Compare the2022 Dodge DurangoVS 2022 Honda Pilot

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages

Safety

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The Dodge Durango has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Pilot doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Durango has standard Active Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Pilot doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

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

The Dodge Durango weighs 429 to 1329 pounds more than the Honda Pilot. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

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

	Durango	Pilot
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	26%	35%
Neck Compression	86 lbs.	478 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	303/32 lbs.	478/436 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 and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Dodge Durango is safer than the Honda Pilot:

	Durango	Pilot
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	46	109
Hip Force	236 lbs.	269 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	50	233
Spine Acceleration	34 G’s	42 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	14 inches	15 inches
HIC	194	406
Spine Acceleration	43 G’s	45 G’s
Hip Force	714 lbs.	838 lbs.

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

Warranty

There are over 2 times as many Dodge dealers as there are Honda dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Durango’s warranty.

Reliability

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the Durango’s engine. A rubber cam drive belt that needs periodic replacement drives the Pilot’s camshafts. If the Pilot’s belt breaks, the engine could be severely damaged when the pistons hit the opened valves.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Durango has a standard 160-amp alternator (180-amp - Durango optional and 220 optional). The Pilot’s 130-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Dodge vehicles are better in initial quality than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Dodge second in initial quality, above the industry average. With 25 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is ranked 17th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Dodge vehicles are more reliable than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Dodge 17th in reliability. With 20 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is ranked 27th.

Engine

The Durango’s standard 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 13 more horsepower (293 vs. 280) than the Pilot’s 3.5 SOHC V6. The Durango’s optional 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 15 more horsepower (295 vs. 280) than the Pilot’s 3.5 SOHC V6. The Durango’s optional 5.7 V8 produces 80 more horsepower (360 vs. 280) and 128 lbs.-ft. more torque (390 vs. 262) than the Pilot’s 3.5 SOHC V6.

As tested in Motor Trend the Dodge Durango V8 is faster than the Honda Pilot:

	Durango	Pilot
Zero to 60 MPH	6.4 sec	6.5 sec
Quarter Mile	14.9 sec	15.1 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	92.9 MPH	91.2 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

The Durango has 5.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Pilot (24.6 vs. 19.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Dodge Durango higher (5 to 7 out of 10) than the Honda Pilot (3). This means the Durango produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Pilot every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Durango’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Pilot:

	Durango	Durango R/T	Pilot
Front Rotors	13.8 inches	15 inches	12.6 inches
Rear Rotors	13 inches	13.8 inches	13 inches

The Durango’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Pilot are solid, not vented.

The Durango stops shorter than the Pilot:

	Durango	Pilot
60 to 0 MPH	124 feet	128 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Durango has larger standard tires than the Pilot (265/60R18 vs. 245/60R18). The Durango R/T’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Pilot (295/45R20 vs. 245/60R18).

The Durango R/T’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Pilot SE/Touring/Elite/Black Edition’s 50 series tires.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires available on the Durango can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The Pilot doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

The Durango offers an optional full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Pilot; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

Suspension and Handling

The Durango has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Pilot’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The Durango offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Pilot’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The Durango offers an optional automatic rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Pilot doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Durango’s wheelbase is 8.8 inches longer than on the Pilot (119.8 inches vs. 111 inches).

The Durango’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (50% to 50%) than the Pilot’s (56.1% to 43.9%). This gives the Durango more stable handling and braking.

The Durango R/T 4x4 handles at .80 G’s, while the Pilot Black Edition 4WD pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Durango R/T 4x4 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Pilot Elite 4WD (27.4 seconds @ .64 average G’s vs. 27.8 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Durango has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Pilot (8.1 vs. 7.3 inches), allowing the Durango to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

As tested by Car and Driver while under full throttle, the interior of the Durango GT 4x4 is quieter than the Pilot Elite 4WD (76 vs. 78 dB).

Passenger Space

The Durango has .4 inches more front headroom, .2 inches more rear legroom and 1.6 inches more third row legroom than the Pilot.

Towing

The Durango’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Pilot’s (6200 vs. 3500 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Honda Pilot 4WD is only 5000 pounds. The Durango 4x4 offers up to a 8700 lbs. towing capacity.

The Durango V8 4WD can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Durango can be unhitched and driven around locally. The Pilot can’t be towed flat on the ground.

Servicing Ease

The Durango uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Pilot uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The engine in the Durango is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Pilot. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because there are no rear spark plugs and the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

The Durango’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Pilot does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The power windows standard on both the Durango and the Pilot have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Durango is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Pilot prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Durango’s power mirror controls are mounted on the armrest for easy access. The Pilot’s power mirror controls are on the dash where they are possibly hidden by the steering wheel and are awkward to manipulate.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Durango is less expensive to operate than the Pilot because typical repairs cost much less on the Durango than the Pilot, including $235 less for a water pump, $113 less for a muffler, $21 less for a starter, $51 less for fuel injection and $108 less for a fuel pump.