Honda’s Pilot has been the carmakers top selling mid-size AWD SUV for more than two decades. It’s a compelling, three-row family hauler that combines handsome styling, utility with the latest technology. The only Honda vehicle that comes close is their popular, compact CR-V crossover.
For 2026, Pilot is offered in Sport, EX-L, TrailSport, Touring, Elite (that we tested), Black Edition and in FWD and AWD. Aside from its exterior good looks, Pilot sports a spacious, attractive cabin with an interior that is classy with heated/ventilated leather trimmed front seats, heated second row seats and a heated steering wheel. A 12.3-inch infotainment display is low profile and doesn’t obstruct forward view. It serves a host of features, functions, navigation, rearview/front view cameras, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto connectivity, built-in Google access and Wi-Fi Hotspot connectivity.
It’s pleasing to see Honda uses large and familiar type HVAC controls instead of putting them on the touchscreen. In fact, Automotive News, the industries newspaper, reports that many carmakers are going back to hard switches as that’s what car buyers prefer. And hard switches don’t take drivers’ eyes off the road as is often needed with display controls.
Like many new car offerings, Honda uses touch switches for its 10-speed automatic transmission gear selector that’s mounted on a flat console and is supplemented with paddle shifters on the steering column. Joining it is a Drive Mode toggle switch for Econ, Sport, Snow, Tow, Trail and Sand drive modes. There’s also a phone charging pad in front of the gear selector.
Over on the 10.2-inch digital gauge cluster, it serves a host of functions including displaying selected drive modes and alerts.
Back on the heated second row seats that have a low 19.5-inch step-in, they’re cushy soft and slide forward to allow easy third-row access that in a pinch, two adults could be seated in the third-row seat. However, it’s more suited for children. The rear of the console has convenient HVAC controls for second row passengers.
Back in the cargo area, and with a lift hatch that can be opened by merely swinging a foot under the rear bumper, a low 32-inch load height eases loading heavy, bulky items. With the third-row seats upright, there’s 22.4 cubic feet of cargo space that measures 18 inches deep, 45 wide and 30.5 high. The third row folds and slides forward for added space. Fold the third row and capacity expands to 60.1 cubic feet for 50 inches of loading depth. And when folding the second row, space increases to 112.1 cubic feet for 82 inches (6.3 feet) of cargo loading depth.
With a 3.5-liter V6 under Pilots hood, it generates 285-hp and 262 lb/ft of torque for EPA mileage estimates of 19 city, 25-highway mpg. Coupled to the 10-speed auto trans, Pilot carries a 5,000-pound tow rating. While Pilot is a hefty 4,678 pounds, the V6 moves the SUV with ease. Power is linear until switching to Sport mode and pressing hard on the accelerator. At 50 mph, the kick-down gets this beauty sprinting with the best of them.
Parking is a breeze too with a 37.8-foot curb-curb turning radius. And the ride on Bridgestone 20-inch tires is not only quiet, but smooth. Unimproved railroad crossings and nasty road imperfections are mere ripples inside the cabin. This is a true family highway cruiser. The only feature I’d like to see is an AWD Lock switch for when the going gets extra tough, despite Pilot’s appreciable 7.3 inches of ground clearance.
With an extremely long list of most wanted standard features such as Blind Spot Alert, Rear Cross Traffic Monitor, Collision Mitigation Braking, Lane Keeping Assist, Road Departure Warning, Traffic Jam Assist, Remote Engine Start (nice for cold winter mornings), plus Cabin Talk, for all this and lots more, Pilot Elite carried a base price of $53,495 with the only extra cost being for delivery ($1,495) that took the bottom line to $54,990. This is less than the going price for competitive three-row AWD SUV imports. Plus, there’s Honda’s top build and quality.
But this isn’t all. Pilot Elite got top government 5-star safety ratings with a five for an overall score, four each for driver/passenger frontal crash, five for front/rear seat side crash, and four for rollover. These scores alone make Pilot a compelling buy.
