No pricing data available at this time. Our Opinion - 2025 Honda Pilot Review The 2025 Honda Pilot is a mid-size SUV with three rows of seats that go well with families. It has a roomy interior, a smooth ride, and features that make it friendly to kids. The Pilot has an automatic transmission with ten speeds and a 285-hp V-6 engine that is well-tuned. You can get it with either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. The tough TrailSport model, which has an extra ground clearance of an inch, skid plates, and all-terrain tires, is the best choice for people who like to camp, travel outdoors, and go off-road. All Honda cars, except for the base Sport model, come with a 9.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system that has all the usual connection features. In terms of style, the Honda could be better than rivals like the Jeep Grand Cherokee L and the Hyundai Palisade. However, the Pilot makes up for its plain exterior with a large trunk and a simple, easy-to-use interior. Even though the Pilot has a lot of great features, it has to compete with star family cars like the Kia Telluride, Toyota Grand Highlander, and Mazda CX-90 in the biggest and most competitive segment of mid-size crossovers and SUVs. The Pilot is in the middle of this 30-person class because it doesn’t have many advantages over those other cars. What's New? For 2025, the new Black Edition option is at the top of the list. It has gloss black 20-inch wheels, a black edition logo, and all-black exterior trims. Door mats and front seats in the interior are carved with the Black Edition logo, which gives it a tuxedo-like look. Red accents were added all over the inside by Honda. For example, the door panels, seats, and steering wheel all have red stitching. An all-wheel drive is built into this type. The Sport has replaced the base Pilot model, and the base LX model has been taken off the market. Pros and Cons Pros Drive-by activity on the side of the road. Large inside. There are a lot of built-in tools to help the driver. Cons Where can you find the hybrid? It’s still small, even with the better display. People who are competing more actively. Engine, Transmission, and Performance The Pilot has a 10-speed automatic gearbox and a 3.5-liter V-6 engine that makes 285 horsepower. The SUV comes basic with front-wheel drive, but all-wheel drive can be added as an extra. Even though the Pilot is moving slowly, its V-6 engine has a smooth throttle response, and its 10-speed automatic gear shifts perfectly. The Pilot has a smooth ride and simple controls for turning and stopping that make you feel safe while driving. We tested the most rugged TrailSport model on real-life off-road roads near Breckenridge, Colorado, and again in Sedona, Arizona. It handled some rough terrain with ease. There are steel skid plates, all-terrain tires, a hill-descent control system, a specially tuned all-wheel drive system with a Trail driving mode, and a specially tuned suspension with a 1.0-inch lift on the Pilot TrailSport. However, Honda still needs to create a truly terrifying beast that can compete in Moab with Broncos, Wranglers, and 4Runners. It was made for light to moderate off-road driving. Safety Honda Sensing is a full set of tools that help the driver, which comes standard on all pilot models. Adaptive cruise control, automated high-beam headlamps, blind-spot monitoring, and automatic emergency braking are some of the features that come with the deal. Click on the links to see more about the Pilot’s crash test results from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Some important safety factors are: Most automatic emergency brakes detect road users. Back cross-traffic alert and blind-spot recognition are standard. It comes with adaptive speed control. Internal and External Cargo Capacity As an SUV, the 2025 Pilot cabin was made with families in mind. Most trims come with three rows of seats that can fit up to eight people. The TrailSport comes standard with second-row captain’s chairs, and the EX-L offers them as an option. The Touring and Elite types have a middle seat in the second row that can be folded down and stored under the floor in the trunk when not in use. Honda claims eight Pilot cupholders can carry 32-ounce water bottles. There is enough space for goods when all three rows of seats are in place. We can fit six carry-on-sized boxes behind the third row, which is two more than we could fit in a Kia Telluride. Fuel Economy and Actual MPG The EPA says that the Pilot can get up to 19 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway. We put a 2023 Pilot TrailSport through our 75-mph highway fuel economy test. It got 22 mpg thanks to its tougher all-terrain tires and better safety off-road. That’s almost as good as the Kia Telluride and other three-row SUVs with V-6 engines that get 24 mpg. The Pilot Elite, which has tires that aren’t as rough, got 27 mpg in the same test. Infotainment and Connectivity The base Sport model comes with a 7.0-inch touchscreen for entertainment and a 7.0-inch digital instrument panel. The newest Honda entertainment system is easy to use and works with both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Elite and Black Edition cars have a 10.2-inch gauge cluster, while all the other models have a bigger 9.0-inch infotainment screen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Honda Pilot comes with a 7-speaker music system as standard. The Touring and Elite trim levels come with a better 12-speaker Bose system. Range, Charging, and Battery Life Since the last facelift, we’ve tried two different trim levels of the Pilot. It took the TrailSport 6.9 seconds instead of 7.2 seconds to finish the same test as the Elite trim. This is about average for cars in this class. Towing and Payload Capacity The 2024 Honda Pilot can pull up to 5,000 pounds, but only when it is equipped with all-wheel drive. It can pull 3500 pounds when it has front-wheel drive. This is about the same as the Telluride and Grand Highlander, which are its main rivals in terms of towing power, but it’s not even close to the Dodge Durango’s 8700-pound brute force. Price and How to Choose The Pilot EX-L is our top pick because it has the best price-to-feature ratio. The EX-L model has leather seats, a bigger 9.0-inch tablet, a motorized tailgate, and the ability to charge your phone wirelessly. In addition to that, it comes equipped with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Depending on your wants, you might or might not need an all-wheel drive. The extra pulling power makes the purchase worth it.
