What's New
The 2023 Honda Pilot is entering the new model year as a fully redesigned SUV. The SUV receives an updated exterior design with a boxier look, a revised V6 engine, a new 10-speed automatic transmission, an off-road-ready TrailSport trim, and a refreshed interior design. Overall, the Pilot’s redesign sees it become more competitive in the popular midsize segment.
Choosing Your Honda Pilot
Honda is offering the 2023 Pilot in five trims: Sport, EX-L, Touring, TrailSport, and Elite. Prices start at $40,495 (with destination) for the Sport trim and go up to $53,375 for the Elite.
Engine Choices
A 3.5-liter V6 engine is standard on every Pilot. The engine is rated at 285 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. Compared to last year, it’s a 5 hp increase, though engine displacement remains the same. The engine is paired with a new 10-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive is standard, while all-wheel drive is available for $2,000 on most trims. The TrailSport and Elite are only available with AWD.
Official fuel economy figures aren’t available yet, but the SUV isn’t expected to be much more efficient than the outgoing Pilot which was rated at up to 23 mpg combined with FWD.
Passenger and Cargo Capacity
The midsize Pilot offers seating for up to eight people. Second-row captain’s chairs that reduce seating capacity to seven become available on the EX-L trim and are an extra $300.
The Pilot offers up to 18.6 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third row and 48.5 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second row. With the two rear rows of seats folded, the Pilot offers up to 87 cubic feet of space.
Safety Features
Every Pilot comes with the Honda Sensing suite of advanced safety features that includes forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane keeping assist, road departure mitigation, traffic jam assist, adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition, automatic high-beam assist, a driver attention monitor, blind spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert.
Moving up to the EX-L adds low-speed braking control and parking sensors. A surround-view camera is standard starting on the TrailSport and Elite.
Connectivity
The base Sport comes with a seven-inch touchscreen, a seven-inch driver information screen, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and seven audio speakers. The EX-L comes with wireless smartphone compatibility, third-row USB ports, nine audio speakers, a nine-inch touchscreen, satellite radio, an HD Radio, and a wireless charging pad. Navigation, a Bose 12-speaker audio system, a Wi-Fi hotspot, and multi-zone audio are standard starting on the Touring trim.
2023 Honda Pilot Sport – MSRP From $40,495
The entry-level Sport trim comes with LED exterior lighting, keyless remote entry, roof rails, push-button start, a tilt-and-telescoping steering column, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, tri-zone automatic climate control, a 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, and heated front seats.
2023 Honda Pilot EX-L – MSRP From $43,295
Stepping up to the EX-L trim adds heated exterior mirrors, a power liftgate, an acoustic windshield, rear HVAC controls, a universal garage door opener, second-row sunshades, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, a conversation mirror, leather upholstery, and a memory setting for the driver’s seat.
Second-row captain’s chairs are the only main available feature and they cost $300.
2023 Honda Pilot Touring – MSRP From $47,795
The Touring adds a hands-free liftgate, acoustic glass on the front doors, a black grille, a panoramic moonroof, in-trunk storage, and LED interior lighting.
2023 Honda Pilot TrailSport – MSRP From $49,695
The TrailSport turns the Pilot into an off-roader with underbody skid plates, recovery points, a black grille, a panoramic moonroof, a trailer hitch, a heated steering wheel, all-weather floor mats, synthetic leather upholstery with orange stitching, and seven-passenger seating.
2023 Honda Pilot Elite – MSRP From $53,375
The range-topping Elite is the most luxurious Pilot available. It comes with ventilated front seats, perforated leather upholstery, heated second-row seats, a second-row fold-flat center seat, a four-inch head-up display, and rain-sensing windshield wipers.
Compare Pilot Trims Side-By-Side
The 2023 Honda Pilot has grown substantially in terms of pricing, so we recommend sticking with one of the lower trims. That’s not a bad thing, as the Pilot’s lower trims gain more standard features. The EX-L strikes us as the best value option, bringing leather upholstery, a larger touchscreen, wireless smartphone compatibility, a wireless charging pad, and a power liftgate.