All New KIA

It’s hard to believe that the Lincoln Aviator is already five years old. Credit the SUV’s sleek styling and luxurious interior, which were a real head-turner back in the day. Having nearly 500 horsepower didn’t hurt, either, but a lot has changed in the world since then. You know what hasn’t changed much? The Lincoln Aviator.

While the Aviator received a minor mid-cycle refresh for 2025, it wasn’t enough. Plus, some of the changes feel like steps backward. And there’s still no high-horsepower hybrid powertrain in sight after it’s discontinued in 2023. Overall, the refreshed Aviator doesn’t do much to differentiate itself from the Ford Explorer in tone and asks a lot for buyers with an as-tested price of $91,575. And that’s not even the most expensive Aviator specification.

Let’s take a quick look at what’s changed for 2025, starting with the Aviator’s front fascia. The grille is larger, and by a considerable margin. It’s still rectangular, but it’s lower, meeting a redesigned lower fascia. Vertically oriented angular vents replace the old model’s simple horizontal vents and running lights, and up top, the headlights are smaller.

These changes result in a design that’s less well-proportioned and satisfying than before. Frankly, the 2025 Aviator has just one set of split headlights that make it look like a BMW X7. This is an unintended consequence of sharing its chassis with the Ford Explorer, which is also getting a similar facelift for 2025. Unfortunately, there are too many similarities between the two for me to see the Explorer’s mouth gaping at the sight of a Lincoln.

Christopher Smith/Motor1

Pros: Still Beautiful, BlueCruise—Finally

This isn’t the only time I’ll raise a red flag about the Aviator’s overly close relationship to the Explorer. Fortunately, the Lincoln looks as elegant as ever, and the exterior changes—while I think they’re a step backward—aren’t a deterrent. There’s still plenty of charm here.

The interior changes center around a new 13.2-inch touchscreen. If that sounds familiar… well, you guessed it. The new Explorer has the same screen with the same Google Assistant technology and the same layout for its various features. Admittedly, I’m not a huge fan of Ford’s current infotainment system, finding it a bit too complicated for simple tasks like adjusting the climate control. Add extras like massaging seats into the mix and interacting with the screen becomes even more distracting. Still, it’s a system you can use without much hassle, so again, it’s not a big deal.

Christopher Smith/Motor1

Like most touchscreens, this Lincoln’s is mounted like a tablet on the dashboard. It’s an outdated design trend that needs to go. A redesigned dashboard that combines the driver and center displays into one screen is sorely needed here. At the very least, an integrated infotainment screen in the dashboard would differentiate the nearly six-figure Lincoln from the $40,000 Explorer Active. The Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class has it. The BMW X5 has it. Audi has it. Genesis. The list goes on.

I’m not saying the Aviator’s interior is cheap. The wood trim looks nice, and while I don’t quite understand the weird checkered pattern scattered throughout the interior, it’s a nice touch. The leather is soft, the seats are lovely, and I’ve always been a sucker for the big, power-operated moonroof. However, the abundance of black trim looks and feels cheap. The chrome trim ends up feeling tacky as a result. And you might as well fold down the third-row seats and leave them there. Unless you regularly haul small children, no one wants to sit in the back.

Christopher Smith/Motor1

Christopher Smith/Motor1

Cons: Too Noisy, Old-Fashioned Interior, Feels Like a Ford Explorer in a Suit

At least the Lincoln is very comfortable. The active suspension with Air Glide is very cushy over rough roads, providing a very soft but not overly isolating ride. Frankly, I never noticed it doing anything dramatic in any of the drive modes, and I consider that a plus in this context. The Aviator is not a Lincoln hot rod, and no one should assume it is. Even if the driver is using the 400-horsepower, twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6—which is still the only engine choice—the only pleasant acceleration is what you’ll get.

You’ll also get reasonable fuel economy. The EPA lists the Aviator at 17 city, 25 highway and 20 combined. At 75 mph on the highway, I was getting between 23 and 25 mpg, but going a little slower on country roads got me to 27. Can you do better in the 400-horsepower range? Yes, but not by much. And you won’t be doing 150-mile hands-free BlueCruise trips on those competitors. Ford’s advanced Level 2 system is arguably the best in the business, and it’s standard on the Black Label.

