Dodge Durango Forum banner
Cancel
Create thread New Garage Forums

Durango vs new '16 Pilot?

Tags
pilot
Jump to Latest
41 - 60 of 70 Posts
#41 ·
This is coming from an almost 21 year old... I love the Durango. I went looking knowing I wanted a dodge, but I was torn between the Charger and the Challenger, both hemi's of course. I was leaning more towards an AWD Charger R/T because we get some pretty damn good lake effect snow in winter, and my thing was "NO BROWN LEATHER!!!" I saw the Durango while waiting for the sales guy to come out, but saw it had the tan interior... But as I read the spec sheet I got more and more interested. Heated and ventilated seats, heated steering wheel, automatic climate control, HID low beams, this thing was loaded. Took it for a test drive and was blown away how it handled itself, and don't get me started on that HEMI. I came from a 2011 Kia Forte Koup SX, the sporty one with suspension so hard that while yes, you could throw it through corners no issue it would rattle your teeth out. Plus everyone compliments The Beast (my nickname for it), never got that in the Kia.

The Durango isn't an appliance vehicle, it's something you look forward too getting into everyday, firing it up, and driving, even if it's just for 5 minutes.
 
#42 ·
I saw the new Pilot on the road last week. My first thoughts were wow that's a huge CRV. Then I realized it was a Pilot. It was the Touring model and it just looked typical Honda. Clean fit and finish but not appealing. I'm a car guy and I'd just couldn't bring myself to drive that thing. Just from a drive-by impression it looks neutered up next to a Durango.
 
#43 ·
I just got a D limited RWD v6 for my wife. I've never owned an American car until recently. 2016 Pilot was initially at the top of our list, until we realized that 2nd row seat of Pilot does not recline much at all. Kids won't be able to sleep. That was for bench seat and not sure about captain's chairs. (We needed bench) Highlander was okay on seats, but it wobbles/sways a lot, engine was very boomy, and interior quality was spotty in the 2nd & 3rd row. Hyundai Santa Fe was also a top contender in terms of seating and handling, but it had jarring ride in the back and felt too light. Durango felt the most secure (heavy and settled), quiet, and lush. Not liking the heat it puts out when parked in the garage though. Praying that reliability will be okay as I keep my cars for ~10 yrs.
 
#47 · (Edited)
I drove the pilot, highlander, and durango, ad naseum before buying the DD R/T.

Look, the pilot and highlander both drove well, they had ample room, and smart interior lay outs. They were both powerful enough and offered decent AWD platforms. The new pilot is light years ahead of the old ones, and you can get it with Acuras slick 9 sp trans on the highest end models.

The Honda was hard to find as they just released the 2016. They were offering literally NO discounts.

The highlander was also very in demand but they were offering $4K discounts. Both vehicles nicely loaded came to close to $45K or so.

The DD R/T though was not really in the same class with the bold styling and hemi V8. One day I pulled up next to a Highlander at the gym, parked right next to that goofy rear tail light that bulges out, reminded of the Leaf. Yuuugly.

The Honda, in the end, looks just like a CRV.

I buy vehicles (to some extent) based on looks. If you spend $40-$50K on something, you need to LIKE to actually look at it and drive it. Its not enough to say it just gets the job done. So does a 2008 Odessey for $8 grand.

In the words of kanye ... what chu think i rap fo ? to push a f**kin Rav 4?

Work hard play hard, enjoy what you buy, dont be afraid to go nuts every now and then ...

The highlander was probably the smartest budget conscious choice. The DD R/T was about a $5 grand hit, but for that you get the aggressive monstrous Hemi, 20" black out rims, and crazy red interior . To me, this is worth the extra $. If you dont care about cars, that $8 grand 2008 Odessey cant be beat, go get it !
 
