A Mom's review - nothing technical here, just how it works for me

Okay, I'll admit to not being a "car person," I don't know or care about all the technical/mechanical specifications of the car I drive. What matters to me is whether or not the vehicle works for my lifestyle. The Pilot is definitely a lifestyle vehicle.

I am a very busy mom with an 8 year old and an infant. I needed a car that could haul baby gear (strollers, bags, etc.) and car pool 3 "big kids" around town. The Pilot does it all. I can fit an infant seat, and two boosters in the center row. If I need room for more kids, I can put up one or two more seats (there's a 60/40 split on both rows of back seats) in the back row and leave the others down so the stroller and diaper bag still fit back there. There are plenty of cup holders and side cubbies for books, video games, etc. There is not a lot of extra room for backpacks and equipment with my configuration, but if you didn't have a full size stroller back there you would probably be okay.

We are an active family and bought the 4WD version with the entertainment (DVD) system to help entertain the kids on our many road trips. We have towed a boat and had no problems at all (even backing farther into the lake than I was comfortable with). The DVD player is great with a nice screen that can be seen from the side seats as easily as it can from straight on. The wireless headphones are fairly light weight and flatten for storage in the door pocket or net pocket behind the front seats. So far they seem pretty durable. We have dropped them out of the car onto the ground a couple times with no ill effects. The Pilot comes with two, but I think we'll be getting a couple more for those times when I load up the back with kids. We have borrowed two more from friends that have a 2004 Pilot and they work just fine. You can play the sound from the DVD through the stereo speakers, but who wants to listen to the sound from a kid movie for two hours. With the headphones in use the front passengers can still listen to whatever music they want from the AM/FM, XM or 6 disc in dash CD player through the front speakers. The DVD player controls can be popped out to become a remote control. The movie can also be started and stopped from the front console if the kids are too young for the remote. Another nice feature is that the DVD can be ejected even after the car is off.

The only complaint I have about this vehicle is the gas mileage. Around town we're getting 12 to 14 mpg. Road trips are a bit better. Still, the mileage is not so bad that it keeps us home.