2016 Honda Pilot: Real-World Fuel Economy
As the longtime owner of a first-generation Pilot, and having tested the second-generation Pilot extensively over 1,000 miles, I was more than ready to give the newly redesigned 2016 Pilot its interstate exam.
My wife and I drove from Chicago to Louisville and Lexington, Ky., on vacation in the middle of summer, a perfect test for fuel economy for an all-wheel-drive crossover with a nine-speed transmission that promises 22 mpg combined and 26 mpg highway. However, we only achieved close to either number when using the car’s Eco mode.
Related: 2016 Honda Pilot: Car Seat Check
Temps were in the 80s and the air was thick with humidity, so the air conditioning was on constantly. But there were just three suitcases in back, and only a driver and passenger onboard. I used the auto stop-start during the entire test. It was lightly intrusive, and never grated on my nerves, which is better than I can say for many of these systems.
The first leg of 379 miles was almost entirely open interstate with the trip computer reading 25.7 mpg when we filled up, but calculations at the pump came to 23.2 mpg.
The next leg mixed larger interstate highways, urban driving and two-lane highways through rolling Kentucky scenery. They are some of the most beautiful roads in this country … especially if you like horse farms. Mileage during this 308-mile stretch registered 23.2 mpg on the trip computer, 20.9 at the pump.
Getting home was essentially the same as the first leg, albeit shorter at 288 miles of open interstate. This is where I put on the Eco setting to see if I could improve on mileage, and that turned out to be the case. The final trip computer rating was 27 mpg, and the pump registered 25.3 mpg, very close to the Pilot’s estimated 26 mpg highway ratings.
Overall for the entire trip the computer registered 25.1 mpg, while pump calculations came to 23 mpg.
We’ve observed many Honda vehicles over the years returning superior numbers at the pump versus the trip computer, including our long-term 2013 Civic. However, we’ve seen similar discrepancies from various automakers in other tests of this type.
During the trip, the 2016 Pilot proved to be a quiet touring vehicle with a refined ride. There was little road, engine or wind noise, and the seats were comfortable, although my 4-foot-11 wife complained that her seat sat too high for her feet to comfortably rest on the floor. The controls are well laid out, and the cargo space behind the third row was impressive.
All in all, I’d say that the Pilot feels (and looks) a lot less like a truck than it used to, and that helped its drivability.
We sometimes encounter eccentricities with preproduction test vehicles like this particular Pilot, but this one had more than usual. Other staffers and I encountered what could only be considered glitches with the navigation system as well as the adaptive cruise control during the Pilot’s time with us. We’ll be keeping on eye on this when we test a production version later this year.
In our last multicar comparison of three-row crossovers, we conducted a mileage test[JLB2] that tackled a route of more mixed city and highway driving. Six of the seven competitors bested or matched their combined EPA rating in that test while the previous-generation Pilot was slightly behind its number.
Read our full expert review of the 2016 Honda Pilot here.
