Highlander Vs. Pilot: Which 2017 3-Row SUV Should You Buy? — Cars.com

Like the Red Sox and Yankees, Coke and Pepsi, and McDonald's and Burger King, the Toyota Highlander and Honda Pilot are the fiercest of competitors. We spent a week testing these SUVs, and we're gonna tell you which you should spend your money on. The 2017 Pilot and 2017 Highlander we tested were surprisingly similar: They each earned the same top safety scores from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety; they both had the same fuel economy at 22 mpg combined, and the price was just $144 different.

[robs]

I own both these cars a 2017 Highlander Limited and a 2017 Pilot Elite. They both have their ups and downs but my personal favorite is the Pilot
The Highlander offers better fuel economy and better styling but some materials inside feel cheap and the infotainment feels out dated and aftermarket like also no CarPlay
The Pilot has a smoother ride and noise levels are quieter, but the nine speed button shifter is awful sometimes it doesn’t shift in the right gear u have to click it a few times and the auto start system is annoying and very noticeable. Also the lack of volume and tuning knobs becomes frustrating when trying to yell at kids in the back
The Pilot has more of the Family Friendly features over the Highlander. Overall they are both great choices but my favorite out of the 2 would be the Pilot for its practical third row and more features. Hope this helps anyone!

[rogereriksen]

Exactly the opposite of a couple of other reviews I have seen. As with any vehicle, buy what fits your need & taste. The Highlander was the vehicle that looked much better and had the best driver comfort, ride & performance, so I bought it because I really didn't want/need a third row anyway. Would have eliminated it if I could have. Put it down, leave it down & you have plenty of cargo room & a fantastic vehicle.

[furtalance_x]

Recommendation should include 'Reliability' as a category. Honda's are solid made vehicles but beating a toyota in reliability is unheard of.

[brianlee]

The Highlander looks much nicer. Only wish they made it a little bigger.

[ridewithfionn]

1-Highlander
2-Highlander
3-Highlander

[nyceguy]

Most people don't even remember the shape/design of the car in which they are moving.
What matters most to me is the handling, fuel economy, durability, and power of the engine.
No need for extra features that are rarely used.

[JesusisLordghj]

I just bought a 2019 Toyota Highlander XLE and I really like the vehicle

[bodiejarvis]

All these Toyota fans are crying cause they didn’t beat a Pilot.. just go with the car you love and dont listen to other or the critics bout ur car..

[EB-vbuz]

The pilot looks like a mini van. I prefer the highlander instead.

[bombardierrecreationalprod]

Toyota's reliability alone makes it better !!

[URN-A]

Yet the highlander/kluger is the better option. No suv will ever beat the highlanders reliability. Doesn’t matter how much tech and design inside and out of any SUV’s, in the end of the day the highlander/kluger will the last man standing. That’s why highlander/kluger will always be on top. Then again each to their own. 👍 happy cruising.

[LVang]

They need to start testing trim that parents would buy rather top trim.

[tonyabbott]

These people were trying to be non biased but it seemed like Honda was paying them or something😂

[ClassicCityMinistry]

my wife works for southeast toyota distributors in commerce ga so she is around the highlander all the time and knows the inside and out of it but she drives a 2004 honda pilot and she said she would rather have the pilot simply because of the seats you can have 3rd row seating and it has more room than highlander even tho it has 3rd row seating too...she pilot just has more room and i agree with her!

[fetobeatle]

Well, we’ll, the dude in the video declared the pilot the big winner, but the people in the comments prefer the highlander!!! SO THE OFICIAL WINER IS THE TOYOTA HIGHLANDER FOR BETTER LOOK AND STRONGER ENGINE!!!!

[bluesky]

The highlander exterior looks better and it right better. If I were to buy the SUV for my self why would I be in the 3rd road. The third road is for kids, not adult.

[ELPJM]

The Toyota Highlander looks more aggressive. Here in Texas I see many more Highlanders than pilots. Honda styling is weird. It does look like a minivan where the Highlander looks like an SUV. Toyota all the way.

[trespasser]

So the Highlander wins in front seats comfort, powertrain performance, it also looks better.. it sacrifices some back room because of smaller size, which is actually desirable for many who also drive it in the city... I would say it's the clear winner.

[kimprocarione]

I'm looking into getting a used Honda Pilot. Love how it rides! My daughter has one.

[markbigelow]

I liked both of these but bought the Highlander. I wonder about a bias free evaluation here. When talking about how "difficult" it is to access the 3rd row in the Toyota they do not show the seat folding forward as they did on the Pilot. Was this unintentional or were there scenes that tried to show the Highlander in a bad light?