The 2016 Honda Pilot: Why is the DVD Player Mandatory?
Dear Honda,
The time has come to replace our 2005 Ford Explorer. We love the Explorer’s size and truck-like feel, and most importantly how it handles in poor weather conditions. The best replacement we have found is the 2016 Honda Pilot Elite- because we need the ability to shift into other gears when there’s snow on the road, as well as the captain’s chairs in the second row in order to be able to fit our skis inside the vehicle (none of the other models have this option). But here’s the problem-
You insist that we have to have a DVD player.
I am morally opposed to a DVD player in a car for the following reasons:
One- This is a car, not an airplane with in-flight entertainment.
Two- It encourages my children to become glassy eyed screen zombies. There is so much value in the ability to stare out the window and let your mind wander, and it is a skill many of today’s children lack. The need for constant entertainment impedes their ability to think for themselves. Staring out the window (assuming you don’t get car sick) gives you time to think through your ideas, work through things that are bothering you, make up stories, daydream. It is completely unstructured time. Children staring out windows learn to entertain themselves.
Three- I think they’re a safety hazard. Driving at night, trying to watch the road, screens from other vehicles are an unnecessary distraction.
Four- It prevents them from developing a sense of what’s happening on the road. Sooner than I’m ready, my boys will be driving. If all they’ve ever known is staring at a screen, how well will they adapt to sitting in the driver’s seat, having to pay attention to multiple moving variables?
Five- It’s almost outdated technology. Most laptops don’t even include DVD drives any more. If people want to watch movies in their cars, they can pick up their tablets or other devices and stream Netflix. Putting a DVD player in is just one more thing that’s likely to break and decrease the value of the vehicle.
I realize there are other down sides- (like the push-button gear shift, but that’s a post for another day), but the DVD player is the one that aggravates me the most. I understand that some families feel their very survival depends on keeping small children hypnotized on long drives. I remember what it is like to try to concentrate on the road in front of me while someone cries in the back seat… but we’re past that. I want my kids to stare out the window, maybe get a little bored, and then start a conversation. We’re better off being captive audiences for each other than for a screen.
Sincerely,
Kristen
*Since writing this, we did indeed purchase the Pilot Elite. Overall, we love it. The boys love the captain’s chairs, the space they have, and the amenities like their own heated seats. Yes, it came with a DVD player… but we told them only the DVD doesn’t work because we didn’t pay for it. They sort of believed us. Then I told them the truth- we don’t believe it using it. They haven’t complained.