2019 Honda Pilot Overview
Everyone’s favorite modern SUV remains as spacious and family-friendly as ever, with a long list of refreshing and innovative upgrades that give it a new attitude in its third generation. For everything you could want in a minivan without actually driving a minivan, the 2019 Honda Pilot is the answer to your prayers. From subtle and effective styling changes to the standardization of cutting-edge safety technology, the 2019 Pilot is the intelligent SUV tailored for your needs.
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What’s New for the 2019 Honda Pilot?
The 2019 Honda Pilot has been redesigned and refreshed with tremendous capabilities. The popular 8-seat SUV received many changes this model year, including more aggressive exterior styling, a new hands-free power tailgate, powertrain refinements, and standard Honda Sensing®, as well as extensive technology upgrades. All five trims of the Honda Pilot are returning — LX, EX, EX-L, Touring, and Elite — with these improvements found all across the board.
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Exterior
The capabilities of the 2019 Honda Pilot are reflected in its updated exterior, where a redesigned grille and new skid garnish give a more aggressive and impressive look to Honda’s signature “flying wing” grille design. Visibility and styling are further improved by new taillights, turn signals, and LED backup lights. The Elite also receives heated, power-folding mirrors with automatic dimming. A newly available hands-free power tailgate on the Touring and Elite trims makes it easier for drivers to open the tailgate if their hands are full, simply by kicking their foot under the rear bumper.
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Exterior features on the 2019 Honda Pilot LX:
- LED low-beam headlights with auto-on/off, Fin-type roof-mounted antenna, Rear privacy glass, LED brake and reverse lights, Variable Intermittent windshield wipers, Intermittent rear window wiper/washer, Black door handles and power side mirrors, Black roofline spoiler with integrated brake light
Exterior features on the 2019 Honda Pilot EX:
-Adds to or replaces features on LX-
- Heated body-color power side mirrors with integrated LED turn indicators, Body-color door handles, Body-color roofline spoiler with integrated brake lights, LED fog lights
Exterior features on the 2019 Honda Pilot EX-L:
-Adds to or replaces features on EX-
- One-touch power moonroof with tilt feature, Power tailgate, Acoustic windshield
Exterior features on the 2019 Honda Pilot Touring:
-Adds to or replaces features on EX-L-
- Chrome door handles, Hands-free power tailgate, Acoustic windshield and front doors, Roof rails, Parking sensors in front and rear, LED low-beam headlights with auto-on/off, Memory-linked side mirrors with reverse rear tilt-down
Exterior features on the 2019 Honda Pilot Elite:
-Adds to or replaces features on Touring-
- Auto-dimming, power folding and heated body-color power side mirrors with integrated LED turn indicators; Rain-sensing variable intermittent windshield wipers; Panoramic roof
Performance
The performance of the Honda Pilot has been enhanced for 2019, with a retuned nine-speed automatic transmission available in the Touring and Elite trims, improving the drivability with smoother shifts. An upgraded Idle Stop system allows for quicker restarts when accelerating after engine stop, while reconfigured air conditioning reduces the number of engine restarts.
All trims come with standard two-wheel drive and available all-wheel drive, except for the Elite trim, which comes standard with AWD. As a standard feature on all AWD models, an intelligent Variable Torque Management system offers superior control and improved handling in all driving condition. A 3.5-liter V6 engine sits under the hood of all 2019 Honda Pilots, with two different transmission options depending on the trim. The LX, EX, and EX-L come with a six-speed automatic transmission, while the Touring and Elite trims have a standard nine-speed automatic transmission with Paddle Shifters.
Every 2019 Pilot is capable of 280 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque.
Efficiency
The fuel economy of the 2019 Honda Pilot remains unchanged since the 2016 model. A 2019 Pilot with 2WD receives a fuel economy of 19/27/22 mpg in city, highway, and combined traffic, while the 2WD Touring trim has an increased fuel economy of 20/27/23 mpg. For AWD models, the fuel economy is 18/26/21 mpg, while it is 19/26/22 mpg for Touring and Elite AWD models.
Interior
The updated 2019 Pilot interior includes a new vent trim, available three-way heated front seats, and wider armrests, as well as available second-row captain’s chairs on the Touring and Elite models and available second-row retractable sunshades starting on the EX-L trim.
Numerous technology upgrades have found their way into the 2019 Honda Pilot as well, such as an all-new Display Audio system, a redesigned instrument cluster, an updated Rear Entertainment System, CabinControl™, CabinTalk™, and the next-generation HondaLink® platform. An available 4G LTE Wi-Fi® hotspot and wireless smartphone charging also allow for greater connectivity when you enter the 2019 Pilot.