Christopher Smith/Motor1

But even on quiet highways, where luxury vehicles are supposed to shine, there are frustrating instances of cost-cutting. Wind and road noise are loud, and the V-6’s roar is loud even when the accelerator is pressed lightly. I get the impression that this drivetrain is a direct Ford swap with little refinement for the luxury brand. Then there are the little things like the non-adjustable second-row seatbelts, which can be uncomfortable for kids and short adults. Really, Lincoln?

A few weeks before my long Lincoln vacation, I spent a day driving the 2025 Explorer. I really wanted to try the Aviator; even with its refreshed looks, it’s one of the coolest midsize SUVs on the market. But it turned out to be just a Ford Explorer dressed up in an expensive suit. Platform sharing is certainly nothing new in the automotive world; every automaker does it to some degree. But this felt like the old days of logo engineering—minimum effort with the expectation of maximum return.

To be honest, I still think the Aviator looks great. It just needs a good personality to fit.

The big trend right now is to take an incapable SUV and try to make it look tougher. Put on beefier tires, change the ride, give it a less clever name—and Well that's itan SUV that is “capable of going off-road”.

The 2024 Honda Passport TrailSport is no exception. It gets new badging, upgraded tires, and some suspension tweaks that make it more “capable” than the traditional Passport. However, it’s still not a vehicle you want to take off-road. Or, for that matter, something you’d want to spend nearly $50,000 on.

Aside from the bright orange TrailSport badge, most of the Passport’s upgrades are hard to spot. Eighteen-inch General Grabber all-terrain tires replace the standard all-season tires. Passive dampers offer better compression for a softer ride on dirt roads. Spring rates are down 15 percent up front and 10 percent out back. And Honda even ditched the hollow rear anti-roll bar for something more rigid. The 8.1 inches of ground clearance is also pretty good.

The result? An SUV that’s certainly more capable than the regular Passport, though that’s not by a high standard. All-terrain tires offer better grip in low-traction situations—dirt roads, gravel roads, etc.—and the softer ride means you can drive over potholes without breaking your back. A small dirt road seems to be more than enough for the Passport TrailSport.

The same 3.5-liter V-6 that powers the standard Passport is here, and it’s… good. Its 280 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque give Honda’s SUV a good chance of getting the most out of its engine at high speeds or on hillier roads—there’s not a ton of torque available. The nine-speed automatic transmission shifts smoothly, and all-wheel drive is standard.

Jeff Perez/Motor1

Pros: Attractive Looks, Comfortable Ride, Lots of Space

Otherwise, the Passport is anything but noisy around town. The steering is light, the softer suspension makes for comfortable highway driving, and the cabin is mostly quiet. It’s only when you rev ​​the V-6 (which sounds pretty good) that you notice any noticeable noise.

The standard leather seats are really soft. Both front seats are heated and ventilated, have 10-way power adjustment, and of course, there’s orange TrailSport stitching on the headrests. The back seat is roomy, too, and since this is the only Pilot with one fewer row, there’s plenty of cargo space. The 41.2 cubic feet behind the second row and 77.7 cubic feet with the rear seats folded flat are better than anything else in the segment. There’s even a clever underfloor storage system with up to 50.5 cubic feet of space.

Honda

Honda

The Pilot comes with safety equipment as part of the Honda Sensing suite, which is standard on all Passport models. It includes features like adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, forward collision monitoring and automatic emergency braking. The big problem is that the adaptive cruise control doesn’t stop all the way; it only works at speeds of 19 mph and up. And the lane-centering technology doesn’t work as well as some other modern systems. The car ping-pongs around in the lane.

The 8.0-inch touchscreen and 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster aren’t the most modern of devices. The graphics look dated, the touch response is slow. You still need cables for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Jeff Perez/Motor1

Cons: Outdated technology, Poor fuel efficiency, Weak off-road enhancements, Expensive with many options

Perhaps the Passport’s biggest drawback is its poor fuel economy. The Passport gets just 19 miles per gallon in the city, 24 miles per gallon on the highway, and 21 miles per gallon with the now-standard all-wheel drive system. Compare that to V-6, AWD alternatives like the Chevrolet Blazer (22/27/24) and the outdated Nissan Murano (20/28/23), and the Honda is clearly the worst of the bunch.

