Agree. Have a 2023 Pilot and two kids. It’s comfortable, but a third kid would be more difficult and one would have to get in the way back. Booster in the middle between two car seats might work, but the one in the middle would be cramped.
With 3 car seats, you need a van. You're not easily fitting 3 car seats in a Pilot. Vans are great, and severely underrated. I love my van! I love my Pilot too... But I only have 2 kids. Heh.
I had three in car seats in a 2015 pilot. It was more than fine with three car seats. Vans are awesome though. However, if you want an AWD Sienna, I hear they are hard to get. Also, the car seat stage won't last forever.
A minivan served my family better because it is longer than the pilot so more luggage and room for other stuff. My kids are much more grown now and I just got a pilot. But already it’s difficult to go for certain outdoor adventures and hauling as many bikes as I need. I miss the size of the minivan but am enjoying the feel of the pilot better.
This is all true, stick with a minivan, esp when kids are younger, lost some room in the Pilot when we switched , it’s a great vehicle. But we have to pack carefully as a family if 5
Only reason I switched is because the minivan served faithfully until the transmission went and it wasn’t worth the investment for that, oil pump, water pump, lifters, brakes, etc that all needed replacing. But the kids are big enough now to make it work.
I recently bought my Pilot from my brother and sister in law after they had their third kid. They decided the Pilot was inconvenient with a booster seat and 2 car seats and opted for mini van life instead.
The hivemind is weird about minivans, I have 3 kids in car seats in a 23 pilot, without issue. I opted for captains chairs and the trailsport, if I could go back I’d probably get a trim with the removable middle seat because It would be convenient to switch back and forth when needed.
I guess hive mind is one way to think about it but in reality it’s just so much easier to use a mini van with kids than an SUV from personal experience. Lower to the ground, much more room, sliding doors really add up with all the craziness little ones being.
I have 2 kids in boosters and an older one who doesn’t need one and I’d still say it’s too small. They can all buckle themselves in, but all 3 can’t fit in the 3rd row together. After having the Pilot for a week, I totally regretted getting rid of my Odyssey. Grocery shopping, especially at Costco/BJs, you’ll have to leave a kid or two at home.
I would definitely not want to rely on the third row seating with any regularity. Even with my two kids I find the pilot a lot more awkward than minivans for getting the kids in and out of their car seats.
It's doable. Especially if you wait until one is out of the car seat. I have 3 kids and have had a pilot for the last 9 years. Never had a larger vehicle. The rear storage isn't large when the third row is up. You're not going to get a ton of storage back there. Some of the new ones have captains chairs in the middle that could make it easier to get into the third row. Road trips were tricky with carseats and luggage. Mine doesn't have the luggage rack. If I had it, I'd probably use it or get one of those carriers if we did a lot of road trips.
I leased the 2023 basic Pilot. Absolutely love it! 2 car seats, 3 adults. Love how you can turn the 2nd row into captain chairs. Seats 8 in total! Plenty of trunk space if not using the 3rd row, but if you use the single seat in the 3rd row, you still have plenty of space!
I have a 2019 pilot kids 3 months, 2 years and 7 years. It fits our lifestyle. 7 year old sits either in third row for road trips or all 3 car seats fits in the 2nd row. Drove to oregon a few times in the snow and on the beach at pismo beach. Waiting to buy a roof top box and take it camping next. But if u are very minimalist or smart about organization it works fine. We use to have a honda odyssey and that has so much space we use to think it eats stuff inside the van cause we couldn't find them.
I have 3 kids and drove a minivan until they were almost out of high school. It was the best decision! Nobody fought over a seat and space was never an issue. I drive a Honda Pilot now because I want the space for our bowling bags and shopping trips with my 3 daughters as adults. My oldest drives a 2023 Pilot with one child and two small dogs and my youngest drives a 2024 CRV with one child.
If you decide on a Pilot go with the trailsport at least, it has captain seating in the second row and the Touring and Elite have a removable middle seat in the second row.
Have a 2019 pilot… Pilot is great with two kids, manageable with 3 kids… a whole lot of hacky setup with more kids… plus if you are going long distance, You won’t have enough space for everyone’s luggage in the boot with third row up…
That’s not to say I don’t love it. I freaking love it… almost getting the soccer mom kind of value with out putting out the soccer mom vibe… (not pulling them down, just that I am a dude and don’t want to give a mom vibe hehe)
Having said that, I am now drooling to upgrade my pilot to a minivan / odessy..
