I purchased a 2019 HL XLE, did not even consider a Pilot. Why because I am a toyota guy, never driven a Honda car or suv and it is best to stick with what I was used to, Honda just appears to me to not quite have the ruggedness of a Toyota and not quite in the same class, like Lexus seems better than Acura and that trickles down respectively to toyota and honda, but honda better than mazda etc. Just my opinion not necessarily a valid opinion.

Does the U.N. use hondas for disaster relief and peacekeeping? Do rebel forces mount anti aircraft guns on the back of Honda ridgelines? Why not? Does this usage trickle back to toyota as real world information for vehicle design?

 

#1 reason: this is a Toyota forum.

Other reasons: Highlander has a tighter turning radius, it's a little smaller (which could be a negative, depending upon your perception).

 

Not so long ago, I set in Pilot and MDX.
Pilot was 2019.
I got in, sit in it, and start shaking my head. It was so CHEAP inside. I was, just like Jeremy C, banging on all those hard plastic panels everywhere. Cheap. My 12 Hihglander looked way more elegant inside, and it was no special, large black piece.
Absence of any forearm support. None. Just big void under it. yes, it had captain chair with "armrest" but that armrest was a sad joke - too narrow, too short, slanted out and down, for some reason, so forearm simply slides off it right away.
Engine, though, was VERY peppy. Very.
I also test drove used MDX with about 35K miles on it, and suspension was all already unhinged. My 12 HiHy I bought used with 65K miles and suspension was all tight.
So no.

 

You should drive both and research both. Maybe start with watching review videos on youtube. Kelly Blue Book has video reviews of both and provides links to more information at their website.
I'm a bit thrifty, and I used to drive a 2001 Honda Civic LX 5sp. My teenage son bought a 1999 Corolla LE. Working and owning both, I would say the Corolla was better engineered. Our family had a 04 Sienna XLE and an 07 Odyssey EX Touring. I would say the Toyota lasted better and was better engineered. The Honda was okay but the AC wasn't as cold, the gas mileage wasn't as good.
My parents looked at V6 Accords and V6 Camrys back in 04. They chose the Camry and kept it 10 years. Never had a single issue with it, just happy driving for 10 years.
The Toyota held its value better than the similarly equipped Honda in each case.
We had an 06 Highlander, besides routine maintenance, no failures at all. AC was ice cold. Drove great until the day a large furniture truck took a hard right in front of me. Airbags deployed and I walked away with a sore neck.
I always consider Toyota's first and I've been happy with them.

 

2019 Highlander XLE AWD.

This made my choice...

1. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Toyota Highlander is safer than the Honda Pilot.

2. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Toyota Highlander is safer than the Honda Pilot.

3. The Highlander’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (53% to 47%) than the Pilot’s (56.1% to 43.9%). This gives the Highlander more stable handling and braking.

4. Consumer Reports rates the Highlander’s reliability 24 points higher than the Pilot.

5. We are a Toyota family...longevity, reliability & passion!

 

Strange! When I go to the NHTSA site it shows the same results and recommendations for both the 19 HL and 19 Pilot. Five stars in both categories. I subscribe to CR and can’t seem to find your reliability ratings on the HL or the Pilot!


The one thing for sure is that the Pilot smokes the HL in cargo space. 48cf to 40. If we were a large family that traveled a lot I would have considered the Pilot but since there are only two of us and we had two previous HL’s this one was a no brainer.

 

- it's a Toyota
- nuff said!

 

The interior styling of the Pilot is crap. The handling is boaty and the brakes are still mush, and the exterior back is has a high and heavy disproportion. The wheel design is from the 80's.
The armrests were uncomfortable. Materials inside were cheap looking. I also think it has a more female appeal and presence. Had to describe, but the front end looks like it has a female face with eyebrow shaping work done.

 

The interior styling of the Pilot is crap. The handling is boaty and the brakes are still mush, and the exterior back is has a high and heavy disproportion. The wheel design is from the 80's.
The armrests were uncomfortable. Materials inside were cheap looking. I also think it has a more female appeal and presence. Had to describe, but the front end looks like it has a female face with eyebrow shaping work done.

This was the main criticism Consumer Reports had of the Pilot when I was deciding 2 years ago. That said, we are not fully satisfied with our Highlander. Passenger/cargo space is inadequate for 5-7 passengers, each one with more than a few days worth of luggage, etc. Virtually necessary to have a cargo carrier.

Someone below mentioned minivan. We are contemplating a new Odyssey if I can determine it will tow our boat. The wife thought recent year Odysseys looked too much like a hearse, but she is more comfortable with the looks now. Can't beat the deep rear well of a minivan for luggage capacity.

