I have a friend who loved my RDX so much he is looking to upgrade from his 9 yr old Mercury sedan that is about to give its ghost to a SUV. Since he is over 6 ft and have two tallish kids, he is looking at full size SUV and not a crossover. He test drove and loved the MDX but it is way out of his budget. He has narrowed his choices to either a tech Flex or wait for the 2016 pilot which he said is redesigned off the MDX platform and kinda looks like an MDX from the side.

Any thoughts on which of the two he should go with? He is looking to buy as soon as next month when the 2016 Pilot drops. I told him I'll check with you guys since y'all were a huge help when I was making the upgrade from my 2009 TSX to the 2015 RDX base. TIA!

 

I can offer some thoughts given I have a similar background. Prior to our current TL SH-AWD and my recent MDX and current RDX, we owned two related Ford products. We had an '07 Mercury Montego AWD and an '07 Ford Freestyle AWD. Both have lineage similar to the Flex. Don't get me wrong - the Ford products did their job and have the features. But the fit/finish, and more importantly overall mechanical refinement, are light years apart. In my mind this is similar to the RDX vs Lincoln MK-C comparison. You might get more features in the Ford variant - and maybe it drives OK - but mechanically speaking, I'd much rather have a Honda-based product given my experience.

So, given the Flex vs Pilot comparison, I'd take the Pilot any day of the week.

andy

 

The Flex isn't really an SUV...it's a wagon. Much lower ground clearance. It's almost a foot longer but I don't see the extra inches resulting in a benefit capacity-wise. Both are giant boxes in the cargo area...great IF you need that much room. If fuel economy is of no concern, the Flex has a seriously powerful engine option. If his Ford experience would keep him in the family, I'll bet more serious deals are available on the Flex vs Pilot.

 

I'd go Honda over Ford any day.

 

I owned a Pilot a few years ago. It was the 2nd best car I've eve owned (the 1st being my current RDX of course!). Would definitely trust Honda reliability over Ford. However, I did seriously consider the Edge. That or the Explorer would be closer the the Pilot. Still would prefer the new Pilot though.

 

One reason not to buy the Flex, it is butt ugly.

 

Pilot for sure, know some people that have them and love them. Flex is funky looking, stands out, can get pricey with the high end engine and options, believe though that it has had issues. I've owned fords previously for 20+ yrs, so not bashing ford, but pilot is a no brainier.

 

Unless there was some super compelling reason to buy/own a Flex, I would have the Pilot in my driveway hands down. I'm the only one in my entire family that owned a Ford and it was a decent car. Had one problem no one could solve and included nine different dealers. Since then (1989), we have only owned Hondas, Acura or Lexus. Can beat the reliability.

 

Know there is often a perceived stigma, but the Honda minivan would be even roomier and likely a better fit.

 

That's good enough reason for me.

 

And there is that reason too.

 

I would have to drive the new Pilot before making a decision, but if the choice were between the Flex and the 2015 Pilot, I'm going Flex. The Flex is quieter, more comfortable, has better quality interior, and it handles better. It also has limo-like leg room in the second row, but then it should ... it has a wheelbase that's nearly 9" longer than the Pilot's. And unlike most, I actually like the Flex's styling. Throw in the Eco-Boost option, and the decision is an easy one for me. I'd try to wait for the new QNX-powered Sync-3 infotainment system if possible.

The new Pilot might be a different story. Although an improvement over the ungainly 2015 Pilot, I still don't like the styling, however. The Traverse/oversized CR-V look simply doesn't appeal to me. The rest of the package seems to be greatly improved. If I were to go with the Pilot, I'd avoid the ZF 9-speed at all cost, which eliminates the Touring and Elite trim levels from consideration.

If I'm shopping these two, I'm at least taking a look at the Highlander. The Highlander is falling behind in tech and powertrains, but at least the mechanicals are proven. It also looks better than the Pilot by a wide margin.

 

I'm a fan of Fords (especially the Mulally+ years), having owned several in the past. I'd own a Ford no problem.

However, I'm not a big fan of the Flex and think the 2016 Pilot will be a step forward for Honda. I'd wait. The Pilot is a new vehicle with a relatively new platform/package where the Flex is really a 7-year-old design (released in 2008 as a 2009) that is ready for a refresh.

 

I actually got a 2015 Flex Limited AWD EcoBoost as a rental when my RDX was being repainted for the 3rd time a few weeks ago. Loved it but 17L/100KM was a shocker when I'm used to 9.