Compare the2022 Honda PilotVS 2021 Toyota Highlander

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Pilot deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Pilot’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Highlander’s airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

The Pilot has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. Only the Highlander LE/XLE/XSE/Limited/Platinum offers a blind spot warning system.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Pilot has a standard cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Only the Highlander LE/XLE/XSE/Limited/Platinum has a cross-path warning system.

Both the Pilot and the Highlander have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive and rear parking sensors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Honda Pilot is safer than the Toyota Highlander:

	Pilot	Highlander
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	149	292
Neck Injury Risk	28%	38.2%
Neck Stress	189 lbs.	347 lbs.
Neck Compression	46 lbs.	55 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	46/243 lbs.	321/243 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	216	328
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.6 inches
Neck Stress	116 lbs.	179 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH, results indicate that the Honda Pilot is safer than the Toyota Highlander:

	Pilot	Highlander
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	269 lbs.	300 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Reliability

The engine in the Pilot has a single overhead cam for simplicity. The engine in the Highlander has dual overhead cams, which add to the number of moving parts and the complexity of the cylinder heads.

Engine

As tested in Motor Trend the Honda Pilot is faster than the Toyota Highlander:

	Pilot	Highlander
Zero to 60 MPH	6.2 sec	7.4 sec
Quarter Mile	14.8 sec	15.7 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	93.9 MPH	90.7 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Pilot’s fuel efficiency. The Highlander doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

Both the Pilot and the Highlander have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stop lights and heavy traffic. All Pilots have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily. A disable switch costs extra on the Highlander.

The Pilot has 1.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the Highlander (19.5 vs. 17.9 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Pilot has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Highlander doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Transmission

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Honda Pilot, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Highlander.

Brakes and Stopping

The Pilot stops much shorter than the Highlander:

	Pilot	Highlander
60 to 0 MPH	116 feet	127 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Pilot has larger tires than the Highlander (245/60R18 vs. 235/65R18).

The Pilot EX-L’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Highlander L/LE/XLE’s standard 65 series tires. The Pilot SE/Touring/Elite/Black Edition’s tires have a lower 50 series profile than the Highlander XSE/Limited/Platinum’s 55 series tires.

The Pilot has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Highlander doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

The Pilot has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Highlander doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The Pilot (except LX)’s optional drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Highlander doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

The Pilot Elite 4WD handles at .83 G’s, while the Highlander Platinum AWD pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

Chassis

The Pilot uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Highlander doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Pilot has 10.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Highlander (151.7 vs. 141.3).

The Pilot has 1.9 inches more front hip room, 3 inches more front shoulder room, .5 inches more rear headroom, .3 inches more rear hip room, 3.3 inches more rear shoulder room, 2.8 inches more third row headroom, 4.2 inches more third row legroom and 2.6 inches more third row shoulder room than the Highlander.

Cargo Capacity

The Pilot’s cargo area provides more volume than the Highlander.

	Pilot	Highlander
Behind Third Seat	18.5 cubic feet	16 cubic feet
Third Seat Folded	55.9 cubic feet	48.4 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	109.2 cubic feet	84.3 cubic feet

The Pilot has a standard third row seat which folds flat into the floor. This completely clears a very large cargo area quickly. The Highlander doesn’t offer seats that fold into the floor.

Ergonomics

The Pilot has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Highlander doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The Pilot’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Highlander doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Pilot’s standard speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Highlander’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Pilot’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Highlander offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Pilot owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Pilot will cost $410 less than the Highlander over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Pilot is less expensive to operate than the Highlander because it costs $200 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Pilot than the Highlander, including $5 less for a starter, $172 less for fuel injection and $1360 less for a timing belt/chain.

Recommendations

The Honda Pilot has won recognition from these important consumer publications:

	Pilot	Highlander
Consumer Reports® Recommends	TRUE	TRUE
Car Book “Best Bet”	TRUE	FALSE

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its May 2020 issue and they ranked the Honda Pilot Black Edition 4WD two places higher than the Toyota Highlander XLE AWD.