2011 Honda Pilot Overview Change Vehicle

This 2011 Honda Pilot overview explains changes for the model year, provides a summary of the 2011 Pilot, and includes Honda Pilot safety, reliability, and fuel economy ratings.

For the 2011 model year, Honda makes only a couple of minor tweaks to its popular Pilot lineup. The Pilot EX-L is now offered with an extra-cost navigation system and the flagship Touring model receives a standard rear entertainment system. Otherwise, the Pilot is unchanged in advance of a mid-life update for 2012.

Honda sells the 2011 Pilot in LX, EX, EX-L, and Touring trim levels, each available with an optional all-wheel-drive system. All of the basics are included with LX trim, such as front and rear air conditioning, power windows, power mirrors, power door locks with remote keyless entry, cruise control, a tilt and telescoping steering wheel, and a decent stereo system with an auxiliary audio input jack and CD/MP3 playback capability. The LX is also equipped with cloth seats, a trip computer, and a compass, and this model comes with an integrated trailer hitch, dark-tinted privacy glass, and 17-inch steel wheels.

Many people like the EX model for its additional amenities, such as triple-zone automatic climate control, HomeLink universal remote, and power driver’s seat on the inside, and its body-color trim pieces, fog lights, roof rails, and alloy wheels on the outside. The EX is also equipped with satellite radio, a six-disc CD changer, and steering wheel-mounted audio controls.

For standard leather or an optional navigation system with Bluetooth hands-free calling, you’ll want the Pilot EX-L. This well-equipped variant also includes a power sunroof, heated front seats, heated side mirrors, and a reversing camera. The EX-L can also be equipped with an optional rear-seat entertainment system that includes an upgraded sound system.

A person searching for the best Honda has to offer will like the Touring model. The Touring includes navigation and Bluetooth, a rear-sear entertainment system, a premium audio system with a USB port, front and rear parking sensors, a power rear liftgate, and second-row sunshades.

Every 2011 Honda Pilot features the automaker's proven 3.5-liter V6 engine, driving 250 horsepower and 253 pound-feet of torque to the front wheels through a five-speed automatic transmission. Honda's Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) technology is standard, conserving fuel by automatically "shutting down" half of the engine’s cylinders when cruising at low rpm.

Honda offers an optional all-wheel-drive system called Variable Torque Management four-wheel-drive, or VTM-4, on every iteration of the 2011 Pilot. Designed for use in inclement weather rather than rugged off-road use, VTM-4 constantly monitors throttle inputs and wheel speeds, redirecting power from the wheels that slip to the wheels that grip as conditions warrant.

Fuel economy ratings are 17 mpg in the city and 23 mpg on the highway with front-wheel drive, and 16-mpg city/22-mpg highway with VTM-4 all-wheel drive. All models are designed to run on regular unleaded fuel.

Equipped with dual-stage multiple-threshold front airbags, dual front-seat side-impact airbags with Occupant Position Detection, and side curtain airbags for all three rows that include a rollover sensor, the Pilot takes protecting passengers seriously. Additional standard safety features include four-wheel-disc ABS with brake assist, stability control, traction control, and active head restraints. Honda has also incorporated Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) into the Pilot’s underlying structural design.

For 2011, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) has been revised, and 5-Star ratings are more difficult to achieve than before. Using the new testing procedures, the 2011 Honda Pilot earned 5 Stars for the driver and 4 Stars for the front passenger in the frontal impact test. In side-impact testing, the Pilot garnered 4 Stars for the driver and 5 Stars for a rear passenger. The Pilot’s rollover resistance rating is 4 Stars for both front- and all-wheel-drive models.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has also tested the 2011 Pilot. In frontal offset testing, side-impact testing, and for rear crash protection, the IIHS gives the 2011 Pilot its highest rating of Good. The Pilot misses out on a Top Safety Pick laurel because in the roof strength test, the Pilot scores Marginal.

When it comes to reliability, both Consumer Reports and J.D. Power and Associates expect the 2011 Honda Pilot to provide better-than-average dependability over time.

For nine years in a row, Honda has been selling its mid-size Pilot SUV to a very receptive audience. The automaker's winning formula has changed very little over the past decade — impressive reliability, strong crash-test scores, commendable fuel efficiency, a large cabin, a roomy cargo area, all-weather capability and an easy-to-drive manner all blended together in a ruggedly handsome package. If someone we know is in the market for a mid-size sport 'ute, we always suggest a test drive of the Pilot.

By Michael Harley