The Honda Pilot is Honda's second SUV fully built and designed by Honda, released in the summer of 2002 for the 2003 model year. The Honda Pilot is built in Lincoln, Alabama and was built in Alliston, Ontario, Canada up until April 2007. The Pilot is now built exclusively at the Lincoln, Alabama plant. Honda's initial SUV offering for many years was the Passport, which was a rebadged Isuzu Rodeo. Where the Passport was truck-based, it replaced the extended-wheelbase EX trim of the Passport. The Pilot shares underpinnings and the powertrain with the Acura MDX, which has a lineage which can be traced to the Honda Odyssey minivan. The Pilot�s unibody construction, however, is fortified with integrated perimeter frame rails, which helps it withstand light off-road use.
The Pilot was designed to fill a large American demand for SUVs. Prior to the introduction of the Pilot, Honda only had the smaller CR-V based on the Civic, and the aforementioned Passport. However, the CR-V lacked in features many American consumers looked for in an SUV, which are overall size, passenger space, and towing capacity. The Pilot is at most designed to withstand light-duty off-roading. The Pilot has been a best-seller for Honda, with Honda selling over 100,000 Pilots in 2004, an increase of almost 20% over 2003. The Pilot is sold in North America, while Japan and Australia get its relative, the Honda MDX instead. In the Middle East, the Pilot is sold as the Honda MR-V.
Official website
Second generation :
Production 2009-
Assembly Lincoln, Alabama
Wheelbase 109.2 in (2774 mm)
Length 190.9 in (4849 mm)
Width 78.5 in (1994 mm)
Height 71.0 in (1803 mm)
Engineering
LX EX / EX-L Touring
Engine Type V6
Engine Block/Cylinder Head Aluminum-Alloy
Displacement (cc) 3471
Horsepower @ rpm (SAE net) 250 @ 5700
Torque (lb-ft @ rpm) 253 @ 4800
Redline (rpm) 6300
Bore and Stroke (mm) 89 x 93
Compression Ratio 10.5:1
Valve Train 24-Valve SOHC i-VTEC�
Multi-Point Fuel Injection standard
Drive-by-Wire� Throttle System standard
Variable Cylinder Management� (VCM�) standard
Active Control Engine Mount System (ACM) standard
Active Noise Cancellation� (ANC) standard
Hill Start Assist standard
Variable Torque Management� 4-Wheel Drive System (VTM-4�) Available
High-Mounted Fresh-Air Intake standard
CARB Emissions Rating ULEV-2
Direct Ignition System with Immobilizer standard
Heavy-Duty Radiator with 160-Watt Fans (2) standard
Heavy-Duty Power-Steering-Fluid Cooler standard
100K +/- Miles No Scheduled Tune-Ups* standard
Transmissions
LX EX / EX-L Touring
5-Speed Automatic Transmission standard
Heavy-Duty Automatic-Transmission-Fluid Cooler standard
Body/Suspension/Chassis
LX EX / EX-L Touring
Unit-Body Construction standard
MacPherson Strut Front Suspension standard
Multi-Link Rear Suspension with Trailing Arms standard
Stabilizer Bar (mm., front/rear) 23.0 / 26.5
Variable Power-Assisted Rack-and-Pinion Steering standard
Steering Wheel Turns, Lock-to-Lock 3.69
Steering Ratio 19.0:1
Turning Diameter, Curb-to-Curb (ft) 38.6
Power-Assisted Ventilated Front Disc/Solid Rear Disc Brakes (in) 13.0 / 13.1
Wheels 17" Steel 17" Alloy
All-Season Tires P245/65/R17 105T
The new Pilot is available in four models; LX,EX,EX-L, and Touring. Its assembly began in Lincoln, Alabama. It receives a new V6 vtec 250-horsepower engine with 5700 RPM, its EPA is 16 city/23 highway and 17 city/23 highway. The exterior adds a new wheelbase which is 109.2 in (2774 mm), its length is 190.9 (4849 mm), width is 78.5 in (1994 mm), and its height is 71.0 in (1803 mm), its visibility is wider like the MDX. Much of the interior has changed, receiving a tri-zone automatic climate control system, a Satellite-Linked Honda Navigation System with an inference dial, which is only available on Touring, new two-position memory settings for the driver's seat, the third-row seats remain small like the Acura MDX, a new power tailgate, and a new 115-volt power outlet on the Touring. These specifications that were added are like the new MDX's.