In many large families they want to get a big car so that it is relatively inexpensive, reliable, consumes little fuel. In terms of inexpensive - about 3 - 3.5 million rubles for a new car. For this money you can buy Hyundai Grand Santa Fe, Nissan Pathfinder and Honda Pilot. These cars come with 249-horsepower V6 petrol engines, four-wheel drive, automatic transmissions and an extra row of seats. Which of these three cars is better to choose, we now find out. Pilot is a really big car, you can’t reach it in a spacious, sitting behind the wheel, everything is done in American style. Excellent visibility due to thin struts, even the hood is visible, so it’s convenient to park and the dimensions of the car feel great.

The front seats are softer than the back, the skin quality and pleasant to the touch, you can adjust the armrest. The center console is really big, there is even a place for a mini-bar between the driver and the front passenger, there is also a USB port and a 12-volt outlet in this box. The 8-inch display, which has a resolution of 800x480 is good, responds to pressing quickly, but the interface is not very convenient. Already in the latest versions will be available navigator from Yandex.

In this trio Pilot is the most expensive, but he is more capacious and more comfortable than Santa Fe and Pathfinder. Even in the back of the Honda Pilot there is a lot of space, in the back of the front seat you can put a newspaper or read something else, there are cup holders in the doorway, there is a display under the ceiling where you can watch a movie. But there are no folding tables. The pilot is an 8-seater vehicle, in the last row of seats there are 3 belts and 3 head restraints. To get to the 3rd row of seats, simply press the button and the second row seat will move forward, and the back will fold down a bit.

Spacious cabin Honda Pilot 2016

The main differences between cars

In Honda, the Pilot has a digital speedometer, and a tachometer with a huge number of small divisions, a little pile up the panel. The interior is neatly assembled, but you can still find hard plastic in the cabin, especially it is noticeable in the lower part of the front panel.

But there is an adjustable lumbar support, excellent skin and a comfortable armrest. The automatic gearbox in the Honda Pilot is well tuned, there is a button on the lever, with which you can activate a mode that will disable the last 2 gears, and if you switch to L, the car will only go on the first and second. There are also some gearbox settings, such as “Snow”, “Dirt and Sand” and others.

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But the Nissan Pathfinder is not as spacious as the Pilot, but the front panel is more pleasant, the devices look better, a decent multimedia system. But on the chairs used rather slippery skin.

Nissan Pathfinder 2016 with leather interior

But then in Nissan they took more care of the passengers of the last row, because there are comfortable seats, they are high, excellent visibility, and the passage to the 3rd row is the widest - in Nissan you have to pull the lever upwards, after which the sofa of the 2nd row will begin to cuddle forward .

Hyundai Grand Santa Fe is even less spacious than the Nissan, it is clear that the Koreans are not focused on the American market, where they live only fat, but on the European one. Comfortable fit, but the interior is better and more stylish.

There is an automatic mode on all electric windows, when the car starts to go, then the central locking closes all doors. In the multimedia system, a more thoughtful interface. But on the second row of seats there is no climate control unit, there are also no monitors, and the third row is crowded; only children can sit comfortably there.

But in the trunk of Santa Fe there is a 220 volt outlet, also here is the smallest loading height, and the second row of seats can be folded at a distance. But the luggage compartment volume is the largest in the Pilot, then the Pathfinder goes, and the smallest trunk is in Santa.

In terms of ride quality Grand Santa Fe is not very happy driver. Dynamics of acceleration to hundreds of slower than other comparable cars. Despite the fact that it is a post-styled model, it has a new engine with direct injection and a volume of 3 liters.

Salon Hyundai Santa Fe

The automatic gearbox here is a little tupit, you have to get used to it, when you press the gas pedal halfway, the car almost doesn't accelerate, and when you press a little harder, kick-down turns on and the car starts to pick up speed. But in fact, it's all nonsense, you have to go either quickly or slowly, the car easily copes with this, but it has its own characteristics. The pedal itself is not very convenient, it is inconvenient to press it lightly at long distances. It can be seen engineers hoped that on this machine the gas pedal should always be on the floor.

In addition, Santa has a rather stiff suspension, which again speaks of the makings of sports, and the insulation is not very good. At Nissan Pathfinder ride quality is better. Under the hood, the VQ series motor with a volume of 3.5 liters, it is powerful, the acceleration dynamics are more pleasant. Gearbox copes with this engine. But Pilot showed itself in terms of driving performance better than anyone. There is a 6-cylinder engine, and a smart 6-speed automatic. Therefore, the desire of the driver to accelerate sharply or not very sharply, immediately executed.

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As for the Grand Santa Fe, even after restyling, some problems remained with the smoothness of the ride, although the suspension has become more energy-armed, even when driving on a dirt road, the suspension behaves collected. But when you run into the pits in the asphalt road, the blows can not be overlooked. And if you have to go on a bad road, then the rear passengers will not have very soft. Well, with the soundproofing of Santa, all is not well, the cabin can hear the rumble of tires and the whistle of the wind.

