In a long list of great family SUVs, the Honda Pilot has to be near the top. It consistently proves itself with value, reliability, and good looks. To find out for ourselves just exactly what makes the Pilot so special on a day-to-day basis, we decided to add one to our long-term fleet of cars. Now, we have a Honda Pilot Elite prowling the streets of Atlanta and stalking the local shopping malls.
- First Things First: Our Pilot Elite
- Familiar Price
- Update: Light Towing
- Update: Road Trip to NY
- Comfort Behind the Wheel
- Best Road Trip Features
- Putting in the Miles
- Update: Daily Driving Features We Like for a Family
- Infotainment: A Whole New Viewpoint
- Head-up Display: A Feature You Never Knew You Needed
- Quick Access: Keyless Entry for Back Passenger Doors
- Trunk Space Galore
- CabinTalk
- Gallery
First Things First: Our Pilot Elite
The specific Pilot we ordered is an Elite. In Honda-speak, that’s near the top of the heap regarding trim levels, upstaged only by the Black Edition. Many buyers will likely opt for an EX-L or Touring version. One thing to note about the Elite trim on the 2024 Pilot: all-wheel drive is standard. It’s optional on EX-L and Touring.
Honda’s way of equipping vehicles differs slightly from that of other automakers. The trim level (EX, Touring, etc) determines nearly all the features. For example, our Elite has no added options. Still, it comes nicely equipped with a leather interior, heated and ventilated front seats, power driver and passenger front seats, heated second-row seats, Bose premium audio, wireless phone charging, adaptive cruise control, rain-sensing wipers, heated windshield, 20-inch wheels, puddle lights, and a host of Honda-specific safety technology.
A 285-horsepower V6 powers every 2024 Honda Pilot. The engine connects to a 10-speed automatic transmission with driver-selectable modes, hill start assist, and hill descent control.
Video editor Brian Roskelly says: “The Pilot is certainly a sensible choice in the segment, but you can find more impressive tech and driving dynamics in some of its competitors for the same price. While I’m happy it is sticking with a V6 engine for the foreseeable future, I had some issues with throttle response and a bit of transmission confusion. Honda’s high-gear transmissions have not always been the smoothest, and it seems this one is still not 100% there. Trying to pull out of a parking lot onto a busy road? You’ll need to plan ahead, as the initial tip-in on the throttle is never quite ready when you are.”
Familiar Price
Add all that up, plus the unavoidable destination fee, and the price rings in at $53,375. Coincidentally (or not so coincidentally), that is nearly the exact price of our long-term Kia Telluride. The Kia is exactly $25 less expensive. Although the point isn’t to compare, the Kia does feel a little more upscale versus the Pilot, but that is largely due to color choices. Honda has several good color choices, including ours, “Modern Steel Metallic,” with a black interior. Honda has only one added cost color on the Elite: “Sonic Gray Pearl.” You’ve probably seen that on the road; it’s pretty and adds a little flair. Regarding options, both Honda and Kia offer accessory packages with all-weather floor mats, bike racks, upgraded wheels, and that kind of thing.
Start pricing 3-row SUVs, and you’ll find that the $45,000-$50,000 range is a common theme. If you want leather seats and a sunroof, you’ll already be well into the high $40K range.
So far, the 2024 Honda Pilot Elite is what we’d expect from Honda: competent, comfortable family transportation with a little bit of style. For comparison, a Honda Pilot Sport costs $41,295 and is still a nicely equipped standard 3-row SUV.
Used 2024 Honda Pilot Prices
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Retail Price
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Fair Purchase Price (92620) | |||
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$46,313 |
$45,702 |
Update: Light Towing
Update by Rob Nestora
I recently received the keys to our long-term 2024 Honda Pilot Elite, and so far, it’s been a handy and stylish daily driver. I’ve taken it on several trips to the farmers market for grocery runs, where it admirably performed while turning a few heads. I found the robust midsize SUV surprisingly easy to maneuver despite its size. Even tight parking spots were easy to get in and out of — an ability I discovered during an exceptionally busy Saturday at our local Home Depot. But what was even better about that fateful trip to the glorious DIY emporium was that I got to sample the equipped towing package on the Pilot.
The 2024 Honda Pilot Elite has a towing capacity of 5,000 pounds, more than enough for open-top trailers for yard debris, which is what I rented. There’s plenty of tow-friendly functionality on our Pilot, such as a dedicated tow mode, a 2-inch receiver, and a prewired trailer hitch harness equipped with a round 7-pin connector. I had to buy a hitch mount and ball ($39.99) and an adapter for the wiring from the trailer ($24.99) — a mere pittance by modern standards.
