2019 Honda Pilot vs 2020 Toyota Sienna

The 3-row crossover is the king of family vehicles. Sure, minivans remain a popular choice for large families, but there has been a pendulum swing from the days of blocky old Dodge Caravans to now. Having one or two children does not immediately necessitate a minivan, and there are plenty of useful, capable, and more nimble SUVs from which to choose.

The 2019 Honda Pilot stands as one of the cornerstones of this 3-row SUV market. It’s large, versatile, and designed specifically with families in mind. It may not have the sliding doors or built-in vacuum of the Honda Odyssey, but for active families, a vehicle like this truly rivals a minivan in actual usability.

The Pilot joined the SUV market in the early 2000s, at the height of the SUV craze and in the waning days of the minivan’s rule. With plenty of cabin space, moderate ability to get off the beaten trail, and V6 power, the Pilot was perfectly positioned for rising fuel prices later in the decade. As many consumers ditched their traditional truck-based SUVs to save on fuel, the Pilot only grew in popularity.

The Pilot is now in its third generation, having received a mild refresh for 2019 that includes slightly updated front and rear styling. It also receives an updated infotainment system and, more importantly, it brings the Honda Sensing suite of driver-assistance features as standard equipment.

Since the second half of the 20th century, each decade has had a hot-topic family car, and, as we’ve noted in a number of reviews this year, the crossover is our current darling vehicle. Before the crossover, there were big, truck-based SUVs. Before that, there were station wagons.

And for the past 35 years, there's always been the minivan.

The Dodge Caravan has been widely considered the Patient Zero of the minivan segment. From there, seemingly everyone joined the party, including Toyota, Nissan, Ford, Chevy, GMC, Volkswagen, Oldsmobile, Ford, and more. Heck, even Mercury had a “Nautica Edition” version of the Villager.

The minivan was king once, the crossover is king now, and some other type of vehicle will likely dominate in the near future. But in all this, the 7- and 8-passenger minivans will always represent the ultimate in versatility. The crossover is an image-forward fad with a dash of usability, but the minivan continues to prove itself as the pinnacle of practicality.

The 2020 Toyota Sienna is neither the newest nor flashiest minivan out there, but when you absolutely need space for people and gear, there’s nothing better. Additionally, the Sienna is the only minivan to offer all-wheel drive (AWD), which is something specifically desired by many car buyers.