But Hyundai is more than the others - a dryvers car, the car drives perfectly, precise reactions to the actions of the steering wheel, Santa’s cornering is excellent stability, and on the waves the car doesn’t sway much. Also, the car has excellent brakes, if you press the brake sharply, then Santa will stop faster than any other compared cars.

Pilot, for example, is not so sharp, it is characterized by a more sluggish taxiing, not even on very sharp turns, you need to twist the steering wheel to a fairly large angle. But you can get used to this, too. In the Pilot there is an electric booster, the banks are minimal, but the car is swinging on the waves, but this doesn’t prevent you from enjoying the ride. If emergency situations happen, the Pilot will cope with them worse, because the brakes are not very strong, and the car can be demolished, but you can close your eyes to all this, because comfort and sound insulation overlap all the flaws.

When driving long distances, the Pilot is considered the best. Suspension perfectly copes with speed bumps, pits and pebbles. Noise in the cabin can not be heard even at a speed of 140 km / h.

At long distances, Pathfinder is also quite good, but when compared with the Pilot, it is more noisy and shakes him more. In Nissan there is an electro-hydraulic power steering, which doesn’t show itself very well when parking, the steering wheel becomes quite heavy. When the car rides on uneven, then the whole vibration is transmitted to the steering wheel.

But in general, Nissan Pathfinder - this is something between a Pilot and Santa Fe, if he is competently restyled, and some flaws are removed, he can even become a leader in this trio. In normal driving Nissan holds the road about the same as Hyundai, moderate steering effort. But the brakes leave much to be desired - if you go at high speed, it will take a long time to stop.

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Pilot weight about 150 kg. easier than Santa and Pathfinder, because it uses a new platform, in which a lot of super high strength steels. In terms of safety, all 3 cars showed high scores on the American IIHS.

In terms of patency, the Pilot remained as passable as the previous generations of this model. On the roads with the management of the pitch everything is in order. The only thing that the all-wheel drive clutch began to quickly heat up. Four-wheel drive on the Hyundai and Nissan is more durable, though the electronics do not allow the machines to slip much. The clearance of the Grand Santa Fe is the least, but the bottom configuration is the most successful. And in the Pathfinder, the exhaust system hangs and sticks out of the stabilizer loop near the rear gearbox.

In terms of points, Santa and Pathfinder are about the same. Despite the fact that there was a restyling of Grand Santa Fe, it did not become more comfortable, and the clearance did not increase at all. Santa's strengths include a diesel engine, a driver's presence, a convenient multimedia system, an auto-parking driver, automatic braking, adaptive cruise control, tracking, and the price of Hyundai is much lower.

Nissan also has its own shoals, but for harsh Russian roads it is considered more preferable. The display in the Nissan 8-inch, with a resolution of 960x768 pixels, but the image is so-so. But the interface is convenient. Navteq navigation system. The CVT box on the Nissan stands, it works pretty well. There is a sport mode, off-road mode, you can even block the all-wheel drive clutch.

But in terms of points, Pilot clearly wins, because it is more comfortable, convenient, a great option for a large family, though it’s not a drift car at all, but the family car has other goals. But on the other hand, the price of the Honda Pilot starts at 3,000,000 rubles, which is the basic equipment, which does not include anything useful. Santa and Nissan are about 500,000 rubles cheaper.

Criteria for evaluation

Ergonomics

The armchairs of the Hyundai Grand Santa Fe are the best of all the three, so Santa gets the maximum score for ergonomics. In Nissan, the skin is too slippery. On the Honda, the seats are too soft. Pilot has few modern assistants for the driver. In terms of visibility, all cars got the same high score. There are round-robin systems on the Nissan and the Hyundai.

Armchairs Grand Santa Fe

Dynamics

Hyundai is the slowest, but he has the best handling and brakes. The pilot stops longer, he has sluggish reactions to the movements of the wheel and the stabilization system is so-so. Nissan also slows down at high speed not very fast, bites the steering wheel during sharp maneuvers, and in the parking lot the steering wheel is a bit heavy. Patency is better on Honda, in Nissan and Hyundai, the system does not allow the engine to spin up if the wheels are stalled. In Santa clearance as an passenger car, but the layout of the bottom is good.

Riding comfort

In terms of comfort, the Pilot is considered the quietest and softest, the Pathfinder shakes slightly on a bad road, vibrations are transmitted to the steering wheel, the motor is also quite noisy, there is a stiff suspension on the Hyundai, there is noise of wind and hum from rubber. Three-zone climate control is only in Honda and Nissan. A heated and ventilated front seats are in all cars.

Interior comfort

The most spacious cabin is the Pilot salon. In Nissan on the second row cramped, but on the third - spacious. In Santa, on the contrary - on the second it is spacious, and on the third - closely. The trunk is the most capacious in Honda.

