Used 2020 Honda Pilot

#2 in Best Midsize SUVs for 2020

Top 10 Features of the 2020 Honda Pilot

#1. Seating for up to eight
Sometimes a minivan won’t cut it as the vehicle for a large family. This midsize SUV/crossover has three rows of seating as well as useful ground clearance and optional all-wheel drive.

#2. Strong, smooth and efficient V6 engine
There are no alternatives, but this 280-horsepower motor is ideal. It’s capable of hauling people and stuff while remaining civilized and returning relatively decent fuel economy.

#3. Easy-going ride quality
Although the 2020 Pilot quite rightly prioritizes comfort over cornering ability, there’s still a feeling of fluid composure.

#4. Cabin stowage areas
Along with 15 cup holders, the Pilot’s door pockets are generous, and the center console can be configured to take many small items. There’s also some under-floor stowage in the trunk.

#5. Crash test champion
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gave the 2020 Pilot its maximum 5-star overall score. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) calls the Pilot a “Top Safety Pick.”

#6. Honda Sensing
This is the collective term that covers emergency braking, lane-keeping assistance and adaptive cruise control. It is standard in every 2020 Pilot.

#7. Strong resale values
Another factor that makes the new Pilot a good buy is that it will retain an appreciable chunk of its value when it’s time to sell. Most rivals can’t quite match this talent.

#8. Intelligent all-wheel-drive system
Optional in lower 2020 Pilot trims, it can direct power between the front and rear axles, and even between the rear wheels for optimum grip and traction.

#9. KBB Best Buy Award winner
We’ve often considered the Pilot to be a class leader. The last time it earned this accolade was as recently as 2019.

#10. Blind-spot monitoring
Standard in EX trim, the one up from base. Although the Pilot has a nicely raised driving position and excellent outward vision, it’s always good to have some supplementary awareness.

Overview

Although rapidly aging in the face of newer and more compelling rivals, the 2020 Honda Pilot remains a formidable competitor in the midsize 3-row crossover-SUV class. In 2019, when the Pilot received a freshening that fixed many of its flaws, it won the Kelley Blue Book Best Buy Award for its segment.

This year, however, the Pilot must battle several newcomers. The 2020 Ford Explorer is completely redesigned, as is the 2020 Toyota Highlander. The 2020 Hyundai Palisade and 2020 Kia Telluride are new entries in the segment, offering exceptional design and value in a similarly sized package. Both the Subaru Ascent and Volkswagen Atlas also continue to siphon customers from traditional choices like the Pilot.

Nevertheless, it is easy to recommend the Pilot for its generous passenger and cargo space, useful and versatile cabin, strong and refined V6 engine, and decent driving dynamics. Add the SUV’s enviable resale values, and a Pilot makes plenty of sense.

RELATED: Best Midsize SUVs for 2020

When Honda updated the Pilot for 2019, the automaker invited us to Southern California to drive the improved SUV. The test vehicles had the Elite trim, and our driving routes included mountain, country, suburban and freeway driving. Honda also set up a moderately difficult off-roading area where we could test its mettle on rocks and dirt, and we were able to tow a trailer with the SUV.

How fast is the Honda Pilot?
Creamy smooth and feeling like it will never run out of power, Honda’s 3.5-liter V6 engine is terrific. Rated to make 280 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque, it is plenty strong enough to pull duty in the Pilot, effortlessly executing passes of slower vehicles and merging onto fast-flowing freeways. Is the Pilot outright fast? No. But it’s quick enough that you’re not going to complain.

A 6-speed automatic transmission is standard with this engine, a tried-and-true solution that delivers adequate gas mileage. For maximum efficiency, you’ll want the 9-speed automatic in the Touring, Elite and Black Edition. In 2019, Honda fixed its irritating shift quality, and now it doesn’t behave in irrational fashion. But, unlike the 6-speed unit, the 9-speed does use a collection of buttons and switches for changing gears, and that could irritate some people.

Does the Honda Pilot get good gas mileage?
Depending on transmission choice and whether you’ve upgraded to the optional AWD system, a 2020 Pilot will return between 21 mpg and 23 mpg in combined driving. The most efficient version is the Pilot Touring with front-wheel drive. The least efficient versions are the LX, EX and EX-L with AWD.

Our test vehicle, the Pilot Elite, should have returned 22 mpg thanks to its 9-speed transmission and Idle Stop automatic engine stop/start system. It got 19.6 mpg, falling short of expectations. However, the weather was hot, and the route did not include as much highway driving as most people are likely to encounter.

