Test drive: 2023 Honda Pilot returns to form
Boxy and tough-looking is back in style and Honda’s here for it.
The fourth-generation Honda Pilot has morphed back into a more squared-off SUV-like design and gained some new off-road skills with the TrailSport model, but it’s lost none of that Honda packaging magic and simplicity in the transformation.
With a TCC Rating of 6.6 out of 10, the 2023 Honda Pilot features a blunt new look, a smooth V-6 powertrain, and a well-packaged cabin along with the aforementioned TrailSport model. But it’s inefficient, the infotainment system already feels dated, and the interior is somewhat bland.
After spending a week shuttling the kids to soccer practice, running to the grocery store, and taking a family road trip to the lake, I assessed the pros and cons of family life with the 2023 Honda Pilot.
2023 Honda Pilot
Pro: Honda Pilot aces the packaging test
Larger and roomier than before, the Honda Pilot provides plenty of room for adults in the second and third row, but it’s the storage that stands out. Honda optimized the interior with cubbies on the center console, expansive door pockets, and storage under the rear cargo floor. A removable center console between the second-row captain’s chairs can even fit in that rear cargo floor cubby, though my test car didn’t have that feature. There are now 14 cup holders, America.
2023 Honda Pilot
Con: Honda Pilot’s interior is bland
The Pilot’s interior design is like standard Kix cereal: bland. Parked next to a Kia Telluride while dropping off my kids, I stared inside the Telluride and muttered to no one, “Man, this Honda interior isn’t even in the same class.” The Kia features grab handles mounted to the center console, a set of heated seat toggles on the center console, and bright silver plastic trim or wood-like trim for some pizazz. The Honda’s dashboard is a simple, drab, black affair with lots of open space and zero flair. Even the Toyota Highlander’s asymmetrical dash is more visually interesting.
2023 Honda Pilot
Pro: Honda Pilot’s a smooth operator
While the Toyota Highlander traded its 6-cylinder engine for a turbo-4, every Honda Pilot continues to be powered by a naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V-6 rated at 285 hp and 262 lb-ft of torque. The V-6 is buttery smooth and the 10-speed automatic transmission doesn’t have the 1-2 and 2-3 shift hesitation of the previous model’s 9-speed. Front-wheel drive is standard, but my TrailSport model had all-wheel drive along with drive modes including Sand, Trail, Tow, Sport, Snow, Econ, and Normal.
2023 Honda Pilot
Con: Honda Pilot’s not terribly efficient
The Honda Pilot carries EPA fuel economy ratings of 18 mpg city, 23 highway, and 20 combined with all-wheel drive. Those are realistic. In a brief amount of suburban driving, the Pilot averaged 19.2 mpg, and on two road trips the V-6 drank gas at a rate of 23.2 mpg and 21.2 mpg, according to the trip computer. While comparable with V-6 competition, those numbers aren’t anything to brag about. The Toyota Highlander with its turbo-4 is rated at up to 28 mpg on the highway with all-wheel drive, and the Hybrid model ups the ante to 35 mpg across the board with all-wheel drive. Even a Jeep Grand Cherokee L with four-wheel drive, a 2-speed transfer case, and a V-6 engine outperforms the Pilot at 18/25/21 mpg.
2023 Honda Pilot
Pro: Honda Pilot looks like an SUV
The first-gen Pilot sold from 2003 to 2008 had a squared-off rear end and upright profile. The second-gen took things a step further with a brick-like profile. The third-gen swung the other direction and bordered on a minivan status without the sliding doors. Honda’s gone back to the upright design of the first gen with a blunt front end, upright greenhouse, and squared-off rear end. We’ve called it a modern spin on the Isuzu Rodeo, and frankly that fits. It’s ironic given the original Honda Passport was a reskinned Isuzu and the Acura SLX was a reskinned Trooper.
2023 Honda Pilot
Con: Honda Pilot’s infotainment system feels dated
Base Pilots feature a 7.0-inch touchscreen rising from the dashboard like an iPad Mini, but most models, including my TrailSport tester, feature a 9.0-inch touchscreen. It operates…fine. The interface features big, square buttons on the home screen; Apple CarPlay is wireless; there’s even a volume knob augmented by a handful of hard buttons that look like Chiclets. But the interface is a tad slow and it already looks a full generation behind the competition. In a few years this is going to look downright ancient.
The 2023 Honda Pilot appeals with its SUV-like design, easy-to-use controls and family-friendly packaging, but the competition is coming on strong with its design game and feature sets.
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2023 Honda Pilot TrailSport
Base price: $37,295, including $1,345 destination
Price as tested: $48,745
Powertrain: 285-hp V-6, 10-speed automatic, all-wheel drive
EPA fuel economy: 18/23/20 mpg
Pros: Family-friendly packaging, smooth powertrain, looks like an SUV
Cons: Not efficient, dated infotainment system, bland interior