Honda Cars Philippines Launches The All-New Pilot

After being teased by HCPI about a month prior to its launching, the all-new Honda Pilot has now been launched, with softened angles and a more stately design over the previous generation. As seen in the car’s front, the Pilot gains LED headlamps with LED DRLs, and a bold “Solid Wing Face” grille that is now part of the current design language of Honda. At the back, the LED tail lights create a sort-of fang-like effect, and the overall shape is somehow similar to the compact HR-V’s. The Pilot’s side profile is somehow similar to the equally large but more luxurious Mercedes-Benz GL, which is now called the GLS, and of course that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Inside, the design is more subdued and restrained. A mix of digital and analog gauges make-up the instrument cluster of the new Pilot. The center dash is dominated by Honda’s ubiquitous Display Audio infotainment screen, and if you’re familiar with the spec sheet of the Pilot in the USA, the gear lever in the PH-market Pilot is of the traditional type, and not the all-button layout used in the Honda Legend. This is because the Pilot is equipped with the 6-Speed Automatic rather than Honda’s new 9-Speed Automatic, which is not really a bad thing, but it would’ve been better if the latter transmission option. Dominantly done in black, the Pilot’s interior is subdued but made with high quality top notch materials. A 9-inch entertainment system for the rear passengers plays DVDs and other media sources.

Under the hood is a 3.5 liter i-VTEC producing 280 hp and 353 Nm of torque, and as mentioned, is mated to a 6-Speed Automatic, variably driving all 4 wheels. The Pilot introduces Honda’s new i-VTM4 all-wheel drive system. i-VTM4 works somehow like the Legend’s Sport Hybrid AWD (SH-AWD) system, wherein the torque vectoring of the car is not actuated by the brakes, but rather, in a more intelligent manner, by variable accelerating and decelerating power independently to any of the car’s 4 wheels, which should bring huge advantages to the car’s handling prowess, not that you’d take it on a racetrack though.

Perhaps the hallmark of the Honda Pilot is the all-new Honda Sensing suite of safety technologies. These suite of active safety technologies aren’t new, but it’s only in recent times wherein these technologies are slowly being equipped in our cars. Honda Sensing comes with Adaptive Cruise Control, Collision Mitigation Braking, Lane Departure Warning,  Blind Spot Monitoring, and Road Departure Mitigation.

Interested? The softened looks, new technology, and better driving experienced has led to a substantial price increase. Previously priced ay P2,600,000, the Pilot now costs P3,380,000, with an additional P20,000 for the White Pearl finish.