GoLowDrew

MPG 23 city and 34 hwy? Advertised where? Pilot EPA MPG is 18/25 "advertised."

Todd00

You're absolutely clueless.

No where in existence does it say a 2012/2013 Pilot is going to get 23 city, 34 highway.

Between you and "rapser" (see his genius here: https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-minivans-crossovers-trucks-80/pilot-2011-isnt-steady-winter-3192626/), the Pilot sure is attracting some uneducated owners.

Look here, right there in bold print on the right-middle of the page:

http://automobiles.honda.com/2013/pilot/

18 city, 25 highway. And those are the best-case instances. Your calculated 16.3 sounds about right if you sit in traffic a lot/city driving and pull an occasional trailer.

Was-suzuki

OK - lots of interesting comments above ... and I do not claim to know all the answers - even though I have been driving many vehicles for over 50 years (owned, rented, etc).

But here's some more issues related to items noted previously ..
This is sort of in response to earlier comments, and as follow-up to other posts made.

Regarding my 2013 Pilot: a recent trip, which is currently underway, is showing much better fuel-efficiency performance than any time in recent months ... I'm anxious to do the “fill-up” (ie., real, actual) calculation, but the interior gauge (average performance) is showing not toooo far off what I would expect to see all the time with basically hiway driving ... but of course, that's the interior gauge, which has proven to be significantly in error (ie., suggests much better performance than reality ..)

And, the 3-seat “feature” has finally been a value for us: we can haul others around.

In fact, though, were it not for the anaemic capability of most other cars to pull a small trailer, I would not be here.

Other matters:
TPMS issue: on further investigation, it is true that, in the US, automakers must install TPMS for all vehicles ... however, someone forgot to tell lawmakers that TPMS is only useful if installed in all tires, and that applies to owners not putting them into a second set (like winter tires, or replacements, etc) – I bought a second set and was asked if I wanted TPMS in them ..
Additionally, the TPMS feature is supposed to kick in at the 25%-low situation, not at 12%
And while on that topic, perhaps lawmakers should also pass manufacturing LAWS, or force automated compliance by owners, for any/all of the following:
driving while intoxocated (alcohol sensors)
driving and texting, or using any handheld device
driving while sleepy
driving while in a heated argument with someone else in the car
etc .... in which case, cars would become the robots of tomorrow .. so they might as well do all the driving ...


All of which to say that, if a vehicle owner does not look after their tires, then they likely are not looking after everything else on the car (because a standard part of an oil change is checking tire pressure levels - so, is a car with bad brakes a danger on the hiway ...?? or with low oil ... or ...

But, let's not forget, and don't forget that consumers have power, if they care to use it: tell manufacturers want we want, and not be a wuss !


Honda Dealers:
while I would expect this from anyone in business, I surely cannot accept unethical behaviour by a car dealer, as the dollar value is so much higher ... and if they are “selling” a package that “no one in their right mind would buy”, then that is unethical. So, please, those in the know, please make a BIG DEAL about such things so that those who are not so “clever” can avoid them like the plague.
So, I will admit I was not in my “right mind”: I was moving up to 18” tires, from 16, my wife the wuss was saying we must accept what this dealer-man was telling us, I had no way of confirming it one way or another at the time (and it could only be done then), etc ....

So, getting back to the original question: is the Pilot a good buy?
if you really think you would like to do that, then be sure to check around the Web - there's lots of info about “faults” (try “Honda Pilot problems”) – but every forum, including this one, has a wide variety of pros/cons, and trustworthy/not-trustworthy info ... my rule of thumb is that there are generally about 3 complaints compared to every positive post, and anything higher than that suggests a real problem
it appears that any vehicle in this class does not have stellar performance: a recent article was bitterly complaining about the Highlander (and associating it with the Pilot, 4Runner and Pathfinder) in terms of fuel consumption - so, buying one of these vehicles means you must IGNORE the specs put out about their performance – and likewise, be prepared to sign away your bank account ..

