Honda Pilot, Is There Enough Room??

I worked for Honda for a few years. The Pilot is going to drive like a truck/SUV. Like B said, see if you can rent or take an extended test drive in one.

I think you're gonna have a hard time squeezing 2 kids and the dog in that second row... You'll prob need the third row down to store luggage.... Id def go with another minivan for space, comfort, a smoother ride, and your gas mileage is way better in a minivan than an suv

I looked at the pilot, and the odyssey. I ended up with the odyssey, and am glad I did! I thought I was ready for a pilot with kids going off to college, but the odyssey has been a WONDERFUL help 'schlepping' them (and their 'stuff) back and forth to college.

I am thinking after they are all finished, they can each chip in for a sports car for me!

lol
best

My husband has a Pilot and he loves it.
But I prefer my Town and Country and it's what we use when we all go out together.
The captain chairs in the 2nd row in the minivan are adjustable - the 2nd row in the Pilot is not as comfortable.
See if you can rent a Pilot and use it for a few days.
The people who have them love them.
But I just really love my minivan.

Can the dog get into and out of the pilot on his own without hurting joints?

We just went from a big suv to a minivan and it is SO much easier and so spacious!

I had looked at the Pilot and a Highlander and chose the Highlander. It just felt roomier. Had captains chairs on the second row for 2 teenage boys with the dogs in the back. Easy access to the 3rd row was pretty important to me. The Highlander also drove more like a car, less truckish. Your kids are still very small though so the Pilot would probably be fine.

I had the older Honda Pilot (the newer is bigger / roomier) when my two smallest were the exact same ages yours are now. It was very roomy and reliable.

I installed an outside step (forget the name) for them to climb in and out. Otherwise, it's a bit steep for them. I had one car seat, one booster seat and the back was for the dog / groceries / extra seat if needed. I like the 60/40 split 3rd row, we used it a lot for friends, hauling long items, etc.

I can easily fit my family of four which includes a 6'2 husband, 15 year old boy who is almost as big, and a 13 year old girl, and a golden retriever into my CRV! If I can fit that into the smaller version I am damn sure the Pilot will be roomy!

Granted if you are over packers you may have issues.

Oh and not to be that person who says you will find... but I feel I must. You will find people with minivans cling to them as the only comfortable form of transportation. I drove minivans for 18 years and did the same thing. "Sure Molly in her SUV looks cool but she doesn't have the room I have!!" I will fully admit I wanted Molly's SUV and knew damn well it had the same room as my kid hauler!

Heck! I have a friend with a quad cab, or something like that, truck. It has more room than any minivan I ever owned!

I have owned my Honda Pilot for almost 8 years now. I have 2 teenagers and a huge dog. I used to own a Nissan Quest van. Similar to your story.

We have taken many vacations with the dog. We keep the 3rd row of seats folded down and she gets roughly half of that area. She's cozy and happy. The other half is carefully packed with soft suitcases that we bungie cord together so nothing will tip over on the dog. We have even camped- tent, coolers, etc. and made it fit. Early on, we bought what we call a Roof Poof- one of those zippered bags that strap to the roof rack.

My kids were a bit older than yours when we switched to the Pilot. We didn't have strollers which take a lot of room. Also the kids were old enough to understand opening doors carefully and avoiding door-dinging the car next to us. They didn't need me to step in and adjust car seat straps or seat belts. All things to consider.

Another interesting fact we learned is my youngest gets carsick in the Pilot where she never did in the van. The Pilot sits higher and you feel the sway on curvy roads more.

As for the Honda Pilot in general? I absolutely LOVE mine and would buy another in a heartbeat. The mileage isn't great, my van had better MPG, but I still love it and recommend them any chance I get.

Love my Pilot! Do not like minivans. Do not handle well in snow! I have two car seats in mine. Dog would have plenty if room in cargo space. I feel safe in this car. Odyssey reminds me of a hearse.

Just bought a Pilot after having a Pathfinder for 12 years. Absolutely love this vehicle. Yes it sits up high but I prefer that. I feel like this vehicle was made for me - handling, the ride, space. It just feels secure - important to me as I have to do regular highway driving. Never owned a minivan so I can't compare cargo but I have a dog a kid and what seems to be an endless mountain of groceries and we're good to go.

We have a pilot with a 5 year old and a 2 year old and love it. Plenty of room for the dog with the third row folded down.

As far as the poster who said her 5 year old couldn't get in it alone, my daughter has no trouble at all, but we do have running boards. With kids or shorter women I would definitely get that as an extra.

I just went through the shopping process. I got a Honda Odyssey in order to have space. To me, the Pilot looked big from the outside but not that big on the inside. The spacious second row takes up a lot of room.

I just posted an answer to similar question recently, you might search. My son used to work for Honda, thought Pilot (2013) was great until they owned one. Children age 5 and 2. Five year old could not get in and out of car without help. They borrowed my CRV (2013) and it had more space for the car seats and doors opened wider in the CRV.
After 10 months, they got rid of Pilot, now have Mercedes small SUV and are extremely happy with it.