| havasu |
I have friends who have a Highlander and an Odyssey. Here are pics of our Pilot with the Highlander; will get some Odyssey pics too, probably next week when we all park our cars together at work.
Obviously it's a bit bigger than the Highlander; looks lots bigger from the back when they are parked side-by-side; not as big a difference from the front. The Pilot sits much higher off the ground in the back. |
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| havasu |
| angled view showing a bit of the fronts |
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| havasu |
| view showing some of the backs of the vehicles |
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| RipRocK |
| I was almost ready to buy the Highlander until I heard that Pilot was coming out about a couple of months later. Needless to say, the wait was worth it and I don't regret the decision one single iota.:D |
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| Jerry |
| I actually was waiting for a specific color, but when it came in the dash and 1/4 center console looked like a Fisher-Price design and I passed on it. |
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| ontheverge |
| I love seeing the comparisons. I think the Pilot is so much more than the Highlander, inside and out. Is your Highlander friend jealous? |
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| xyzzy |
If the Pilot were not available, the Highlander would probably be in my garage right now. I really don't need the third row and it really wasn't a matter of space as the Highlander had plenty of room for my family (wife, 2 kids) and all of our stuff. It did come down mostly to available options and interior styling. Mechanically, both are very capable and reliable. I do have to admit that I actually like the exterior styling on the Highlander a bit more. The Pilot is a little boxy, especially towards the back. Great comparison pics!
Chris |
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| havasu |
quote:
Originally posted by ontheverge
I love seeing the comparisons. I think the Pilot is so much more than the Highlander, inside and out. Is your Highlander friend jealous?
Actually I think he's very happy with his Highlander. Like our Pilot, he waited months and months to get the color (interior and exterior) he wanted... waited for the '02 model to come out.
Hopefully Monday I'll get a pic with his wife's Odyssey as well. We all park in the same place.
xyzzy/Chris, the third row seat was exactly what caught our attention. We have just two kids, but the extra seating is important when we travel to Florida and take relatives out to dinner -- they live waaaaaaay out in the woods and we can't visit during the ride if we have to take two vehicles everywhere!
We took the Pilot out to dinner with 6 tonight - nice! Kids sat in the very back, watching "Lord of the Rings" on the RES - the now-proclaimed official "Pilot" movie! |
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| xyzzy |
Relatives wanting to chat during the car ride was the reason that a third row WASN'T on my list.:p Just kidding. I do like my in-laws. I keep telling my wife's mother that she is my favorite mother-in-law.:29:
Regarding the "official" Pilot movie, it turns out to be "Jimmy Neutron" around here.
Chris |
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| havasu |
OK, here is the Pilot with the '99 Odyssey and the '02 Highlander.
Sorry the Highlander is cut off on the right. The sun was bright and I couldn't see what I was doing! It's the same Highlander shown above. Will try to get some more/better pics another day. |
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| havasu |
| The three of them from the back |
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| jfrano |
Yep, I actually had a deposit down on a Highlander, when I read about the Pilot in February. I was able to get the deposit back and plucked the money down on a Pilot a few days latter. The Pilot proves to be bigger, faster, handles better, more advanced 4wd, better snow/rain handling, better off road handling, has the third row, gets the same MPG and costs less. Also I think looks lots better. I really don't like the way the Highlander roofline starts sloping downward towards the rear. The Pilot is straight and strong more masculine!
Couldn't be happier!
Joe |
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| airgate |
| WOW! That looks great!:D Thanks for sharing! |
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| a2Pilot |
Great Pics, Havasu!
The Highlander really looks more like a wagon than an SUV when it's parked next to the Pilot!
:D |
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| Older than dirt |
| I had negotiated a maxed-out Highkander for $1000.00 over invoice a week before the Pilot was released, but decided to wait and look at the Pilot in person. We had already driven an Acura MDX on several occasions but could not get a deal I was comfortable with. Thankfully, I waited for the Pilot!!!:2: |
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| havasu |
quote:
Originally posted by a2Pilot
The Highlander really looks more like a wagon than an SUV when it's parked next to the Pilot!
I agree. Actually, I sort of like that. I'm still getting used to driving the BIG car (my beloved small Saturn SL2 is now being driven by my better half, who claims he'll get door dings in his school parking lot.) |
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| 03pilot |
Nice comparison shots.
