explorer beyond a couple visits to look at it on the show room floor because my wife seems to have an issue with it for some reason so I'm not going to push the issue on a vehicle I see as very average for the price if you put any decent package together. I think the Explorer exterior looks nice and belive a redesign is coming along w the Acadia.

 

2016 Explorer is a pretty major update of the model based on reviews I've seen so far. The Acadia/Traverse etc GM trio, are still the longest of this class of SUV but reportedly shrinking a little in the next generation.

 

What do you guys think of this setup for a roadtrip machine:

4 Grown adults
1 3 year old in fwd facing carseat

Elite model, put the 3 year old in the 3rd row and lower half the 3rd row for trunk space.

My only concern is the safety of my kid from a rear end collision. If this really isnt an issue, then it would work well for the 2 adults sitting in the 2nd row captain chairs, and my kid could easily get to his seat in the 3rd row.

 

3rd row is definitely the least safe to be in a rear end collision, but I would also be concerned about allowing your 3 year old to buckle themself into the seat properly. Otherwise you are giong to have to crawl back into the 3rd row to make sure it is done properly and that would probably be a pain. If you're talking about a week long road trip once a year, maybe it's not a big deal, but if it is going to be an every week occurrence, I wouldn't want to be climbing into the 3rd row to buckle the safety seat.

 

I totally agree with Andy's post. I am also leaning towards bench seat but the new Honda configuratiln is ticking me off. I would like to get all the safety features along with panoramic roof but they don't have bench seat option anymore for higher trim. I really feel that Captain Chairs and bench seat should be an option in higher trims as well.

Message to Honda: You are really limiting options by making mandatory 7 seats in higher trims. Please provide bench seat in all trims because Honda was the only vehicle up until now with 8 seats all across but it's not the case anymore and this will have impact on your sales.

 

Local honda dealer just confirmed only the elite model will have captains chairs…dumb move honda.

 

So if you want a bench seat you can't get an Elite and if you want captains chairs you can't get an EX.

Classic Honda.

 

Yup, everyone is getting hot and bothered about the lack of bench seats in the Elite, like Honda personally killed their dog or something. When the reason likely a purely engineering one where they simply didn't have a place to attach the center seat belt on the panoramic roof.

 

Yup, everyone is getting hot and bothered about the lack of bench seats in the Elite, like Honda personally killed their dog or something.

I don't have a dog so Honda didn't kill it. But they did kill the Pilot Elite from my potential buy list.

 

There are other vehicles which offer bench seat in middle along with panoramic sunroof like the new Volvo XC90, QX60 and Pathfinder. Honda could have easily found a solution of having a bench seat even in Elite model...I guess the engineers didn't borther too much about this option.

 

All this talk over the third row being less safe. The 2016 has not undergone US News, Consumer Reports or NHTSA testing yet. However the 2015 Pilot rated the same as the Odyssey for rear end, but the Odyssey rated slightly higher overall. All those other SUV's and caravans with a plethora of third rows have various ratings on rear end collision safety.

Even then, after fifteen years of working and investigating accidents as law enforcement, and volunteering at the fire department, I have yet to see a third row only casualty where others lived. Its the third and second row who die, all passengers on one side or the whole car. Never seen a third row only. Doe sit happen, sure, but you could also hit a pothole, lose control, hit a telephone and die. Rare and not statistical relevant number by any means! if third rows were so dangerous, the NTSB or NHTSA would have banned them or a lawyer would have class actions suits abound.

At the Elite price point, if you want to have cargo and fit people, you need to be realistic in the options. The Pilot never fit a sheet of drywall, but a minivan does! Or spend a few bucks more and get a full size SUV like the Armada, Tahoe, etc...

So many want their cake and eat it to!

 

Problem with buying a full size SUV like the Armada, Tahoe, etc... is that you now need to drive a full size SUV like the Armada, Tahoe, etc.