Honda Pilot 2008 Model Information
Necessity makes for strange bedfellows, and Isuzu has had some of the strangest of all. Isuzu-produced vehicles have been rebranded and sold as Chevrolets, Toyotas, Subarus and even Hondas, usually in situations where the partner company didn't have a vehicle in its lineup ready to meet a rapidly emerging demand. In 2003, Honda finally replaced the Isuzu-produced Passport with its own minivan-based Pilot. The Pilot later went on to fame as one of America's most popular crossovers, owing largely to the engineering time that Honda had already put into the Odyssey.
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Chassis Basics
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It's entirely possible that Honda would have continued using a rebagded Isuzu as its flagship compact SUV, if not for the fact that Isuzu-shareholders Fuji Heavy Industries -- Subaru -- and General Motors couldn't decide what to do with Isuzu, or who actually owned it. Honda, never one to lay at the mercy of other corporations' skulduggery, decided to retool its second-generation -- 1998 to 2004 -- Odyssey minivan into a compact SUV. The first-generation Pilot hit the streets in 2003 and ran through 2008, so its chassis actually outlived the minivan that it was based on. Basing the Pilot on a the Odyssey minivan was a slightly controversial -- read "derided" -- move at the time, but it made sense. Honda's Lincoln, Alabama plant had been producing Odyssey minivans for years, so opening a second assembly line there to build the American-spec SUV was a fairly savvy move on Honda's part.
Powertrain
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The Pilot's sole powerplant was Honda's smooth and versatile 3.5-liter V-6. This 24-valve engine, one of the first V-6 engines to use a VTEC system and a variable-length intake manifold, delivered 244 horsepower at 5,750 rpm and 240 foot-pounds of torque at 4,500 rpm. Honda offered a single transmission and axle gear-set with the Pilot; it's five-speed automatic sent power through a 2.42 first gear, 1.57 second, 1.02 third, 0.78 fourth and 0.60 fifth gear to 4.38-to-1 axle gears. Like the Odyssey, the base Pilot arrived in front-wheel-drive form; however, buyers could also opt for the VTM-4 -- variable torque management -- four-wheel-drive system. Essentially a precursor to Honda's modern and amazing SH-AWD system, VTM-4 defaulted to front-wheel drive under cruise. It routed power to all four wheels under acceleration and when the front wheels slipped, and utilized a manual locking rear differential.
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Trim Levels and Dimensions
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The Pilot came in four trim levels: base VP, then EX, SE and EX-L, and all were available in both two- and four-wheel drive. Over the VP, the EX offered standard heated mirrors, fog lights, a garage door opener, security system, temperature display and power driver seat. Upgrading to the SE got buyers a power moonroof and a standard upgraded entertainment system with rear audio controls and headphones -- a total of $1,700 in options over the EX. "Upgrading" to the EX-L actually forced buyers to pay for the upgraded entertainment system -- just like the EX -- but compensated by giving buyers the option to pay an additional $2,200 for a navigation system. The Pilot measured 188 inches long, 77.5 inches wide and 71.3 to 71.7 inches tall depending on whether or not you ordered four-wheel drive. The VTM-4 system also tacked about 200 pounds onto the base Pilot's 4,264-pound curb weight.
Performance and Consumer Data
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The Pilot wasn't terribly slow for a crossover SUV, hitting 60 mph in about 7.5 seconds and breezing through the quarter-mile in about 15.9 seconds. Two-wheel-drive models were rated to tow 3,500 pounds; upgrading to four-wheel drive increased that to 4,500 pounds. The four-wheel-drive Pilot, in spite of its minivan origins, actually posted some decent off-road figures: with 8 inches of ground clearance, a 28.8-degree approach angle, 23.1-degree departure angle and 21 degree breakover, it was hypothetically about as capable off-road as a Jeep Liberty or a Toyota Tacoma. Two-wheel-drive models rated 16 city and 22 highway mpg, and four-wheel-drive models delivered 15 city and 20 highway. As of 2013, you can pick up an excellent-condition, front-drive model for about $16,000. If you'd like the VTM-4 system, prepare to part with about $19,500.
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