 

Pilot looks a bit like a minivan, and from the driver’s seat it sure feels exactly like one...

 

I had the same feeling. Went for the highlander.

 

My intention was to buy a Pilot for 2018, have been buying Honda's for over 35 years. Currently have a 2014 Odyssey and figured a Pilot was in my future. Started my research about a year ahead by checking out Acura, Honda and finally Toyota SUV. The wife was totally against Toyota because of the seats being so uncomfortable, they kill her back. Test drove the Highlander XLE, passenger seats killed her back after driving 1 mile, tested the Limited, she loved it. Time to buy, called Honda dealer (in fact several) and no one would give me the deal I wanted. So went with plan B, got the Limited with the deal I wanted and now a Highlander owner. She thinks its the best vehicle we have ever owned. When I tested the Pilot, it was like a exact copy of the 2014 Odyssey in the interior. I don't drive that much so it didn't really matter. The Highlander seems like a better vehicle, but I will know for sure in about 6 years or so. I told the salesman, I have been buying Honda's for over 30 years and if this Toyota is a piece of sh-- I will never be back, but if its a great vehicle, I will see you in a few years, when its time to replace the mini van. He was like, that's fair.

 

Highlander over Pilot

I put 48,000 miles on a 2016 Honda Pilot and now have a Highlander. Here are four things I prefer on the Pilot
1) The Highlander has big side view mirrors that provide a big blind spot viewing traffic at intersections. The Pilot has a small triangular window that provides much better view.
2) The Pilot has a right hand Camera mounted in the mirror. It provides excellent views while passing and parking against a concrete curb
3) The Pilot Cruise Control is mounted on the steering wheel while the Highlander has the hard to reach steering column mount
4) The Pilot easily gets over 3 miles more per gallon on interstate driving

 

I put 48,000 miles on a 2016 Honda Pilot and now have a Highlander. Here are four things I prefer on the Pilot

1) The Highlander has big side view mirrors that provide a big blind spot viewing traffic at intersections. The Pilot has a small triangular window that provides much better view.

Not a big deal at all, and in the 4 years have had zero notice of it.

2) The Pilot has a right hand Camera mounted in the mirror. It provides excellent views while passing and parking against a concrete curb

I agree, this was handy, a welcome addition. Not in anyway to dictate the purchase of a car.

3) The Pilot Cruise Control is mounted on the steering wheel while the Highlander has the hard to reach steering column mount

That is almost as important as color.

4) The Pilot easily gets over 3 miles more per gallon on interstate driving

I wouldn't let 3mpg's dictate the a car purchase. Although, It can start getting important right about there, specially when driving a lot yearly.

This is interesting, and not sure how that works out. Before I added 100-2 pounds of sound deadening material and stereo equipment I was easily getting 19-22city and 28-33mpg hwy. I noticed this being a slight bit better than some others posting results, but I was also driving much more aware, and careful.

 

Long ago (1999) we owned a Honda Passport. (Whether it was actually an Isuzu rebadged, I'm not sure.) It was not bad, just not very good. As we looked thru the current choices in 2017, FCA, GM, Honda, Toyota, and the Korean stuff the Highlander stood out as the easy choice for us.

 

The new Pilot looks and feels bloated, too much like a mini van. We preferred something a little smaller.

 

Something I look for is how many older vehicles do I see on the road, I see quite a lot of older Highlanders and some older pilots(pilot was a very popular vehicle 10 years ago though), the vehicles seem to last. Take as an example the top selling vehicle in North America the Ford F150, considering the numbers sold and the fact that pick ups should out last cars ,not that many earlier models still running around, but do i do see old chevy trucks and even Rams. Ford is overrated and yet people still buy them in large numbers. I don't see that many new pilots where I am but there are a lot of new highlanders.

 

test drove both extensively. heart was with pilot, mind with highlander. Both had pros and cons. Pilot 2019 vs highlander. So with all other things being equal:

Honda pros
-bigger interior. includes little more 3rd row legroom. bigger, better organized trunk space
-Apple car play
-better modern looking infotainment screen
-felt like driving a big suv

cons
-overall interior looked a bit drab. Like a car from 90’s
-drive was a bit sluggish. truck based I think. would kick in after 35-40 mph. brakes weren't very responsive.
-service. Dealers really didn’t push for my business like Toyota. no 2 year care like Toyota.
-heard bad things about recent engine problems with Honda.

