Is the Prototype Honda Pilot a Disturbing Sight?
January 30, 2008
By Dale Buss 
If the next-generation Pilot that Honda actually produces looks pretty much like the prototype the company displayed at the recent Detroit auto show, the new version may not do much to address the model’s sinking popularity.
The reason: In a styling-conscious market where sleek crossovers rank as some of the hottest vehicles, the blocky 2009 Pilot might fit like a square peg into a round hole.
Honda’s design dilemma with the new Pilot is that one of the vehicle’s biggest 
attributes has been its ability to accommodate as many as eight adults in reasonable comfort -- a true differentiator in a market where third-row seating even in larger SUVs typically means discomfort for adult passengers.
“We didn’t want to sacrifice passenger or cargo space for the sake of styling, or have canted rear glass or a sweeping roofline,” Rob Keough, a senior product planner for Honda, told AutoObserver. “Of utmost importance for Pilot is to maintain functionality, and packaging space. That’s the starting point.”
And indeed, the Pilot prototype emphasizes what Honda spokesman Chuck 
Schifsky called “authentic SUV styling” and actually increases “key dimensions” for legroom, cargo and occupant space.
But if Honda seeks to continue to market the new Pilot -- with its carlike unibody structure -– as a true crossover, the make is likely to run head-on into the prevailing winds in the segment, presaging a continued struggle to attract customers.
Pilot was introduced in 2002, and sales climbed steadily, to 152,000 units in 2006; then they dropped precipitously last year, by 23 percent, to 117,000, according to data compiled by Edmunds.com.
Though it isn’t clear exactly what mix of factors was dragging down Pilot sales last year, it’s very likely both high gasoline prices and Pilot’s traditional-SUV appearance were significant hindrances. Of course, so was the fact that competition in the crossover market proliferated.
Take Cues From the CR-V -- Please
Consider the contrasting 2007 sales performance of another of Honda’s own vehicles, the smaller and more aerodynamically styled CR-V crossover. After averaging sales of just under 150,000 from 2003 through 2005, CR-V volumes leaped to 170,000 units in 2006 and even more, to 219,000, last year. In 2007, CR-V outsold Pilot by more than 100,000 units after outselling its larger sibling by only 7,000 vehicles in 2005, according to analysis by Edmunds.com.
And overall, crossover design is reveling in an aero-influenced school that suggests the appearance of less is actually more. The hot GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave, as well as the Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX, are primary examples.
“All the designs are going in that direction, counter to what Honda is showing with the Pilot prototype,” said Jessica Caldwell, an analyst for Edmunds.com. “It looks more like a Jeep or a (Nissan) Xterra than what you would expect next from Honda.”
Unfortunately, several more models bearing the traditional, squared-off SUV design -- nearly all large vehicles as well -- are also struggling in the marketplace, including Jeep Commander and Ford Explorer. Meanwhile, some other crossover models on the same rough timetable as the 2009 Pilot will unabashedly expand on the sleekness theme, including the 2009 Dodge Journey and 2009 Toyota Venza.
Already some objective feedback has raised questions about the prototype Pilot design. It “scored lousy” with consumers who were surveyed in mid-January by CNW Research, said Art Spinella, president of the Bandon, Ore., automotive-research concern.
Pilot garnered “about 7.5 on our 12-point scale for exterior styling, which stinks for a new vehicle,” he said. Typical such scores are 8.7 to 9.0.” CNW surveyed several hundred consumers in Detroit, Los Angeles and Chicago using Honda press materials from the Detroit show and video of the Pilot prototype obtained from Honda, Spinella said.
“Mostly, people said it was boring -- there was nothing distinctive about it to them in a positive way,” Spinella said. Even more ominous for the new Pilot, he said, is consumers surveyed “were not really crazy about any particular part of the exterior. Normally you don’t see that with a new car; some feature will turn them on. But this (lukewarm reaction) was pretty much 360 degrees.”
Indeed, the aspect of the prototype Pilot design that may stand out most compared with the existing Pilot is body lines around and underneath the windows and along the fenders that sharpen those components and actually amplify the blockishness of the design.
New Pilot Is a Good Dancer
Honda’s Schifsky confirmed “this prototype is designed to accurately show the styling direction of the ’09 Pilot.” Though “there will certainly be some changes when the car reaches production,” he said, “you should expect to see much of this prototype’s styling cues in the production version.” The new design, he said, is “evolutionary.”
In fact, Keough said the styling of the 2009 Pilot might advance just far enough, thank you, for certain important groups of target consumers.
“We wanted to give the car a bit more emotional styling and some character, both for current Pilot customers -- who love their vehicle -- as well as people leaving the truck-based SUV segment who might want something just a little more boldly styled,” he said. “Someone coming out of a Grand Cherokee or an Explorer isn’t going to be ready to buy a (Mazda) CX-9 or Acadia or a station wagon, which are really more on-road vehicles with carlike styling.
