2023 Honda Pilot

Pros

• Interior space that is flexible and big
• Technology of today
• A new, stricter look

Cons

• For those who want it, there is no hybrid model.

The Pilot still has the 3.5-liter V6 engine. Honda says it is entirely new, with changes like a new aluminum block. It has a power output of 285 hp and a torque output of 262 lb-ft. The new Pilot also has a 10-speed automatic transmission, one more gear than the nine-speed transmission it replaces. Still, it’s only five hp more than the model from last year.

Once we get a new Pilot to test it thoroughly, we will know, but the new V6 engine and transmission may give the car a little more speed. The last-generation Pilot we drove reached 60 mph in 7 seconds, which was already faster than the average for a midsize three-row SUV. The majority of the model levels come standard with front-wheel drive, although the option to upgrade to all-wheel drive is available.

We were blown away by how much fun it is to drive for long distances in the Pilot. The new seats in this generation of Honda cars are a big step up because they support your backup. Also, the seats in the second row are heated, and the seats in the front row can be heated and cooled.

Even better is that the Pilot is a great bike to ride. The TrailSport and the Elite, which had all-terrain tires, did a great job on our test drives. Because the Pilot’s suspension is so good at smoothing out big bumps in the road, it feels like the whole car is moving together as you drive. No one ever said anything wrong about how the old Pilot went, but the new one is much better.

The TrailSport and Elite versions of the Pilot were available for us to test drive. Both have comfortable materials inside and a new style that started with the new Honda Civic and is now in Honda’s smaller cars. Like in the Civic, the multimedia screen is located above the dashboard instead of being more fully built-in. The Telluride and Palisade are still the most luxurious ships in this class, but the Pilot won’t disappoint you.

The extra length of the Pilot helps people in the second and third rows. The original Pilot had a short third row that made it hard for passengers to sit comfortably and made it hard to compete with bigger rivals. Honda says both rows now have more legroom, even though the third row only got 0.6 inches and the second row got 2.4 inches. I’m just under six feet tall, and I could fit in the third row after changing the driver’s seat and moving the second row so that it was still comfortable but gave me a few more inches between my knees and the seatback. You can put two people in the third row without feeling bad. The cushion on the seat in the third row is a little low, so when you sit down, your thighs lift off the pillow. This makes it uncomfortable for long trips. Even so, for less than two hours.

Most other three-row SUVs force you to choose between seating for seven people with captain’s chairs or seating for eight with a bench seat. On the other hand, the Pilot lets you have both because the Touring and Elite models have a second-row center seat that can be taken out as an option.

The Pilot says that more could have been done in this area. Even though the Pilot’s TrailWatch camera is an excellent piece of technology, its giant multimedia screen is only 9 inches, smaller than the screens in many other cars in this market, which are at least 12 inches. Also, the maps are pixelated and have low resolution, and moving around takes a long time. They look much better when you use Google or Apple Maps on an online smartphone. Compared to Telluride’s standard 12.3-inch touchscreen, the lowest trim level’s 7-inch touchscreen could be better.

As a small consolation, the larger screen is standard on trim levels EX-L and above. It comes with wireless connectivity for both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and a wireless charging pad. Still, the Pilot could use some work in this area, especially since the new Accord has a 12.3-inch display that can be connected to Google.

Modern safety features on the Pilot are also improved for 2023. The Traffic Jam Assist technology built into the Pilot lets the adaptive cruise control work even when the engine is off. This enables the Pilot to stay in its lane. Both the radar and the camera that looks forward have been improved. The radar now has a broader field of view, which makes it easier to spot possible threats.

More than just the passenger area has been made better by the redesign. The space behind the third row has also been increased to 22.4 cubic feet. This makes the Pilot the best in its class. When the seats in the second and third rows are folded, there is space for 113.7 cubic feet of cargo.

On the other hand, Touring and Elite models with a center seat can be folded up to get a more oversized storage compartment that can be used with the heart in place or stored somewhere else at home. All Pilots have ample storage space under the cargo area that can be reached by taking off a cover. Inside the SUV, you can hide a backpack or anything else you want to keep out of sight.

Honda says the Pilot’s new V6 engine is more efficient, but the SUV’s bigger, boxier shape goes against this claim. Because of this, they use a bit more gas than their predecessors. The EPA thinks a 2023 Pilot with all-wheel drive will get a combined 21 mpg. For 2022, the total was 22 mpg. In terms of overall gas mileage, the Pilot is in the middle of the pack when it comes to three-row SUVs.

With the addition of the TrailSport trim level, the Pilot now has a model that is made for off-road use. This is Honda’s second TrailSport model. The first one, which came out on the Passport, was mainly a new look and could have added more to how it worked.

On the other hand, the Pilot gets some mechanical upgrades that should make it easier to pilot when the paved roads end. The first step is a 1-inch suspension lift, which raises the car off the ground and gives the wheels more room to move. This improvement is nice but only comes close to the 8.7 inches of ground clearance that the Ford Explorer Timberline and Subaru Ascent, two three-row competitors with similar off-road abilities, offer.

Even though the insides are different, the new V6 resembles the old one. The extra five horsepower isn’t worth it because this Pilot has a bigger overall footprint. Also, the torque stays the same at 262 lb-ft, so there isn’t any extra power to speed things up. Even though it is used all the time, the new 10-speed transmission from Honda works well. Around town, we wish it would start and stay in gear faster. Even though the Pilot’s redesigned powertrain puts out decent amounts of power, it’s not the car’s best feature.

The Honda Pilot 2023 has up to eight seats in three rows. You can choose from the LX, Sport, EX-L, TrailSport, Touring, and Elite trim levels. Each car has a 3.5-liter V6 engine with 262 lb-ft torque and 285 horsepower, and an automatic 10-speed transmission. Except for the TrailSport and Elite trims, which come with all-wheel drive by default, the standard configuration is a front-wheel drive, and all-wheel drive can be added as an option.