Honda Pilot vs Ford Flex

It looks like we are going to have to replace our cars soon. It's exciting, but also nerve racking. I'll have this vehicle for the next 5-7 years at least so it's important it's the right one. We've narrowed it down to these two and I'm stuck. I've seen them both in person. We'll be getting the low end model on either and no 4WD. They are very close in price.

I'm replacing a mini-van. My kids are 15, 5 and 3. I still need the high seating capacity for friends and such.

If you have either of these cars, what do you love and what do you dislike?

Oh, and I'm looking at buying new.

Do you want to do a 3 across in your 2nd row?

canadiangie said:

Do you want to do a 3 across in your 2nd row?

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I like having the option. I know the Flex 2nd row bench is narrower than the Pilot. I think 3 across would still be doable though. My 3 across could be a Radian, Vivo and adult or Radian, Vivo and MA. My 5 year old is normally in a Frontier, but we're starting to booster train.

We have a 6 passenger 09 Limited AWD Flex and both DH and adore it.
Nav system with Back up camera, Overhead DVD player, we got a centre console for the second row but if we had high traffic in the third row it would be very impractical. Tow package, Block heater, and Vista Roof. Plus all kinds of little extras that make driving fun.

I love the Vista Roof it makes the car feel very open in the back.

The 2010 only has the optional duel headrest DVD player. I kind of wish we had held out for the 2010 model for EcoBoost for a little bit more HP and fuel efficiently as well as the Parking assist. Although I thought it was a little sluggish at take off, it does the job nicely for when I have to pull out in fast moving traffic. It is low and wide so is very stable feeling and easy for the kids to get in and out.

I have had no problems installing a Marathon, Radian(all FF), GN and a Monterey in it. Fords I find are very car seat compatible. Don't forget that you have to twist the top tether and attach it backwards.

Not sure where you are but we get real winter weather and it did an awesome awesome on the roads this winter. Most winter I used to spend sliding backwards/sideways down hills and this winter it never slipped once. In fact I think the Advance Trac only came on once. I credit the AWD and better winter tires for that.

Pilots have always been on our short list but the price would always rule them out in the end but a while back I was at the Honda dealership and played around in one and it felt cramped in comparison to our Flex. Of course it seats another two passengers so if that is important you do have to give up the extra space.

The two things that bothered me when i first got it were the dinky rear wiper and the headrests. The wiper is too small, it only clears half the window and the headrest push forward. I believe all new cars will be having this type of headrest though a added safety feature I think. But once I got my seat memory adjusted the headrest never bothered me.


I was extremely surprised how nice a car it is...I never thought a Ford would be so nice, of course I am sure the base trim levels are not as tricked out but the Limited kicks butt.
Hope that this helps you.

I have an '06 Pilot. It wasn't what I wanted (first choice was an Odyssey, second choice any other minivan that seated eight, and those options ended up either out of my price range, or in my price range but deadly *cough*Venture*cough*) but I've discovered that I do love it. It's a lower-end model (EX?), cloth and 2WD.

As it says in my sig, I put six kids in it regularly. The only problems I've had with RF seats are putting a RF seat in both the second and third rows and being able to seat a passenger in the front, but it doesn't sound like you'll need that. With the second row all the way back, you can fit RF seats without a problem (Radian fits in the center, even with the second row partway up.) I'm not tall, but I drive with the seat bottom all the way back... it doesn't seem to slide particularly far back to me. Backrest is pretty upright, though. (I like to be as far back as I can from the wheel/airbag and still be able to safely control the vehicle.)

Car-seat wise, I'm hard pressed to find much that wouldn't fit across the second row. I regularly put a Monterey and Nautilus on the 60 portion, although it's tight. You could easily put all three of your kids (two seats plus belt) across that row. I bet you could fit Frontier, Radian, adult easily.

How often will you need to access the third row? I feel like it would be a giant pain to use all of the time, but I'm not familiar enough with the Flex to know if it would be any better. If you installed both seats on the 60 portion of the second row, and could easily fold down the 40, it might be easier, or it's not difficult to climb into the hatch, as the seat backs are fairly low in the back.