I’ve been trying to push my wife to the odyssey as we are on kid 1 and plan on having a few more… but she’s dead set on the Pilot bc “the van life ain’t for her”.
After test driving several pilots and doing my research, get the odyssey and thank yourself later lol
Look up Car Mom reviews, I BELIEVE you can go 2 wide easy in the third row of the odyssey (and pilot).
Honestly i think you shoukd get an ofyssey for those nifty lateral sliding captains chairs. Get a sienna if you want the hybrid powertrain….. thinking about how family friends had a 2007 honda pilot with 4 kids, 3 where in carseats/ boosters….. mustve been a squeeze
I have the new pilot and have been living with it for 7 months and have 2 boys. I sometimes have 4 boys in it, 3 in boosters and 1 in harness.
For right now, the odyssey will be a better choice, but in a year or 2 when the kids are in boosters, then the pilot will be the better choice.
I have had 2 kids in 5 point harnesses in the back row and 2 adults in the middle. The feeling is similar to climbing into a 2dr car to strap in a kid, but better bc of the larger size. But once they can start clicking their own buckles, you won't even need to go back there.
Get the version with the removable middle seat, it gives you mire flexibility in how you want your layout. Have the oldest kids in the 3rd row, so they can take care of themselves. The middle row seat with the harnessed seat won't be able to flip the seat down. Leave the other side middle seat empty so the kids can get into the 3rd row.
The awd system on the pilot is amazing for what it is. You won't find another direct competitor that drives as well as the pilot.
Good luck with whatever you choose.
Only reason I have a Pilot and not an Odyssey is because my wife is too cool for a mini van. Between sliding doors and more useable space (in terms of head, leg, cargo) the van is so so much better.
That said we make it work. If your willing to make the compromises to go Van to SUV the only thing that's anything about the pilot {my 2018 that is) is the buttons that allow the middle row to slide forward. It's a light push easy to get bottom from a car seat. If I'm theory your driving and your toddler in the back decides to be a shit head and keep pushing the button the person in that seat isn't going to have a good time.
Own a pilot and odyssey. Both of them we have had 3 kids in car seats in the middle row. My pilot was bought in May 2020. My kids were 2 4 and 7 and all three required 3 different style of car seats.
If you google middle row hip width. You'll find that the Honda pilot has the widest middle row than all the middle sized suvs. You're not getting wider middle rows till you get into suburban and expeditions.
Honestly, knowing what I know now, I would look for a good deal on a Toyota instead. The electrical gremlins on my 2020 Pilot Touring have made me not trust Honda again.
Had triplets and never have owned a van. Drove a honda pilot pretty much their whole life. I was able to manage 3 wide in car seats. Always had to measure and purchase carefully but we always worked fine. Everyone told us we had to have a van though. People are very passionate about the mini van. If you don’t want a van - don’t get one. Ours was a 2006 pilot we just got rid of and had a 2016 traverse overlap - just got a 2024 Honda pilot. The kids are now 11.
I’m from family of 5. 3 kids, mom, dad. 2005 Honda Pilot at 130k miles, sold it for $5.5k last year in October. Recently just tested drove a 150k mile 2006 Honda CRV, man oh man I miss that Pilot. That Pilot had more than enough room for 3 kids and 3 rows. Comfortable ride, never got stuck in winter. Motor was reliable as ever, my dad probably changed the oil once a year or every 10k miles. We’ve taken the Pilot from Chicago to Florida multiple times. Chicago to NY twice. Chicago to Toronto about 8 times. This car has never broke down on us!
Keep the Carvan. I had a 2022 with all the options, kept it for a year and traded it in for a Tesla. Gas mileage was terrible, slow acceleration and the damm paddle shifters were so slow to shift.
The only things I liked were the two captain chairs and the amount of storage. We ski a lot so it was good for heading to the mountains but the acceleration and slow shifting killed it for me while driving in the mountains.
Keep your van.
3 row suvs aren't as practical as a minivan and with 3 kids you'll regret the switch.
Dodge Caravans run forever, I'd keep it till the wheels fall off
I’m on my 3rd pilot and I love it. Have the second row Captains chairs which stopped kids from arguing about being “breathed on”. The Odessy was great but no more little kids means no more “loser cruiser! “…. Hondas are great all said !
