FINAL UPDATE: I have heard from a well placed source that the vehicle shown in these photos is indeed primarily an MDX and that you're NOT looking at a 2008 Pilot, at least not from a styling standpoint. Furthermore, it would seem that today's winner is 'computernerd' for his theory of an MDX-based mule doing hot weather testing of some componentry of another vehicle. While our confidential source won't confirm that this componentry is specifically related to the Pilot, they say that this is an MDX-based mule that is testing componentry for another product. So if you saw these pics this morning and decided to wait another year to get a "discount" MDX, you may be disappointed - the Pilot is said to bear little resemblance to the upcoming all-new MDX.

Original story

As these spyshots show, for the 2008 Pilot, Honda appears to be doing a cannonball into their gene pool and surfacing with elements from at least three other vehicles. If this is the actual body shape of the next Pilot, I'm surprised at how closely it resembles the 2007 MDX. Also note the shape of the D-pillar and how it closely resembles that of the upcoming 2007 CR-V (surely everybody has seen the spy shots of the '07 CR-V by now, right?). And that upper grille smacks you in the forehead with a Ridgeline branding iron. I see a few other items that appear to be lifted from vehicles that will soon be going into production, but I can't say anything more than that. It's highly likely they're just being "borrowed" for this testing as Honda's engineers may not have access to these components that are specifically designed for the Pilot. UPDATE: We're now beginning to think that the reason this vehicle looks so much like an MDX is because it probably IS an MDX with some Pilot components grafted on for the purpose of hot weather testing. In other words, this is most likely the chassis of the '07 MDX, but with '08 Pilot running gear, and they're testing the cooling efficiency of the Pilot's front end (notice the trailer in tow).

Last edited by JeffX on August 02, 2006 17:18