acuratl2nv

Okay, So I have a 2012 Honda Pilot which suffered from the "humming" sound and now the dread Vibration issue that everyone else is experiencing....for the humming sound, they replaced the power steering pump and bracket (problem solved)

Now, for the dreaded viration issue, my car has been at the Honda dealer since Jan 1, so far they have replaced the Torque converter, spark plugs, and as of today they were going to replace the right inner axle to see if that solves the problem...I will keep you posted on the progress

oh yeah, Honda is paying for everything, so let's see

acuratl2nv

okay, so just a quick update....Just got a call from Honda and replacing the right inner axle wasn't enough to fix the problem, but they went ahead and repalced the left one as well and from what they are telling me that eliminated the vibration issue....i will pick up the car tomorrow and see if that's actually true...so I will let you know

acuratl2nv

Okay, so good news....Problem is Solved!!! I hope this helps

Shadow1234

Just my 2 cents...I have never gotten 18 mpg city with my 2010 Honda Pilot. Not sure about 2012-2013 Pilot but I don't think they have VCM thing ironed out. I would never buy another Honda. Had better luck with long term quality with Nissan and Toyota. I have owned Nissan Altima, Honda Odyssey, Honda Prelude, Toyota Camry, Lexus ES300. Let's just say that I have my doubts with Honda Pilot's quality. Now, I do understand that any car brand will issues here and there and what counts is whether they stand behind their products and make things right. For an example, my co-worker's Camry engine was replaced after the warranty time period when they discovered the "sludge" issue.
Good luck with your search for the truth.

speedlever

For the subject at hand, truth may turn out to be a relative term.

Was-suzuki

A few additional comments:
- gas mileage - current cumulative is 18.178 mpg (US Gal) - which I have seen on a few other sites to be about normal for this vehicle - not nearly what the dealership said it would be - but then, I have since found out that the cars they were quoting were approx 2007, which were smaller vehicles !

- the "all windows open on holding the fob" - what a tremendous thing (??), as I noted before - but noticed the other day, in mid-winter, with snow flying, that it happened again - sure lucky that I looked out the window (as it happened after going into the house or while putting the keys on the rack).

- but, luckily (in a way), I found out the situation, after getting a new key cut (no, not by Honda, but by a locksmith), after one got lost: the new fob does not have that awful feature on it, and the price was less than half a Honda-job. But no, they could not remove that "feature (?) from my original fob.

Was-suzuki

To those who were so quick to condemn (above), please accept my apology. I quoted the MPG figures in Imperial gallon - and which are, as shown above 28.68 to 34.45. There was no "overall" rating for the 2013 car (but which is generally meaningless anyway, as it depends on many factors). I could also quote the l/100km, but ...

The ratings in US Gal are 19.12 to 22.965 (for a Canadian-specs car, which is likely to be the same for the US market.).

I suppose one could quibble about the measurement process as being different from country to country. But that's another story ..

As to preconceived notions: sorry, but look in a mirror sometime .. How many hundreds of thousands of miles have you put on how many vehicles ? That might be interesting ..

Finally, a dealership: not when you know and trust a good shop that charges a lot less, etc. But perhaps I will change my mind WHEN something goes seriously wrong .. I'll let you know ...

AmberLynn727

I am a proud owner of a 2006 Honda Pilot Ex that currently has 110k miles. I love my Pilot! It drives great, holds my family comfortably and is great on gas mileage for an SUV. I would recommend that if you are buying a used car, always make sure that it has been serviced regularly. If not, skip on it! Most problems arise because of neglected maintenance.