Hitching to the trailer was easy enough, and a helpful Home Depot employee assisted. In a few minutes, I was homeward-bound on a mission of trash and tree limb relocation from my overgrown backyard to the local dump. There was enough debris for three trips to the dump, at around 1,000 pounds of refuse each. When including the 1,000-pound weight of the trailer, the total towing weight came to under 2,000 pounds. I’m happy to report that the Pilot handled the job so effortlessly that I now have plans for more towing jobs in the immediate future. Stay tuned for more of our towing experiences in future updates.
Update: Road Trip to NY
Update by Rob Nestora
Road trips are always great opportunities to experience a vehicle more in-depth than quick trips around town. Those long hours behind the wheel allow you to delve into the features, comfort, and practicality of what you’re driving. I recently took our 2024 Honda Pilot Elite on a 2,400-mile round trip from Atlanta to New York and discovered what this midsize SUV can do on a long trip.
Comfort Behind the Wheel
Driver’s seat comfort is important in daily driving, but it’s vital for long road trips. The handsome brown leather 10-way power seat in the 2024 Pilot Elite provided ample comfort along the journey. There’s a handy memory feature to preserve your settings and plenty of adjustable lumbar support for those with lower back pain. After over 30 hours behind the wheel, I can report that I emerged from the cabin no worse for the wear, despite random T-shirt stains from pit stops at Arby’s. The seat was comfortable enough even for a 45-minute power nap at a rest stop.
Best Road Trip Features
By far, my favorite features for road trips are adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assist, and our Pilot is equipped with both as part of the Honda Sensing suite of technology. Overall, the adaptive cruise control is adequate, but acceleration and deceleration while using the system are not as responsive as if a human were to control the inputs. The system doesn’t haphazardly jump on the brakes every time someone enters your lane in front of you, but it can be overzealous in deceleration as you reduce the set speed on your vehicle. Similar behavior in acceleration can be experienced when a preceding vehicle traveling slower than the set speed decides to switch lanes. One second, you’re behind a slow-moving VW Golf; the next, your engine is roaring to reach that 7-mph-over-speed limit benchmark.
While the adaptive cruise control is above average, the functionality of the lane-keeping assist was excellent. The vehicle’s location inside the lane is displayed on the dash when in use. Other vehicles are also represented on screen, creating additional spatial awareness, which is helpful in a larger SUV. The lane-keeping did a great job of holding to the center, unlike other systems that tend to meander from line to line. The inclusion of this feature made the trip far easier and more enjoyable, as opposed to a laborious odyssey to the urban sprawl that is the Northeast.
Putting in the Miles
The total distance driven from Atlanta to NYC and back added up to a whopping 2,436 miles, including a side quest to the Berkshires to visit relatives. During the voyage, the Pilot averaged 24.4 mpg in combined driving. That’s just 0.6 mpg short of its 25 mpg highway rating. Better fuel economy means less pain at the pump and more time on the open road, where the 2024 Honda Pilot Elite continues to exceed expectations.
Update: Daily Driving Features We Like for a Family
Update by Renee Valdes
Driving the 2024 Honda Pilot Elite around metro Atlanta for several weeks provided the opportunity to see how this midsize SUV functions as a daily driver for a family. My teen started senior year in high school at the beginning of August and doesn’t yet drive (I know!). So not only do I make trips to and from the high school, but this mom also drives around our dog Jojo, a Basenji mix, a few times a week to a favorite walking spot. Here are my favorite features on the Honda Pilot so far.
Infotainment: A Whole New Viewpoint
For years, I wondered if the infotainment system would ever become flush with the dashboard. In Honda vehicles, the infotainment screen sticks up out of the dashboard. To me, I felt the screen sticking up out of the dash could get in the way of the eye’s view outside. Now, a new perspective from my teen. As a short driver, he sees the infotainment screen at eye level, so the driver, even a safe parent driver, doesn’t need to look down at anything on the infotainment system. That’s something to weigh and, depending on your preference, take into consideration. Then again, this particular vehicle comes with a head-up display. Read on.
Head-up Display: A Feature You Never Knew You Needed
The Pilot comes with a head-up display as part of the Elite package. This feature is one you don’t know you need until you try it out. I’m a big fan. This HUD allows you to see speed when you engage adaptive cruise control and more.