How does the Honda Pilot handle?
For the best handling, be sure to get AWD and a trim level with 20-inch wheels. Honda’s Intelligent Variable Torque Management AWD (i-VTM4) is a torque-vectoring system, able to put up to 70 percent of the engine’s power to a single rear wheel. In combination with wider tires, the Pilot handles remarkably well for a box on wheels.

Still, we’re talking about how the SUV rounds corners during the daily drive. Take one for a rousing run in the mountains, and you’ll be less impressed. Also, because the brakes heat up fast and start to fade and vibrate, you won’t be inspired to take the long and winding way home. Honda really needs to install better brakes on the Pilot, which is designed to carry up to eight people or tow as much as 5,000 pounds.

Speaking of towing, Honda hooked a heavy trailer to the SUV and off we went. The towing demonstration was in a flatter part of the local geography, so we couldn’t sample the brakes on a downhill stretch of mountain road. We did find that the V6 engine struggled a bit with even the slightest hill, especially when tasked with increasing rather than maintaining the SUV’s speed.

How does the Honda Pilot ride on the highway?
With its acoustic windshield and front side-window glass, the Pilot Elite cruised down the freeway at 75 mph in near silence. Like with any Honda, there is a fair degree of communication with the road, but this is informative instead of irritating. In combination with its comfortable front seats and standard adaptive cruise control, the 2020 Pilot Elite would make for an excellent road-tripping SUV.

How does the Honda Pilot perform off-road?
In the 2020 Pilot, you’re going to want to stick to trails often traveled. This SUV offers no more than 7.3 inches of ground clearance and there isn’t much in the way of wheel articulation, let alone approach, breakover and departure angles. Nevertheless, the i-VTM4 AWD system and its Mud and Sand traction settings help when the going gets harder.

Are the Honda Pilot’s driving-assistance systems helpful?
Yes, Honda Sensing is helpful in terms of collision avoidance. The driving-assistance part of the equation needs work. The technology simply isn’t as refined as what you can find on competing models, displaying unexpected and inconsistent behavior depending on the situation. In turn, this encourages a driver to shut them off rather than use them, which defeats the purpose.

Is the Honda Pilot fun to drive?
Like most of its midsize SUV competitors, the Honda Pilot is not fun to drive. In fact, if you don’t get the i-VTM4 AWD system, it drives just like a minivan. A Honda minivan, of course, which means it feels more athletic than rivals, but a minivan nonetheless.

Climb into a 2020 Honda Pilot, get situated in the comfortable front seat, look around, and you might think you are in someone’s minivan instead of your SUV.

That’s because the Pilot’s thin windshield pillars, invisible hood, front captain’s chairs with inboard armrests, and huge low center console all mimic the look and feel of a minivan. Even the dashboard resembles what you’d find in a typical minivan more than it does a rugged SUV.

As a practical matter, this is irrelevant, and even beneficial since a minivan is the most useful type of vehicle you can buy. From an ego point of view, it could be a problem.

Does the Honda Pilot have a nice interior?
Like all Hondas, the Pilot’s interior is constructed with care out of quality materials. Even the hard-plastic panels are textured and finished in such a way that they won’t offend.

What Honda Pilot interior colors are available?
Depending on the trim level and exterior paint color, the 2020 Honda Pilot’s interior comes in Black, Gray or Beige. All three colors are available with cloth or leather upholstery. In the new Black Edition, the leather’s perforations have red accents, giving the seats a subtle 2-tone appearance.

Are the Honda Pilot’s controls easy to use?
While we think knobs would be better for adjusting the climate-control system’s temperature, and though the infotainment system lacks a tuning knob, a Honda Pilot doesn’t require a degree in civil engineering to figure out. In fact, once you get the infotainment system and the driver information displays set up the way you want them, this SUV is fairly easy to use on a daily basis.

Is the Honda Pilot’s infotainment system easy to use?
Honda is quickly falling behind when it comes to its infotainment systems. Having just installed a volume knob for 2019 (previously, the display screen was flat without physical controls), Honda missed a perfect opportunity to also add a tuning knob that could double as a way to zoom the navigation map when it’s showing on the screen.

Voice activation is available, but it doesn’t respond to natural voice commands. Instead, you must follow specific command pathways in order to achieve success. Good thing both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard with the EX trim and higher. You’re going to want to use them.

