But yes, there’s still enough room for your Scouts’ backpacks and sleeping bags. The true annoyances are of a different nature.
The floor at tailgate level is relatively high (the tailgate window can now be raised) – about 80 centimetres from the ground. What’s more, the cargo area is slightly angled toward the back, to the point where a round object would roll by itself even if the vehicle were stopped.
And to load eight-foot beams you’d have to condemn all seven passenger seats and fit them diagonally in the cabin. Finally, to avoid damaging the carpet, the cargo area should be covered by a tarp when hauling baggage.
Not a towing champion
The Pilot 4RM’s towing capacity is 2,045 kilos, which is better than the 1,590 kilos of the 2RM version. Compared to the competition, our Pilot Touring was in the middle of the pack, behind the Acadia (3,282 kg) and the Highlander (2,268 kg). Happily, this SUV is delivered with a factory-installed trailer hitch in every model.
A 3.5-litre V6 slumbers under the hood, a more fuel-efficient evolution of the engine used in 2008. An engine that’s equipped with a cylinder management system. When taking off, accelerating firmly or climbing a hill, all cylinders are used. But as soon as you drive at a constant speed, in the city or on the highway, the system deactivates two or three cylinders.
The letters “ECO” appear in green over the rpm counter, reminding you that the engine is using the minimum number of cylinders to maximize fuel efficiency. It should allow you to reduce fuel consumption by 7%, according to the automaker’s numbers. Which is quite a bit for a vehicle that, at the end of our test drive, had consumed a little over 14 litres per 100 km.
In our Pilot Touring power was dispatched to the drive wheels by a five-speed automatic transmission and the VTM-4 four-wheel-drive system. The shifter is now located on the dash board, accentuating the decidedly more contemporary look of the new dash. A look that goes hand in hand with the vehicles exterior styling and that, once again, you either love or hate.
photo:Luc Gagné
The floor at tailgate level is relatively high (the tailgate window can now be raised) – about 80 centimetres from the ground. What’s more, the cargo area is slightly angled toward the back, to the point where a round object would roll by itself even if the vehicle were stopped.
And to load eight-foot beams you’d have to condemn all seven passenger seats and fit them diagonally in the cabin. Finally, to avoid damaging the carpet, the cargo area should be covered by a tarp when hauling baggage.
Not a towing champion
The Pilot 4RM’s towing capacity is 2,045 kilos, which is better than the 1,590 kilos of the 2RM version. Compared to the competition, our Pilot Touring was in the middle of the pack, behind the Acadia (3,282 kg) and the Highlander (2,268 kg). Happily, this SUV is delivered with a factory-installed trailer hitch in every model.
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| With its VTM-4 four-wheel drive, the Pilot has something of the off-roader about it. |
A 3.5-litre V6 slumbers under the hood, a more fuel-efficient evolution of the engine used in 2008. An engine that’s equipped with a cylinder management system. When taking off, accelerating firmly or climbing a hill, all cylinders are used. But as soon as you drive at a constant speed, in the city or on the highway, the system deactivates two or three cylinders.
The letters “ECO” appear in green over the rpm counter, reminding you that the engine is using the minimum number of cylinders to maximize fuel efficiency. It should allow you to reduce fuel consumption by 7%, according to the automaker’s numbers. Which is quite a bit for a vehicle that, at the end of our test drive, had consumed a little over 14 litres per 100 km.
In our Pilot Touring power was dispatched to the drive wheels by a five-speed automatic transmission and the VTM-4 four-wheel-drive system. The shifter is now located on the dash board, accentuating the decidedly more contemporary look of the new dash. A look that goes hand in hand with the vehicles exterior styling and that, once again, you either love or hate.
photo:Luc Gagné
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