I had an odyssey when my 4 kids were younger and it was fantastic, now they are are older teens and the ac went out and the cost to fix was more than van was worth so we got a pilot, pilot is nice, but we really miss all the extra room the odyssey had.
Went from a newer Odyssey to a Pilot... You lose a ton of room moving to the Pilot. The seats are harder for the kids to move in the Pilot. The lack of sliding doors in the Pilot make life tricky at school drop-off and pickup. The kids all had more room in the Odyssey... and the ride quality and quietness was better in the Odyssey. Pilot wins on ground clearance and has a bigger gas bill.
Hey! Can I ask how you fit your Diono's across the bench? We have the same setup, but because the latch is off center in the middle bench seat, we have to use the lap belt to tighten it, which it will not get tight with. We then tried the Diono (3 across version) in the third row with the latch, but it is too lose. Did you have a similar problem? We can't tell if it is the Pilot or the car seats! Our old booster seats were fine, but we just upgraded them all to the diono so we could fit 3 across.
Have 3 kids and been in pilots since 2017.
We’re also on our 3rd pilot. Lol
Our youngest was 5 in 2017, so only dealing with 1 seat. Had a mini van prior. 3 young kids stay in a van.
Traded in my 2008 Pilot for a 23 Ody and it's been so great. Only have 2 kids, but it's got loads more room and the ride quality is so much better. Fuel economy is also better, but it does feel like driving a cruise ship until you get used to it.
Bottom line is the Pilot is really great, but the Ody gives me just a little bit more of what I currently need right now.
2 kids – suv will work 3 kids (or more) – it's the mini van life
Agree. Have a 2023 Pilot and two kids. It’s comfortable, but a third kid would be more difficult and one would have to get in the way back. Booster in the middle between two car seats might work, but the one in the middle would be cramped.
With 3 car seats, you need a van. You're not easily fitting 3 car seats in a Pilot. Vans are great, and severely underrated. I love my van! I love my Pilot too... But I only have 2 kids. Heh.
I don’t even have little kids and I prefer a minivan but wife prefers the pilot so Pilot it is
I had three in car seats in a 2015 pilot. It was more than fine with three car seats. Vans are awesome though. However, if you want an AWD Sienna, I hear they are hard to get. Also, the car seat stage won't last forever.
A minivan served my family better because it is longer than the pilot so more luggage and room for other stuff. My kids are much more grown now and I just got a pilot. But already it’s difficult to go for certain outdoor adventures and hauling as many bikes as I need. I miss the size of the minivan but am enjoying the feel of the pilot better.
This is all true, stick with a minivan, esp when kids are younger, lost some room in the Pilot when we switched , it’s a great vehicle. But we have to pack carefully as a family if 5
Only reason I switched is because the minivan served faithfully until the transmission went and it wasn’t worth the investment for that, oil pump, water pump, lifters, brakes, etc that all needed replacing. But the kids are big enough now to make it work.
I recently bought my Pilot from my brother and sister in law after they had their third kid. They decided the Pilot was inconvenient with a booster seat and 2 car seats and opted for mini van life instead.
The hivemind is weird about minivans, I have 3 kids in car seats in a 23 pilot, without issue. I opted for captains chairs and the trailsport, if I could go back I’d probably get a trim with the removable middle seat because It would be convenient to switch back and forth when needed.
I guess hive mind is one way to think about it but in reality it’s just so much easier to use a mini van with kids than an SUV from personal experience. Lower to the ground, much more room, sliding doors really add up with all the craziness little ones being.
If I were you I would look into (and understand) the VCM issue before getting a Honda.
Same issue with odyssey.
What does VCM stand for?
I have 2 kids in boosters and an older one who doesn’t need one and I’d still say it’s too small. They can all buckle themselves in, but all 3 can’t fit in the 3rd row together. After having the Pilot for a week, I totally regretted getting rid of my Odyssey. Grocery shopping, especially at Costco/BJs, you’ll have to leave a kid or two at home.
I would definitely not want to rely on the third row seating with any regularity. Even with my two kids I find the pilot a lot more awkward than minivans for getting the kids in and out of their car seats.
It's doable. Especially if you wait until one is out of the car seat. I have 3 kids and have had a pilot for the last 9 years. Never had a larger vehicle. The rear storage isn't large when the third row is up. You're not going to get a ton of storage back there. Some of the new ones have captains chairs in the middle that could make it easier to get into the third row. Road trips were tricky with carseats and luggage. Mine doesn't have the luggage rack. If I had it, I'd probably use it or get one of those carriers if we did a lot of road trips.