Salon Honda

Emergency situations

Sharp turn

Hyundai makes the best turn, for example, if the speed is 70 km / h, then it goes into a turn and does not knock down the checkers. Nissan also overcame a turn and stayed on the trajectory. But the Pilot even at 65 km / h begins to demolish, and if the speed is higher, then he will not be able to perform the maneuver and will surely bring down the checkers.

Obstacle bypass during braking

Best of all cope with the situation when you have to slow down and go around the obstacle - Hyundai, he has no problems with taxiing, stopping distance - 38.1 meters. Nissan brakes not much worse, its stopping distance is 38.3 meters. In Pilot sluggish sensitivity steering, so you have to turn the steering wheel more, using even interception sometimes. Braking distance - 42.5 meters.

Rear seats second row

The second row is the most spacious in Pilot, and its functionality is the richest - 6 coasters, 2 USB connectors, there are curtains on the windows, a multimedia system with a display on the ceiling, there is a remote, wireless headphones, in general, a lot of useful things.

Hyundai Santa Fe also has its advantages - the most comfortable profile of the sofa, there are curtains, the backs are conveniently regulated, there is a panoramic roof, but legroom is smaller than in Pilot, and the front seats, which can stand up against tall people, are quite tough.

There are more places in Nissan than in Santa, there are even 4 cupholders, there is enough space, there are wireless headphones, 2 monitors. Heated second-row seats are on all cars.

Honda and Nissan have their own climate control for 2nd-row passengers. In Hyundai for passengers of the 2nd row there are deflectors for blowing, but on the 3rd row there is a module with a fan, air conditioning and the ability to adjust.

Third row seats

In Pilot, the 3rd row is designed for three people - there are 3 belts and 3 head restraints. To get to the 3rd row, simply press the button on the middle row of the sofa, and it begins to move away. But in Nissan, the third row with a wider aisle, and its chairs are more luxurious and comfortable, in Santa on the third row it is generally cramped and not particularly comfortable, but children will be fine.

Trunk

In terms of volume, the Grand Santa Fe trunk is considered the smallest, but it’s more thoughtful. It has the smallest loading height, you can put long things, there is a socket, a curtain, the backs are remotely lowered. In Nissan, the luggage compartment is more spacious, but at the Pilot it is the most. The tailgate with an electric drive is on all cars, the opening height of this door is the greatest in Santa - 189 cm. In Pilot - 184, and in Pathfinder - 181 cm.

In the trunk of a Honda there is a large underground and side niches. In Nissan, the underground is also there, but it is smaller, but in Santa it is quite small. Reserve on all cars are under the bottom, and in Nissan is not a full wheel, and dokatka.

Bottom

The pilot boasts the largest ground clearance, it is equal to 203 mm., Although the layout of the bottom is so-so, on serious off-road, you can damage the cross member of the front subframe, the exhaust tract and the rear gearbox. You can put aluminum protection of the motor and gearbox, such protection will cost 30,000 rubles.

1) Honda; 2) Santa; 3) Nissan.

In Grand Santa Fe ground clearance - 164 mm., But the layout of the bottom is better - nothing sticks out, and protection for the motor is made of metal and it costs 6000 rubles. Ground clearance Nissan - 181 mm. Protection will cost 6,500 rubles. But in terms of the layout of the bottom - Nissan is the worst.

Prices

Price Hyundai Grand Santa Fe starts from 2 400 000 rubles, it will be a complete set of Family, which includes a 2-zone climate, leather interior, xenon headlights, and other necessary things. Maximum grade High-Tech + Advanced with a 249-horsepower gasoline engine, with all the new technologies and other nonsense will cost 3 million rubles.

Nissan Pathfinder with a 3.5-liter engine with a capacity of 249 liters. with. will cost about 2 755 000 rubles. Here, too, a lot of useful things include: a 3-zone climate, keyless access, a trendy Bose audio system, and much more. The top version with various additional buns will cost 3,085,000 rubles.

Honda Pilot with a 249-horsepower engine, the volume of which is equal to 3 liters costs 3,000,000 in the base. It is the most expensive, but the car is equipped no better than its competitors. A top version of the Pilot Premium is equipped as well as the competitors, but it costs - 3 577 000 rubles. All cars have a warranty - 3 years or 100,000 km. run

Another alternative to these cars

In addition to these three cars, there are still a huge number of crossovers in the automotive market. Approximately with the same power, at the same price and with the possibility of installing the 3rd row of seats. You can even buy a premium car, but in a cheaper configuration. Major competitors include Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, Land Rover Discovery, Ford Explorer, Kia Mohave, Infiniti QX60, Kia Sorento Prime, Haval H9, Land Rover Discovery Sport, Volvo XC90.

Cost of maintenance

Cost of maintenance у Хонды больше всего, а Санта в плане затрат самая выгодная. Для подсчета берем годовой пробег в 30000 км. Налог у всех одинаковый, ОСАГО и расходы на обслуживание тоже. ТО надо делать раз в год или раз в 15000 км. А вот КАСКО на Пилота будет стоить дороже в полтора раза.

And then test drive Honda Pilot 2016: