2012 Honda Pilot

There's an undeniable feeling of liberation from urban life when one has an opportunity to enjoy vast desert vistas. We recently took the 2012 Honda Pilot on roads from LA to Phoenix and back, enjoying fabulous desert vistas in comfort and safety.

The 2012 Honda Pilot has received the Cars.com "Family Car of the Year" and we, the Family Car Cousins (Carguy and Wayback) give this 8 passenger SUV two thumbs up.

Wayback notes, however, that in Honda's 8 count they include the Pilot's scrunchy third row (also known as the 'way back seat') saying by this that it is big enough for 3 passengers.

"There's almost no leg room for the way back seaters!" Wayback exclaims when he inevitably tests the seat, "I wouldn't want to be a kid stuck back here between two other kids. And this seat is way too small for 3 adults."

Note: Carguy and Wayback are both over 6 feet tall.

The Honda Pilot has a 250 horsepower 3.5 Liter V6 under the hood, along with a fun DVD entertainment system with wireless headsets in the rear seat for the family, as well as a voice recognition navigation system.

The Pilot is perfect for family road trips to deserts, as well as to mountains, forests, shorelines, and elsewhere. The version we test drove through the desert would cost just over $41K.

The Pilot gets a combined fuel economy rating of 20 miles per gallon, based on a 17 mpg city rating and a 24 mpg highway expected range.

Government safety ratings: Frontal crash: 5 out of 5 stars for the driver. 4 stars for the front passenger. Side crashes are not rated. The Pilot's rollover safety gets 4 stars, in part due to its three-row side curtain airbags.

Both Carguy and Wayback are interested in the environmental performances of vehicles. In addition to enjoying our channel, you may also be interested in taking a look at our daily green vehicle news at www.greenfamilycar.com.

As for the Pilot's environmental performance, it gets a 6 out of 10 "Global Warming Score" from the California Air Resources Board. This is a point above the average for a new vehicle. The vehicles rating of 5 on an important "Smog Score" is just average.

Wayback ponders smog on the Pilot's return trip to LA, along with the good work done for years by the the California Air Resources Board, known locally as CARB.

As Wayback stares out across the vast desert landscape unfolding ahead, his mind turns to thoughts of how to prevent global warming. The Pilot is loaded with great features. Wayback wishes one of them was a smaller carbon footprint.

Pilot original content: 75% U.S./Canadian and Paris

Final assembly: Lincoln, Alabama

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Autos & Vehicles

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