I do like how the seats stow down... I haven't used that feature much but when I first got it we picked up a friend from the airport and had tons of room for her stuff. Third row headrests have to be removed for that row to fold; second row does not. There's a nice stowage area below the cargo area for the headrests... it's designed for three, but you can easily fit a forth and I think I managed to jam a fifth in there this week

I do not have 4WD, but didn't notice too much trouble in the winter. However, I bought the car in late Feb, after an accident due to ice in early Feb, and our winter ended shortly thereafter... so what little of winter I experienced in it, I did as a VERY skittish driver. Any teeny skid was cause for alarm, lol. I don't recall being alarmed much, though.

I think the biggest reason I'd go with the Pilot over the Flex is just the reliability of the makes. I bought this car at 86k and had no concerns about it lasting me another few years. I'm not sure I would have felt the same way about a Ford, but, my experiences with them are from quite some time ago so maybe they're more reliable.

Carrie_R said:

I think the biggest reason I'd go with the Pilot over the Flex is just the reliability of the makes. I bought this car at 86k and had no concerns about it lasting me another few years. I'm not sure I would have felt the same way about a Ford, but, my experiences with them are from quite some time ago so maybe they're more reliable.

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This is part of my hang up with the Ford. I've experienced Fords in the early 90s that were just terrible. I know they are supposed to be much better now, but they aren't a Honda kwim.

For the seating. I want to be able to do three across in the 2nd row. In my current van, the little girls are in the second row so my oldest rides in the third. She's so far away that it's hard for her to be in the conversation. I also like being able to put everyone in the second row and use the entire back for cargo. We've gotten good a packing every nook and cranny in my van to make everything fit. It would be nice to have the room when it's just the 5 of us. I'm anticipating our regular set up will be 2 car seats in second row. Teen will ride in front seat if it's open. If DH is with us she'll sit 2nd row. If she has a friend they'll ride in the third row. I do carry other car seat kids on an occasional basis. I'd like to be able to put 2 car seats on the 60 side and leave the 40 side open to flip. But I can get around that by putting a booster on that 40 part and slide it over when needed. The Flex does have a neat electric button that automatically folds/flips the 40 part.

I am trying to look to how this vehicle will be used in the future too. DD1 is almost 15. I figure by the time she's driving she won't be in my car all that much. So long term it will be more the younger girls and their friends. Not that DD1 gets a say-but her vote is the Pilot because she thinks the Flex looks like a hearse.

I'm so stuck because there are pieces of each I really like. My perfect car would be Honda reliability and Resale, Honda's big 2nd row seat, the auto flip from the Flex, the car-ness of the Flex, the well in the cargo area of the Flex, and the interior nice-ness of the Flex. It's kind of like car seats where there is no perfect one.

Melanie said:

This is part of my hang up with the Ford. I've experienced Fords in the early 90s that were just terrible. I know they are supposed to be much better now, but they aren't a Honda kwim.

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Right. I know how Hondas are made, and that they hold up. The town I work in has a Honda plant as its major employer, and the one thing I have heard about consistently for the last eight years is its quality. They spec their vehicles really highly. I was really glad that I ended up with one, since I thought they would be out of my price range.

I'd like to be able to put 2 car seats on the 60 side and leave the 40 side open to flip. But I can get around that by putting a booster on that 40 part and slide it over when needed. The Flex does have a neat electric button that automatically folds/flips the 40 part.

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I went out and measured, and I *think* you could get the Frontier and the Radian both on the 60 part, if the Radian is RF center. The only trouble you might have is that the RN might need to be toward the passenger side, to tuck it between the two front seats, and it might interfere with the folding. I'm not sure, I don't remember if I ever folded that seat down when I had the RN RF there. I know with my current setup I cannot fold it, but luckily I don't need to lol. If the RN is FF, you might have trouble folding the seat. Now if you substitute the Vivo for the Frontier, then I think you're golden, especially with the RN RF.

The nice piece of having the two on the 60 is that you'll have gobs of room when you want to install the MA (or whatever) on the 40, plus that dedicated set of LATCH.

FWIW, with the third row folded down I feel like there's tons of cargo space. Maybe that's because I'm used to the absolutely zero cargo space with the third row up, though... lol. I went out to measure it for you and got totally distracted, so maybe I'll remember to do that tonight, lol...