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Belts and water...
They are usually fine in wet conditions, but they don't like being submerged or run where they are subject to a direct "watering" all the time. The belt will slip and produce heat, which kills the belt. It's not a major concern, though, as it's pretty well protected.
If the only concern about getting a Pilot is belt issues, then go get a Pilot. The belt is very reliable and works very well in many different conditions.
You do want to keep at least one spare belt with you at all times, though. One never knows when the belt's gonna quit playing.
One way to extend the life of a belt is to break it in. Yea, you read that correctly - one of the few things you actually need to break in...
Clean the faces of the clutches with a scotch brite pad (don't get carried away, just make sure everything's nice and clean) then install the new belt and run the Pilot at a moderate load (just go play, but don't go ripping around yet) for about 5-10 min. Let the belt cool down, then do it again.
The belt will actually take a temper and sort of heat treat itself. The idea is to seal the pores of the outer edges where the belt rides against the clutches. It should give your belt a longer life and better performance.
I wouldn't have believed it until I started doing it on my desert car - the belt life definitely increased.
