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First Drive: 2009 Honda Pilot

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 ... Read More

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    Honda Pilot
    Honda cuts Odyssey and Pilot production; makes room for more Civics
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    Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Honda PilotHonda has got to be happy that it has a hot selling compact car to take some of the pain out of the slowing minivan and SUV markets. Hurt by the sky-high price of gasoline, both the Odyssey and Pilot, both recently redesigned, are sitting on dealers lots longer than Honda would like. In order to match ...

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    Honda Pilot
    Spy Shots: 2010 Honda Ridgeline gets Pilot schnoz
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    Surprise! Honda's controversially styled Ridgeline truck is about to get the Pilot's controversial snout. First released for the '06 model year, the unibody truck has not seen any real changes to this point and it's high time for a mid-cycle model refresh. Considering that the Pilot and Ridgeline share plenty in common, it's no shocker that Honda would ...

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    Honda Pilot
    Honda shuffles production so it can make more Civics
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    As domestic automobile manufacturers cut production and lay off workers because they were caught off-guard when consumer buying habits switched to more fuel-efficient vehicles, Honda will effortlessly shuffle its production to meet U.S. demand for small cars. Without cutting any jobs in North America, Honda will move assembly of the Honda Pilot SUV and ...

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    Honda Pilot
    2009 Honda Pilot designer says number-crunchers won out
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    Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Honda PilotAfter 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 ...

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    Honda Pilot
    2009 Honda Pilot holds the line on pricing
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    Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Honda PilotAfter getting a short stint behind the wheel of the newly redesigned 2009 Honda Pilot, we declared it a pretty thorough improvement over its predecessor. Regardless of how you think it looks, the newest crossover from Honda is a pretty darn good vehicle. So, we're rather happy to report that Honda saw ...

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    Honda Pilot
    First Drive: 2009 Honda Pilot
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    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 ...

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    Honda Pilot
    Spy Shots: 2009 Honda Pilot
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    Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2009 Honda Pilot.The 2009 Honda Pilot has been spied in production guise, and unlike the bulldog that inspired the front grille, it's less than lovable. With styling pulled directly from the Honda Pilot Prototype shown in Detroit, the new unibody 'ute from Honda should arrive later this year with ACE safety ...

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    Honda Pilot
    Honda shifts Ridgeline production from Canada to Alabama
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    Honda built its state of the art Lincoln, Alabama plant to produce the Odyssey minivan and Pilot SUV, and now it's going to add the Ridgeline unit-body pickup, as well. Cost-wise, it makes a lot of sense to move Ridgeline production from Canada to Alabama, considering all three vehicles share a platform and powertrain. What's tough to understand is how ...

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    Honda Pilot
    Crash Landing: 2009 Honda Pilot design deemed boring
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    click above to view more high-res pics of the Honda Pilot PrototypeWe were there when Honda trotted out its Pilot Prototype in Detroit, and our snoozy first impression is apparently what the public at large is feeling, too. Sales of the current Pilot have dropped off by nearly 25 percent, so Honda's feeling the pressure with this redesign. It doesn't bode ...

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    Honda Pilot
    Jet-powered record-breaker seeks petite woman
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    Single-engine jet-powered dragster seeking female companion for thrilling adventure across salt flats. Petite build. Background in motorsports or aviation. With sponsors. Interested parties please contact Eric Ahlstrom (eahlstrom@pyramid.net), program manager, Steve Fossett World Land Speed Racing Team. It's not exactly the kind of personal add you'd ...

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