Is the Honda Pilot comfortable?
For a driver, the Honda Pilot is quite comfortable. Though the driver’s seat feels low in relationship to the SUV’s roof, in EX trim and higher it offers 10-way power adjustment. That ensures excellent thigh support and long-distance comfort.

Front-seat passengers are not quite as lucky. With the soft and supple leather upholstery that comes standard in the EX-L trim and higher, this chair offers 4-way power adjustment. Unfortunately, it lacks height adjustment, and while the seat isn’t mounted close to the floor, this omission is nevertheless a cause for pause.

Both of the inboard armrests for the front seats get in the way when buckling the seatbelts, so you’re forced to move them up and then back down. After a while, we just stopped using them.

Rear-seat comfort impresses, and the Pilot is wide enough to credibly install three child safety seats across. Side-window shades are standard starting with the EX-L trim, keeping the sun out of a baby’s eyes.

If you want heated front seats, you’ll need to get the EX trim. The Touring trim adds heated rear seats, and both the Elite and Black Edition include a heated steering wheel and ventilated front seats.

Can adults fit in the Honda Pilot’s 3rd-row seat?
All Pilots except for the base LX trim include one-touch, power-operated 2nd-row seats that tilt and slide for easy loading of the 3rd-row seat. While this is helpful, clearance remains tight, and the 3rd-row seat isn’t roomy in the first place. So, while adults can fit in the Pilot’s 3rd-row seat, it’s best suited for children.

Is the Honda Pilot’s cargo area useful?
Most of the time, you’re going to want to keep the Pilot’s 3rd-row seat folded down because the SUV provides just 16.5 cubic feet of cargo space when you’re using it. When the 3rd-row seat is folded down, the Pilot’s cargo space measures 46.8 cubic feet, which is sizable for the segment. Maximum volume with the 2nd-row seats folded measures 83.9 cubic feet. This SUV also provides a useful storage compartment under the cargo floor.

What else should I know about the Honda Pilot?
Though the Pilot’s infotainment system could use further improvement, it is a Honda-developed system built on an Android operating platform. This means you can update the software over-the-air via the SUV’s 4G LTE Wi-Fi data plan, your smartphone’s data plan, or a home Wi-Fi network.

When Honda redesigned the Pilot for the 2016 model year, the SUV went from boxy and rugged to smooth and streamlined. One reason for this change was to improve aerodynamics. In order for the Pilot to get better gas mileage, it needed to slip through the atmosphere with less drag.

Unfortunately, in the process, the Pilot wound up looking more like a minivan than an SUV. Honda tried to address this with minor updates for the 2019 model year. The changes — a revised grille, reworked bumpers, new lighting and bolder wheels — helped. A little. Which might explain why the trendy Black Edition is available now.

In any case, the Pilot is far from the best-looking SUV in its segment. No doubt, the Pilot is great at many things, but handsome it is not.

What Honda Pilot colors are available?
Honda offers the 2020 Pilot in eight paint colors, and none of them cost extra. Some are restricted to higher-trim levels, though.

Crystal Black Pearl
Modern Steel Metallic
Lunar Silver Metallic
Platinum White Pearl
Steel Sapphire Metallic
Obsidian Blue Pearl
Black Forest Pearl
Deep Scarlet Pearl

HONDA SENSING
Every 2020 Honda Pilot is equipped with Honda Sensing, a package of advanced driving-assistance systems (ADAS). It includes adaptive cruise control, forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, and lane-keeping assist systems. A Road Departure Mitigation system is also a part of this package, helping to prevent the Pilot from running off the road.

INTELLIGENT VARIABLE TORQUE MANAGEMENT (i-VTM4) AWD
Optional for the 2020 Pilot LX, EX, EX-L and Touring, and standard with Elite and Black Edition trims, the i-VTM4 all-wheel-drive system continually splits power between the front and rear wheels, and the wheels on either side of the SUV. As such, it helps improve traction, on-pavement handling, and off-roading performance. Up to 70 percent of engine power can flow to the rear wheels, and i-VTM4 can put all of it to the left or right rear wheel as is necessary.

HONDALINK SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES
Upgrade a 2020 Pilot to Touring, Elite or Black Edition trim, and it comes with HondaLink subscription services. With an active subscription, owners of these top-end Pilots enjoy automatic collision notification, enhanced roadside assistance, vehicle-speed and boundary alerts, a car-finding feature, and a stolen-vehicle locator, among other services. Depending on the plan, service is free for the first three months to one year of ownership.

