The 2016 Honda Pilots are here...Now!

Fully redesigned from the ground up, and substantially re-energized in form and function, the all-new third-generation 2016 Honda Pilot stakes its claim as the new benchmark in the three-row mid-sized SUV segment.  With more of everything family SUV buyers are looking for – performance, fuel efficiency, comfort, safety performance and premium features – in every model and trim, the 2016 Pilot goes on sale June 18 with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP)¹ starting at $29,995 for the Pilot LX with 2WD.

 

Among its many no-compromise attributes, the new Pilot’s 280-horsepower², directed-injected 3.5-liter i-VTEC^® engine adds 30 horsepower while receiving a segment-topping EPA combined fuel-economy rating of 23 MPG for the 2WD with nine-speed automatic transmission, up 2 MPG from the 2015 Pilot.³ The technology-enhanced efficiencies continue with the available i-VTM4™ AWD system that not only allows you to drive all wheels with traction in a variety of driving conditions but also applies torque vectoring to enhance dynamic driving agility.  And family functionality is better than ever, with a more spacious third row and cargo area and One-Touch Walk-in third row access, and a host of ports and plugs to accommodate virtually every imaginable device, from smartphones to iPads, game consoles to digital video cameras, with up to four 2.5-amp USB outlets for charging the family’s most power-hungry stuff.

“The 2016 Pilot takes full advantage of Honda’s packaging expertise to deliver the outstanding, family-friendly cabin space that has made Pilot such a popular choice of family SUV buyers,” said Jeff Conrad, Honda Division senior vice president and general manager. “This third-generation Pilot reaches higher into the premium end of the three-row SUV market than ever before with a new line-topping Elite model that will give us an even stronger foothold at the upper end of the midsize SUV segment.”

The all-new 2016 Honda Pilot SUV, with seating up to eight passengers, joins the best-selling Honda CR-V and all-new HR-V as the flagship of an expanded lineup of innovative, benchmark-setting Honda SUVs. It is the third generation of Honda’s popular three-row SUV to be designed, developed and manufactured in America. The new Pilot was designed and developed by Honda R&D Americas, Inc., in Los Angeles and Ohio, and is manufactured exclusively by Honda Manufacturing of Alabama, LLC, in Lincoln, Alabama.⁴

“Our design team in California and development team in Ohio worked to create a new breed of no-compromise SUV that meets the diverse lifestyle needs of American families,” said Marc Ernst, Pilot Development Leader. “This means the 2016 Pilot has incredible family functionality when the kids are in tow, a stylish and premium experience for a night on the town or an off-road adventure.”

Since its arrival in 2003 as the first three-row, mainstream SUV to be developed on a car-like unit-body platform, the Pilot has helped set industry standards for fuel efficiency, spacious and thoughtful interior packaging, safety performance, and dynamic handling performance in the midsize SUV segment. American consumers have responded by purchasing more than 1.4 million Pilots over the past 12 years. Pilot also ties the CR-V in having the highest brand loyalty of any Honda model, with approximately 63 percent of Pilot buyers returning to purchase another Honda vehicle.

Reengineered from the ground up, virtually every aspect of the 2016 Pilot has been thoroughly redesigned to better accommodate the needs of all its occupants – the driver and all passengers – delivering more family-friendly utility, more advanced technology, and more premium attributes and amenities than ever before. The 2016 Pilot also ups the ante for premium refinement with major upgrades to interior quality and more standard comfort and convenience features on all trims, along with the addition of a new, line-topping Elite version that offers a series of Honda-first features including 20-inch wheels and tires, ventilated front seats, heated second-row seats, a heated steering wheel, a first-ever panoramic glass roof and many other premium family SUV features.

The 2016 Pilot is powered by a direct-injected 3.5-liter SOHC i-VTEC^® V-6 engine with Variable Cylinder Management™ (VCM^®) – along with the available two new advanced transmissions and a class-defining all-new intelligent variable torque management (i-VTM4™) AWD system with Intelligent Traction Management and torque vectoring capability. Together, these features make this the most powerful, refined and capable Pilot Honda has ever offered. These technologies, combined with a nearly 300-pound reduction in vehicle weight (on upper trims), improved aerodynamics and reduced running resistance, make this the most fuel-efficient offering in the midsize SUV segment, with EPA fuel-economy ratings improved by as much as 2/2/2 mpg city/highway/combined³ over the previous model.           

The new Pilot also moves to the top of the class in safety performance with the most comprehensive suite of Honda Sensing™ advanced safety and driver-assistive technologies ever offered on a Honda vehicle. Furthermore, the 2016 Pilot adopts the next generation of Honda’s Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure along with a new “3-bone” underbody frame design and new hot-stamped ultra-high strength steel door rings. Taken together, these engineering features and technologies deliver major gains to the Pilot’s collision avoidance and collision protection capabilities, as it targets the highest available U.S. government (NCAP) and IIHS safety ratings.

¹ MSRP (Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price) excluding tax, license, registration, $880 destination charge and options. Dealer prices may vary.

² Peak power: 280 HP @ 6000 RPM (SAE net), peak torque: 262 ft-lb (355 Nm) @ 4700 RPM (SAE net)

³ Based on 2016 EPA mileage ratings. Use for comparison purposes only. Your mileage will vary depending on how you drive and maintain your vehicle, driving conditions and other factors.

⁴ Manufactured using domestic and globally sourced parts.