[zwood]

I don’t like the armrests that are like stubby T-Rex arms. I wish they had a telescoping feature so I could move it forward a few inches.

 

[zwood]

I believe Honda is continuing to bring down noise levels in the Pilot/Passport lines, at least with the upper trims. My 2012 Pilot was quieter than my 2005 (my least favorite attribute of the older Pilots), and the Passport seems to be better still. The main reason I was considering a luxury brand was interior noise, and so far I’m happy with my decision to stay with Honda from that perspective.

 

[zwood]

The Touring and Elite featuring Acoustic glass on the Windshield, Front and Rear Doors

Worth it...I’d recommend stepping up to at least Touring for this reason alone.

 

[zwood]

Ok, back to something I dislike: both my prior Pilots allowed you to open the rear window without lifting the tailgate. That comes in handy in my garage where I don’t have enough clearance behind my car to open the tailgate when the garage door is closed.

 

[zwood]

I have a 2010 Acura MDX...about the same size as the new Passport...I open the garage door when I want to get to the back storage area..I never saw that as a problem.....I live in the Dallas area...Is your location extremely cold in the winter?

I live in the same place. I’ve never had a car or SUV where I had to open the garage door to get some small item out of the back. It’s an annoyance, not a major issue, but it’s something previous generations of Pilots had as an option on some trim levels.

 

[zwood]

#4 on your list is on mine, too.

I’m also disappointed that I have to to connect my phone via cable to use CarPlay. Don’t know if that’s a Honda problem or an Apple problem, but was disappointed all the same...I was really excited about getting a wireless charger.

 

[zwood]

Back to things I like: the little cubbies behind the wheel wells have come in handy. I’ve stuck a few loose items (baseball cap, gloves) that I used to just throw in the back seat. Good place for a few items from the grocery store, although too small for a full bag. Still, a thoughtful use of what was somewhat wasted space in my old Honda SUV.

Also, the remote lock feature is more convenient than the one in my wife’s car. With hers, you have to touch the door handle to lock (or use the key fob). I like just walking away and having it look for me.

 

[zwood]

That’s a great idea about being able to turn on the back camera while trying to park. I find myself putting the car in reverse just to see if I’m between the lines!

 

[zwood]

But is putting it in reverse so much different than pushing a button? Well, I guess it’s pulling a button. Quite different indeed.

I don’t like taxing (maybe too strong a word) the transmission by unnecessarily switching gears.

 

[zwood]

I’m probably the only one with this issue but there is an annoying .. I don’t even know what the word is .. squeak? squeal? .. friction related noise of some sort it seems coming from my drivers seat. I don’t know if it’s in the seat back, the lumbar, the seat bottom, the seat position hardware, no idea. But whenever I shift my body around it seems to make this noise. Kinda annoying. Like maybe it’s needs grease somewhere.

I’ve not had that issue.

 

[zwood]

Is “brake hold” when you press the brake to the floor while at a standstill (like a stoplight), and then let your foot off and the car remains brakes until you press the accelerator? If so, that’s a feature I really like, but thought was only available on luxury cars.

 

[zwood]

I noticed the same with regard to the tailgate. I don’t think the engine shuts off when you open the driver’s side door, at least that’s what I remember the first time I tried remote start. I’ve only used it a few times so far.

 

[zwood]

That is odd. My wife’s car is full-time. I know I wouldn’t use it if it wasn’t “auto on”.

 

[zwood]

I've only noticed it shutting off with the kick tailgate. It won't shut off when opening the driver's door or if you unlock all doors and open one of those first. Must be some kind of safety feature

 

[zwood]

I didn’t garage my car last night, so I used the remote start to warm it up this morning. It stayed on when I opened both the driver side front and rear door (didn’t have a need to open the tailgate). It was chilly in DFW this morning, so the heater and heated seats were both on.

 

[zwood]

Thanks for the post. Good info. Where and how do you order the printed copy of the full owner and navigation manual?

I went into the owner site at owners.honda.com and found the option to order manuals on the manuals download page.

 

[zwood]

Some little things I like:

The folding hooks above the back doors that allow me to hang my suit jacket. I think my 2005 Pilot was my last car to have one; my 2012 Pilot did not.

The sliding tray in the center console. I think it’s meant for a cellphone, but it’s really not big enough for mine. It is big enough for me to put a few pens and my ID badge from work, and I don’t have to dig around in console to find it.

The 2012-era Pilot had a shelf above the glove compartment. This required the glove compartment to sit so low I would hit my shins on it the rare occasions I sat on that side. Thank goodness they got rid of that shelf with the current Passport/Pilot.

 

[zwood]

Actually, I like the overall center console design much better then the previous generation Pilot. I wish the armrests were slightly more sustantial, and the push-button shifter still requires me to look at it even after driving the car 2,500 miles. But I don’t want to go back to what I had in my old Pilot.

 

[zwood]

I’m saying that I wish the power folder mirrors would operate after the engine is shit off, but before I open the door. E.g. how the radio stays on until I open the door. I always forget to click the fold button before I turn the car off. Then to fold them in, I have to turn the car back on.

This would definitely be better, as I virtually never remember to fold the mirrors until I turn off the engine. Even better is if they folded in when you leave the car and it automatically locks, then folded out when you unlock the car. My wife’s car operates in this manner, so the competition gets it.

 

[zwood]

5k miles, and my likes dislikes

+I prefer this engine/transmission to my 2012 Pilot, at least in regular Drive (not Sport) mode.
+Handles better than the Pilot, too.
+Looks better than the Pilot, too...and still manages to have plenty of room.
+Apple CarPlay: Given my driving habits, Waze is a must-have, although the Garmin Navigation system is much improved over my old Pilot.
-I miss having a rear window that opens independent of the tailgate.
-Center armrests are too small for me.
-Inability to remote start from the HondaLink app. Why pay for it?
-Side mirrors need to fold/unfold automatically when car is locked. Numerous times I’ve forgotten to do so, and either have to turn the car back on, or find myself driving with no side mirrors!