Honda made the 2009 Pilot bigger and more powerful than earlier incarnations of the vehicle, and SpringsWheels writer Kevin Carmody took one out for a spin.

Jump on the accelerator, and all six cylinders come to life to bring you up to speed. Once you reach cruising speed, the V-6 shuts down the entire rear bank of cylinders for maximum fuel efficiency. As you start up an incline, the engine moves from three cylinders to four.

You’ll never notice the cylinders dropping in and out, (Eric Taylor, sales consultant for Front Range Honda) says, unless you see the little green light come on the dash that says ECO, which indicates the economy mode.

I was surprised when I was entering Interstate 25 and looked down and the engine had already gone into economy mode, and I was passing other vehicles.

With seating for eight, the Pilot sports a 250-horsepower V-6 engine and gets 16 miles per gallon in the city and 22 mpg highway. Read the full test drive over at SpringsWheels. Or drive a new Honda Pilot for yourself at Front Range Honda, 1001 S. Academy Blvd.

Photo courtesy of Honda

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