[Carole]

I am trying to figure out what color of Pilot I want to get, and have figured out that the interior color may guide me to the choices I have. I have a grey interior today and am sort of sick of grey, but am worried the tan interior will not take the abuse of three boys - 13, 11 & 5. They play soccer, football and hockey, so I have alot of foot traffic in and out of my car - keeping the interior quasi clean is a struggle.

I'm thinking about getting the all season floor mats - the rubber ones to protect the carpet...What's your impression of these?

Since I want leather, what is your thoughts on the grey vs. fern vs. tan interior for cleanability?

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

 

[Art]

IMHO, I don't think tan would hold up as well as far as staying clean.


:crazyeye:

 

[Twinkie]

I have grey leather in my Pilot. I had an Accord with grey leather. I had an Acura that had the saddle leather. Although I liked the saddle leather, it required more cleaning to keep it looking clean if you know what I mean. Long term wear and tear showed up more on the saddle as well in my opinion.

 

[BCinTX]

I got the Husky floor mats and they look good. Look at other threads and compare them with the OEM mats. I think any of them will go along ways, plus maybe a cargo liner for dumping muddy equipment in the back.

Not related to cleaning, but I don't particularly like the silver trim on the steering wheel and door with the saddle interior. Had I thought this through I probably would've gone with the Silver exterior and gray interior, which was my second choice.

 

[a2Pilot]

I've got tan cloth. It's been on the road 16 months now, and still looks great. I also have the All Weather Mats and Cargo Tray. Don't leave home without them!!!!

 

[Art]

I got the Husky floor mats and they look good. Look at other threads and compare them with the OEM mats. I think any of them will go along ways, plus maybe a cargo liner for dumping muddy equipment in the back.

:creeplook This in the wrong thread???


:2:

 

[Cajun Pilot]

This is our 2nd Honda with gray interior, and we love it! Our Accord w/ gray looks new after many years. I rode in a friend's van with tan interior and it was awful! Spills etc., stained the carpet and seats.

We are LUCKY we bought a 2003 Pilot, since we wanted the Redrock w/ gray interior, and the new '04's only come with the saddle. With that combo, we'd have had to choose another color, just to get the gray interior.
:4:

 

[guitarman]

Personally, I like the looks of the beige leather compared with the gray leather. But I agree with the other posters; the beige will probably show dirt and wear faster.

I have the OEM all weather rubber mats and love 'em. I also have the OEM cargo mat and it's great too. I can throw bags of mulch, plants, etc. back there without worrying about getting the carpeting dirty.

 

[ollicat]

Tan could be nice but Honda doesn't do tan well. When you look at the neutral or tan that is in the XC90 or even the new SRX by Cadillac you can see that the tan in the Pilot is kind of harsh. I like Fern the best, hides the dirt

 

[krygny]

Fern (implying there's a touch of green in it which neither I, nor anyone I know, can see) is just light gray. I would have preferred the darker gray, especially on the floor mats. They really show the dirt.

Is Honda now giving you the choice of interior color, independent of body color?

 

[jay]

I had a tan interior on my '98 Accord, and a light beige on my Highlander. I prefer a lighter interior. I'd really like a RedRock with Saddle interior, but am certain that my Starlight Silver with gray interior is much easier to keep looking nice.

What I'd really get tired of quick is that bronze/sunset/orange Murano with the orange leather interior.

 

[kadiir]

Is Honda now giving you the choice of interior color, independent of body color?

No.

Perhaps the OP is choosing int. color first & then looking at what ext. colors are available with it.

kad

 

[BCinTX]

This in the wrong thread???

Art, Carole asked about all weather mats as well as color.

 

[Carole]

Thanks everyone for your posts!

Now I just have to get the nerve up to go talk to the dealer. It's up there with dental surgery on my favorite things to do list....

Especially since I have a Town and Country minivan that I need to trade, and I know they're going to give me dirt on it, but I just don't want to deal with selling it outright, so I guess that's the price I pay...