94eg!

iTrader: (2)

FYI: There are options to control or eliminate the VCM effect. I personally recommend them as running on 3 or 4 cylinders for an extended period of time simply cannot be good for an engine. The devices work by adding simple resistor in line on the Engine Coolant Temp senor. This makes the sensor read a few degrees lower and prevents the ECU from going into ECO mode. This has no effect on your cooling system, and the small change will not put the ECU into warm-up mode (if it did you would be running rich). The only noticeable drawback is your temp gauge reads a little lower than normal. I'm running one on my 2012 Odyssey and It's only made it into ECO mode 3 times (and only for a couple seconds). This was after cresting the hill of steep highway grades running 3000+ rpm that max the coolant temps before the fans kick in. This was on the lowest of the 3 recommended settings.

The cost of the different defeat devices ranges from $30 (assembly kit) to $90 (plug-n-play adjustable resistor). Personally I purchased the VCMTuner so I could make adjustments for the blazing hot Vegas summers.

VCMuzzler is the same sellers previous version that features swappable resistors of different spec (for different ambient temps). Currently this costs more than the VCMTuner and is more of a PITA.

VCM-Suppressor is DIY kit of parts that you build yourself, but you are stuck with one single setting (whichever resistor you choose to solder in).

Was-suzuki

Hmm, this thread is still "active", shall we say {though I had assumed that one is allowed to say disparaging things about a Honda Pilot, as the purpose of a forum is to solicit input, not to shut down the world except to certain views .. Right? Anyway, lots of ACTUAL facts below.}
In any event:
1. As noted previously, the internal "mileage" gauges are not to be trusted - though they are somewhat useful in measuring "trends" as one drives - the only true way to determine mileage facts is to maintain an ongoing log, recording all data on an ongoing basis (ie., every fill), etc .. My "to-date", over 4 years almost is 17.639 MPG (US gal). The Suzuki was 17.927 over 7 years.
Better yet, I looked through the full set of info in that log, for the 5 cars we've had starting 1993 (but sorry to the US-folks who may not understand litres/100km) (and all of them pulled trailers, though the trailers got a little bigger as time went on):
Honda Pilot, for 58.8K km to-date - 13.335 L/100km or 21.184 MPG (Can Gal) or 17.639 MPG (US-Gal) (NOTE: L/100 km is best when low, whereas MPG is best when high.)
Suzuki SL-7, for 153k 13.120 or 21.530 or 17.927 (and pulled the same trailer)
Caravan 91k 12.296 no US-MPG calculated
Breeze 96.6k675 9.898
Voyageur (also minivan) 116k 11.822
So, over 5 cars, the Honda is the worst for gas-consumption ... interesting ..
2. Warranty is over, except for the "outstanding items" such as the seat-bags, whenever that gets fixed - it's never been to a Dealer since being driven out of the lot long ago .. I enquired about "warranty extension", but the "inspection fee" was going to be about $150 so I decided to skip it. Managed to get replacement "roadside" at a very-decent price (though have never used it yet.
3. Many occurrences of the "all windows open", and it is amazingly disturbing in winter - but some people like, I guess ... trouble is, it is NOT a "get used to the FOB-thing, it's an inadvertent touch when not expected.
4. TPMS - never happened again, with either set of tires .. so .. freak occurrence perhaps ... ok, tire pressure is checked at the garage every 3-5 months when it goes in ..
5. ECO - in city, very often (ie., any time the accelerator is not being "pushed"), on the h/w, almost always, in Control-mode, except on the hill-climbs ...
6. Speedy driving: not! Though I am amazed at how fast so many people are going these days .. but that's another matter ...
7. Overall body -no issues
8. Cost of maintenance, per my local shop: incredibly low ...
9. Battery - had to be replaced - for some reason, the battery says 4 years, but the "liability" of Honda was for the 3-yr-warranty period only ... Hmm.
10. So, I noticed that I had quoted some "gas performance figures", and perhaps did not advise that these were Canadian numbers:
- city: 23.000 MPG (Can Gal) ... or 12.3 L/100km
- hiway: 34.000 same or 8.2 L/100km
Or, overall, perhaps 27 MPG would have been a good "predicted" number - instead, 21.1
11. Nothing offensive here - just facts.

94eg!

iTrader: (2)

23.00 imperial MPG = 19.15 US MPG