The Highlander does look like a wagon rather than a SUV, doesn't it. |
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| BillR |
Great Pics Havasu.
Some day I'll get a digital camera.
Many people think the Highlander is a lesser vehicle than the Pilot because of size and lack of a third seat. If you need the size or seat there's no comparison.
We've got both and I like both very much for different reasons.
I'll post a summary of differences as soon as I can.
The Pilot is substantially larger and does handle better when pushed but conversly it floats which the Highlander never does.
For every item I find I like in the Pilot I find something I like equally in the Highlander. They are very different vehicles.
Build quality, the Highlander defineately wins.
As for AWD so far I'm not impressed with the Pilot but winter will tell.
When I had to move two recliners, they both fit in the Pilot (no problem), the Highlander (just) fits one. |
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| havasu |
| Thanks, I agree. I believe my friend is quite happy with his Highlander. When his family travels, they go in the Odyssey minivan; the Highlander is his "other" car. |
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| havasu |
Here is a promised other view of Pilot and Odyssey ('99)
You could fool me that they are built on the same base. |
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| havasu |
| And here are some better pics of the fronts of the Pilot and Highlander. |
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| havasu |
| And one more, Pilot and Highlander. |
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| thotru |
Great pics Havasu!!!!
Just like many on this thread we were either going to buy the Highlander, the Lexus RX300, or the Acura MDX until we heard about the Pilot. The Pilot was (and is) exactly what we always wanted - a third row seating option. My wife did not want to drive a van. The Pilot is her replacement for our Toyota Camry 89.
It was worth the wait! We love it.
Looking back and looking at your pics, we still think the Pilot is more beautiful than the Highlander and even better than the MDX.
Pilot rules!!!!! |
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| Lars Nelson |
| The Highlander looks like a ford escape |
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| N_Jay |
| The Highlander is betwen the CR-V and the Pilot in every respect except price. |
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| dmack24 |
Looks like people like the drive and handling on the Pilot. I have driven the Pilot and Highlander both on an obstacle course. The Highlander hade brake fade under heavy braking and spongy brakes that went to the floor. The Pilot with EBD tracked just fine. Pilot with AWD acceleration beat the Highlander all day long. During S type obstacles the Pilot steering was fine whil the Highlander had Power Steering Cavitation and went away when pushed hard.
Overall the Toyota was great. I drove the Explorer & Trail Blazer on the same course, I don't have enough room to discuss the disadvantages those guys have against the Pilot. |
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| Ferdball |
quote:
Originally posted by dmack24
I don't have enough room to discuss the disadvantages those guys have against the Pilot.
It's your civil DUTY to tell us the disadvantages thos guys have against the Pilot. Either that or fly us up there to do some test drives. :eek: |
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| dmack24 |
PILOT HANDLING vs.
Explorer aka (Exploder)
Let me start by saying I sell new Hondas and Nissans. I went to Cincinnati to drive the Pilot 2 weeks befor it was released. We drove the Pilot vs. Highlander for an hour. Then Pilot, Explorer, and Trail Blazer.
The first thing they showed us was the storage of the Pilot ve the Highlander. The Highlander is nothing more than a cheaper Lexxus RX300. Very small, pricy, but it did have a sunroof. The Pilot steered, cornered great. I pulled .391 Gs on the Pilot. I was the fastest and most aggressive driver out there. Anyway on acceleration and handling, the Pilot destroyed the Highlander. Like A Corvette vs. Mustang GT. Spongy, fading brakes on the Highlander, power steering pump cavitation, and terrible handling under speed and hard cornering, left me begging to get back in the Pilot. The Pilot is quite a bit heavier than the Highlander, so imagine the acceleration if it wasn't so large. Also for all you who don't know, the Pilot has 4WD ACCELERATION. It has sensors (4) on the ABS system and 1 sensor on the throttle, all that plus road conditions are moritored by a microprocessor that then feeds signals to an electromagnetic clutch assembly in the rear end that engages to provide up to 55% available torque to the rear of the Pilot, giving you 4 wheel drive, and 4 wheel drive under heavy acceleration. Go to some loose rock or gravel, step on the brake and accelerate hard, you can actually feel the system kick into 4WD. You can also do it in the rain with wet pavement.
