[k1dude]

The new 2009 Pilot is getting lots of bad press due to the ugly factor. The HondaPilot.org is in a tizzy. The overwhelming sentiment is it's ugly.

I have to say in all honesty, it's not a crowd pleaser. I think they could have done much better. Especially with the front end/grill. I certainly don't wish the 2009 Ridgeline to duplicate the look. But that being said, I'm interested in buying a Pilot regardless. Or I should say my wife is.

One thing that Honda got right that everyone else is blowing, is interior space. If you haven't noticed, the "utility" in SUV has been disappearing. More and more you see designs that minimize interior space at the expense of eye-catching sleek styling. To make SUV's look sleeker and more aerodynamic, they have lowered the roof lines. Especially in the back of the vehicle. With sloping/tapered rooflines, the back opening has shrunk to impractical proportions. You can no longer get anything larger than a pizza box into the back. The passenger space has also decreased dramatically. You no longer have tons of headroom. It's actually incredible. The exterior dimensions keep getting bigger while the interior keeps getting smaller.

Take a look at the new BMW X6 SUV as proof. It's a damn sedan masquerading as an SUV. It shouldn't surprise me as 95% of SUV's are never used as they are intended. They have become glamorous station wagons driven by soccer moms and trophy wives with coiffed hair/bling and long painted fingernails. They like to think of themselves as rugged outdoor people, yet they haven't ever taken a vehicle off pavement or camped in 20 years. That's what all the research shows, so the auto manufacturers are just giving us what the majority want.

But I have to hand it to Honda for not backing down from the latest consumer trends. They stuck to the original roots of an SUV and once again gave us "utility". The big boxy shape is just what we were personally looking for. We have crossed the vast majority of modern SUV's off the list because they have lost their "utility". The very few out there that have kept the utility have poor reliability. Enter the Honda Pilot.

Hopefully the new Pilot will have better gas mileage with the new cylinder deactivation system. So even though I think they could have done better with aesthetics, I will seriously consider purchasing one. Remember, no one liked the Ridgeline and new CRV when they came out. Both carried the ugly label for quite some time. Now we have all grown to love the look. I imagine the same will happen with the new Pilot.