New Honda Pilot Sh^ts the Bed

YONKERS, New York — The redesigned Honda Pilot has tumbled from its top-rated perch in Consumer Reports' latest test of the best three-row SUVs in the U.S. It now is ranked behind the Korea-made Hyundai Veracruz, Ford Flex and Ford Taurus X, among others.

The consumer watchdog publication took the Pilot to task for "pronounced road noise, so-so acceleration and braking, and interior controls and quality that are not as good as the previous-generation Pilot."

"The Pilot, although still a very competitive SUV, now ranks 11th out of 17 midsize three-row SUVs that have been tested by CR," Consumer Reports said in a statement.

Speaking about the Pilot, Chuck Schifsky, Honda spokesman, told Inside Line: "We feel that we've given customers the right blend of utility, fuel economy and safety — all in a family-friendly package." He said there was "no official comment" on the new SUV rankings from Consumer Reports.

On the flip side, Consumer Reports singled out the Ford Flex and upgraded Mazda CX-9 for praise, along with the Toyota Highlander Hybrid, the conventional Highlander and the Acura MDX.

The Flex was lauded for its distinctive styling and versatile interior. "The CX-9 has improved considerably since the last one tested by CR last year, helped by a larger engine and improved braking," said CR. "It is one of the sportiest SUVs that CR's engineers have ever driven."

What this means to you: An independent source says the once unthinkable — that a Korean SUV is better than a Japanese SUV.