But don’t worry, there’s a new Honda Passport on the way. While the 2024 model is a joy to drive and looks great, it’s clearly way behind its competition in a few key areas. It’s not as sophisticated or efficient as some of the alternatives, and for a “tough” SUV, the improvements are barely noticeable.

The 2024 Honda Passport isn’t a bad SUV if you pay its $43,795 base price. It’s comfortable and fun to drive. But the TrailSport will set you back at least $46,395, and options will easily push that price closer to $50,000. At that price, the Passport TrailSport isn’t a great choice. It might be worth waiting for the new model to arrive next year.

• Chevrolet Blazer
• Jeep Cherokee Grand
• Nissan Murano

The Ford Bronco Sport is a Ford Bronco, but it’s also not. It’s a mini Bronco, designed and named so that the Bronco’s big off-road reputation can help attract casual buyers. But it also makes you wonder: Is the Bronco Sport worthy of its name?

The 2025 Ford Bronco Sport Sasquatch is here to prove it.

The big Bronco is a rugged off-roader that competes with the Jeep Wrangler. It rides on a modified version of the Ford Ranger body-on-frame platform, making it more versatile for off-road driving. The Bronco Sport, meanwhile, is more geared toward on-road driving. It lacks all the luxury bells and whistles of the big Bronco, and is based on the Escape unibody crossover, which is more fuel-efficient and more car-like.

For 2025, the Bronco Sport comes standard with all-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic transmission. It also has five trim levels and two engine choices: a 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine that produces 180 horsepower and 200 pound-feet of torque, and a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 238 horsepower and 277 pound-feet of torque.

The Sasquatch off-road package comes from the big Bronco to the smaller Bronco Sport. The package is an optional extra on the top-level Outer Banks and Badlands trims for 2025, and features a dual-clutch rear-wheel drivetrain, a locking rear differential, steel underbody protection, Bilstein rear shocks, and 29-inch all-terrain tires.

Pros: Great Off-Road Hardware, Smart Software, Excellent Capability

The upgrades give the Bronco Sport Sasquatch a suspension with 8.3 inches of travel up front and 9.0 inches in the rear, as well as the ability to wade through water as deep as 23.6 inches. That’s quite good compared to the Bronco’s maximum depth of 33.5 inches.

Ford hasn't said how much the Sasquatch package will cost for the Bronco Sport, or how much the 2025 Bronco Sport will cost. But in 2024, the base price for the Bronco Sport Outer Banks is $35,500, the Bronco Sport Badlands is $40,000, and for the larger Bronco Badlands, the Sasquatch package will cost at least $5,000.

The 2025 Bronco Sport Sasquatch won’t be available until early next year, but Ford took us for a 15-minute drive on its new off-road course in Maryville, Tennessee. We drove a pre-production car on a course Ford chose—mud, potholed, and 20-degree banked—but the Sasquatch still felt pretty tough.

Motor1.com

Motor1.com

The Bronco Sport Sasquatch has seven driving modes: Normal, Eco, Sport, Slippery, Off-Road, Rally, and Rock Crawl. We only used three of these driving modes: Off-Road mostly, then Rock Crawl and Rally for a bit.

Rock Crawl locking differential. A dual-clutch rear-wheel drive unit has two clutch packs that control each rear wheel independently, allowing only one to drive the car if needed, and can also act as a locking differential. Locking differentials are common on off-road vehicles, driving the wheels simultaneously rather than turning the wheel with the least resistance, as an open differential does.

The Sasquatch’s special Off-Road mode has limited throttle response for bumpy terrain, while Rally mode makes the accelerator more responsive for faster driving. Like any good modern off-road vehicle, the Sasquatch’s Sport suspension absorbs bumps in Off-Road mode as it drives over the top of the car. I felt the uneven terrain under my feet, but it didn’t make my head shake. The vehicle is comfortable even when the ground beneath it is uncomfortable.

