2004 Honda Pilot Granite Edition Road Test

Like many car-based SUVs, the Pilot doesn't offer a low range set of gears and its underpinnings are engineered more for light

The Pilot doesn't offer a low range set of gears and its underpinnings are engineered more for light duty off-road performance than traversing crumbling ridges. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press)

duty off-road performance than traversing crumbling ridges and shale strewn washouts. With much of the Pilot's architecture lifted from the highly praised Odyssey minivan which itself was pulled from the Accord sedan - and shared with the luxurious MDX - it's not surprising that it drives very much like the smooth, sporty sedan from whence it originally came. In fact, it may just be one of the smoothest riding midsize SUVs on North American roadways. The highly cooperative Pilot suspension setup is fully independent; utilizing MacPherson struts at the front, bolstered by an anti-roll bar. At the rear, Honda has wedged in a multi-link design with coil springs, buttressed by an anti-roll bar. These components come into their own on rough surfaces or when handling highway twists and turns more unpredictable than a Hitchcock flick. But force me into a handling versus ride-comfort corner and I'll pick ride-comfort as the primary orientation of the Pilot's springs. Although cornering ability isn't razor sharp, it is predictable and progressive in nature. However, turn-in is somewhat vague feeling, thanks in part to resistance that is on the lighter side of the power-assist scale.

Honda's butter-smooth 240-hp 3.5-liter (212 cu-in), 32-valve SOHC V6 powers the Pilot. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press)

The Pilot's refined ride is suitably complemented by a highly refined drivetrain that begins with Honda's butter-smooth 3.5-liter (212 cu-in), 32-valve SOHC V6 and ends with the distribution of its 240-horsepower to all four wheels. Within normal operating parameters, this pleasing mill goes about mobilizing the - large for its mid-size rating - SUV very inauspiciously, leading occupants into disbelieving their presence in an SUV. When power is called for, 242 pounds-feet of torque join the abundant horsepower in ensuring the Pilot is delivered where and when the driver's right foot dictates. Variable valve-timing technology further contributes to the Pilot's authoritative movement, making it seldom necessary to wring-out every last ounce of juice by keeping the pedal buried until redline. Under full throttle though, the V6 makes its existence known by accompanying forward thrust with an auditory intrusion into the cabin. A run up the rpm ladder is not unduly harsh or gruff, but more omnipresent than I would have expected given the superior muting and higher level of refinement the same powerplant delivers when installed in the MDX or Accord.