#231 - Enjoying the new Pilot

We sold the old 2005 Honda Pilot and bought a new 2013 Honda Pilot.  Lots of technology upgrades in the past 9 years.  In fact most of the changes are in technology.  I'd say there were just a few computers in the old 2005.  At least one for the engine and maybe one for safety features.  Every thing else was very analog with pretty simple interfaces.  The new Pilot has at least 6 different computers.  Let me take you through the noticeable upgrades.

In the driver display I now have an info center that include the calculated MPG and a real time MPG calculation.   It is very similar to the one in the 2010 Honda Insight that I use everyday.  The display gives me feed back to drive more conservatively and hopefully get better MPG. 

The other BIG change is the backup camera display with gridlines.  The display is very big and the color camera has very good resolution.  It makes backing up a breeze.  The guidelines give you perspective so you know how close you are getting to any object.  The 8 inch display is also used for the Radio Control, Trip Computers, Calendar and many other functions.  Its large enough to be seen throughout the SUV. 

The 2013 Pilot has Bluetooth connectivity.  You pair the car with your cell phone and you can make calls, pick up calls and even set up voice calling (Call Home!).  It supposedly will import your entire cell phone phonebook, but I haven't had as much luck with that feature. There are phone controls on the steering wheel making the process much safer then some I've seen.

The new Pilot has a USB connection and can easily play music from your iPod, iPhone or any other music carrying USB device.  It will also play downloaded audio books, but the control of those audio books takes a bit of learning.  There are 3 12-volt electrical outlets, but no AC outlets yet. 

New to me, but certainly not new to cars is the XM radio, auto headlights and auto adjust rear view mirrors.  All technologies developed since 2005.  There are no shortage of buttons, knobs and adjustment devices for me to be distracted by.   There is no Internet connection though some models that have Pandora connectivity.   

This is an end of cycle model with an all new 2015 Pilot in the works.  I would imagine a new touch screen will eliminate many of the buttons and knobs.   We'll soon have the power of a tablet PC in our cars and hopefully an interface similar to iPads and Android tablets. 

Let me know what you like or dislike technology wise in your new car...