AMAZON KEY IN-CAR DELIVERY
Part of HondaLink subscription service, Amazon Key In-Car Delivery allows an Amazon driver to deliver packages to your Pilot. He or she can access the cargo area and place your packages securely inside of your SUV.

MULTI-ANGLE REVERSING CAMERA
A standard feature for all Pilots, the multi-angle reversing camera offers three different vantage points to reference. You can choose a wide view, a narrow view, and a top-down view of what’s behind the Pilot. Guidelines are superimposed on the display with the LX trim. With EX trim and higher, they’re dynamic to show the direction the SUV will take as you reverse.

GIANT FRONT CENTER CONSOLE
One benefit of the Honda Pilot’s minivan-style front seats and dashboard is a giant center console between the seats. It is mounted somewhat low, but inside there is more room than you’ll know what to do with. Close the lid, and it doubles as a tray for incidental items.

SOCIAL PLAYLIST
Perfect for families on long road trips, the Pilot’s Social Playlist feature uses the SUV’s 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot and up to seven connected devices to share music to a playlist controlled by the front-seat occupants.

“HOW MUCH FARTHER?” APP
In Touring, Elite and Black Edition trims, the Pilot’s rear-seat entertainment system includes a “How much farther?” app that shows your offspring how much time is left before you reach the destination programmed into the navigation system. The idea is that it eliminates those whining “How much farther?” questions from the back seat.

With the addition of the new Black Edition trim level the 2020 Honda Pilot comes in six different flavors ranging from the base LX to the loaded Black Edition. Below, we highlight the main differences between each trim level.

What comes in the 2020 Honda Pilot LX?
You can buy the Pilot LX and, aside from smartphone integration and a blind-spot monitoring system, feel like you have everything you really need in a family-sized SUV.

Equipped with 18-inch silver-painted aluminum wheels and automatic LED headlights with automatic high-beam operation, the Pilot LX is available in just four paint colors. Hope you like white, black, silver or gray. The cloth-upholstered, 8-passenger interior comes in black or gray.

Capless fuel filling is standard on every Pilot, and the LX trim includes air conditioning, cruise control, a tilt/telescopic steering wheel, push-button engine starting, and power windows, mirrors and locks. The radio has a 5-inch display, and includes Bluetooth hands-free calling and music streaming capability. Two USB ports, one a 2.5-amp quick-charging port, are located in the center console.

Most important, every Pilot includes Honda Sensing. This is Honda’s collection of driving-assistance and collision-avoidance systems, and it includes adaptive cruise control, forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, and a Road Departure Mitigation system designed to prevent the Pilot from unintentionally leaving the pavement.

What comes in the 2020 Honda Pilot EX?
There are two main reasons for budget-minded Pilot shoppers to upgrade to the Pilot EX. The first is for its standard blind-spot-monitoring system with rear cross-traffic alert. The second is for its far more comprehensive infotainment system.

In addition to a larger 8-inch touch-screen infotainment system display, the Pilot EX includes Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, SiriusXM satellite radio, HD Radio, and text-messaging support. It also has a basic HondaLink connected-services plan good for remote-engine starting, contacting roadside assistance, making service appointments, learning about recalls, accessing a digital owner’s manual, and more.

You can tell the EX apart from the LX by its LED fog lights, machined-finish aluminum wheels, body-color exterior trim, and heated side mirrors with integrated turn-signal indicators. Inside, the Pilot EX includes triple-zone automatic climate control with a humidity sensor and air filter, a 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat including lumbar support, and heated front seats.

Two additional convenience features are worth noting. First is the passive-entry system that includes a walk-away automatic locking function. With this system active, you should never worry about whether you’ve locked the Pilot or not. The second is Cabin Control, a smartphone app that lets other people riding in the SUV control the music and the climate system.

What comes in the 2020 Honda Pilot EX-L?
The “L” stands for leather. With this trim, the seats, the steering wheel and the shift knob are wrapped in the stuff.

Additionally, the EX-L adds a power sunroof, a power rear liftgate, acoustic-laminated windshield glass for a quieter cabin, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, and memory for the driver’s preferences. A 4-way power-adjustable front-passenger’s seat is also standard with EX-L trim, but since it lacks a height adjuster this promising upgrade is instead disappointing.

Making parents happy, the Pilot EX-L has 2nd-row side-window sunshades and two quick-charge USB ports to make sure your kids’ devices are charged up and ready. This version of the Pilot also has a programmable universal remote control for entry gates, garage doors and more.

