Driving the New 2016 Honda Pilot Elite Is Like Living in the Future

Quick Review of the 2016 Honda Pilot Elite(with Android Car Stereo)

Ease of parking: With the rear-view camera, parallel parking is super easy. Finding a parking space in the city, on the other hand, is a bit of a problem.

Who should be behind the wheel: Professional tailgaters will love the sunken trunk which perfectly fits a large cooler. Moms will love the fact that they can cart the kids and all their friends around in something cooler and zippier than a minivan.

Gas sipper or guzzler: For a big car, the gas consumption was surprisingly minimal. The engine automatically switches off when you come to a complete stop, which was initially disconcerting, but give a light tap on the accelerator and you're quickly back up and running.

Space for: 4 adults and 3 kids with a small amount of trunk space, or 4 adults and a lot of IKEA boxes.

Dashboard intimidation factor: There are lots of nifty tricks in this car. Once you figure out all the different switches, there's lots of fun to be had—in particular, with the 30 second cruise control with steering (the car literally keeps you between the lines so you can take both hands off the wheel to open your water bottle). We also loved the 2 separately operated sun roofs, the 5 USB ports (so everyone can charge up at once), the Car DVD Player with 2 sets of wireless headphones and the front seat cooling systems. The high beams that sense another car coming and dim up or down automatically literally blew my mind. Finally, there's also a dedicated rear-seat mirror so you can tell your kids to stop yelling or you'll turn the car around without having to actually turn around yourself.

On the negative side, the voice-controlled computer system didn't understand my diluted British accent, and we decided not to trust the GPS after it got us lost in Brooklyn within the first 5 minutes.

Will make you feel: Like a Jetson—the only thing this car doesn't do is fly…yet.

Getting to know the Honda Pilot was a bit like picking up an iPhone for the first time and finding myself both confused and in awe of the touch screen and the fact that it can do so many things and wait a minute, there's no key to this thing?  This car is a tech-lover's dream. But take a little time to get to know it (it won't take you long) and you'll be confidently (and somewhat smugly) flicking switches and buttons without even taking your eyes off the road.

We first took an adventure to Philly in its slightly older and less sophisticated sister (the 2015 HONDA pilot). We packed 4 adults and 2 young kids in the back and there was barely enough room for our day bags, let alone foot space. The suspension in the back was a major complaint for my 64 year-old father and whilst the drive was comfortable from the drivers seat, we knew there was  room for improvement.

And improve they did. If installing a Car DVD in the car, that would be great!