The 2020 Honda Pilot and the 2019 Toyota Highlander are two of the main players in global midsize SUV crossover. The Highlander was one of the best-selling car in many parts of the world in 2018, and it’s about to get a complete overhaul.
The Pilot wasn’t in the top 20, but which one is better in terms of comfort, performance, safety, and content?
Read on and see for yourself.
Tech features
The base Pilot LX comes standard with a 5.0-inch central display screen and seven-speaker audio system. Honda also offers a more elaborate infotainment system, with an 8.0-inch touch screen and Apple Car Play/Android Auto compatibility, on higher trim levels.
Navigation, an upgraded audio system, and kid-pacifying rear-seat entertainment system are also available, but you’ll have to move even further up the trim level ladder.
Unlike Honda, Toyota offers a touch screen as standard equipment. The base Highlander LE gets a 6.1-inch screen, as well as a six-speaker audio system. An 8.0-inch touch screen, navigation, and 10-speakerJBL audio system are all available as options, but Toyota does not offer Apple Car Play or Android Auto on the current-generation Highlander. A rear-seat entertainment system is also available on higher trim levels.
Performance and fuel economy
The Pilot and Highlander are both car-based cross overs, so while they might look like traditional SUVs, they have more refined on-road manners and a lower degree of off-road capability. Both come standard with front-wheel drive, but are also available with all-wheel drive. Beyond that, there are quite a few differences.
Honda only offers one engine option in the Pilot: A3.5-liter V6 that produces 280 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. The V6is paired with a six-speed or a nine-speed automatic transmission, depending on the trim level.
Toyota designates a 2.7-liter four-cylinder unit as the standard engine in the Highlander. This engine produces 185 hp and 184 lb-ft, and is available only with a six-speed automatic transmission and front-wheel drive. An optional 3.5-liter V6 makes 295 hp and 263 lb-ft. The V6 is paired with an eight-speed automatic, and is available with either front or all-wheel drive.
Fuel efficiency
In its most fuel-efficient form (with the nine-speed automatic and front-wheel drive), the Pilot gets an EPA-rated 23 mpg combined(20 mpg city, 27 mpg highway). The Highlander maxes out at 23 mpg combined (21mpg city, 27 mpg highway), when equipped with the V6 and front-wheel drive.
Interior and exterior design
Both interiors are fairly nondescript, but that’s to be expected in mass-market vehicles like these. As is the case with many modern cars, the central touch screens bulge out awkwardly from the dashboards, showing how difficult it can be to package this in-demand tech. Both the Pilot and Highlander also have supplemental LCD screens in their instrument clusters, which driver may find useful, or distracting.
Safety
Honda and Toyota offer an array of safety features. The Pilot comes standard with basic features like anti-lock brakes and stability control, and front, front-side, and three-row curtain airbags. Every Pilot regardless of trim level also boasts collision mitigation, road departure mitigation, forward collision warning, and lane departure warning. Adaptive cruise control comes standard, too, but buyers who want a blind spot monitoring system need to move up in the trim level hierarchy.
In comparison, the Highlander comes standard with adaptive cruise control, automatic high beams, lane keep assist, and a pre-collision system. The complement of airbags includes front, front-side, driver knee, and roll-sensing side curtain airbags. Blind spot monitoring and park assist are also available on higher trim levels.