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Interior features on the 2019 Honda Pilot LX:
- Interior: Air conditioning with air filtration system, Sunglasses holder, Power windows with auto-up/down driver’s and front passenger’s windows, Power door and tailgate locks, Cruise control, One-touch turn indicators, Tilt and telescopic steering column, Multi-functional center console storage, Lockable glove compartment, Sliding sun visors, Remote fuel filler door release, Rear window defroster with timer, Rear-seat heater ducts, Cargo area light, Hidden storage well, Four cargo area tie-down anchors, Cargo area bag hooks, Capless fuel filler, 15 beverage holders, Map lights, Two garment hooks, Passenger-side seatback pocket, Illuminated steering wheel-mounted controls, Front and second-row floor mats, 60/40-split flat-folding third-row bench seat, Adjustable seat belt anchors in front row, Head restraints at all seating positions
- Radio and Technology: Remote entry, Security system, Push button start, 5-inch color LCD screen, Seven speakers with subwoofer, Bluetooth® HandsFreeLink®, Bluetooth® Streaming Audio, MP3/auxiliary input jack, Radio Data System (RDS), Speed-sensitive Volume Control (SVC), USB audio interface, 12-volt power outlets in front and center console, 2.5-amp USB charging port in center console, Multi-angle rearview camera with guidelines
Interior features on the 2019 Pilot EX:
-Adds to or replaces features on LX-
- Interior: Driver and front passenger’s seatback pockets, Tri-zone automatic climate control system with humidity control and air filtration, Driver and front passenger’s illuminated vanity mirrors, Conversation mirror with sunglasses holder, Driver’s seat with 10-way power adjustment and power lumbar support, One-touch second-row seats, Heated front seats
- Radio and Technology: Programmable remote entry, Smart entry with Walk Away Auto Lock®, Remote engine start, 12-volt power outlets in cargo area, 8-inch display audio with high-resolution WVGA electrostatic touchscreen and customizable feature settings, HondaLink®, CabinControl™ remote compatibility, Apple CarPlay™ and Android Auto™ integration, SMS text message function, SiriusXM® radio, HD Radio™, 2.5-amp USB Smartphone/audio interface, Blind Spot Monitoring System (BSI) with Cross Traffic Monitor, Multi-angle rearview camera with dynamic guidelines
Interior features on the 2019 Honda Pilot EX-L:
-Adds to or replaces features on EX-
- Interior: Integrated sunshades on the second row, Automatic-dimming rearview mirror, Leather-wrapped steering wheel, Leather-wrapped shift knob, Driver’s seat with 10-way power adjustment including power lumbar support with two-position memory, Front passenger’s seat with four-way power adjustment, Leather-trimmed seats
- Radio and Technology: HomeLink® Remote System, Two second-row USB charging ports, CabinTalk™ in-car PA system through headphones
Interior features on the 2019 Honda Pilot Touring:
-Adds to or replaces features on EX-L-
- Interior: Courtesy door lights in front row, Blue ambient LED lighting, Front illuminated beverage holders, Front and rear heated seats
- Radio and Technology: Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System™ with voice recognition and Honda HD Digital Traffic; Advanced rear entertainment system with 10.2-inch high-resolution WSVGA screen, Blu-Ray™ player, and built-in streaming apps; 115-volt power outlet; Second-row HDMI interface; 10 speakers with subwoofer; HondaLink® subscription services; Mobile hotspot capability; Multi-zone audio
Interior features on the 2019 Honda Pilot Elite:
-Adds to or replaces features on Touring-
- Interior: LED front row map lights; All row floor mats; Heated leather-wrapped steering wheel; Front and second-row illuminated beverage holders; Perforated, heated, and ventilated front seats; Perforated and heated second-row captain’s chairs
- Radio and Technology: CabinTalk™ in-car PA system through speakers and headphones, Wireless phone charger
Safety
For the first time, all 2019 Honda Pilot models come standard with the Honda Sensing® suite of advanced safety technologies for greater driver awareness. Included in the Honda Sensing® suite are Collision Mitigation Braking System™ with Forward Collision Warning, Road Departure Mitigation, Lane Keeping Assist System, and Adaptive Cruise Control. Additionally, automatic high beams and a Multi-Angle Rearview Camera are both standard across the lineup. Honda’s Blind Spot Information System that was previously only available on the Elite trim has expanded to be a standard feature on the EX, EX-L, and Touring trims, where the Rear Cross Traffic Monitor is also standard.
The level of active and passive safety protection on the new 2019 Pilot has it targeting a 5-Star Overall Vehicle Score from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration when it is tested in the future.
Standard Safety Features:
- Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS)
- Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
- Auto High-Beam Headlights
- Vehicle Stability Assist™ (VSA®) with Traction Control
- Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)
- Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD)
- Brake Assist
- Multi-Angle Rearview Camera with Guidelines
- Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) with Tire Fill Assist and Location and Pressure Indicators
- LED Daytime Running Lights (DRL)
- Collision Mitigation Braking System™ (CMBS)
- Road Departure Mitigation System (RDM)
- Forward Collision Warning (FCW)
- Lane Departure Warning (LDW)
- Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure
- Advanced front airbags
- SmartVent® front side airbags
- Three-row side curtain airbags with rollover sensor
- Three-point seat belts at all seating positions
- Front three-point seat belts with automatic tensioning system
- Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren (LATCH)
- Driver and front passenger’s seat belt reminder
- Child-proof rear door locks
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