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economist suntribune wheels thursday may 9 2002 17 york region markham economist sun wheels edition treat but the latest twist on an already popular main course f i markham kia r1a p its about time everyone had a well made car 347 main st markham 9054711818 h 111j very successful cook knows ll its the quality of the ingre- m m dients that make the meal those engineering chefs at honda have taken that lesson to heart in whip ping up their allnew yet wellseasoned pilot offroader the recipe for this midsized sport ute souffle originates with a couple of entrees that have already passed the taste test with flying colours currently the honda odyssey minivan and the acura hondas upscale offshoot mdx sport ute are flavoured with the same platform and powerplant that will go into service with the pilot when it is served for the first time later this year in fact all three will be built at hondas canadian production plant in aliiston ont not only is the publics appetite for suvs seemingly well below the saturation point but nowadays the lat est trend is to raid the minivan cookie jar and offer as much passenger room as those slidingdoor transporters woe unto any manufacturer who fails to offer accommodations for more than five people in this category or who doesnt have something in the pipeline by virtue of adapting the odysseymdx underpinnings the pilot will feature seating for up to eight thanks to a handy 6040 thirdrow seat that can be folded flat when not in use in fact the second row is also of the 6040 variety allowing for the widest possible variety of seating and cargo- stowing arrangements the second row is also a kid- friendly environment with an available activity tray thats built to hold hold a variety of drinks fastfood dipping sauces crayons and even handheld computer game players combine that with the optional dvd entertainment system and the arewethereyet com plaints are virtually guaranteed to dis appear up front honda has positioned the pilots shifter on the column to provide maximum utility for the floor- console along with a large storage bin theres a cd rack cellphone cra dle 12volt power outlet and dual cupholders externally the pilot comes with a heaping helping of styling courtesy of hondas crv compact ute particular ly from the windshield forward it even borrows that models faux skidplate theme that runs below the grille theres very little front or rear body overhang which when combined with an eightinch ground clearance means the bumpers should be more snag resistant when surface undulations are at their most acute the rest is pretty much the same boxlike design that can be found a host of existing prod ucts what cant be found anywhere else other than on the aforemen tioned odyssey and mdx is the pilots performance oriented drive system under the hood resides a 240-horse- power 35litre sohc v6 thats con nected to a fivespeed automatic trans mission to send power to all four wheels the pilot uses what honda calls its vtm4 which stands for variable torque management fourwheeldrive system on dry pavement frontwheel drive is the norm but on slick surfaces power is automatically distributed to all four wheels as required for extra trac tion theres also an electronically lock ing rear differential that keeps all the wheels turning a useful feature when the vehicle is stuck all pilots sold in canada will be of the fullload ex variety and will include frontandrearclimate control premi um sevenspeaker audio system with cd player cruise control front and side airbags alloy wheels and abs as well a leather interior and power sun roof will be offered as options the diners at hondas automotive buffet will be feasting on true gourmet fare when the pilot is served in a few short months the company also plans to follow that launch with yet another sport ute called the element by the end of the year a further addition to its growing list of menu items bon appetit wwwmarkviilefordcom wwwmarkvillefbrdcom wwwrnarkvillef 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