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2007 Honda Pilot 2WD LX Road Test

Touting its reputation as one of the greenest automakers on this living,breathing, and currently warming planet of ours, Honda is constantly exercising its think tank to make its vehicles more environmentally friendly. Honda was the first automaker to launch a hybrid vehicle in North America (the now discontinued Insight), and currently has two of them in its product range, the midsize Accord and the compact Civic. Additionally, Honda offers natural gas powered vehicles straight from the factory, and in the near future will also be offering clean diesels across the continent. Honda even managed to make its way into the celebrity spotlight, leasing its zero-emissions FCX hydrogen

It's all in the engine: this one'll shut down to three cylinders on lighter loads. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

fuel cell trial vehicle to the environmentally conscious, and very young (17) "The New World" star, Q'orianka Kilcher.

We applaud Honda for its efforts, but when the sales numbers are crunched the Japanese carmaker didn't sell many hybrids last year when compared to its regular gasoline cars, and even fewer of those wondrous

Pilot has quite a lot of space with the third row up. Seat belts and headrests for all eight are standard. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

fuel cell and natural gas cars. On the positive side, its entire product range possesses theefficient VTEC engine management system, which has helped ease the issue of consumption on its biggest, and thirstiest vehicle, the Honda Pilot. Not that the Pilot guzzles regular unleaded at the same pace as a Ford Explorer V8 or Chevy TrailBlazer – compared to those SUVs it's a saint – but it's still one of the worst performers in the

Pilot: helps keep your life organized. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

Honda range. This problem was lessened somewhat a couple of years ago, however, with the introduction of the front-wheel drive Pilot.

Many medium- to full-size sport utility vehicles are available in either two- and four-wheel drive layouts, but due to what it felt would be disinterest from its target customer, Honda only offered Americans the Pilot in all-wheel drive until the previous model year. Higher fuel prices and a greater need to go greener resulted in this front-wheel drive model, and we're glad they did as many don't want or need the added weight, drive-line resistance

Interior is very plain, but it's sturdy and easy to operate. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

and complexity of a four wheel drive system, not to mention the extra cost. For these more cost conscious buyers, the 2WD Pilot is a great solution, offering all of the space and comfort of the 4WD Pilot without the penalties.

At this point you're probably asking yourself why I've gone through this long-winded fuss for a rather ordinary SUV that's lost its rear driving wheels. Yes, with two fewer wheels to turn, the Pilot not only uses less fuel, but it has one more unique trick up its sleeve; under certain circumstances, it's powered by just three cylinders. This is the first Pilot to gain cylinder deactivation, which we first saw on the Honda Accord Hybrid. It works

The only way you'd ever know it had cylinder deactivation is by this "ECO" light... and maybe the lighter fuel bill. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

just like GM's Active Fuel Management or Chrysler's Displacement on Demand, shutting half the engine off under low loads. Because inline-three engines are inherently prone to vibration, the Pilot has Active Control Engine Mounts and Active Noise Cancellation that sends out “white noise” to snuff out anyunwanted vibrations and sounds. The system works – if not for the little green “ECO" light. For the curious, this engine is also available on top-level Odyssey minivans, and you can bet that if Honda decides to build a front-wheel drive Ridgeline, it'll be used there too. This, of course, prompts me to ask what seems like a very logical question: what makes it so that Honda can't offer this engine with four-wheel drive capable vehicles?

New taillights mimic the stacked units up front. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

Either way, the Pilot is pretty much the same as it's always been. This isthe Accord of sport utility vehicles – it's not particularly interesting to look at on the outside or the inside, but it possesses solid engineering that's designed to last and perform brilliantly. Last year, Honda updated the exterior with new headlamps and a new grille and hood, giving this motherly vehicle a slightly more butch look. Nevertheless, it still looks anonymous and this base model, with its black plastic lower cladding, door handles and mirrors, looks very basic. In other words, remember where you park as you may have difficulties locating it.

After playing key-fob Marco Polo, the vehicle you're greeted with is good to drive. The ride is a little on the firm side, like most Hondas, which contributes to the car-like nature of the driving experience. The steering is also unusually sharp for a vehicle

Alas, a 2WD Pilot... (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

of this size; wiggling the wheel at highway speeds shows how well the Pilot reacts to smaller inputs.

The interior design of the Pilot is uninspiring and dated, particularly the center console. Theradio is a single-DIN unit that's got a tiny display and even tinier buttons. Likewise, the HVAC system is simple to operate, but very '90s in appearance. Still, everything is where you'd expect it to be, making it easy to adjust to for the first time. I'm not a fan of the column shift though, as it's too easy to overshoot drive and end up with the car in a lower gear; something that I find happens on other column shifts too. Even though the interior's color scheme was grayer than an overcast November afternoon, the large size of the windows brought in plenty natural light, improving what would otherwise be a very dim atmosphere. The standard fabric for the seats looks and feels durable, ready to stand up to years of family abuse and the seats themselves are comfortable enough for the long haul.

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