Anyone have any input on whether or not the Pilot is a good dog car?

TIA

You probably cannot fit 2 400 wire crates side by side in the back; I can't in my Tahoe either...just by a smidge. I have not looked at the 2013 Pilots, but the 2012's. Will check again, but I am considering the Honda van.

Honda has great reliability. I am still driving my 2000 CRV.

My brother in law had a Honda Pilot. It had a lot of major issues. He found out Honda makes a good car, as of today they still need improvement Pilots. I'm going with the Toyota, 4 runner. You can fit two crates side/side. There are crates that are a little more narrow, just for this purpose. I have two, have had them for 8 years. And, I can put a 3rd crate behind the front seats. If you fold the crate up, put it in the SUV, then unfold it, works great. Or two small, puppy size crates.

http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2013/06/27/top-6-dog-friendly-cars/?intcmp=fbfeatures

I have a 2009 Pilot. With the third row seating down i can fit 2 400 wire crates or 2 400 very kennels side by side. I can also do 1 500 very and 1 400 wire side by side. If I put down all the seats then I can get 3 crates in, but no more than that, unless you do puppy crates. We have not had any trouble with it since we bout it new in 08.

I bought a certified 2009 Pilot in 2011. I need AWD/4WD for my long uphill lane in the winters, not to mention unplowed roads in WV. I bought 2 side by side SUV crates, which fit side by side easily in the back with the back seats up or down. When I need a third crate, I can fit a 400 size lengthwise easily with the back seats down. You have to be creative with packing other items with 3 crates.

I will say, though, that if you have a dog that doesn't jump or doesn't use a ramp or a puppy, the Pilot sits high off the ground like most SUVs, which make it challenging for a few of my dogs to get in and out easily. I lifted 3 dogs in and out of crates at Potomac all week. I thought I'd get some nice upper are definition from it!

I was looking over this list of top 6 dog-friendly cars and was happy to see the Mazda 5. We have a 2009 and it is awesome for dogs. I can't tell you how many crates fit it as we travel with the collapsible ones for space. I can say that with the third row down there is room for 4 adult Labradors to sit/ stand/ lie down. It has all kinds of storage places for gear. Decent on gas and a smooth ride.

We will be looking to replace in the next 18-24 months and will look at a Mazda 5 again - that is unless I up our house dog numbers for traveling

Thank you all for the info. To Dog Space - how old and how many miles does your Mazda have on it? And when the seats are folded, is the floor level or slanted?

Hi All,
I'm wondering if anyone has feedback as to how a Minivan handles in the snow: the Sienna is the only minivan that currently offers AWD and I'm wondering about the front wheel drive minivans. I live in New England, have a 30 mile commute and calling in to work on a snowy day is not an option.

Thanks,

Ruth I can tell you with a great set of snow tires(Blizzaks)my Honda Odyssey does fabulous in the snow and we live on top of a mountain with winding uphill turns!!! There is no way to reach our house without dealing with hills and mountains, so this is a big concern of mine...traction and stability. I do not have all wheel drive, but the Odyssey does have traction control. I do not need the all-wheel drive with snows.

we bought it new the spring of 2009 and it currently has 170,000 KM on it. when the seats are folded down they lie flat - you can fold the second and third row.

We specifically bought it so it would fit all the dogs ;-) to heck with the kids LOL

Thanks for the info! I must admit the last time I looked at the Pilot in 2012 it looked larger from the outside than once sitting inside of it. The seating in the Honda van was much more comfortable also.

The trick I found for getting around New England with my Grand Caravan was studded snow tires, my driveway is hellish and for the first time this year I did not miss a shift from not being able to get out, it handled beautifully ,I was able to drive in heavy snow without any problem , wish I'd done this years ago. The studded snow tires paid for themselves in one day since I didn't have to call out!

I have an 2003 Honda Pilot with 131,000 miles on it and is still running strong. Like others mentioned, you can get two 400s in the back w/ the 3rd row down and 3 crates total if have the middle row down. I can pack 3 dogs, a pop up, fold up fabric crates, x-pens, my suitcase and much more in it for a dog show weekend. Tough enough to handle muddy roads to a hunt test too.

I have had a few minor issues (didn't purchase a warranty when I bought it used 7 years ago) and I plan on driving it into the ground. My only gripe is the mileage, somewhere in the 17-24 mpg range depending on what kind of driving I am doing, but that can be said for most vehicles we buy to haul dogs around in.

I most likley will buy another Pilot when mine dies. I LOVE my Pilot. They are a great dog car!

I've had both a Honda Pilot and then traded it on the Honda Odyssey. The Pilot was excellent in the winter (and we ran 4 studded snows on it). Had 2 - 400 vari kennels in the back (with the 3rd row down) and second row seat up - which was great and could fit a smaller crate on the 2nd row seat. We were starting to have some mechanical problems in the front end at 70,000 miles and traded in on the Van. The Odyssey had a ton of great room but for us it was not at all good in the snow specifically on our driveway. Even with studded Nokians all the way around it would spin half way up. If I turned it around and backed up sometimes that would work better - needless to say when we started having engine problems that the dealer couldn't figure out - it was traded. We now have a Subaru outback that makes it through anything weatherwise and walks up our driveway. Yes I do miss the room of the Van and the Pilot. But I do have 2 'SUV' crates side by side in the Outback and with packing carefully everything fits in for a trip to Potomac (granted only 2 dogs though). But honestly I do wish it was a touch bigger. If I was shopping right now I'd probably look at the Toyota AWD van or check the Nissan Pathfinder to see how crates fit in that.

The tailgate is too high for my liking, which makes it harder and higher for dogs to jump in the back or into crates.