Will compare the Explorer and Trail Blazer to the Pilot in my next post. I actually have to go in today to deliver a Sandstone Pilot with aftermarket leather to a customer. Classic Soft Touch leather, it's 2 tone and is great. We tried to get the heated seat option with aftermarket leather and it can't be done as it interferes with the side airbags. I think it was said if you hit the button to get seats heated, the airbags will go off.
Dave
Watch for next comparison post. |
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| dmack24 |
It should read, make sure vehicle is in drive, hold foot on the brake. Make sure front wheels are pointed straight. Then take foot off brake and accelerate hard.
I did not want to give the impression of a power brake, that would not be good for the VTM4 system. I show all my customers the acceleration and braking in the first 1 minute of their test drive and they are hooked on the Pilot. One guy asked me how come the domestic vehicle makers don't learn from Honda and make theirs that good ans affordable. I just said one word, corporate american greed and lack of quality. He's driving a new Envoy that he said doesn't hold a candle to the Pilot. |
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| Ferdball |
The Envoy was a very close second to the Pilot. I don't know what I was thinking. Can't wait for the next post. Any pics of the terrain you were test driving on?
Thanks. |
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| dmack24 |
The course was laid out in a concrete parking lot. It actually had 2 courses. One tested acceleration, s turns, emergency manuever around simulated deer in road, and brake test. It was Pilot vs. Highlander on that one. Acceleration and G forces were timed, they had computers on the Pilot and Highlander.
The other course had simulated off road bumps (offset, large rubber humps, approx. 12-16), s-curves, a long curve with a large tow rope laid across the course in a snake-like double s fashion. The idea is to accelerate hard in that corner and the read of the vehicle will Kick Out under acceleration, turning, and the rope gets the rear loose.
We did the Explorer there, Trailblazer, and Pilot. The Explorer got almost sideways for me on the rope turn, I had to get off the throttle to save it. The Trail Blazer almost rattled the teeth out of my head when I sat in the second row seat and went over the simulated off road bumps. The TB also felt short on the course, neither gave you road feel as the Pilot does. The Pilot tracked well, did great over the bumps, it really shined when it went over the rope turn, it stayed under me even when accelerating hard and turning; giving me a in control feeling at all times. The Explorer felt really long, narrow, and heavy, it didn't want or even ask for any manuevers other than driving in a straight line. If rating SUVs, it would go:
1. Pilot
2. Trail Blazer
3. Highlander
4. Explorer
I mean cmon, how many centuries is Ford going to produce that old, whale of a body style.
Look at what a 3 year old Explorer is worth. Let's put it this way, a lady came in to trade a 1999 Ford Eddie Bauer Explorer in on a new Pilot. She paid $35,000 for her Explorer in 1999, it had over 60,000 miles on it.
ANY GUESSE ON WHAT IT WAS WORTH?
Honda has #1 resale value all across the board.
What is a 3 year old $35,000 new Explorer worth? W/60 k on it?
Quiz answer later Honda fans...... |
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| Spock |
| My guess is somewhere between $23,000 and $26,000. |
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| SkyPilot |
| My guess would be $18K |
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| havasu |
| $10-14,000 is my guess |
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| Ferdball |
True Market Value according to Edmunds.com is
4 Dr Eddie Bauer Utility $15,431
Trade-in $12,321
4 Dr Eddie Bauer 4WD Utility $16,318
Trade-in $13,030
4 Dr Eddie Bauer AWD Utility $16,463
Trade-in $13,145
I know how she feels. I'm STILL trying to get rid of our 96 Contour. :( |
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| dmack24 |
We were going to give her about $11,000 for her vehicle. Remember that 60,000 + on a 1999 vehicle is high miles plus the fact ford makes 500,000 of those turds per year. Honda is making 75,000 pilots this year. Great product, in small numbers = high resale value. She was very upset upon leaving the dealership. Get another Explorer and be unhappy.................
Anyway, delivered a Beige Pilot Ex, with custom leather, 6 cd changer, side steps, tow package, cargo cover, fog lights, mud flaps, and a very happy customer who waited 2 months for it.
Pilots Rule!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:7: |
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| dmack24 |
Remember all, there is a guide to resale called Manheim, GM is dumping a bunch of worthless vehicles on the market due to )% apr and $3000 cash back on 02 and 03 models that they can't sell. It drops the bottom out of the uded car market.
:mad: |
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| Sandmoose |
| Cool pics thanks. Im looking into buying one now |
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| lalit |
| How about having CRV and honda pilot side by side |
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