2013 Honda Pilot Review

The Honda Pilot has chosen to go against the current with today's crossover segment styling. While other three-row family wagons like the Chevrolet Traverse, Nissan Pathfinder and Toyota Highlander have become sleeker, more rakish models over time, the Pilot has become boxier and more SUV-like.
Though the Pilot might have a more rugged look, it's still a crossover tried and true, with a standout interior package and an excellent drivetrain, though we have nits to pick with its fit and finish, and features and equipment.
Especially if you're a household that eschews minivans yet needs a roomy interior, and three rows of seating, the 2013 Pilot remains one of the best picks. The overtly boxy body yields an especially roomy interior, as well as great versatility for busy weekend-hauling needs. Yet with a carlike unibody design, bolstered structurally with some of the benefits of an SUV, the Pilot is able to draw from the best of both worlds.
A five-speed automatic transmission is paired with the familiar 250-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 in the Pilot, and it altogether keeps with Honda's smooth, responsive, and sweet-sounding reputation for these powertrains. EPA highway ratings are now up to 25 mpg, making it one of the most fuel-efficient three-row vehicles.
Once you get past the initial surprise of the tall driving position, you'll find handling to be reasonably crisp, with good maneuverability. Ride quality is on the firm side, but the optional four-wheel-drive (actually all-wheel drive) system has a Lock mode and is a champ in deep snow or mud. Four-wheel-drive models can tow up to 4,500 pounds.
The Pilot has for years been a top safety achiever, and it includes side-curtain bags cover all three rows, along with the usual roster of security items. For 2013, a rearview camera system is standard on all models and helps with visibility, which can be an issue in the blocky, tall Pilot.
The 2013 Honda Pilot remains offered in four different trim levels: LX, EX, EX-L, and Touring. All four are offered in 2WD or 4WD, but beyond that you need to ante up to one of the top two trims in order to get a lot of the more desirable options and convenience features.
We recommend the more affordable LX and EX models, as they're a better value and don't overlap in pricing with some luxury vehicles, as top-of-the-line Limited models do. They include rear air conditioning, keyless entry, cruise control, and a seven-speaker sound system. Leather upholstery, a Bluetooth hands-free interface, USB/iPod connectivity, a power tailgate, and a navigation system all remain only available on the EX-L and Touring--a serious impediment to broader sales success.

With styling that's boxy and brash, the 2013 Honda Pilot continues go quite in the opposite direction than most of the industry, when it comes to utility vehicles. But at the same time, that makes the Pilot look and feel refreshingly different in a sea of family-sized crossovers that all tend to blur together styling-wise if you've spent much time cross-shopping them. And, another aspect in going against the grain, with such a simple design is that the Pilot seems rather ageless on the outside--and it likely won't appear dated quite as quickly as other mainstream crossovers.
We do have a few nitpicks, however. Honda added a number of chromed-and-beveled details to the current generation of the Pilot, and up close those details may feel overwrought to some shoppers. Last year, Honda tried to tone down some of that in a mid-cycle refresh--especially the oddly framed grille, subbing in a more tasteful grille that we see fitting in much better with the look that Honda's been giving its passenger cars in front.
Inside the Pilot, the look is different, for sure, but it's anything but traditional and simple. The very upright instrument panel can feel cluttered, and it feels a bit gimmicky--either overwrought or busy. That said, the interior trim and instrument-panel design do continue the chunky, somewhat macho look of the exterior.