2016 Honda Pilot: A softer look and more family friendly, too

Displacement: 212 cu in, 3471 cc

Power: 280 hp @ 6000 rpm

Torque: 262 lb-ft @ 4700 rpm

Transmission: 9-speed automatic with manual shifting mode

Wheelbase: 111.0 in

Length: 194.5 in

Width: 78.6 in Height: 69.8 in

Passenger volume: 152 cu ft

Cargo volume: 16 cu ft

Curb weight: 4302 lb

EPA city/highway driving: 19/26 mpg

The all-new 2016 Honda Pilot feels like a minivan, with roomy seating, rear entertainment and twice as many cup holders as seats. It drives like a minivan: smooth and competent but without any real steering feedback, road feel or fun. And it looks more rounded, having lost the rougher edges of a boxy SUV.

But the third-generation Pilot, featuring a new top-line Elite trim, is an SUV. It’s just more crossover-like now, and it’s aimed squarely at those who want all the attributes of a minivan but can’t resist the cool factor associated with such vehicles. Soccer moms and doggy daddies will find the new Pilot has a lot going for it.

The Pilot is larger (3 inches longer) and sleeker this year, with softer, sculpted front and wraparound corners in front and rear. LED headlights now give it a more modern look and, for the first time, Pilot stands taller with the availability of 20-inch wheels.

Look deeper into the Pilot, though, and you’ll see its new exterior is just the beginning. Honda’s real focus was on interior refinements. The dash has a cleaner look with a new 8-inch touchscreen (standard in all models except the baseline LX trim) handling entertainment, navigation and communication.

Pilot also has a more elegant look and feel with less hard plastic and more padded surfaces on the dash and doors. Added insulation means a quieter ride. Then there’s the black-gloss trim, panoramic sunroof and high-definition sound system.

The three-row Pilot Elite feels roomier, partly because the windshield is steeply raked and further from the driver. Honda added comfort perks with heated and cooled front seats, second-row captain’s chairs and heated steering wheel. The third row gets added head and leg room.

Minivan-like features abound inside, from the multitude of bins and cup holders to the wide-angle mirror in the overhead console to keep an eye on the little angels. Visibility is good all around.

Maximum cargo space is competitive with the segment at 83.9 cubic feet, and there’s bonus space underneath a removable floor panel.

The Pilot is ready to fly with a push of the start button. On the twisty roads it is well composed, and it gobbles up imperfections with little fanfare. A new multi-link rear suspension gets some of the credit for that. On the highway, the ride is smooth and quiet, and it has adequate punch for getting around that big rig in front.

Steering is electric-assisted now, rather than hydraulic, and it’s more lightly weighted than the previous generation. I think it’s a bit too light, but some may find it to their liking.

All Pilots get Honda’s new 3.5-liter V-6 that rounds up 280 horses and 262 pound-feet of torque. That’s more power and torque than last year, and Honda says the 2016 gallops to 60 mph a full 2 seconds faster than last year’s edition.

It is also easier on fuel this time around, with partial credit going to its auto stop-start feature. Environmental Protection Agency estimates put gas mileage at around 19 mpg in the city and 26 on the highway for the all-wheel-drive, nine-speed transition option. The front-wheel drive with a six-speed transmission is only 1 mpg better.

Front-wheel-drive is standard on Pilots but a sophisticated all-wheel-drive system is available and adds more grip at the corners. The system employs something called torque vectoring, which directs power not only front to rear, but also between the left and right wheels. On the higher trim levels, there also are settings for snow, mud and sandy conditions.

Properly equipped, the AWD has a towing capacity of up to 5,000 pounds.

The new Pilot also comes loaded with the latest in high-tech safety. Honda’s Sensing Package, standard in the Elite, includes forward-collision warning with automatic braking, adaptive cruise control, lane departure and road departure warnings, both with intervention systems to keep you on track. Besides a rear-view camera, the Elite also gets a blind-spot warning with rear cross-traffic alert.

Pilot comes in five trim levels, starting with the LX and topping out with the new Elite. The latter gets 20-inch wheels and a panoramic sunroof but only seats seven, not eight, due to the cushier captain’s chairs in the second row. Of course, it gets all the goodies from the other trims, like USB ports in the second row, roof rails, memory seats and 10-speaker sound system.

So is the Pilot a burly SUV, a sensible crossover or an attractive substitute for a minivan? Since it can play all three roles, I’m guessing Honda will let you make the call.