Cons: Interior is absorbent, doesn't feel as tough as expected

The car also has trail control (like cruise control, but for off-road) and one-pedal driving, both of which are meant to make crawling speeds easier by eliminating the need to move both pedals. Trail control kicks in at 1 mph, and one-pedal driving involves using only the accelerator pedal to speed up and slow down the car.

As soon as you lift your foot, the car brakes—and in these early models, the automatic braking feels like a jolt. I don’t mind how strong it is, but when I asked, Ford wouldn’t say whether the final production one-pedal braking would be stronger, the same, or weaker.

The Bronco Sport Sasquatch has handy features like front and rear retaining plates, an off-road camera to show you the terrain, recovery points at all four corners in case you get stuck while driving off-road, and grab bars near the side mirrors that Ford says are there to prevent the towbars from rubbing the paint. My favorite part, though, is the gauge cluster.

Motor1.com

Motor1.com

The Bronco Sport Sasquatch has a display in Off-Road mode that shows the angle of the car, so when I’m driving on bumpy roads or downhill, I can see how much of an angle I’m at. I got as high as 20 degrees on muddy roads, and it’s a fun way to interact with the terrain. When you get home, you can not only tell your friends that your car was at an angle on the muddy road—you can tell them that your car was at a 20-degree angle. That’s just so much cooler.

I didn’t have enough time in the Sasquatch to find any issues with the way it rides, and I didn’t get to drive it on the street—where it will likely spend most of its time. But I did notice some issues on the inside.

I sat in a Bronco Sport Badlands with a light gray interior, and all I could think about was mud. The Badlands has a thin cloth top that looks ready to absorb stains, and the seats have light-colored cloth sections around the shoulder blades that look the same. The big Bronco can also be had with a marine-grade vinyl interior and an interior water drainage system, but the baby Bronco doesn’t get that treatment (at least not yet).

Motor1.com

But even without all the big Bronco’s off-road features, the Bronco Sport Sasquatch is capable. It can do everything a normal person could want, and it can hold its own off-road.

The saddest part about the big Bronco, to me, is how many people will buy it and never use it for the things it’s really good for. They’ll drive it to school or the grocery store, leaving its incredible off-road capabilities unused and unrecognized. The Bronco Sport Sasquatch is more than enough for the average buyer, and after a few minutes in the car, it feels like it might be enough for the experienced off-roader.

The Bronco Sport has always been marketed as the baby Bronco, and the Sasquatch feels ready to live up to that reputation—in mud, potholes, water, or wherever you want to test it.

The Ford Mustang GTD is set to be one of the coolest cars of 2025. Final testing of the coupe, which was unveiled at Monterey last year, is underway, with engineers putting in laps around the Nürburgring. It looks and sounds incredible.

That MediaMataMobil YouTube channel captured two Mustang GTD prototypes taking a spin around the Nordschleife during a recent industry test session. Neither car seemed to be holding back anything, with both looking very quick through some of the faster sections of the track.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen the GTD at the Nürburgring. Back in early June, we saw a black-painted donkey tearing up the asphalt in similarly aggressive style. However, there are some notable changes this time around, most notably the exhaust. The large, square-shaped exhaust tips have been replaced with smaller, circular exhaust tips, which will likely silence the 5.2-liter supercharged V-8 that Ford says will produce more than 800 horsepower.

The blue car, which first appeared at the Goodwood Festival of Speed ​​earlier this year, still wears its hillclimb decals. In some photos, the car is wearing a different boot lid that appears to be bare carbon.

Whether the car is blue or black, there’s no denying that the GTD has a killer sound. Thanks to a quieter exhaust, it’s easy to hear the supercharger coming from under the hood. The rear-mounted dual-clutch transaxle and race car-inspired pushrod suspension also make it a beast.

There’s no word yet on when or if Ford will attempt a Nürburgring lap time with the Mustang GTD. We wouldn’t be surprised to see it break the seven-minute barrier, given all its impressive equipment.