Highlander
pros
-much more nimble and responsive in driving in every aspect. braking, low speeds, cornering
-interior looks much better and mordern. But still a bit behind by 18/19 standards.
-reliability (I hope)

cons
-have to dig in deep whithin the infotainment system (still learning) to know of features. not up to par with 18/19 standards
-smaller interior and very small 3rd row. Only for little kids at best
-heating system a bit wonky. Takes a while to kick in. Then gets too hot or ineffective with little changes. haven’t tried AC yet. it’s 20 deg here now
-back up camera doesn’t have dynamic grid lines while reversing. even my base 16 terrain has that. Very useful

I would say body style, size, drive depends on personal preference

 

NHTSA RATINGS:

1. Pilot: Rollover Star Rating 4 star
The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.

Dynamic Tip Result: No Tip
Rollover Resistance 17.50%

1. Highlander: Rollover Star Rating 4 star

Dynamic Tip Result: No Tip
Rollover Resistance 18.50%

2. Pilot: Overall Front Star Rating 4 star
Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.

Front Driver Side: 4 star
Front Passenger Side: 4 star

2. Highlander: Overall Front Star Rating 4 star

Front Driver Side: 4 star
Front Passenger Side: 5 star

 

Main reason for me is the pilot is a hideous boat that looks like a mini van :dunno: :lol:

 

Was considering the Pilot too... But a few personal preferences made me pick the HL:

- HL stick shifter vs Pilot button shifter
- HL volume knob vs Pilot touch screen control
- HL 2nd row seems a little easier to get into compared to Pilot

Pilot does have better 3rd row room. Also has a quick access button.

HL shortcomings are also listed in another thread

 

Highlander sold around 245000 units in the US in 2018 compared to the Pilots 127000, maybe that speaks for itself .

 

Highlander

The Highlander is more quiet than the Pilot. If you do your own maintenance, you cannot get under the Pilot without car ramps. Also the Pilot oil filter is mounted just above a crossmember and you cannot remove it without spilling oil. I can change the oil in the Highlander without spilling any oil.

 

I looked at the Pilot. Overall I thought it looked cheap, very spartan inside. I thought it was uncomfortable in the drivers seat and outside it can’t hold a candle to the Highlander. I’m very happy with my 2019 Limited.

 

Personally I haven't been able to pull the trigger on the highlander... seats where comfy in the limited, but it is so dated.... Every other cross over in this segment more up to date interior. However each of those has its own flaws.

I've been going in circles with cars.

I want a 4runner ability, highlander head room, and Audi infotainment... That just doesn't exist.

 

You sound like a good fit for the Lexus GX 460, it has the same underpinnings as the 4 runner but more spacious cabin and luxury interior, as it is a lexus, sold overseas as the Toyota prado in a more basic trim.

https://www.lexus.com/models/GX

 

My wife mostly uses our 2017 Highlander limited Plat. She and I checked out the Kia Sorento(no 3rd seat), the Hyundai Santa Fe(did not like the seats), GMC Arcadia(noisy engine) , Honda Pilot (cheap feeling and did not like placement of controls), Jeep(No way). So the Highlander won out and after over one year and 26,000 miles we like it very much. However, for a long trip our 2018 GMC Yukon XL Denali is the go to vehicle which averages 22mpg on most trips and super quiet, smooth ride.

 

Handling wise, Toyota feels better. If you ever done this test back to back, you can tell how "close" the Pilot is to a minivan:

Pilot -> Odyssey

Highlander -> Sienna

Sienna drives way worse than the Highlander, while the Pilot feels so close to the Ody (a bit "floaty"). This was too bad because Honda sedans drive much better than their SUV's, total opposite of Toyota i.e. I enjoyed driving the Civic versus Corolla.

I was surprised when I test drove the Highlander the first time.

 

Wait... you found the highlander handles better then the Pilot. Even Alex on Auto's disagrees. Contradictory reviews on this. Can anyone else chime in?

 

Nobody considered the CX-9 ?

 

Nope!? Then I would have had to look at the Enclave also. Not my cups of tea.

 

Wait... you found the highlander handles better then the Pilot. Even Alex on Auto's disagrees. Contradictory reviews on this. Can anyone else chime in?

I found the Highlander handles better then the Pilot also. Not a lot, but noticeable.


The one vehicle that I thought handled and drove as well was the Nissan Pathfinder. But the turbo really turned me off. I was also a little disturbed with the way they butchered what use to be a great Body-On-Frame vehicle. I don't understand why they just didn't drop the name Pathfinder and call it something completely different.


If I still owned my previous heavier camper I would have bought another 4Runner. But I didn't need the extra towing capacity so I opted for more comfortable ride (although the 4runner was very comfortable) and better gas mileage. While the HL may be bigger on the inside because it's a uni-body, the 4runner is significantly larger on the outside. 4Runner also has true off-roading capability (along with the earlier Pathfinders).