Honda Pilot 2012, re-designed especially for family travel, has arrived in Saudi Arabia, launched by Abdullah Hashim Company, the exclusive distributor of Honda cars in the Kingdom.

The four-wheel drive SUV is an 8-seater with marked updates in its exterior and interior styling. Looking stronger, bolder and more refined, the Honda Pilot 2012 has a new front fascia with a three-bar chrome grille and large multi-reflector halogen headlights and front fog lights.

“The level of comfort for driver or passengers is high and true to the 'Any time is family time,' slogan of the Honda Pilot 2012," said Shakib Haider, general manager-Honda SBU, Abdullah Hashim Co.

Available in two grades, EX and the high-end Touring, top of its class, the Honda Pilot 2012 is powered by a 3.5 liter i-VTEC V6 engine with VCM technology for friction reduction and fuel efficiency.

The Grade Logic Control in the Pilot’s 5-speed automatic transmission system maintains the appropriate gear to prevent “gear hunting” on uphill or downhill drives.

A high performance suspension geometry and a combination of improvements to reduce road vibration add to handling and comfort, while the front air dams and air deflectors reduce turbulence and enhance fuel economy.

The VTM-4 system on the Pilot delivers seamless 4-wheel-drive when needed. It also provides a "lock mode" activated by a button on the instrument panel for maximum possible torque transfer to the rear wheels to get out of extremely low traction or stuck conditions.

Other features include HDD navigation system, DVD rear entertainment for the rear seats, intelligent MID (i-MID), wide mode rear view camera, Bluetooth hands-free phone and Bluetooth Audio Streaming.

A neat upgrade available in the Touring is the Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System with an 8-inch, high-resolution QVGA color display and GPS technology with 60 GB HDD memory, and voice guidance both in Arabic and English. The hard drive is accessible by simple voice commands using the Song By Voice feature. Also, a multi-view wide range rear camera with the navigation screen display enables easy reverse parking.

The Touring drives on six-spoke, 18-inch aluminum wheels while the EX grade has 5-spoke, 17-inch aluminum wheels. The chassis incorporates 52 per cent of high strength steel (HSS) for more rigidity and better fuel efficiency.

Honda is reputed for its safety records and the principal safety feature used on all models is the Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body structure for enhanced frontal collision energy management and vehicle-to-vehicle frontal crash compatibility. – TradeArabia News Service