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Ever since the third generation Honda Pilot arrived in 2016.
The 3R SUV has been one of the top players in the mid-sized crossover segment.
2019 model year brings a mid-cycle refresh, which means more tech, more refinement, and more everyday conveniences.
Pop behind the wheel to check out what's new.
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So Honda says that their 9-speed automatic Transmission has been updated software wise for the 2019 model year.
There were reports that it had perhaps been hunting for gars when you were driving it.
Earlier today on the freeway I was able to kind of see a bit of hesitation.
It was about a second delay in the programming before it found the right gear.
But other than that, it seems like it's dialed in pretty well.
I've tried to replicate that behavior again throughout the day and it's only happened once so it seems like a programming is right, but the transmission but it's paired with a 3.5 liter V6 with 280 horsepower.
262 pound feet of torque.
And it moves this heavier SUV along the road just nicely.
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One of the most surprising things about the pilot is how flat it corners.
And that actually isn't at the expense of the ride itself, because It rides really well at the same time.
Not sure how they did that, but they were able to pull it off in a big [UNKNOWN] SUV like this, which is pretty impressive.
So the pilot comes with in higher trims, hard vectoring all wheel drive, which is really nice if you're in a hurry to get the kids to soccer practice.
You're gonna feel a little bit control under you because the vehicle [UNKNOWN] is 280 horse power across the wheels In a sporty way.
So, it doesn't handle like a sport but if you are hurry you're feeling more confidence as a result of that.
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Also new for 2019, is an updated idle stop system, or a start/stop system that allows the engine to turn off when you're at a stop light or even a stop sign.
But the problem that I had with that was that we were going up a canyon road and we came to a stop sign.
The vehicle shutdown, but then when I lifted my foot off the brake, the vehicle actually rolled back for about half-second before the engine activated again.
So I'm thinking maybe they need to still work on speeding up the idle stop.
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Honda's done a lot of work on the [UNKNOWN] for the 2019 Pilot and probably the most important addition to all that is the addition of a volume knob.
Nobody really likes doing a slider thing like you had to do before but with a physical knob It's really for your muscle memory to get used to.
Theres a new 8-inch display audio touchscreen.
It can run Android auto and Apple car play and it's a really easy user interface to operate.
It operates just like you're used to with your smart phone and it's pretty intuitive too.
So, if you're not keen on the idea of plugging your phone into your vehicle for navigation, Honda has you covered for that because they have Garmin based navigation.
Embedded into the upper level trends of the pilot and it works really easily, just like the overall hippotamus system, it's pretty easy to use, just like your smartphone.
You can pinch and zoom and operate your navigation, just like you would with your phone.
So it's pretty safe Another piece of big news for the 2019 Pilot is the addition of Honda sensing.
It's actually standard now across the board from all trends of Pilot.
And Honda sensing includes stuff like road departure medigation and cruise control or collision warning.
this category of buyer is looking for something like that because ultimately they want to keep themselves and their families safe.
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The pre refresh third gen pilot was no stranger to accolades but the updated 2019 model should keep this SUV at the top of your mid size crossover consideration list for years to come
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