2022 Honda Pilot

For what you get, the Pilot is a good buy and well priced against similarly equipped competitors such as the Kia Telluride and Toyota Highlander. However, until the arrival of the new base model, it has nothing to compete with the rivals' base models, all of which start out in the low $30k range. The price of the Honda Pilot's base EX-L model starts at an MSRP of $39,060. Honda Pilot prices quoted here do not include tax, registration, and a destination fee of $1,225. Next up is the Special Edition, which will set you back $39,660. The Touring costs $43,620 and the Elite will set you back a pricey $49,120. For the top of the range Black Edition, expect to pay $50,620. Upgrading from FWD to AWD will add an additional $2,000 to the Honda Pilot's cost.

The general rule of thumb when it comes to handling is that if it doesn't look sporty, and it's an SUV, it's most likely going to handle like a moose on ice. That is not entirely true with the Pilot, but there's no hiding the fact that it's a large car. Out on the open road, the Pilot feels stable, even above the speed limit, and in town, the suspension is well sprung for a comfortable driving experience. It's when you start flinging the Pilot through the corners that it starts to show its shortcomings. Flick the Pilot into a bend, and its weight and ride height become immediately apparent. It doesn't like being flung around, yet retains its composure as well as can reasonably be expected for a three-row family crossover. The 20-inch rims that come on higher trims detract from the otherwise pleasant ride quality and we would suggest avoiding them if possible. It should perform relatively well off-road, but we wouldn't put that theory to the test as it is not 4WD enabled.

We like the new Honda Pilot for many reasons, the main one being the fact that it does exactly what it says on the label: it's a relatively affordable people carrier with enough room to fit seven or eight people and their stuff, and it does so with high levels of comfort and enough power, while not using too much fuel. The exterior of the Pilot is a sore point: we think it looks dreary when compared to the competition, but it's what's inside that counts. The interior is a basic setup, but it's perfect for what this Pilot is good at, which is driving around loads of people on a regular basis. The engine and transmission combination is also a good one, with the 3.5-liter V6 offering strong performance. With such a broad lineup of trim levels, it is easy to find one that's perfect for you, and there's also a pretty long list of features if you want even more individuality. We wish the infotainment system was more intuitive, but the eight-inch screen does a serviceable job. At the end of the day, you can't really go wrong with buying one of these.

The Pilot was never intended to be a premium luxury vehicle, and it shows: the sedate exterior styling and basic interior design are all built around the idea that the Pilot will serve as a hard-working family SUV. For this reason, we're going to look at the lower half of the range. At the top end of the range, the Black Edition tries too hard to be a premium and sporty car, and we're not convinced, so we'll give that a skip. If it were up to us, we would go with the EX-L that already comes with everything you need, including leather upholstery, heated front seats, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration, along with an eight-inch infotainment display and safety features such as LED fog lights and blind-spot monitoring, all for a price of $39,060. If you want something cheaper in the low-$30k region, you'll have to opt for a rival or wait for the new base model.

The Telluride is a highly competent product from Korean car manufacturer Kia, and at first glance is the more handsome car. By a mile. The Telluride looks fresh and combines stylistic elements of the Volvo XC90 and Range Rover in a midsize package, which works really well. Power is provided by a 3.8-liter V6 unit that produces 291 hp and 262 lb-ft of torque, which is sent to either the front or all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission. We love its smooth V6 engine, and large families will definitely appreciate the generous interior space with 7 seats, which we might add is more stylish than the Pilot. The ride is beautifully set up, and as is usual with Kia products, you get a ton of standard features. Unfortunately, it's not as fleet-footed as the Pilot. We would still take it over the Honda, though.

The Highlander has been around in one form or another for over two decades, and Americans are still buying them in droves, which surely means that it's good, right? That answer is not that simple: the Highlander gets a lot of things right but fails at a few as well. The Toyota is motivated by a 3.5-liter V6 offering 295 hp and 263 lb-ft of torque. Power gets channeled to the front, or all fours via an eight-speed auto transmission. We appreciate its highly configurable seating arrangement that is perfect for large families on the go, with a total of 8 passengers accommodated. It also comes with a good amount of standard features and a long list of safety tech. On the road, it is composed and quiet, but the Honda is the better car in this regard. On the other hand, the third-row seating is very tight, and we aren't impressed with the cluttered dashboard. We'll take the Honda.