After reading what Honda R&D Americas Inc. Chief Designer Dave Marek has to say regarding the 2009 redesign of the popular Honda Pilot CUV, we sense that he might not think of the boxy model as his team's best work. We've heard our fair share of comments regarding the new Pilot's design, many of which are less than flattering. It seems as if Marek has heard the same detractors, and he explains away some of the more controversial elements, such as the floating front grille. Marek says of the grille, "[it] was a case of taking something that was on something else... and kind of massaging it to fit. On the mockup, [it] looks good. When you actually manufacture it, oops! That's actually what happened. It's hard to foresee." He follows that statement with, "I think when (the '09) is out on the road, people will appreciate it." Reading between the lines, it sounds like this may be a design of which he's not particularly proud.
When the new 2009 Honda Pilot turned up as a concept at the Detroit Auto Show in January, most observers were decidedly underwhelmed. Unlike many other recent crossovers, notably the GM Lambdas, Honda chose to go with a decidedly more utilitarian look for the second-generation Pilot. As Honda officials explained when we gathered for a preview drive of the 2009 Pilot, they wanted to retain the "Utility" in CUV and a big part of that involved maximizing the useful interior volume within the Pilot's relatively modest exterior dimensions. That means a boxy shape that provides room for up to eight (at least as defined by the seat-belts) inside.
While the Pilot won't be challenging the Buick Enclave or Mazda CX-9 for style points, it isn't too painful on the eyes. It's more a case of being almost invisible. The greenhouse is actually strongly reminiscent of the first generation Jeep Liberty, only longer. In spite of the rather barn like shape, it's actually more aerodynamic than the original Pilot, resulting in substantially less wind noise. In fact, the Pilot has a whole range of improvements that reduce noise, which we'll explore a bit later. There are also some things that might be considered a step backwards. Read on after the jump to learn about our first drive in the new Pilot.
