Honda’s biggest model stands ready to grab a growing share of the midsize crossover market. Fully redesigned from the ground up last year, the three-row Pilot gained power, features, and interior space. At the same time, fuel efficiency improved.
What's New for 2017
Little has changed for the Pilot’s second season in revised form. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are now standard on the upper trim levels. All trim levels can now have a black interior with a White Diamond Pearl exterior.
Choosing Your Honda Pilot
Built on a car-like unibody platform, the Pilot seats up to eight with a second-row bench seat, or seven with the available captain’s chairs. The Honda Sensing safety system, which includes collision mitigation, lane keeping assist, and road departure mitigation, is standard on the upper trims and optional elsewhere.
Front-drive and all-wheel-drive Pilots contain a direct-injected i-VTEC 3.5-liter V6 engine that produces 280 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. Lower-end models get a six-speed automatic transmission, while a nine-speed automatic with paddle shifters goes into the Touring and Elite models.
With the six-speed, fuel economy is estimated at 19/27 mpg city/highway (22 mpg combined). The nine-speed promises slightly better gas mileage: 20/27 mpg city/highway. All-wheel drive reduces each mileage estimate by 1 mpg. Cargo space totals 16.5 cubic feet behind the rear seat, growing to 83.9 cubic feet with second and third rows folded. Maximum volume, including floor space, amounts to 109 cubic feet.
The Pilot comes in LX, EX, EX-L, Touring, and Elite trim levels. All-wheel drive is standard on the Elite and costs $1,800 on all other models.
The EX and Touring promise the best balance of price and features. The Touring boosts the MSRP past $40,000, but brings the more modern nine-speed automatic transmission and a wealth of safety technology.