Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled - Jalopnik Comments

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled

DanielleButes — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 23:50:12 EDT

Comment on Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled I waited and waited for the first generation Pilot to look better, better, better! This is a marginally improved styling attempt on ultra conservatism which will age well, however producing little emotion along the way; a vivid example of pure,100% Honda philosophy (that works and sells!). The new Pilot has many "traditional (old) Japanese styling school" details which lack sophistication. The second generation CRV had a purposeful, upright and clean look; the deteriorated third gen now comes with French curves in the rear quarters and an ugly, bulgy butt. The new Accord is bland and substandard in appearance to the Camry (think Ford Galaxy). I was going to "wait out" for a 2009 Pilot (hoping the changeover would happen in MY 2008) but purchased a Tahoe Z-71 and won't look back....I can accept four mpg less for more torque, more room and a little more "macho" and style. My wife may strong-arm me into replacing her 2005 Acura RL with the new Pilot. Styling be damned, Hondas are lovely inside, have the best engines in the world, and that intangible "Hondaness" that places the marque in an exclusive (and successful) place all of its own. **************Planning your summer road trip? Check out AOL Travel Guides. (http://travel.aol.com/travel-guide/united-states?ncid=aoltrv00030000000016)

DanielleButes

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled

2970337 — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 02:48:42 EST

Hey Honda People! you still have time to change your design on the 2009 PILOT...Search the web about the feedback of the 2009 PILOT and you'll know the feedbacks...Maybe HONDA hired designer from FORD or GM...what a PILOT crashed!!!

2970337

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled

Pealot — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 20:43:39 EST

Here I was all excited to see the new body style unveiled - what a disappointment!! SAy

Pealot

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled

aa27aamd — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 16:38:20 EST

I say we sue for false advertising! Especially since the last picture on the Honda Prototype site isn't even close to reality! What a disappointment!

aa27aamd

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled

GreenVanMan — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 22:37:58 EST

@SwatLax: I could, but the doctors would have to cut it off to save my life.

GreenVanMan

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled

RoninianHoon — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 15:23:56 EST

Dam that Honda Pilot looks like a Ford Explorer...

RoninianHoon

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled

FreeMan — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 12:41:48 EST

But wait! Isn't that a tan interior with blue/black seats? What are they thinking trying to inject some color into the interior? This will not be tolerated!

FreeMan

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled

dolo54 — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 09:43:13 EST

Looking at this compared to the Explorer America you have to wonder if they got the same feeling women get when they show up at a party and someone is wearing the exact same dress.

dolo54

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled

abgwin — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 09:13:11 EST

fugly! fugly! fugly!

abgwin

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled

Hyman Decent — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 01:01:06 EST

Isn't this a "version" of the 2009 Pilot that's been somewhat dressed up and dubbed a prototype rather than what will actually show up in dealerships this fall? In other words, shouldn't everyone chill out?

Hyman Decent

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled

petersterncan — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 00:12:46 EST

I think it looks marginally better than the current Pilot. The question I have is... what is the tow rating on the new model?

petersterncan

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled

ZWECK — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 22:38:48 EST

I've never liked the pilot and by the looks of it, I never will.

ZWECK

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled

slyseekr — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 22:33:10 EST

I keep looking at the pictures, and cannot stop chuckling to myself. The car seriously looks like it wants to buzz around, sprout some wings and fly off into the wild blue yonder.

Such a shame too, the concept illustration that Honda passed around had my hopes up for something attractive.

slyseekr

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled

slyseekr — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 22:19:50 EST

I think I'm going to advise my mom to buy a Pilot sooner than later.

slyseekr

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled

jonnyobrien — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 22:07:51 EST

Gaaaa. That is awful. How could the company that did the Civic do such a bad job on the Ridgeline, then the Accord, now this. Seriously, how did the Civic get designed in the middle of all of this crap.

Almost makes me want to put Bangle up a notch or at least partially forgive him.

Almost.

jonnyobrien

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled

athodyd — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 21:10:54 EST

To be honest, this is the first time I've seen Honda's new design language kinda-sorta work. SUV's are big, ugly, blocky things and should be styled as such.

athodyd

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled

zweirad — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 19:30:46 EST

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled

Paris Auto Show: Plans for 2010 Pilot Facelift Revealed...

Man, the designers at Honda must have been low on sleep when they put this face on the Pilot. The current model is no looker, but this one is just fugly. To bad they didn't try to snag some of the design cues from the MDX. At least that one has a cool looking grill.

zweirad

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled

buyj3llo — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 18:35:54 EST

You guys are being overly dramatic. It's not the most beautiful car ever, but it's not ugly. Besides, I'm sure they will tone it down before it gets shipped out, just liked they did with the accord coupe.

That being said, if you look at it head on, it looks kinda like megatron transformed into a honda element.

buyj3llo

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled

Number_Six — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 18:00:45 EST

Rip the styling from the old Nissan X-Trail, add interior styling by Fisher-Price but assembled by tupperware. I had suspected something had gone wrong at Honda when the new CR-V came out with Ssangyong rear quarters. Now I can see that those evil Koreans have successfully infiltrated and are well into project "Ugly Honda."

