Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Honda Pilot owners?

Looking to buy the previous generation Honda Pilot. Limiting myself to 2013-2015 because they have the boxy body style I like and have a back up camera.(don’t judge). I habitually search for this narrow range of pilots with low miles. Curious what anyone may have as experiences with these vehicles?

Found a 2014 Honda Pilot LX 4wd with 24k miles for $18900, before haggling. Seems high but seems like a good opportunity.

My wife has a 2015 Model that she absolutely loves. It is not a very macho vehicle, but I must admit, it is an ideal family vehicle. We have no complaints at all with it. We intend to give it to our daughter when she goes to college. My wife will certainly want another one.

Wife drives one. It’s not a bad rig. 4wd and an actual kinda locker thing, lots of room, comfortable. It’s done well in snow and mud.

Only gripes would be mediocre gas mileage and the thing is oddly wide. It takes a little getting used to.

I've got an older one.. 2006.. its been relatively trouble free.. have done the maintenance on a regular basis..

293,000 on it right now... and its running just fine...

around the 400K mark, I'll be looking to replace it.... about 3 years or so...

the 2014.. jump on it...or it'll be gone real soon...

Yeah I let one escape me this spring that was a value. I don’t want to let that happen again.

Madmooner what kind of gas mileage are you getting?

My wife and I are on our third Pilot and really like them. Current one is a 2019, but unfortunately we didn't have the generation you are looking at, so I can't be too much help.
We tried a CR-V in those years and found it to be a little too small, and I was a bit gun shy of the CVT transmission, although it worked pretty well.

Sir how do you like the current Pilot then? Only reason I like the previous model is just the boxy body style.

Under 20 average for sure. Maybe 18ish?

Highway trip you can baby 20+ out of it but mixed driving sinks it quick.

mine run 24 to 26 on the hwy on trips... 19-20 around town..

for the size and power from the engine, I rate that as pretty good..

I've talked to others that average much less... 14 to 16 around town.. 17 & 18 on the hwy.. I think they have the foot too much into the gas peddle...

One thing I found this year when we were in the market for a new vehicle for my wife is the Acura MDX. We only ended up laying slightly more for it than the Pilot we looked at. Same vehicle, just nicer. Get up to 25 hwy, 21-22 overall.

I had an ‘18 Pilot Elite, didn’t like it. Way too soccer momish, and I couldn’t stand the transmission hunting for the correct gear at a left turn or rolling stop. Felt downright dangerous when turning left across 3 lanes and the damn thing doesn’t want to go.

1 month after purchase Honda announced the new Passport. I bought a ‘19 Elite in March 2019 when they first came out. No 3rd row, so rear end is shorter. I love that, way more trunk space. Engine and transmission is the same as the Pilot, but totally different and more aggressive with the software programming. Fixed 95% of what I hated about the Pilot. Vehicle now starts in 2nd gear eliminating the hesitation and slamming into/out of 1st gear. 1” taller ground clearance due to different springs. Much better approach and departure angles, I damn near ripped the front and rear bumpers off the Pilot crossing a ditch on property that i crossed for years with an old Lexus rx300.

My wife is driving the '04 Pilot that I drove for 12 yrs., it currently has 130K + miles on it. I loved it and found no faults in it, she has no plans to get rid of it any time soon. We are Honda brand loyal having owned a Civic, two Accords, a Passport and an Odyssey van. None of these vehicles required anything but routine maintenance and all were driven well over 100K miles.

We just picked up a 16 Pilot after lockdown to replace my wife’s 06 Odyssey and she loves it. We’ve done a couple road trips in it and get about 22 MPG; city we’re more like 18-19.

I’d jump on that 14 if I were you that’s a good deal and they are popular and go fast.

Wifey has an Accura MDX, a fancier Pilot. It’s been good so far.

I have the MDX too - more power but demands premium gas. I'm not as lucky on gas mileage as you. I'm getting 17 around the city, about 19 on the hwy

Looked at them and went with a Highlander. Less maintenance(no timing belt) , more powerful motor and reliability.

Wife drives a 2016, been wonderful so far. The joker will scoot too. I could see how that price may seem high but nice used cars with low mileage are bringing a premium now.

Cotis....we just turn off the idle stop when we initally crank the vehicle. Problem solved.

I just checked the mileage on our 2015. It is averaging 20.5 mpg.

We have a 2014 we bought 3 years ago with 40k miles and we have just rolled it to 100k. Dislikes. Engine seems under powered compared to the v6 in our previous 07 sienna. Transmission is a bit harsh and dated feeling. Biggest dislike. The radio and ac control are not intuitive I get pissed each time I get In The car to adjust them. Infotainment system sucks and was made in a time when vehicles were transitioning. Worse yet is it looks like you can’t swap it to anything aftermarket. Gas mileage sucks my f150 with twin turbakis I think gets better mileage. Gas tank is dinky. It seems like the car is constantly out of gas.

Pluses: comfortable seats! Leather seems pretty decent quality, steering wheel, and seats. Best plus. Car is utterly reliable. Not one issue. Meanwhile the f150 bought at the same time brand new has had quite a few issues. If you like the car buy it. If infotainment is a big deal to you, It is me. I would buy something else. If not you should like it.