Scotty,
My wife and I are saving to get her first brand new car. She really likes the new Honda Pilots and knowing about the legendary quality of the Covics I think it’s a great choice. Do the new Pilots live up to the Honda standard we all know and love?
They are still great cars, but they unfortunately aren't made like they used to (this is for most of the automotive industry not just Honda). Not a deal breaker, but you would want to keep in mind all the technology under the hood like Variable Cylinder Management and GDI etc.
The newer 9 speed automatics are also not proven yet and are very complicated.
https://carkiller.com/scottykilmer/qa/honda-pilot-for-the-long-run/
That said they are well made cars probably the second best midsize SUV out there after the Toyota Highlander.
In the vehicle class of the Honda Pilot, the only ones I would consider are the Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander, and the Mazda CX-9. I have a friend who has the previous generation Pilot, and it is holding up very well with just basic maintenance. I think biggest thing he did was the battery, which is expected to go out eventually.