Number_Six

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled

Peter S. — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 17:35:02 EST

I scrolled down the page and that car's headlights scared the shit out of me. That makes it the only Honda that has ever stimulated emotion.

Peter S.

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled

eltonito — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 17:24:19 EST

Wait, you mean this isn't the 2009 Isuzu Trooper?

eltonito

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled

Aaron Martin-Colby — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 17:22:35 EST

Holy crap, that's weird-lookin'.

Aaron Martin-Colby

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled

Maymar — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 17:21:58 EST

@stopcrazypp: It must've stolen the Dave grille from Ford.

I wouldn't be surprised if they released a "Pilot Inspektor Lee" edition, it'd make sense if the Scientologists were behind something as deranged as this.

Maymar

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled

stopcrazypp — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 17:00:16 EST

It looks like honda's version of the ford explorer america except with an chevy uplander rear end to make it look more minivanish.

stopcrazypp

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled

stu-rock — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 16:06:45 EST

Wow, it's awful. Much has already been said about the front, though it's not any worse than some current Ford truck grilles.

That tailgate, though, is a mess. What's with the inset taillights and the resulting bulge? Look in the right rear quarter shot—you can't even see the left light. I bet that's as close to violating FMVSS as you can get.

Between the front and the back, however, the thing's OK.

stu-rock

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled

Euromobile — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 16:05:10 EST

@ApolloV: I've been pondering why those new CRVs are everwhere too. They're really ugly. That bulge in the tailgate is one of the weirdest styling features I've ever seen on a car.

This thing takes it to a whole new level. Yikes.

Euromobile

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled

AutoIntelligence — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 15:45:14 EST

Honda/Acura has tremendous engineering prowess, but their styling has steadily gone downhill. The new Accord looks like it was designed by GM in the '80s, the CR-V is worse than the last generation, the RL is the most bland luxury car in the market. On top of that, the MDX looks like it belongs on a Star-Wars set, and this new Pilot is just horrendous. The lights...the body...this is a huge mistake for Honda.

AutoIntelligence

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled

gamble — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 15:29:17 EST

That leather's awfully blue.

gamble

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled

ApolloV — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 15:27:17 EST

I just don't get it - any design that draws a comparison to the original Liberty is not a good thing. But what I really don't understand is no matter how hideous the new Honda's (CR-V) they end up selling better than ever. Am I just getting old? If this was 1960 would I bitching about the missing tail fins?

ApolloV

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled

Novaload — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 15:22:27 EST

It's got the proverbial Coke-bottle bottom/Hubble telescope corrective spectacles!

Novaload

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled

Tomsk — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 15:16:09 EST

@superbmtsub: It's Optimus Prime's slow, disfigured brother, Gluteus Prime!

Tomsk

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled

superbmtsub — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 15:10:09 EST

The headlights looks like a transformer's eyes.

superbmtsub

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled

smokyburnout — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 15:09:59 EST

@SwatLax: maybe it's a tumor?

on the bright side, it appears honda has let one person, and not a comittee, design a new model. too bad it was a blind person...

smokyburnout

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled

Trident2 — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 15:02:18 EST

OMG! Looks like- pressed thru a fugly grinder!

Trident2

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled

Mad_Science — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 14:57:37 EST

I'm not sure it'll be much of a Pilot with eyes like those.

Mad_Science

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled

SwatLax — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 14:51:38 EST

I can't see how this could ever "grow on me."

SwatLax

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled

Mooker — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 14:49:39 EST

The headlights are vaguely Tron-ish...

Mooker

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled

Tomsk — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 14:48:41 EST

The face looks like a piglet sucking a jalapeño.

This, combined with AW's Wes Raynal reporting that the new 4-cylinder diesel won't be going in the Accord and will instead be reserved for Acura, gives me the strong impression that the house that Soichiro built has taken its eye off the ball.

Tomsk

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled

racerx — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 14:39:13 EST

what

racerx

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled

Fitty7lax — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 14:36:12 EST

Honda apparently has secret ambitions to be better than BMW. At everything. Including shitty styling.

Fitty7lax

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled

Simpsons-Movie-ruled — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 14:31:51 EST

BURN IT!!!!!put it out of its misery

Simpsons-Movie-ruled

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled

drewpardieu — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 14:30:20 EST

What. The hell. Are they thinking.

And I thought the new nose on the Accord was bad. This, wow, yuck, woah. Not really very well integrated into the design, huh?

drewpardieu

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled

Lichtronamo — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 14:28:53 EST

OMG - It looks like an old Isuzu Trooper in the back and I don't even want to look at the front.

Lichtronamo

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled

Simpsons-Movie-ruled — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 14:27:21 EST

Looks like a bugeyed freak!!!!! EWWWW, oh the horror

Simpsons-Movie-ruled

Detroit Auto Show: 2009 Honda Pilot Unveiled

gamble — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 14:24:49 EST

That looks...bizarre.

gamble