“We already have vehicles in our lineup that cater to those segments also. We wanted Pilot to continue to represent its unique positioning -- the best of both worlds.”
But the company certainly isn’t touting advanced styling as among the 2009 Pilot’s most promising attributes. Rather, Honda is focusing on what Schifsky called “more accommodating interior packaging and advanced technologies for safety, fuel efficiency and convenience.”
The latter include the latest generation of Honda’s fuel-saving Variable Cylinder Management technology, which operates in six-cylinder mode for power and four- and three-cylinder modes for efficiency. It's an advancement over the existing Pilot’s available VCM system, which works only in six- and three-cylinder modes. The 2009 Pilot also will feature what Honda calls an Advanced Compatibility Engineering structure, which enhances frontal-collision fits with vehicles of different sizes and bumper heights, as well as the most extensive use of high-strength steel of any Honda product to date.
And, of course, the new Pilot will retain what Schifsky called “functional eight-passenger seating, a hallmark of the Pilot,” which will become “even easier to access in the third row.”
But as Honda proceeds with a squared-off new Pilot whose design at best could 
be considered admirably SUV-traditionalist -- but, at worst, severely out of touch with the crossover market -- it is testing the company’s long-vaunted product-development instincts as well as its less well-honed marketing chops. It raises questions about what Honda’s stylists know about the crossover market that no one else does.
Bill Visnic contributed to this story.
| HONDA PILOT VS. HONDA CR-V | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Pilot Sales | CR-V Sales | Difference |
| 2002 | 51,583 | - | - |
| 2003 | 106,917 | 143,909 | 36,992 |
| 2004 | 128,158 | 149,281 | 21,123 |
| 2005 | 143,353 | 150,219 | 6,866 |
| 2006 | 152,154 | 170,028 | 17,874 |
| 2007 | 117,146 | 219,160 | 102,014 |
- Pilot launched in 2002
Source: Edmunds.com
Posted by at 9:36 AM under Analysis , Commentary , Companies , Featured | Comments (14) | digg this | Seed Newsvine
Exterior styling is definitely this vehicle's weak point, however, I doubt that current Pilot owners bought their vehicle based on styling alone. The current Pilot did relatively well in the segment and it looked as plain as a brick.
Furthermore, the Pilot received numerous accolades, for example,
* Car and Driver magazine's Best Large SUV for 2002 through 2007
* Intellichoice "Best Value of the Year"
* Edmunds.com "Most Wanted SUV"
* AMI Auto World "World Family Vehicle of the Year"
* Kelley Blue Book "Top 50 Most Popular Cars"
There must have been a reason it earned these recognitions despite its plain styling.
My assumption is that current Pilot owners are people that need the minivan (Odyssey) functionality but none of the minivan stigma.
If the Pilot builds upon it's current strengths, or revolutionizes 3rd row seating and 3rd row ingress/egress then I can see it doing well in the segment vs. other style oriented CUVs on the market that sacrifice passenger and cargo space. Also, touting the VCM is a very good strategy on Honda's part, because in times of $3 - $4 a gallon gasoline, families will definitely be looking for a fuel efficient CUV. The market is more crowded now, but the Pilot has strong equity, and people will consider the Pilot because it is made by Honda.
The next Pilot may not be a sales record breaker, but I highly doubt it will be relegated to the bottom of the CUV market.
By the way, in Caldwell's quote, it is a Nissan "Xterra" and not "Exterra".
Posted by: Mikey | January 30, 2008 at 3:53 PM
As others have pointed out, one of the most critical factors today is the look/style of a new car. As the quality/feature gap of new cars have narrowed, people are looking for good-looking cars. For example, with all the commentary on why the new RL hasn't sold well, I'd like to throw out a question. If the new RL had an awesome, stylish look to it, do you think anyone would care whether its a 6 cyl or an 8 cyl engine? Very few i'd guess, especially with a 300HP V6. Honda/Acura nailed the quality, performance, and technology thing a long time ago. Concentrate on style.. do your homework and come up with some awesome looking cars that no one can debate.. That will sell cars...
Posted by: MikeAmmo | January 30, 2008 at 6:27 PM
As others have pointed out, one of the most critical factors today is the look/style of a new car. As the quality/feature gap of new cars have narrowed, people are looking for good-looking cars. For example, with all the commentary on why the new RL hasn't sold well, I'd like to throw out a question. If the new RL had an awesome, stylish look to it, do you think anyone would care whether its a 6 cyl or an 8 cyl engine? Very few i'd guess, especially with a 300HP V6. Honda/Acura nailed the quality, performance, and technology thing a long time ago. Concentrate on style.. do your homework and come up with some awesome looking cars that no one can debate.. That will sell cars...
