2010 Honda Pilot Quality Review

In summing up the interior of the 2010 Honda Pilot, reviewers report good interior space and a usable third-row seat but take some issue with interior materials.

For 2009, Honda “added 2.9 inches to the length and wheelbase, made it 1.0 inch wider and nearly an inch taller,” Motor Trend reports. “Collectively, the changes upped cabin volume by 4.1 cubic feet.”

For a vehicle of this size, it's unusual to have a third row that can be used by adults, but Honda has done it. Edmunds clarifies that Honda creates a space for adults "by raising the hip point of the seat itself, so there are 1.9 inches more legroom and a far more comfortable seating position.” The Detroit News also points to the impressive third-row space: “As a full-size adult, I could climb back into the third row with little hassle and fit comfortably there.” Motor Trend agrees; “Still best for a trio of younger folk, the innermost sanctum now truly is capable of carrying two average adults in reasonable comfort,” they attest. Only Cars.com differs on this point, with the reviewer feeling that it is “still on the small side for adults.”

Moving up to the second row of the 2010 Pilot, the Detroit News reports, “The second row felt spacious and the front offered lots of room,” and Motor Trend notes it “retains 3.0 inches of basic fore/aft adjustability.” USA Today thinks the “second row slides fore-aft and has good leg and knee space,” but the seat’s folding features are “a bit stiff to operate.”

Meanwhile, those in the front seats are likely to be comfortable even for long road trips. “Its well-formed front buckets gain an extra 20 mm of seat travel, and the driver's perch power-adjusts on all but the LX,” states Motor Trend. The Pilot also gets “a steering column that now tilts and telescopes,” they note. Cars.com says the “front bucket seats have moderately firm cushioning that proved comfortable.”

Storage inside the 2009 Honda Pilot is made easy with two rows of folding seats in back, and numerous storage bins, along with the cargo area behind the third-row seat. In eight-seat configuration, the Pilot still has “class-leading 20.8 cubic feet of rear stow room, including a 2.8-cubic-foot concealed underfloor bin,” Cars.com says, and “47.7/87.0 cubic feet with one or both back rows flopped.” The third-row seat folds completely into the floor of the Pilot, sources add, and there’s space enough “for a couple golf bags or a folded stroller behind the 3rd row,” ConsumerGuide promises, also noting that “ample small-items storage includes a versatile front console, two-tier front-seatback pouches, and plenty of compartments and cubbies.”

Honda has a reputation for quality, but the interior of the 2010 Honda Pilot falls off a bit in the details. Some trim pieces are noticeably cheaper than in the past, and Cars.com observes "an exposed cutline in one of the dash pieces and a slightly misaligned trim piece on the instrument panel hood.” They also point out the dash plastic is “hard to the touch, which is unusual considering that many automakers are using soft-touch materials in cabin designs.” ConsumerGuide also notes the “abundance of hard plastic trim.” Only Automobile Magazine comments on the interior materials in a positive light, saying that “its thick-rimmed steering wheel and supportive seats make the Toyota [Highlander]'s cockpit feel cheap by comparison.”