While more contemporary in its appearance, not everyone agrees with the new Pilot’s updated looks. My neighbours, after seeing the new 2016 model, decided it looked too much like every other mid-size crossover and promptly snatched up one of the remaining 2015 Pilot Touring models on the local Honda lot. To them, the distinctive, boxy styling of last year’s rig was endearing. The considerable discount offered on the older Pilot surely played a part in their decision-making, too.

For 2016 Honda has upped the cost of the Touring trim on the Pilot (from $51,609 to $52,185) which also puts it a few thousand more than its direct competitor, Toyota’s Highlander Limited.

The new Pilot offers a lot for what is a comparatively small investment versus the old Pilot, or its Toyota adversary. For one, the Honda Sensing suite of active safety features like Collision Mitigation Braking, Road Departure Mitigation, Lane Keeping Assist and Adaptive cruise control. Together these items effectively pick up the slack on a driver’s attention lapse and can help steer the Pilot back into its lane or brake to avoid a collision.

In theory, it is easy to assert that every vehicle should have these features to create safer drivers, however, I found the net result to be like driving with your extremely nervous Aunt Matilda in the car all the time. In hectic Toronto area traffic with all the features switched on, the Pilot seems to be constantly bombarding the driver with warnings both audible and visual.

“BRAKE!!!” the dashboard warning flared in bright orange as the highway ahead curved and the Pilot assumed the transport truck – safely within its own lane, as we were within ours – was surely going to cause impending doom.

If I had deviated from my lane, the Pilot would’ve expressed its displeasure in my driving by shaking the steering wheel with surprising violence in my hands. Other systems I’ve experienced will give a slight nudge, a subtle vibration and/or an audible warning. I found this system annoying enough when occasionally drifting to (not even past!) the white line, to switch it off and leave it that way for the rest of the week. While it will surely grab the attention of a daydreaming driver, it’s also bound to startle many folks too.

The adaptive cruise control system here (and as I have experienced on a number of Acura models) seems to leave an abundance of space between its nose and the tail of the vehicle ahead – so much space that in even moderate traffic, the Pilot is constantly being cut off by fellow motorists taking advantage of the large gap. What’s more when moving to the left lane to pass, the Honda seems to take its time assessing the situation before beginning to accelerate up to set cruising speed. This means quicker traffic approaching from behind is on your rear bumper sooner than you’d probably like.

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