2005 Honda Pilot Test Drive

A Pilot Seat Worth Sitting In

It's got plenty of room and a reasonable price, but the best thing about the midsize Pilot is that it's made by Honda.

Should You Buy This Car?

There are three reasons why people buy Hondas. One goes back to the point made earlier in this story: because they run so well for so long. The second reason is resale value. It is too early to tell how well the Pilot will hold up over the years but, according to Kelley Blue Book, a 2004 Pilot EX will retain 64% of its value after two years and 38% after five years. These enviable numbers put the Pilot's resale value alongside those of considerably more prestigious SUVs, such as BMW's X5 and General Motors' extremely popular Cadillac Escalade, which already have some of the highest residual values among all cars.

Last, Honda offers good value for money. The Pilot comes in two basic models: the LX, which has an MSRP of $27,100 and the EX for $29,470. The EX comes standard with front and rear climate control, seven speaker AM/FM/CD/Cassette player and a security system. For $32,370, the EX comes with leather seats and the DVD player, and it costs $32,870 for leather seats with the navigation system. This price puts it smack up against a wide range of midsize SUVs, including the Ford Explorer, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Dodge Durango, Toyota 4Runner, Chevy TrailBlazer and Mitsubishi Endeavor.

So far the Pilot seems to be selling pretty well, which shouldn't be surprising considering its price and Honda's reputation. In 2003, the Pilot's first full year on the market, it sold a respectable 106,917 units -- only a little behind the more established 4Runner, which sold 109,308. These numbers are dwarfed, however, by such midsize heavyweights as the Explorer and Grand Cherokee. Nevertheless, both of these models saw their sales dip in 2003 -- 14% and 7%, respectively -- so clearly there is plenty of opportunity for Honda to exploit this niche.

At the end of the day, some buyers may want to go with a larger or snazzier SUV, but it would be hard to find one that offered so much for the money. And hey, after all, it's also a Honda.