I think of Honda’s eight-passenger Pilot as the family and friends’ SUV. Many parents rely upon this spacious vehicle to transport kids, both theirs and those of others. Such is the case around my house.
Lots of seats plus room for gear
My description of the Pilot as the SUV of “family and friends” is founded upon Thursday nights, and that’s not as strange as it may sound. A bunch of teens in the hood, including my son, plus several parents including moi, have a Thursday evening season’s ski pass to a local mountain.
The routine, depending on whether teen or parent, is to grab a bite after school or work prior to heading for the hills and a night of physical punishment. Fortunately for all involved, the Pilot-owning parent works in the neighbourhood and can collect the evening’s multitude skiers and their gear for a quick and comfortable drive to the slopes.
This is a long-winded way of saying that a parent with an eight-seat SUV will never be lonely. Dave’s eight seats are filled on Thursday evenings with his three offspring and another three or four belonging to other parents; mine is included in this milieu of maleness, enabling me to head straight to the hill from the office rather than returning home to pick him up.
My point in belabouring the transport arrangements that allow us older skiers to demonstrate that youthfulness is wasted on the young, is to emphasize the Pilot’s versatility and functionality, which makes it the perfect partner for an active family and their grateful friends.
The Pilot’s combination of third row seating and four-wheel-drive (4WD) traction ensures that the union of family and machine is a fun partnership as well as a long lasting one. Yet, I have sympathy for Dave. Don’t expect serenity when six or more hyped-for-skiing teenagers are thrown into a single vehicle.
But even with testosterone-fuelled calamity occupying the multitude of seats, the Pilot has sufficient cargo space to accommodate the mass of skis, boots, poles and whatever else. Mind you, a background in engineering would be an asset in determining what goes where.
No such credentials are needed to enjoy the Pilot’s pleasant operational characteristics, which remain unchanged for 2011.
Lots of seats plus room for gear
My description of the Pilot as the SUV of “family and friends” is founded upon Thursday nights, and that’s not as strange as it may sound. A bunch of teens in the hood, including my son, plus several parents including moi, have a Thursday evening season’s ski pass to a local mountain.
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| I think of Honda’s eight-passenger Pilot as the family and friends’ SUV. (Photo: Rob Rothwell/Auto123.com) |
The routine, depending on whether teen or parent, is to grab a bite after school or work prior to heading for the hills and a night of physical punishment. Fortunately for all involved, the Pilot-owning parent works in the neighbourhood and can collect the evening’s multitude skiers and their gear for a quick and comfortable drive to the slopes.
This is a long-winded way of saying that a parent with an eight-seat SUV will never be lonely. Dave’s eight seats are filled on Thursday evenings with his three offspring and another three or four belonging to other parents; mine is included in this milieu of maleness, enabling me to head straight to the hill from the office rather than returning home to pick him up.
My point in belabouring the transport arrangements that allow us older skiers to demonstrate that youthfulness is wasted on the young, is to emphasize the Pilot’s versatility and functionality, which makes it the perfect partner for an active family and their grateful friends.
The Pilot’s combination of third row seating and four-wheel-drive (4WD) traction ensures that the union of family and machine is a fun partnership as well as a long lasting one. Yet, I have sympathy for Dave. Don’t expect serenity when six or more hyped-for-skiing teenagers are thrown into a single vehicle.
But even with testosterone-fuelled calamity occupying the multitude of seats, the Pilot has sufficient cargo space to accommodate the mass of skis, boots, poles and whatever else. Mind you, a background in engineering would be an asset in determining what goes where.
No such credentials are needed to enjoy the Pilot’s pleasant operational characteristics, which remain unchanged for 2011.
 |
| The Pilot has sufficient cargo space to accommodate the mass of skis, boots, poles and whatever else. (Photo: Rob Rothwell/Auto123.com) |