#48 · (Edited)
We were really surprised at how small the third row was in most of these 3 row SUV's. Might sound funny, but if I couldn't sit in the third row and flip up the seats, we weren't buying it. We wanted nothing to do with the Pilot because it just looked ugly (to us). I'm with a2t on this one. I can't drive it if I think it's ugly. Just won't do it. I don't recall what it was now, but a while back I looked at a car that was pretty sharp, but the rear end was just funny looking and I couldn't buy it. Everyone said I didn't matter bc I won't be looking at it, but it matters to me. Just like how frustrating it still is to see my D in a reflection with the blinker on and one DRL off
 
#51 ·
I'm not sure if it has been explained or not, but many of the consumer reviews of the Pilot speak about this "odd" steering/handling characteristic, which may turn off many performance/oriented buyers. Not just numb steering typical of EPS, but worse than that. Here's a quote from a review
" The steering and handling on the new Pilot is a huge disappointment. The steering is weak with a weird bottom heavy feel and it is slow to respond. The steering does not feel substantial enough to handle a vehicle of that size and weight. Needless to say it is very unnatural and not something I would want to deal with every day."

another reviewer,
"The ride is very smooth, but the steering is very light and does not feel stable. There is a heavy bottom weighted feel that is very weird and unnatural. You really can not feel the road at all."

That "bottom heavy" and lack of substantial feel gets repeated by different reviewers again and again, and while I never even had the Pilot on my "to shop" list just by principle of what I think of Honda cars these days, others shopping the two might want to know about this steering oddity.
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
#52 ·
Long time family of Hondas here between my immediate family we have had about 6 pilots. ranging all generations including newest, after my wife got her RT I was hooked and traded my 2014 touring pilot in over this past summer for my own RT. shows the power of the D it sucked a lifelong honda owner away!! Now we have 2 Ds! Double Ds!
 
  • Like
Reactions: HemiSphere
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
#53 ·
Pics or it didnt happen! Lol
 
#54 · (Edited)
I really enjoy reading this thread. It gives me a perspective of why we drive what we drive.

Being a traveling sales person driving a company car that is replaced with a brand new one every 3 years or so, I love driving. Expecting a brand new Volvo xc60 company car next month.

When were shopping for an SUV to replace or Fix Or Repair Daily 2006 Lincoln Navigator. Wife wanted 7 seats that drives like a car and only in black. My needs were good looks, v8 power and 6000plus pound towing capacity. These requirements eliminated a lot of SUV's in the market. We test drove an MB GL550, it was very nice but way too much money.
Then one day I was looking around on autotrader and there it was. A 2013 Blacktop RT, I was in love. We went to our local dealership and they only had a fully loaded citadel with no tow hitch. So I told them I was going to Chicago to pick up that pre-owned blacktop RT I saw on autotrader. They scrambled and got me a " Brand New RT" with one heck of a deal, that almost matched the pre-owned RT's price.
Two years later, new 22 inch wheels are going to be put on this weekend and corsa exhaust by Christmas and I'm still in love with our Blacktop RT.
 
#55 ·
IMO the only thing more sporty with 3 rows is the Explorer Sport. I test drove one before taking ownership of my R/T, mostly because I had a Ford Flex to trade and I generally do like Fords. The steering was very, very good and even a little better than the R/T. Mostly I feel it was due to the lower turns lock to lock of the wheel, in fact I'm not certain but it felt like a variable-ratio steering setup very similar (but less rabid) to my Focus ST. The power of the Explorer Sport is undeniable as well, turbos are addicting and it sounds OK too. BUT... there's some serious ergonomic issues, fitment issues (even on the new one), higher cost, and while it looks cool, it doesn't look as cool as an R/T with Blacktop on the front face, and the race-track rear.
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
#56 ·
Lanson said:
IMO the only thing more sporty with 3 rows is the Explorer Sport. I test drove one before taking ownership of my R/T, mostly because I had a Ford Flex to trade and I generally do like Fords. The steering was very, very good and even a little better than the R/T. Mostly I feel it was due to the lower turns lock to lock of the wheel, in fact I'm not certain but it felt like a variable-ratio steering setup very similar (but less rabid) to my Focus ST. The power of the Explorer Sport is undeniable as well, turbos are addicting and it sounds OK too. BUT... there's some serious ergonomic issues, fitment issues (even on the new one), higher cost, and while it looks cool, it doesn't look as cool as an R/T with Blacktop on the front face, and the race-track rear.
Click to expand...
Explorer Sport was originally at the top of my shopping list. Until I drove one. What is up with the seating position? I can't explain why, but it felt very much like driving a minivan. :(
 