Quick Access: Keyless Entry for Back Passenger Doors
I’ve driven a fair number of vehicles with walk-up keyless entry for the front driver and passenger doors. In the Honda Pilot Elite, what a surprise to see that its Smart Entry with Walk Away Auto Lock works for keyless entry on the rear passenger doors. That’s a plus when carrying a child or groceries for easy entry. Let’s just say I wish I had this in my daily driver.
Trunk Space Galore
What happens when you don’t need three rows of seats? The space doesn’t need to go to waste. As any family can attest, there’s plenty of room for many of the items families need their SUV for, from groceries and soccer equipment to bicycles. The Honda Pilot Elite, like other models, quickly converts with tugs of the straps. The Honda Pilot, not unlike the competition, offers about 18.6 cubic feet behind the third row, expanding to 87 cubic feet with the second and third rows folded down. You get slightly less than that in the Elite, though it completely solves many of life’s hauling issues. Our pup also finds it comfortable when you remove the middle bench seat and replace it with a doggie bed.
CabinTalk
Our Honda Pilot Elite comes with CabinTalk, the car’s PA system. This feature isn’t unlike those you would find on other SUVs of similar size, including the Kia Telluride. But it’s a great feature worth paying for if deciding between the Sport and other trim packages where it’s included. Here’s how it worked on a recent Saturday. I took four boisterous passengers for a ride to a nearby restaurant for dinner. There was so much noise that I had to spark up the CabinTalk to get a point across (and the last word in). Now that’s convenient.
Gallery
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As a prior 2024 Pilot Elite owner for 6 months, this 4th gen Pilot SUV is nothing but trouble. Two steering rack replacements and one front stabilizer replacement under 4,000 miles with a month at the dealership. Would absolutely avoid.
I have had 2000 Pilot EXL 2021 Pilot Touring and recently upgraded to the 2024 Pilot Elite added Towing and I could not be happier. the Ride is Smoother to me then the 2021 Touring. there is a little more space in the rear and a compartment for the second row middle seat you can remove and store. I also have a 2022 CVR EX-L.
What about rice quality? Nose levels? Why are reviewers skimpy on these details?
I recently purchased Honda Pilot touring, my excitement was dampened when I took it for rust proofing, it was leaking oil and already rusting (within one week of receiving brand new vehicle), took it back to dealership, they kept the vehicle for more than three weeks bcoz the part was not available and top of that did nothing to address my concerns about the rusted parts (very disappointing), contacted Honda Canada about the issue but received no positive response (I was told that it is normal)…..overall the vehicle is an excellent choice, I wish they will consider changing the 10″ screen with bigger screen in the future.
I have a 2016 Pilot Ex. I get up to 30 mph on highway trips and can also pull heavy trailers with ease. Have only had to do standard maintenance on it. Only complaint is front hood latch is not firm. Shakes at higher speed
53k huh? Geez that’s exactly what my first house cost. I think I’ll keep my 30 year old 2wd F150 with the six cylinder engine and the millennial anti theft device (Manual Transmission)
The exterior of the 2024 is about par for the Honda lineup, however the interior is still stuck in the last decade. Small infotainment screen slapped to the top of the dash like some afterthought. Other manufacturers have stepped up their game with many technical features and much nicer interiors. While many love their V6 engines and terrible gas mileage, the lack luster looks are keeping Honda from selling more vehicles.
I agree, the Pilot’s interior is a little plain versus some of the other midsize SUVs.
I don’t have a new pilot 2024 but I’m on my second pilot and I love them. I have had a 2013, and I have a 2021 Honda pilot SE and I still love this car. It’s very reliable and I have more than enough room on the inside. My job as an Uber Driver it provides more than enough room for my passengers and anything else they need to put in my vehicle. Everyone loves the car and always comments on how much room they have and how nice the car is, and a lot of my passengers are more than 6 foot talk. I also love how reliable my car is with both Honda’s I have owned they are more than reliable I never fear being stuck on the side of the road.
Pilots are SMALL. I was shocked that, at 6’0, my knees are almost touched the dashboard. Does anyone want your knees, hips, thighs to be main supports for the front bumper?!! To have front-impacts head straight thru your knees and thighs? TINY CABIN. I tried the Trailsport, thinking it might be any improvement. The salesman said, “Oh, the Passport has another inch.” Uh. ONE INCH?!! Geez, thanks but that’s a BIG vehicle and TINY cabin.
You must have a strange shaped torso? I am 6’3″ with 34′ pant legs and have plenty of room in my 2021 Pilot, and have been in a friends 2021 Passport and found both to have more than adequate room, even with another adult sized person in the rear seats. Sorry, but have to disagree with you on your comments. YMMV.