Remember the AM-RB 003? The concept was first unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2019 as a window into the future of Aston Martin’s next mid-engined supercar. At its premiere, the British brand said we would see the production version before the end of 2021. However, it’s now the second half of 2024 and the final car is still nowhere to be seen. In the meantime, here’s a prototype currently on the road at the Nürburgring.

While we haven’t seen a customer car yet, the test mule looks instantly familiar with its mighty rear wing. It’s an interesting piece of kit that looks more advanced than previous concepts. Its aerodynamic package will produce more than 1,322 pounds of downforce at 149 mph. The livery/camouflage suggests Aston Martin is still not ready to show off the final design. The lightweight side windows suggest this is a beefier version of the AMR, as press photos of the regular Valhalla from 2021 showed regular glass.

That slightly muffled sound you hear isn’t coming from the Aston Martin’s engine. Originally, the supercar was supposed to have an in-house twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6, but that was replaced by a larger V-8 sourced from AMG. Also equipped with a pair of turbochargers, the 4.0-liter flat-plane crank mill revs to 7,200 rpm and drives the rear wheels. Hopefully, it’ll be louder on the production-ready model, unless this prototype depicts a European-spec car that will have to meet stricter noise regulations.

The combustion engine itself produces 800 horsepower that is channeled to the rear wheels. However, the Valhalla will not be a pure gasoline supercar as it will adopt a hybrid drivetrain with three electric motors. Combined, this setup will produce 998 hp in an all-wheel-drive supercar without a conventional reverse gear. Instead, the front-mounted motor provides reverse so Aston Martin can save weight. The third electric motor is housed in the transmission and sends power to the rear axle while also doubling as a starter/generator for the combustion engine.

Assuming the performance numbers remain unchanged since Aston Martin last talked about the supercar, the Valhalla will hit 62 mph in two and a half seconds. At full throttle, it will top out at 217 mph. On electric power alone, it won’t go faster than 80 mph. In EV mode, it won’t go much farther than nine miles. As for weight, AM is targeting a very low 3,417 pounds before adding fluids.

Aston Martin has promised to start production this year, with 999 units to be built. The Valhalla will compete with the successor to the Ferrari SF90 Stradale, the McLaren Artura and the recently launched Lamborghini Temerario. While pricing is still unknown, it’s safe to assume it will be significantly cheaper than the Valkyrie. There was supposed to be a third mid-engined supercar, based on the 2019 Vanquish Vision concept, but its launch was canceled last year.

However, there's a new front-engine Vanquish coming soon with a twin-turbo V-12 making 824 hp and 738 lb-ft of torque.

Minivans are awesome, just ask your dad. They haul people and their stuff, and for people my age, they hold decades of road trip memories. The Toyota Sienna has been a mainstay in the minivan community since 1997, but even in its old age, it’s still a solid choice for a large family.

In this case, I spent a week with a Toyota Sienna Limited—the most luxurious option in this group. The base Sienna LE starts at $39,080, while this one came in at $55,955 as tested with a few extra options. For the price, the Sienna beats most comparable three-row SUVs.

The Toyota Sienna is hybrid-only, as it has been since 2021. Under the hood is Toyota’s 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid engine, which is found in everything from the Camry to the RAV4. It produces 245 horsepower and 176 pound-feet of torque. The Sienna isn’t fast. But there’s enough electric torque up front to get you going, and the four-cylinder’s power is enough to keep you going. If you push the accelerator pedal more than halfway, though, the engine will sound strained.

Fortunately, the Sienna Hybrid isn’t just for racing between stoplights. The hybrid configuration gets 35 miles per gallon in the city, 36 miles on the highway, and 35 miles per gallon combined in this all-wheel-drive model. Front-wheel drive is even better at 36 combined miles. While driving from one Florida coast to the other (and back), I didn’t stop for gas once. The Sienna Hybrid will go 630 miles on a full tank—quite impressive for a vehicle of its size.

