Honda Pilot or Hyundai Palisade or Kia Telluride?

[Carpediem]

Thank you, 68bucks! That's definitely helpful, especially the part about the suitcases. I would have been the one doing the scratching of the car if you hadn't mentioned that.

 

[MuirWannabe]

Sorry I didn't see your post earlier. We have a 2020 Pilot Elite we bought late in 2019. My wife drives it primarily but it has been a great vehicle so far. She has about 20K miles on it I think. I think you will be happy with it, Honda builds a pretty good car. The only thing I don't like about it is the cargo floor is about flush with the rear bumper cover and you have to watch out you don't scratch it up loading and unloading. We picked up a friend from the airport and she just dragged her giant suitcase out of the back and scratched up the paint on the top of the bumper cover. They should have designed it to be a little lower so that would be less likely. The wiring for the trailer lights wasn't hooked up either, had to get it done when we took it in for service.

Boy is this spot on. It’s my biggest complaint about our 2019 Pilot Touring model. I’ve got a scratched bumper from this very issue. Otherwise, we have liked the car.

 

[RunningBum]

You should be able to get a bumper guard put on it, or put it on yourself.

 

[ArmchairMillionaire23]

OP here....thank you all for the feedback. We decided to move forward with the purchase of the 2021 Honda Pilot - Black Edition. As mentioned previously, we would have waited for a little price sanity but our current car decided it was time to be let out to pasture.

People claim that the Hyundai/Kia models are prone to theft but it looks like the hubcabs have already been stolen off the Honda in the pic. I will never understand the black wheel trend. Both DW & I think it really cheapens the look of the vehicle. And now people pay extra for it!


I'm also amazed by the people who buy all these foreign vehicles. I live on a fairly busy highway in town (~8,000 vehicles per day on average) and if I look out my window for a few minutes here's what I see go by... (not counting tractor-trailers or FedEx / UPS trucks)
F150
Ram
Silverado
Ram
Equinox
Explorer
Sierra
Tundra
F250
Harley
Silverado
Malibu
Silverado
Harley
Acadia
Edge
Silverado
Prius
Ram
Taurus
Equinox
Equinox
Edge
Trax
F150
Jeep CJ (70s model)
Challenger
Traverse

I rarely see anything by Honda, Hyundai/Kia, Mazda, Audi, Volkswagen, etc...
Of course, the only dealerships within 20 miles are two Chevrolet dealerships, a Ford dealership, a Dodge (Stellantis?) dealership and a Toyota dealership which has a very bad reputation for poor customer service. The nearest other Japanese or Korean dealerships are all over 100 miles away.

Good luck with your Honda. I've never even sat in one.

 

[arch57]

I created a spreadsheet of 3-row SUVs with 12 entries in 2021. Was coming from a 2007 Toyota 4Runner which was a truck-based SUV that was pretty reliable but did have issues over the years. Test drove Acura MDX, Jeep Grand Cherokee L, Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander, GMC Acadia and Hyundai Palisade.
Came down to Toyota and Hyundai and the Palisade won out because of much better access to 3rd row, better driving dynamics and larger cargo space. The Highlander Hybrid was a thought at 34MPG but I like the performance of the V6 Hyundai and gas was cheaper last November
Have 13,000 miles in 10 months now in the Palisade and absolutely thrilled with the choice. Personally think it looks better than Telluride plus has heads up display which wasn’t offered on the Kia. Did a spring trip from CT to Florida (20 hours over 2 days) and it was very comfortable. Cruised at 80-85 on I-95 while getting 25MPG. Loaded it with a ton of stuff for our new condo in Palm Beach county and amazed at how much stuff it swallowed. Third row comfortably held my daughter as she tended to our newborn grandson and 3 year old granddaughter in second row while my wife and I were up front. Best car I’ve owned ever.

 

[68bucks]

People claim that the Hyundai/Kia models are prone to theft but it looks like the hubcabs have already been stolen off the Honda in the pic. I will never understand the black wheel trend. Both DW & I think it really cheapens the look of the vehicle. And now people pay extra for it!


