At long last, Honda has rolled out a mid-size SUV all its own (the Isuzu-built Passport doesn't count, as it wasn't really a Honda). And the market couldn't be riper for it.

After all, the same everyday people that are responsible, by and large, for the spread of SUVs into the furthest cul-de-sacs of suburbia are the same folks that help Honda dealers unload more than 400,000 Honda Accords every year.

New for 2003, then, is the Pilot, Honda's first born-and-bred mid-size SUV. The Pilot itself shares much of its architecture and powertrain components with the generously sized Acura MDX luxury SUV and Honda Odyssey minivan, which bodes well for it if the high customer satisfaction ratings and extraordinarily high demand for those vehicles are any indication.

The Pilot's conservative styling hardly breaks any new ground, but it is unmistakably Honda. It's not unattractive; it's just not terribly interesting. The oohs and ahhs are saved for the interior, which is an extraordinarily cavernous space made even roomier-feeling by its flat floor and excellent outward visibility. Truly, this eight-passenger (yes, eight) SUV makes all other mid-size SUVs feel claustrophobic. Furthermore, the standard three-across third row seat folds and "disappears" into a well in cargo area, a nifty trick borrowed from the Odyssey minivan. Also borrowed from the Odyssey is the smooth 240-hp V-6, which is as powerful as some of the V-8s in other SUVs.

Ride quality is outstanding, thanks to a fully independent suspension that keeps bumps isolated at the corners. All-wheel drive is standard, but it's more the on-road-biased, Audi/Subaru kind of system, not the Big Foot variety. Prices should start in the mid-to-high twenties, which is a steal for this much truck. Get in line now.