Pros: Efficient, Lots of Space, Fun to Drive

Cramming seven people and a cooler into the Sienna is also fairly easy. Unlike some so-called “three-row” SUVs with barely usable back rows, the Sienna will fit three adults comfortably. There’s 37.4 inches of headroom in the third row and 38.7 inches of legroom. Even Toyota’s largest SUV, the Grand Highlander, doesn’t have that much room; it only has 37.2 inches of headroom and 33.5 inches of legroom by comparison.

Even with the third row up, the Sienna still has 33.5 cubic feet of trunk space compared to the Grand Highlander’s 20.6 cubic feet. That number balloons to 75.2 cubic feet with the third row folded flat and 101.0 cubic feet with each row folded flat. Again, the Grand Highlander only manages 57.9 and 97.5 cubic feet.

Jeff Perez/Motor1

Jeff Perez/Motor1

The “Limited” badge means luxury in Toyota speak, and the Sienna has plenty of it. Every row of seats is decked out in plush leather. The front seats are heated and ventilated, while the second row is heated and features a full-length leg rest. Assuming there's no one in the third row, you can slide those captain's chairs all the way back, kick up the leg rests, and recline about three-quarters of the way.

The Sienna is arguably more pleasant to drive than its SUV sibling. It won’t take you anywhere off the beaten path with just 6.3 inches of ground clearance (or 6.9 inches in the rugged Woodland trim), but that translates to better handling and better on-road manners than many SUVs. The steering is responsive, the chassis is balanced, and there’s far less body roll.

Cons: Looks like a minivan, technology is outdated,

The Sienna’s only real downfall is its technology. Its infotainment system is outdated compared to the newer systems Toyota has in many of its vehicles. The screen is slow and slow to respond, the graphics are outdated, and the home screen is cluttered with too many options. And the 9.0-inch touchscreen is pretty poor by modern standards.

The Sienna at least has a fold-down screen that mounts to the ceiling like the iconic minivan so the kids (or grown men) can watch movies on long drives. The screen is accompanied by a full-size 120-volt outlet and an HDMI port. There are also about a half-dozen outlets throughout the Sienna for your devices.

It may not look like much, but the Toyota Sienna has everything you need and more. So if your family is looking for something spacious, luxurious, and well-equipped, don’t choose the Grand Highlander before you try the Sienna.

It’s been a while since the latest generation Honda Pilot was launched. Actually, it’s been two years. The updated SUV made its first foray into the sport in November 2022. Aside from a brief test drive in early 2023, we’ve pretty much forgotten about the “new” Pilot. Does that make it a machine that’s anything but forgettable?

Of course not. After a week and about 600 miles in the 2025 Pilot Black Edition, I found the SUV to be a great family truck with plenty of room for seven or eight people inside, no easy feat in the midsize SUV segment. However, my butt wasn’t exactly thrilled after three straight hours in the driver’s seat. And my wallet wasn’t thrilled with the requisite gas stops.

Every SUV segment is fiercely competitive, but the midsize crew is home to serious contenders like the Ford Explorer, Chevrolet Traverse, Toyota Highlander, Jeep Grand Cherokee… I could go on and on. The Pilot is arguably the best-looking of the bunch, balancing its upright, chiseled shape with clean lines and pleasing proportions. Finding that design sweet spot isn’t easy, and the Black Edition adds a little more flavor with black exterior trim. Wrapped in Radiant Red Metallic paint, the Pilot looks absolutely sharp.

The Black Edition adds a touch of luxury inside, with red stitching and red interior lighting contrasting with the black leather. Like the exterior, Honda has struck a comfortable balance with its design, though some might find the layout a bit dated despite being only two years old. The 9.0-inch tablet-style touchscreen helps to make it look more like a compact car—it’s noticeably smaller than most others in this segment.

Pros: Simple, Spacious, Third row seats actually fit adults

A slightly larger screen would be easier to see and navigate, but that doesn’t mean it’s not useful as is. Honda’s software suite is very intuitive to use, voice control works well enough, and if you want to forego it for your Android or iPhone, wireless connectivity is hassle-free and nearly instantaneous.

If you can afford the extra cost, I recommend the optional 10.2-inch digital driver’s display available on higher trim levels. It adds information like navigation into your field of view, and it looks great. There’s not much to configure, just enough to add a little variety to a simple drive.