I'm also amazed by the people who buy all these foreign vehicles. I live on a fairly busy highway in town (~8,000 vehicles per day on average) and if I look out my window for a few minutes here's what I see go by... (not counting tractor-trailers or FedEx / UPS trucks)
F150
Ram
Silverado
Ram
Equinox
Explorer
Sierra
Tundra
F250
Harley
Silverado
Malibu
Silverado
Harley
Acadia
Edge
Silverado
Prius
Ram
Taurus
Equinox
Equinox
Edge
Trax
F150
Jeep CJ (70s model)
Challenger
Traverse

I rarely see anything by Honda, Hyundai/Kia, Mazda, Audi, Volkswagen, etc...
Of course, the only dealerships within 20 miles are two Chevrolet dealerships, a Ford dealership, a Dodge (Stellantis?) dealership and a Toyota dealership which has a very bad reputation for poor customer service. The nearest other Japanese or Korean dealerships are all over 100 miles away.

Good luck with your Honda. I've never even sat in one.

Pilots are built in Alabama. There is a Honda plant about 90 minutes from us in Marysville, OH. There are 2 Honda dealers in town here. If it wasn't built in the US I would not have bought it.

 

[Koolau]

Pilots are built in Alabama. There is a Honda plant about 90 minutes from us in Marysville, OH. There are 2 Honda dealers in town here. If it wasn't built in the US I would not have bought it.

I have owned mostly Japanese cars. I had one with a sticker on it to the effect of: Proudly built by the UAW. Only "Japanese" car I ever had that didn't make it to 100K. YMMV

 

[Bamaman]

Let's face it that automobile (and truck) purchasing decisions are especially difficult in these post pandemic times.

Inflation has driven up the cost of vehicles dramatically on top of the supply/demand issues for an especially in demand vehicle. Thankfully I've got two perfectly good 1 and 2 year old vehicles and can make it many years without being in the car market.

We're very satisfied with our second Toyota Hybrid, and gas prices really don't affect us at this point. Dependability is so important in our retirement as we really don't want the hassle of major repairs and waiting for parts availability.

We feel for those who absolutely have to purchase a vehicle in these trying times. But the quality of a dealership has never been more important as products get more complicated and difficult to work on. I still dread the future of government mandated vehicles--Electric Vehicles.

 

[Midpack]

OP here....thank you all for the feedback. We decided to move forward with the purchase of the 2021 Honda Pilot - Black Edition. As mentioned previously, we would have waited for a little price sanity but our current car decided it was time to be let out to pasture.

Very nice. You really wouldn’t have gone wrong with any of your choices IME.

That said Hyundai and Kia have become very competitive with Toyota and Honda, that advantage isn’t what it used to be. Honda has had many more issues in the past few years according to CR and others, and we’ve owned 5 Hondas so I’m not a Honda basher. Very happy with my first Hyundai, as I was with our 5 Hondas and 3 Toyotas. Also had a Subaru Outback, it was decent, but I won’t buy another Subaru - it just wasn’t as good a car as the Toyotas and Hondas we owned, the tech is not as advanced and boxer engines are not the best choice (despite Porsche at $$$$).

 

[ArmchairMillionaire23]

Pilots are built in Alabama. There is a Honda plant about 90 minutes from us in Marysville, OH. There are 2 Honda dealers in town here. If it wasn't built in the US I would not have bought it.

I wasn't trying to be negative about foreign vehicles, I was just stating that where I live, you don't see too many of them. I understand (and like) that many of them are made in the USA. I once had a Kia rental minivan and I thought it was pretty decent. I also had a Toyota minivan for a rental once and it stalled while I was doing a 3-point turn (when I inadvertently turned down a dead-end road) and would not restart for 10 minutes.
Now that I think of it, two of my neighbors drive Toyotas. The one with the Rav4 seems to enjoy his. The other one has a Highlander and she has to disconnect the battery whenever she parks it or the alarm goes off randomly throughout the day and/or in the middle of the night.

 

[TOOLMAN]

I should mention that the Honda Pilot (2021 Black Edition version) was my frontrunner until I noticed that CR rated Pilots lower than the other two. Does anyone here own a 2020 or 2021 Honda Pilot and have you experienced any annoying problems? Looks like there have been issues reported with the in-car electronics.

I own a 2021 Pilot. 20k miles - zero problems.

 

[steelyman]

I have a Pilot from the first year they were offered (2003). It’s been great but now it’s old. I’ve been considering a Passport but it seems hybrid or electric is better going forward and Honda doesn’t have much in their current lineup. I’m waiting and will stick with the old ‘03 for now.

 

[travelover]

........... I also had a Toyota minivan for a rental once and it stalled while I was doing a 3-point turn (when I inadvertently turned down a dead-end road) and would not restart for 10 minutes..........

I've found trying to extrapolate to millions what I experienced with one sample is not good statistically or practically.

 

[freedomatlast]

makes me wonder where Consumer Reports is getting their data from.