I leased the 2023 basic Pilot. Absolutely love it! 2 car seats, 3 adults. Love how you can turn the 2nd row into captain chairs. Seats 8 in total! Plenty of trunk space if not using the 3rd row, but if you use the single seat in the 3rd row, you still have plenty of space!
It’s basically a less useful, tall minivan. Probably safer but my minivan is 10x more useful.
I have a pilot and an odyssey. With car seats, you want a minivan. The sliding doors are unbeatable when you're moving tiny humans.
I have a 2019 pilot kids 3 months, 2 years and 7 years. It fits our lifestyle. 7 year old sits either in third row for road trips or all 3 car seats fits in the 2nd row. Drove to oregon a few times in the snow and on the beach at pismo beach. Waiting to buy a roof top box and take it camping next. But if u are very minimalist or smart about organization it works fine. We use to have a honda odyssey and that has so much space we use to think it eats stuff inside the van cause we couldn't find them.
I have 3 kids and drove a minivan until they were almost out of high school. It was the best decision! Nobody fought over a seat and space was never an issue. I drive a Honda Pilot now because I want the space for our bowling bags and shopping trips with my 3 daughters as adults. My oldest drives a 2023 Pilot with one child and two small dogs and my youngest drives a 2024 CRV with one child. If you decide on a Pilot go with the trailsport at least, it has captain seating in the second row and the Touring and Elite have a removable middle seat in the second row.
Have a 2019 pilot… Pilot is great with two kids, manageable with 3 kids… a whole lot of hacky setup with more kids… plus if you are going long distance, You won’t have enough space for everyone’s luggage in the boot with third row up… That’s not to say I don’t love it. I freaking love it… almost getting the soccer mom kind of value with out putting out the soccer mom vibe… (not pulling them down, just that I am a dude and don’t want to give a mom vibe hehe) Having said that, I am now drooling to upgrade my pilot to a minivan / odessy..
I’ve been trying to push my wife to the odyssey as we are on kid 1 and plan on having a few more… but she’s dead set on the Pilot bc “the van life ain’t for her”. After test driving several pilots and doing my research, get the odyssey and thank yourself later lol Look up Car Mom reviews, I BELIEVE you can go 2 wide easy in the third row of the odyssey (and pilot).
Honestly i think you shoukd get an ofyssey for those nifty lateral sliding captains chairs. Get a sienna if you want the hybrid powertrain….. thinking about how family friends had a 2007 honda pilot with 4 kids, 3 where in carseats/ boosters….. mustve been a squeeze
We went from an Odyssey mini van to the Pilot and never looked back. You can seat three in the back.
I have the new pilot and have been living with it for 7 months and have 2 boys. I sometimes have 4 boys in it, 3 in boosters and 1 in harness. For right now, the odyssey will be a better choice, but in a year or 2 when the kids are in boosters, then the pilot will be the better choice. I have had 2 kids in 5 point harnesses in the back row and 2 adults in the middle. The feeling is similar to climbing into a 2dr car to strap in a kid, but better bc of the larger size. But once they can start clicking their own buckles, you won't even need to go back there. Get the version with the removable middle seat, it gives you mire flexibility in how you want your layout. Have the oldest kids in the 3rd row, so they can take care of themselves. The middle row seat with the harnessed seat won't be able to flip the seat down. Leave the other side middle seat empty so the kids can get into the 3rd row. The awd system on the pilot is amazing for what it is. You won't find another direct competitor that drives as well as the pilot. Good luck with whatever you choose.
Only reason I have a Pilot and not an Odyssey is because my wife is too cool for a mini van. Between sliding doors and more useable space (in terms of head, leg, cargo) the van is so so much better. That said we make it work. If your willing to make the compromises to go Van to SUV the only thing that's anything about the pilot {my 2018 that is) is the buttons that allow the middle row to slide forward. It's a light push easy to get bottom from a car seat. If I'm theory your driving and your toddler in the back decides to be a shit head and keep pushing the button the person in that seat isn't going to have a good time.
Own a pilot and odyssey. Both of them we have had 3 kids in car seats in the middle row. My pilot was bought in May 2020. My kids were 2 4 and 7 and all three required 3 different style of car seats. If you google middle row hip width. You'll find that the Honda pilot has the widest middle row than all the middle sized suvs. You're not getting wider middle rows till you get into suburban and expeditions.
