The Honda Pilot has long been an important car for Honda in the United States. First released in 2003, it was one of the first unibody three-row family SUVs in production and forged a new segment for families to embrace as an alternative to minivans or bus-like full-size SUVs. Since then, it has seen three different body styles, each earning the adoration of loyal customers nationwide.
Now the Pilot has taken on a new form for 2023, and with it likely will be a new army of buyers just waiting to get behind the wheel. However, other competitive stablemates, like the Kia Telluride and Hyundai Palisade, have since emerged. Is this new Pilot worth choosing over other competent models? Here's a list of 10 pros and cons to help weigh your options.
8 Pro - It's Packed With Features
Lately, Honda has been exceptional at stuffing their base models chock-full of standard features to make buying any of its cars an exceptional value. The new Pilot is no exception.
The base Sport model comes with trim-exclusive 20" black rims, heated seats, hill descent control, and the Honda Sensing suite of safety features. This way, even opting for the least expensive model won't leave you wanting more.
7 Con - It Can Get Expensive
The base Sport trim is so well-equipped, however, because Honda did away with the LX trim for the Pilot. Historically, the LX trim sold the least, so it's no wonder that Honda decided to drop it for the 2023 Pilot.
What that also means is that it isn't cheap. The Pilot Sport has a base MSRP of $39,150, and inevitable dealer markups will take that price past 40 grand. The top Elite trim prices the car at over $50,000, at which point you could have paid for a much more refined Acura MDX.
6 Pro - It's Practical As Ever
At the end of the day, the Pilot is a car for many occupants, whether they be family or otherwise. Many people in one car will need many places to store belongings, and Honda delivered. Cubbyholes are strewn about the interior, from the front and rear doors to the center stack, to each front seat receiving a whopping four seat back pockets.
We'd be remiss to ignore the trunk space, which at 87 cubic feet with the rear two rows folded, is more than cavernous.
5 Con - Materials Could Be Better
For the most part, build quality in the Pilot is on par with the competition. After all, it's a Honda, renowned for how solidly built their cars are and how long they last. However, this time around, Honda appears to have skimped on a few interior components.
For starters, the door handles are pulled straight out of the previous-generation Civic and, as such, are made from chintzy plastic. Other components, such as the steering wheel, are also pulled from more inexpensive models.
4 Pro - Reliability and Brand Reputation
Especially when buying a car rather than leasing, reliability is a super important factor. As previously mentioned, much of Honda's commercial success in the United States—and across the globe—can be attributed to its vehicles' longevity.
The Pilot nameplate is no different in demonstrating this, with many used examples having accrued more or less 200,000 miles. It's a safe prediction that this new version will be capable of doing the same
3 Con - Outdated Powertrain
Amid a sweeping international movement for electrification and new, advanced powertrain options that maximize both power and efficiency, Honda prefers to keep it simple. The only powertrain option available for the 2023 Pilot is a 3.5-Liter V6 producing 285 horsepower.
While such simplicity may be refreshing to hear for some, it'd be nice to at least see a hybrid powertrain to make the most of each fill-up. With Toyota and Ford well ahead of the curve with hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions of their family SUVs respectively, it's high time for a marque as successful as Honda to catch up.
2 Pro - New Trim Levels
With models like the Ridgeline and Passport, Honda is looking to make their SUV and truck models as capable as possible. Last year, they attempted to do this by introducing the new TrailSport trim level. Now, there's a TrailSport version of the Pilot, equipped with exclusive features catered to off-roaders.
Standard are off-road tires on smaller-diameter wheels to ensure added traction and increased sidewall to be able to scale all kinds of terrain. An off-road tuned suspension adds rigidity to the Pilot, which given its length, would be much needed when going off-road.
1 Con - It Introduces Nothing New
None of this, however, is revolutionary to the family SUV segment as a whole. Cars like the Kia Telluride, Hyundai Palisade, and even the Ford Explorer all introduced something new to the segment, be it added refinement, efficiency, or performance. The Pilot doesn't bring any of these things to the fore, nor does it bring anything else new.
This might just be Honda sticking to a recipe that hasn't yet let them down; as the old adage goes, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." But with its spike in price and the state of the industry today, it's only natural to expect something different from the new Pilot, not just a new shape.