In a press release made today, Honda announced their new SUV, the 2009 Honda Pilot, after a few days ago we showed you photos of the car caught in Detroit without any camo. The new SUV from Honda is powered by Honda’s 3.5 liter V6 engine which develops 250 hp and 253 lb-ft of torque and features the latest generation of fuel-saving Variable Cylinder Management™ (VCM) technology that can operate the engine with all six cylinders for power or just four or three cylinders to improve fuel efficiency. This improves the fuel economy of the 2009 Pilot to 17/23 (mpg city/mpg highway) at 2WD versions and 16/22 for 4WD. The engine is mated to a standard five-speed automatic and VTM-4 four-wheel-drive remains an option.

Besides the enhanced powertrain the new Pilot also has a new list of available features which include Bluetooth, Hill Start Assist, Power Tailgate, and a Tailgate with a lift-up glass hatch and will be available in four versions, LX, EX, EX-L and a new Touring model.

Check out a complete photo gallery, the full press release and a video of the 2009 Honda Pilot after the jump.
Read More: "2009 Honda Pilot officially announced"

This winter, at the Detroit Auto Show, Honda presented the Honda Pilot prototype, which previewed the production version which is almost ready for debut. And here are the first photos of the production ready Honda Pilot, snapped by Steve Manlen, one of Jalopnik’s readers, in Detroit.

From these photos, we can tell that the car hasn’t changed that much, comparing to the Detroit concept. We’ll have more details once Honda makes the official announcement, but so far we know that the Pilot will have three rows of seats capable of seating eight passengers and will be powered by a new generation V6 engine which will be able to operate in 4- and 3-cylinder modes for efficiency.

Check out more photos after the jump.
Read More: "2009 Honda Pilot scooped without any camo"

The Honda stand at the Detroit Auto Show will have some really cool concepts. Besides the CR-Z and the FCX concepts, Honda will also show the Pilot concept SUV. This will be the starting point for Honda’s future SUVs, featuring clever interior packaging, advanced safety features, improved fuel efficiency and convenience. Still, I think it looks like a previous generation Grand Cherokee more than the future of Honda. What do you think? Feel free to drop a comment here.

Read More: "Honda Pilot Concept to debut at Detroit"