The layout is easily adjusted via the steering wheel controls, and when I talk about controls, kudos are due: Honda has provided a handful of simple knobs and buttons below the center screen for climate and seat functions. When the windshield fogs up during a sudden rainstorm, it’s handy to be able to reach out and turn a knob without taking your eyes off the road.

Christopher Smith/Motor1

It all comes down to the Pilot’s primary mission in life: to get people to their destinations safely and comfortably. That’s accomplished well enough in the first two rows of seats, but imagine my surprise when I climbed into the Pilot’s third row and found actual, usable space. Granted, I’m not a tall guy at 5-foot-6, but legroom isn’t the only thing the Honda’s rear seats excel at. There’s ample shoulder room, 59.5 inches to be exact. Enough so that three kids or two adults won’t feel cramped. If you regularly haul a lot of people, the Pilot is a good place to go.

It’s among the roomiest in the midsize segment, and there’s still 22.4 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third row. Folding the rear seats increases the space to 60.1 cubic feet. Pulling out the removable second-row center section and flipping the seats forward increases the space to 112.1 cubic feet. The removable seats, meanwhile, stow neatly in a small under-floor storage compartment in the very back. Best of all, the various configurations are incredibly easy to set up. Pull a cord here, push a button there, and you’ve got a new washing machine.

Cons: Hard seats on long trips, had drinking issues

How does it drive? The 285-horsepower 3.5-liter V-6 is… good enough. Step on the gas and it goes. And the 10-speed automatic doesn't complain when changing gears. Sure, you can select Sport mode and pretend to cut apexes, but the Pilot isn't supposed to be a highway star. There's plenty of power to blend into heavy highway traffic, and the suspension soaks up rough road surfaces without making anyone car sick. The drivetrain isn't flashy, or unique, or exciting. It just is, and frankly, that's how it should be for a family-focused SUV.

Despite its size, the Pilot feels as easy to drive as the Civic. Honda Sensing is packed with driver-assistance features that aren’t too intrusive or overwhelming, and it certainly helps take the stress out of long road trips. You don’t need the optional model to get it, either. Honda Sensing is standard across the board, and like the drivetrain, it simply does its job, without unnecessary drama. I recommend using the CabinTalk in-car PA system, especially if you have noisy kids or hearing-impaired grandparents. It projects your voice through the stereo to the back row; trust me when I say it’s very helpful.

Christopher Smith/Motor1

I wish the Pilot had the fuel mileage of the Civic. The official EPA ratings for the all-wheel-drive model are 19 city, 25 highway and 21 combined. I averaged 22 mpg over about 600 miles, but most of that was on highways and country roads where I should be getting the best of the best. Driving around town, I usually stayed in the mid- to late teens; at 75 mph I was in the low 20s. It’s worth noting that the Pilot I got was brand new with only 150 miles on the odometer. Things could improve a bit as the engine gets some work done. But there are similar SUVs with more power that do better at the pump.

The seats are also disappointing, at least for the driver. Yes, I've praised the Pilot's interior space and comfort, but I found my backside hurting after an hour of driving. Speaking of position, the front seats are excellent and the Black Edition's 10-air vented driver's seat is very supportive. In fact, it Also supportive—the seat bottom is very stiff. It’s not something you’ll notice on a short test ride, and like the gas mileage, it may diminish over time. However, it’s stiff enough for me to question whether I could use it as an everyday vehicle.

Christopher Smith/Motor1

Even with the plusher seats, I’m not sure the Black Edition is the best fit for SUV buyers. Its $55,675 starting price puts it in a league of more powerful, more sophisticated, and frankly, slightly more characterful competitors. But the all-wheel-drive EX-L is $10,000 cheaper, and you get much of the same equipment. More importantly, you still get everything that makes this SUV a great choice for a large family—interior space, driver assists, an in-car intercom, and a strong (if fuel-hungry) engine.

While I’ve never been particularly enthusiastic about driving a Pilot, I feel relaxed and secure behind the wheel regardless of weather or traffic. When the most precious things in your life are just a few feet behind you, I can’t imagine a better feeling. Mission accomplished, Honda.