Some cars get evolutionary redesigns every few years. The 2023 Honda Pilot, though, has been completely remade. It’s not the reliable-but-generic family hauler the Pilot had become in recent years. It’s now a handsome, rugged SUV with some cool space-saving tricks.
Our Lyn Woodward has now driven it on- and off-road and walked away impressed. She likes “how designers have made this look more like a rugged SUV or a truck.”
On the road, she says, It’s no “delicate flower – this is a big sucker,” but the all-new 285-horsepower V6 offers more than enough power for acceleration. She finds the steering a bit too light for her taste. But plenty of people may find that exactly what they’re looking for.
The big news with the redesign, however, is a new Pilot TrailSport trim with off-road tires, better ground clearance, and real trail gear like recovery hooks and skid plates. That model, Woodward says, is capable off-road, but the adjustments engineers made to the suspension “make for a little more body roll on the road” and a little more road noise from the chunky tires.
Many people who buy a 3-row SUV do so for the passenger space. Woodward says Honda engineers have done them some favors. A removable center seat in the second row lets you choose between a 3-passenger bench or more comfortable captain’s chairs. That, she says, is “a scene stealer.”
The third-row seats, meanwhile, recline. That’s something “kids may not notice, but if you’re putting an adult back here, they will, and they’ll thank you for it.”
In the end, she says, the Pilot is “one to keep on your list,” though she’s underwhelmed with some cabin materials. See the video for more.