Posted by: MikeAmmo | January 30, 2008 at 6:28 PM
MikeAmmo, you have a good point, but I think you are neglecting to consider the internal lineup competition for the RL. With the TL being several thousand dollars cheaper, better performance, crisper styling, larger interior, it is very difficult to make a good purchase argument for the RL.
Yes, the design is a vanilla, but it's not polarizing. Design is much more important to buyers in the sport sedan segment (i.e. 5 Series, E Class, A6), vs. the CUV segment (i.e. Highlander, CX9, etc.) Functionality, passenger space, and safety are most likely on the minds of those buyers than strictly styling.
Posted by: Mikey | January 31, 2008 at 9:25 AM
Personally, I don't mind the Pilot's boxy styling, but the front-end is atrocious. It's a bit better than the CR-V's unlookable front-end but not much better......
The Pilot is a vehicle that is bought primarily for its untility (in carrying passengers in comfort), so I doubt style is a big priority for its target market. But I would choose a CX-9 instead........third row seats are primarily for use by childern, anyway.
Posted by: BlackAdder | January 31, 2008 at 9:36 AM
For most of us, we are easily attracted to great looks.
We pay attention to it.
We research it.
Chances are, this is the vehicle we will buy.
Posted by: Ben | January 31, 2008 at 10:22 AM
I think the new Pilot is probably one of the ugliest vehicles every produced. This opinion is coming from someone who thought the Pontiac Aztek was neither here nor there in the styling department.
What remains to be seen is if Honda customers really love their cars for what's on the inside. The new Civic seems to be doing OK, but its sales are bested by the mechanically dated but decent looking Corolla. I have absolutely no doubt that the Pilot will be well engineered, but I can't believe how bad of a job they with the design here.
Posted by: Ben | January 31, 2008 at 2:24 PM
Problem with Japanese manufacturers is that, while they have nailed quality and technology, they simply lack European styling/flare. What I don't understand is, why just not hire a bunch of Euro designers? Audi, BMW etc. all have a distinctive styling. Acura and Honda - great quality but bland/vanilla styling (and this from an owner of 2005 CRV and Accord).
Posted by: Dino | January 31, 2008 at 2:48 PM
Dino, I understand the appeal of European styling, but what does not make sense to me is why imitate European styling when you are a Japanese manufacturer? To me, a imitating Euro styling will be just that...an imitation. It's similar to rather than buying a Rolex, you bought a Timex with Rolex design.
I think Japanese/American manufacturers should celebrate and express their region's unique designs in their own product. Good design, regardless of what continent it comes from, is good design.
Posted by: Mikey | January 31, 2008 at 4:12 PM
Do you have any info about the VW minivan that will be introduced at the Washington auto show?
Posted by: Fred | February 02, 2008 at 5:57 PM
Why is there an interior photograph of the Hyundai Genesis in a Pilot article?
Posted by: Steven Zeleski | February 04, 2008 at 8:59 PM
" It raises questions about what Honda’s stylists know about the crossover market that no one else does."
Or ... the Pilot prototype raises questions that Honda continues to be stubborn and arrogant when it comes to market trends and consumer demand. For example, the luxury market requires an auto brand have a V8 engine to be taken seriously. For 2 decades now, Honda has remained stubborn regarding that with it's Acura brand.
I don't think Honda knows anything special here. I think this is just another example of arrogance on their part, thinking they know better than the market itself.
Even Toyota years ago admitted that styling would becoming increasingly important in the future as a differentiator for their vehicles compared to the competition. At least Toyota is putting an effort into improving the styling of their lineup, and consumers seem to like Toyota styling.
Posted by: johnson | February 04, 2008 at 9:33 PM
Let me start by saying that I think Honda's marketing and development folks have it all wrong. I like the idea of a well-built car that will run forever but OMG are these cars uninspiring! Plus, I am not a fan of their 4 cylinders (yes the CRV), which are very poor from the persepective of sound deadening, and why do I have to move up to the Acura to get a V6? The first thing I said when I sat in the current Pilot was, " they want all this money for this car and they can't even put a power passenger seat in it??!!!" This car looks more like the big Toyota and looks nothing like its Acura relative. Am I apt to buy one? Uhhh...No!
Posted by: Jon Blair | February 06, 2008 at 4:57 AM
I like the new 2009 Honda Pilot prototype . I think it looks like a strong vehicle. It is very similar to the Nissan Armada. I am a current 2005 Pilot and 2002 Civic owner and am excited for the new 2009 Pilot to come because I want it. Just as the comment above about the minivan stigma, I have three children am under 30 and i'm just not ready for the minivan. I love Honda cars because I love quality and have never had a problem with either of my vehicles, I just wish they would hurry up and put it on the market.
Posted by: Shana O'Blenis | March 29, 2008 at 5:06 PM