DRIVE
metronews.ca Wednesday, March 7, 2012
33
Softer grille is the new style
5 DRIVE
Top Gear
ALL PHOTOS WHEELBASE
Review. Honda charts a slight course correction for its popular all-roader MALCOLM GUNN
Wheelbase Media
It has been said that the eyes are the window to the soul. In automotive terms, perhaps
the same can be said for the grille. More specifically, Honda’s eight-passenger Pilot that was redesigned for the 2009 model year projected a go-anywhere strength and ruggedness. Too tough, maybe. A restyle for 2012 softens the look for friendlier, more aesthetically pleasing demeanor. Added to the grille adjustment, the Pilot receives new headlamps along with new and repositioned turn signals and a revised front air dam
that reduces fuel-robbing aerodynamic drag. What remains pretty much hidden from view is the Pilot’s familial connection to Honda’s premium-division Acura MDX. Both of these unique wagons share the same basic platform, but from that point the comparison pretty much ends. The Pilot’s squared-off shape reinforces its sport utility-vehicle leanings, although ground-clearance limitations
restrict the fun to boulderfree terrain and shin-deep – as opposed to knee-deep – mud. Even so, fording a 48-centimetre-deep body of standing water is apparently no problem for this rig. Taken in its entirety, the modestly tweaked 2012 Pilot isn’t a whole lot different. But in a category where impressions count, this Honda puts its best face forward and backs it up with sufficient comfort and capability to win the day.
2012 Honda Pilot • Type. Four-door, front-/fourwheel-drive eight-passenger sport utility vehicle. • Engine (hp): 3.5-litre SOHC V6. • Mileage: L/100 km (city/hwy) 11.8/7.8 (FWD). • Base Price (incl. destination): $36,400.
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