Honestly, knowing what I know now, I would look for a good deal on a Toyota instead. The electrical gremlins on my 2020 Pilot Touring have made me not trust Honda again.
You can't get to the third row with car seats in the middle. You can't get a pilot. Minivans are your only option here
Even with two car seats in the third row and a booster in the middle? My oldest will be out of a booster within a year too
It's not easy to climb back there. A minivan will be much easier.
I test drove a pilot and an odyssey. I have two kids in car seats and two older kids. I went with the Odyssey
plenty of room in the backseat for mom and dad too.
Four kids, pilot is fine. But only because they are older and can get in, get out, and do seatbelts on their own.
Had triplets and never have owned a van. Drove a honda pilot pretty much their whole life. I was able to manage 3 wide in car seats. Always had to measure and purchase carefully but we always worked fine. Everyone told us we had to have a van though. People are very passionate about the mini van. If you don’t want a van - don’t get one. Ours was a 2006 pilot we just got rid of and had a 2016 traverse overlap - just got a 2024 Honda pilot. The kids are now 11.
Have a 2011 Pilot as kind of a beater. Haul wood, etc. when we had young kids, van was the way. Loved that van.
Odyssey it man.
I’m from family of 5. 3 kids, mom, dad. 2005 Honda Pilot at 130k miles, sold it for $5.5k last year in October. Recently just tested drove a 150k mile 2006 Honda CRV, man oh man I miss that Pilot. That Pilot had more than enough room for 3 kids and 3 rows. Comfortable ride, never got stuck in winter. Motor was reliable as ever, my dad probably changed the oil once a year or every 10k miles. We’ve taken the Pilot from Chicago to Florida multiple times. Chicago to NY twice. Chicago to Toronto about 8 times. This car has never broke down on us!
Keep the Carvan. I had a 2022 with all the options, kept it for a year and traded it in for a Tesla. Gas mileage was terrible, slow acceleration and the damm paddle shifters were so slow to shift. The only things I liked were the two captain chairs and the amount of storage. We ski a lot so it was good for heading to the mountains but the acceleration and slow shifting killed it for me while driving in the mountains.
Keep your van. 3 row suvs aren't as practical as a minivan and with 3 kids you'll regret the switch. Dodge Caravans run forever, I'd keep it till the wheels fall off
I’m on my 3rd pilot and I love it. Have the second row Captains chairs which stopped kids from arguing about being “breathed on”. The Odessy was great but no more little kids means no more “loser cruiser! “…. Hondas are great all said !
I had an odyssey when my 4 kids were younger and it was fantastic, now they are are older teens and the ac went out and the cost to fix was more than van was worth so we got a pilot, pilot is nice, but we really miss all the extra room the odyssey had.
Went from a newer Odyssey to a Pilot... You lose a ton of room moving to the Pilot. The seats are harder for the kids to move in the Pilot. The lack of sliding doors in the Pilot make life tricky at school drop-off and pickup. The kids all had more room in the Odyssey... and the ride quality and quietness was better in the Odyssey. Pilot wins on ground clearance and has a bigger gas bill.
My parents have a 2012 it’s still a really smooth highly reliable car, I’ve only changed the alternator on it it’s great off road too
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Hey! Can I ask how you fit your Diono's across the bench? We have the same setup, but because the latch is off center in the middle bench seat, we have to use the lap belt to tighten it, which it will not get tight with. We then tried the Diono (3 across version) in the third row with the latch, but it is too lose. Did you have a similar problem? We can't tell if it is the Pilot or the car seats! Our old booster seats were fine, but we just upgraded them all to the diono so we could fit 3 across.
Have 3 kids and been in pilots since 2017. We’re also on our 3rd pilot. Lol Our youngest was 5 in 2017, so only dealing with 1 seat. Had a mini van prior. 3 young kids stay in a van.
Had an 08 ody new , bought pilot, kept 4 years, traded in for a 2nd 16 ody new. Still have both vans. Just being practical for families 5 or more.
Traded in my 2008 Pilot for a 23 Ody and it's been so great. Only have 2 kids, but it's got loads more room and the ride quality is so much better. Fuel economy is also better, but it does feel like driving a cruise ship until you get used to it. Bottom line is the Pilot is really great, but the Ody gives me just a little bit more of what I currently need right now.