Although this course was specifically built for the Pilot, it was way more dramatic than what the average consumer would do with a three-row SUV. If you want your Pilot to look sportier, this is definitely the way to go.īesides doing a regular road drive, we also tested the Pilot on an off-road track. The package is available in silver, blue, red, and orange and can be added as an accessory. Something that willdistinguish the 2019 Pilot is the cool graphics package ($350), which includes decals for the center of the hood, vehicle sides, and wheels. Unless you've owned a 2018 Pilot or are looking at one side by side with the 2019 model, the changes are hard to see at first glance. On the back, the taillights have been redesigned, as well as the rear bumper. However, blind-spot monitoring and rear-cross traffic alert are only standard on EX, EX-L, Touring, and Elite models.Īs we previously reported, the Pilot receives an updated front fascia, and there's a new skid garnish on the lower part of the front bumper. In a push to bring more safety to Honda owners, the Japanese brand has implemented Honda Sensing as standard equipment on all Pilots, which means you get forward collision warning with emergency braking, road departure mitigation, lane keep assist, and adaptive cruise control. LX, EX, and EX-L trims come with a six-speed automatic transmission, and Touring and Elite models get the upgraded nine-speed. Regardless of the trim, all Pilots are propelled by the same 3.5-liter V-6 engine that develops 280 hp and 262 lb-ft of torque. We'll need to spend more time with the 2019 Pilot to make sure we don't experience more issues. The system isn't as smooth as those we've seen in the recent Fords and Chevrolets, but it isn't as agitated as BMW's. The start-stop system also acts quicker when restarting the engine in Sport mode, though you'll still notice noise and vibrations whether the engine is on or off. That changes when driving in Sport mode, where the engine revs at higher rpms and the shifting can be done using the paddles, which showed no delay. The shifts happen smoothly and at the right time, although the gearbox is always hunting for the highest gear to enhance fuel economy. We spent a few hours driving the 2019 Honda Pilot Elite on Southern California's twisty roads and highways and noted the changes in the transmission. In normal driving conditions, the transmission will start in second gear for a smoother launch, but that changes when driving is more aggressive or when the Pilot is in Sport mode. Honda made other revisions to the start-stop system, which now starts the engine a little more swiftly. Honda claims the response from the paddle shifters is faster, and that it's updated the shift selection strategy to maintain performance and combat shift frequency. Honda replaced the clutch and hydraulics to help shift speed and consistency, and modified the valve structure to improve persistent shifts. For 2019, the Pilot's nine-speed gearbox got hardware and software changes that address these issues. So it seems like Honda listened to us and to many customers who complained about the transmission's behavior. Editor-in-chief Ed Loh, who chaperoned that Pilot and documented his experience in a couple of updates, still wasn't pleased with how the new ZF-supplied transmission behaved, noting poor acceleration and slow response from the paddle shifters. In our long-term 2016 Pilot Elite, we had the transmission replaced under warranty at 21,428 miles after we experienced jerkiness and audible chirps.
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