TORRANCE, Calif., Aug. 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — The redesigned and refreshed 2019 Honda Pilot has earned the 2018 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest overall safety rating of TOP SAFETY PICK+ thanks to top ratings of “GOOD” in five of six crashworthiness tests, a standard “GOOD” rating for the Pilot’s headlights and a “SUPERIOR” rating for the Collision Mitigation Braking System™ (CMBS™) feature of the standard Honda Sensing® suite of advanced driver-assistive and active safety technologies.
“The updated Pilot may have more aggressive styling to better match its true capability, but we also got aggressive on safety performance and driver-assistive features.” said Ray Mikiciuk, assistant vice president of Honda Automobile Sales. “IIHS rated Pilot’s front crash prevention system ‘SUPERIOR’, and that’s just one of many features included in Honda Sensing, now standard on all Pilot trims.”
To qualify for the 2018 TOP SAFETY PICK+ award, a vehicle must earn “GOOD” ratings in the driver-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests and an “ACCEPTABLE” or “GOOD” rating in the passenger-side small overlap test. It also needs an available front crash prevention system that earns an “ADVANCED” or “SUPERIOR” rating and available “GOOD”-rated headlights.
On sale since July 16, the 2019 Pilot brings a long list of upgrades to Honda’s award-winning 8-seat SUV. The numerous changes include more aggressive exterior styling, an available new hands-free power access tailgate, powertrain refinements, major upgrades to available connected-car technology, an available new Display Audio touchscreen system with Apple CarPlay™ and Android Auto™ integration, and a volume knob. The 2019 Pilot also adopts the Honda Sensing® suite of advanced safety and driver-assistive technology as standard on all trims.
Honda Sensing® helps provide greater awareness of driving conditions around the vehicle, in some cases helping drivers maintain lane position and, under certain conditions, is capable of slowing or even stopping the vehicle if it detects a potential front collision. Comprising the Honda Sensing® suite are Collision Mitigation Braking System™ (CMBS™) with Forward Collision Warning; Road Departure Mitigation (RDM) incorporating Lane Departure Warning (LDW); Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS); and Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC).
Honda’s blind spot information system (BSI), previously available only on the Elite trim, is now standard on EX, EX-L and Touring trims as well. Additionally, Rear Cross Traffic Monitor has been expanded from the Touring and Elite trims to EX and EX-L.
In addition to the above, Pilot offers numerous other safety and driver-assistive features, such as automatic high beams and a Multi-Angle Rearview Camera, both standard on all trims. The new Pilot was designed to provide a high level of active and passive safety protection and also received a 5-Star Overall Vehicle Score from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)1.
About Honda
Honda offers a full line of reliable, fuel-efficient and fun-to-drive vehicles with advanced safety technologies sold through over 1,000 independent U.S. Honda dealers. The Honda lineup includes the Fit, Civic, Insight, Accord and Clarity series passenger cars, along with the HR-V, CR-V and Pilot sport utility vehicles, the Ridgeline pickup and the Odyssey minivan.
Honda has been producing automobiles in America for more than 35 years and currently operates 19 major manufacturing facilities in North America. In 2017, more than 90 percent of all Honda brand vehicles sold in the U.S. were made in North America, using domestic and globally sourced parts.
About Honda Safety Leadership
Honda has a long history of leadership in the development and application of advanced technologies designed to enhance the safety of all road users, including automobile occupants, motorcycle riders and pedestrians. The company operates two of the world’s most sophisticated crash test facilities, in Ohio and Japan, and is responsible for numerous pioneering efforts in the areas of crashworthiness, airbag technology, collision compatibility and pedestrian safety.
Toward Honda’s goal of a “zero-collision society,” the company is broadly applying Honda Sensing® and AcuraWatch™ advanced safety and driver-assistive technologies, now on more than one million combined vehicles on U.S. roads today. These technologies can significantly reduce the likelihood or severity of a collision and also serve as a bridge to highly-automated vehicles of the future. Honda is targeting 2020 for the deployment of vehicles with highly automated highway driving capability and 2025 for the technological achievement of SAE Level 4 automated vehicles for personal use.
1 Government 5-Star Safety Ratings are part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA’s) New Car Assessment Program (www.SaferCar.gov)