#57 ·
Blacktop R/T said:
Long time family of Hondas here between my immediate family we have had about 6 pilots. ranging all generations including newest, after my wife got her RT I was hooked and traded my 2014 touring pilot in over this past summer for my own RT. shows the power of the D it sucked a lifelong honda owner away!! Now we have 2 Ds! Double Ds!
Click to expand...
Me too. Had a couple MDXs and now I have 2 Ds. Don't get me wrong, the previous gen MDX was a great truck, was a blast to drive, and rock-solid reliable, but the fun factor of the R/T is in a different league
 
#58 ·
I could not deal with the Explorer front end. the way the grill wraps around the front 1/4 panels gives it that melted soap bar taurus from the 90's look in the front. The rest of the truck looks clean on the outside. The interior looks like cheap painted plastic. I didnt even drive 1 because of this, I just couldnt bare to look at it in the driveway. Maybe an aftermarket company makes a black out grill that mutes this, I donno.

The MDX is gorgeous, we drove my buddies and I test drove about 3 of them. The 2nd gen are just too small. The 3rd gen were $45K w/40K miles on them, and also small compared to Durango. The 3rd row was not usable, there were no cup holders back there, no in roof A/C vents. My kids would not of been happy. However driving it was fun. It chirps 2nd ! Very fast, very stable. if you had 2 kids as opposed to 3, the MDX is great. It was just too small for us, and too expensive.

So I got my paperwork from the dealer in NY im buying my R/T from. We agreed on 0% financing. Their paperwork says 2.74% !?!@ Im crushed here, this better just be an honest mistake. If I have to walk away from this Im going to be pissed. We are out of time, I need a 3 row SUV right now. I cant wait for 2016 and all the dealers here in Atlanta dont have 4wd durangos. I hope Im not screwed.
 
#59 ·
a2t said:
It chirps 2nd ! Very fast, very stable. if you had 2 kids as opposed to 3, the MDX is great. It was just too small for us, and too expensive.
Click to expand...
It's FWD, I presume? Easier to chirp the fronts, generally speaking.


So I got my paperwork from the dealer in NY im buying my R/T from. We agreed on 0% financing. Their paperwork says 2.74% !?!@ Im crushed here, this better just be an honest mistake. If I have to walk away from this Im going to be pissed. We are out of time, I need a 3 row SUV right now. I cant wait for 2016 and all the dealers here in Atlanta dont have 4wd durangos. I hope Im not screwed.
Click to expand...
That's why I custom ordered mine. I couldn't find *any* 4wd models anywhere near Georgia. That's not an option this late in the model year, but I would recommend getting outside financing set up before working with the dealer, if for no other reason than to have leverage you can use to pull his terms back down closer to what you had agreed on. If you have an account w/ a credit union, they give awesome deals as a general rule.
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
#60 ·
If they do end up telling you that tired old line "We tried for the 0% but for some reason you didn't qualify", then the finance company should be able to offer a legitimate reason. Otherwise they are just shopping you around at preferred lenders, probably for kickback reasons. Make sure all the lenders definitively state to you that you don't qualify. In other words, don't just take the dealer at their word! They love it when people do that. And maybe it does come down to you walking away. Heck, the deal has to feel right for you or it shouldn't be done.
 
41 - 60 of 70 Posts
About this Discussion
69 Replies
31 Participants
Last post:
RangoLimited
Dodge Durango Forum
posts
509K
members
60K
Since
2004
Welcome to the best Dodge Durango Forum around, where you can find a great Dodge Durango Wiki and discuss the reliability of the different trim levels including the GT and SRT!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
Durango Discussions 2014+ Durango Discussions 1998-03 Durango Discussions Dodge Durango 2018+ SRT and Hellcat Durango Purchasing