 

[BCinTX]

<sorry for the thread drift here>

I've always hated this process too, but his time was much less painful. Here's what I did:

- Went to a local dealer to drive one. I told them I wasn't reading to buy today but asked what they were doing pricewise. He said they hadn't sold one under MSRP.

- Looked on the web and phone books for all Honda dealers within the 3 hour area I was willing to drive to. This included 3 of the 10 largest cities in the country (Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio) so I had lots of choices.

- Sent email, filled out web requests, and called any dealer that looked promising, asking them for their best price to make it worth my while to drive there, or keep my business local.

- Looked in the "Dealers/Your Experience" forum on this web site to see where people had good luck, and "Clubs" for my area on this site.

The DFW area club forum is where I found my best deal, and I called that dealer and said what I found here and asked if they would give me the same deal ($2000 off MSRP) and they did. I also described my trade in and asked for a price and they gave me a range. I made it clear I would drive away if they didn't honor that as I was describing the car accurately.

Not all dealers will deal on the phone or email, but many willl, and once you get a decent price it is a lot easier to deal with others. They will either beat it (or match it if they are closer), or you can thank them and hang up. If they are close keep them in case your best deal falls through.

You also need to get a bottom line price so you understand any processing fees, etc. They should be able to give you a VIN number and arrival date. Make it clear that you will walk (and report back here to other potential Pilot customers) if you get there and all is not what was agreed.

It's a bit more work but much more pleasant than being at the mercy of a salesman and manager playing their game on their turf. More like a dental checkup than surgery!

 

[ramirami]

I like gray....and I think fern and gray are very similar...

 

[74PILOTMOM]

Surprised, delightfully

I previously had a grey leather buick, and felt like I was getting into a cold cavelike environment. I didn't want grey again.

Thinking I'd want Saddle, I went looking for EX-L Pilots. First one I saw, I actually said "YUCK" as soon as I looked inside. That SADDLE leather is just ORANGE with a fancy name. The beige cloth is a much nicer color. Okay, this is all my opinion I'm sorry if i've offended anyone.

I test drove one with grey leather and was so happy to see how rich and dark the grey is, it's more charcoal. And looks great with the black leather accents on the door armrests and steering wheel. Fern is more of a light grey. I have yet to see one in person.

Loving the grey so much, I purchased my Silver/grey leather EX-L, and don't regret the color combo at all. I have 2 boys (4 & 7) who climb all over the place (especially on the center console :3: ) and it's holding up great and wiping up easily. Definitely go for the black all weather mats, it matches the black accents in the EXL.
Have fun shopping, Carole!

 

[jay]

Re: Surprised, delightfully

I previously had a grey leather buick, and felt like I was getting into a cold cavelike environment. I didn't want grey again.

...snip...
Definitely go for the black all weather mats, it matches the black accents in the EXL.
Have fun shopping, Carole!

I had the black all weather mats, and recently replaced them with gray Husky liners. Better floor coverage, and the gray makes the interior less like a dark, cold, cavelike environment. I just never liked the black mats. I'm also finding that the gray mats don't show dirt as much as the black mats did, particularly that orangey clay soil we have in Virginia.

 

[DanL]

Re: Surprised, delightfully

Thinking I'd want Saddle, I went looking for EX-L Pilots. First one I saw, I actually said "YUCK" as soon as I looked inside. That SADDLE leather is just ORANGE with a fancy name. The beige cloth is a much nicer color. Okay, this is all my opinion I'm sorry if i've offended anyone.

Ummm...you sure you weren't looking at the inside of a Murano???? :8: If this is orange, I'd hate to hear what color you think pumpkins are.... Blue?

 

[74PILOTMOM]

Simmer down man simmer down...That FLASH has helped your case out a lot- because that is the exact color I HOPED Saddle looked like. When you look at EX-L Grey interior with a flash, it looks alot lighter too.
Now the Murano- yikes, that's definitely ORANGE.