I always find it amusing when Consumer Reports will take two virtually identical vehicles and rate one very high and one very low. For example, many, many years ago, CR would consistently rate the Toyota Corolla very high and the nearly identical, Chevy/Geo Prizm lower, even though they were made in the same NUMMI plant in Fremont CA with the exact same engines and transmissions.

 

[travelover]

I always find it amusing when Consumer Reports will take two virtually identical vehicles and rate one very high and one very low. For example, many, many years ago, CR would consistently rate the Toyota Corolla very high and the nearly identical, Chevy/Geo Prizm lower, even though they were made in the same NUMMI plant in Fremont CA with the exact same engines and transmissions.

I don't think the problem is with CU. When I worked for MegaMotors, we did our own internal surveys and also used JD Power. The vehicles Mazda sold that we made and were identical except for a little interior trim and grille differences always rated higher.

 

[Qs Laptop]

I always find it amusing when Consumer Reports will take two virtually identical vehicles and rate one very high and one very low. For example, many, many years ago, CR would consistently rate the Toyota Corolla very high and the nearly identical, Chevy/Geo Prizm lower, even though they were made in the same NUMMI plant in Fremont CA with the exact same engines and transmissions.

That is interesting.

A bit off-topic but my dad was a Consumer Reports subscriber for 15-20 or so in the 60's and 70's. My 2nd car was a 1970 Plymouth 'Cuda 340. I looked up their report on muscle cars in an issue in 1970 which had the 'Cuda, Mustang, Camaro, and AMC Javelin, IIRC.

They could not recommend these cars because they had long hoods resulting in inadequate view of the road in front of you, cramped rear legroom, small rear windows with blind spots in the corners, miniscule trunks with excessive trunk liftover height, loud, rumbling exhaust, and the propensity to create unwanted acceleration accompanied with the sound of peeling rubber.

Well, DUH!!

 

[CRLLS]

I think that CR uses their own surveys of their subscribers. Here is from the horse's mouth, Consumer Reports themselves.

Consumer Reports' product ratings are unique in that they combine product performance, measured through expert lab testing, with predicted reliability and owner satisfaction data gathered through surveys of product owners.

Personal biases certainly come into play big time. Ratings from such data is highly questionable.

 

[braumeister]

A long time ago, I bought a new car strictly on the basis of an absolutely glowing review in Consumer Reports. My previous one had died, and I needed a new one now. By coincidence, that month's CR (I was a loyal subscriber) showcased one that was right in my price range, the right size, and everything. I went right in and bought one.

Absolutely the worst car I have ever owned.

 

[Koolau]

I don't think the problem is with CU. When I worked for MegaMotors, we did our own internal surveys and also used JD Power. The vehicles Mazda sold that we made and were identical except for a little interior trim and grille differences always rated higher.

Yeah, apparently I got one of those Ford Mazdas. The one that didn't make it to 100K. I look more carefully now - no matter the label. YMMV

 

[corn18]

Have you considered an AMC Pacer or Ford Pinto?

 

[ArmchairMillionaire23]

Have you considered an AMC Pacer or Ford Pinto?

Not too sure about the Pacer, but it would be cool to have a Pinto wagon. Especially if it had the 4-speed manual. And I'm not even a Ford guy.

 

[travelover]

Yeah, apparently I got one of those Ford Mazdas. The one that didn't make it to 100K. I look more carefully now - no matter the label. YMMV

See? If you'd bought the Ford version it wouldn't have gotten to 75,000 miles. YM Did V

 

[Texas Proud]

I have a Pilot from the first year they were offered (2003). It’s been great but now it’s old. I’ve been considering a Passport but it seems hybrid or electric is better going forward and Honda doesn’t have much in their current lineup. I’m waiting and will stick with the old ‘03 for now.

Honda always seems slow to move forward... I remember when airbags were coming out and they did not offer them on any models... I had sales people tell me that they were still 'too new'...


BTW, Honda was one of the companies that had Takata airbags that killed people... it is not always that car company that makes a car bad...

 

[Texas Proud]

A long time ago, I bought a new car strictly on the basis of an absolutely glowing review in Consumer Reports. My previous one had died, and I needed a new one now. By coincidence, that month's CR (I was a loyal subscriber) showcased one that was right in my price range, the right size, and everything. I went right in and bought one.

Absolutely the worst car I have ever owned.

And you did not tell us what it was...

 

[Koolau]

I have experience with Honda and Toyota and Mazda. At one time, I would have said "take your pick." Now, I would pick only Toyota for reliability. YMMV