Teresa’s View: Pilot a comfortable, enormously sensible rig

Two of my three brothers own Honda Pilots, so I asked how they like the midsize SUVs. Let me preface their comments by saying that Pat and Greg are engineers and about as sensible as anyone you know.

Both answered exuberantly for the Dilbert set. They reported the Pilot’s dimensions are perfect for hauling munchkins to baseball and soccer practices. The interior, they said, has held up to the type of abuse only children can inflict. Additionally, maintenance costs are few — they offered exact figures — and reliability is high. Importantly, their wives are thrilled they don’t drive a minivan.

Complaints? There are a few. Gas mileage isn’t fabulous — 17 mpg city/22 highway — and, like most SUVs, cargo space is limited when the third-row seat is in place. Front side airbags are standard, but side curtain airbags aren’t offered.

The Pilot shares platforms with the MDX sport-ute from Honda’s upscale sister company, Acura. It has the same smooth-as-butter ride and carries many of the MDX luxury-ute’s polished manners.

Here’s a secret we must keep from my sister-in-laws, though — both the Pilot and MDX are based on Honda’s minivan, the Odyssey. It’ll be our little inside joke.

For 2005, the Pilot gets a power bump. The 3.5-liter V-6 jumped from 240 to 255 horsepower. Other refinements translate to smoother, more responsive shifts and an enlarged fuel tank provides an extra 40 miles between refills.

What Is It?: The Honda Pilot is an all-wheel drive, eight-passenger SUV from Honda. Prices start at $28K for the entry-level LX and top out at over $34K for the EX-L model.

Gadget Rating: 8 out of 10. There’s nothing whiz-bang here, just a well laid-out Gadget Central. New ambient lighting was added this year, and a few of the knobs and switches have been upgraded. The wind deflector on the EX-L’s sunroof has been improved and the two top EX trims now come with a 6-disc CD changer.

The Back Seat: A full-size third row gives the Pilot room for eight. My nephews and niece prefer the way-back accommodations, so having extra room here is wonderful. Access is difficult for adults — another plus for the kids. I am to add that the rear windows roll down all the way.

Trivia: The Pilot replaced the Passport in 2003.