What comes in the 2020 Honda Pilot Touring?
Thanks to its standard 20-inch wheels, the Pilot Touring adds a semblance of style to its minivan-meets-shoebox exterior design. Front and rear parking sensors help to keep the bumpers scuff-free, and the power rear liftgate adds a hands-free function.

Inside, the Touring adds acoustic front-side window glass for an even quieter ride. The infotainment system gains standard navigation with HD digital traffic data and a 10-speaker premium sound system, and a rear-seat entertainment system is standard. It has a 10.2-inch display, a Blu-ray disc player, a 115-volt power outlet, and HDMI connections for hooking up a gaming system. It also supports streaming apps, and viewers enjoy heated 2nd-row seats during cold weather.

HondaLink subscription services are standard with Touring models, though after the free trial period expires you’ll need to pay extra to access features like automatic collision notification, emergency calling, enhanced roadside assistance, and a Find My Car feature. Through HondaLink, the Touring also offers speed and boundary alerts for when your teenagers borrow the family SUV, along with a stolen-vehicle locator service.

Amazon has partnered with Honda to provide in-car package delivery through HondaLink. The Pilot Touring also offers a Wi-Fi hotspot through a separate data plan arranged through AT&T. Service is free for three months or 3GB of data, whichever comes first.

Cabin Talk is also standard on the Pilot Touring, allowing the driver to communicate with people wearing the entertainment system’s headphones in a normal and natural tone of voice. So, no yelling.

Lastly, Touring trims swap the standard 6-speed automatic transmission for a more efficient 9-speed automatic, and install automatic engine stop/start technology to conserve fuel.

What comes in the 2020 Honda Pilot Elite?
Believe it or not, the Elite offers significant upgrades over the Touring trim. For starters, Honda’s torque-vectoring Intelligent Variable Torque Management (i-VTM4) all-wheel-drive system is standard instead of optional, and the Pilot Touring includes rain-sensing wipers, power-folding and automatic-dimming side mirrors, and a panoramic glass sunroof.

Inside, the Elite trim features perforated leather upholstery along with a heated steering wheel and heated and ventilated front seats. This trim swaps out the Touring’s standard 2nd-row bench seat for individual captain’s chairs, both heated. Wireless smartphone charging and an upgraded Cabin Talk system round out the reasons to choose the Pilot Elite.

What comes in the 2020 Honda Pilot Black Edition?
Take one Pilot Elite, paint it Crystal Black Pearl, bolt on unique black-painted 20-inch wheels, and swap out the chrome exterior detailing for gloss-black trim, and you have the new-for-2020 Pilot Black Edition. Good luck keeping it clean.

Inside, black leather features red perforations, red stitching adorns the seats and steering wheel, and red ambient cabin lighting gives the interior extra pizazz. Honda also adds Black Edition logos inside and out, just in case someone is mistaking the black-on-black-on-black SUV for something else.

One reason Honda offers six different versions of the 2020 Pilot is because, aside from adding all-wheel drive ($2,000), factory options are few and far between. Most extra-cost upgrades are installed by Honda dealerships, and they’re mainly related to cosmetics and utility.

With LX and EX trims, you can get the same black wheels found on the Black Edition ($2,190). A variety of roof racks and cargo-management upgrades is also available, and if you’re rocking a big CD collection you can add a CD player ($310) to the Pilot. The EX can also be fitted with a wireless smartphone charging pad ($225).

Choose the EX-L trim, and a factory option package ($2,000) adds the navigation system and rear-seat entertainment system that come standard with the Pilot Touring. Otherwise, this trim is available with the same dealer-installed accessories as the LX and EX trim levels.

The Touring trim includes a 2nd-row bench seat as standard equipment, but captain’s chairs are an option ($300). Also, in addition to black 20-inch wheels, Touring buyers can install chrome 20-inch wheels ($1,996). A CD player, however, is unavailable with the Touring trim.

Options for the Elite trim are comparatively limited, mainly because it comes with everything as standard equipment. And if all that black is just too much, the chrome 20s are an option.

As is always true, prices may have changed since this review was published. Be sure to research current Honda Pilot prices on KBB.

A 3.5-liter V6 engine is standard in every 2020 Honda Pilot. It makes 280 horsepower and includes Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) technology. The VCM system allows the engine to operate on fewer cylinders under certain conditions, such as when cruising on the highway, in order to conserve gas.

A 6-speed automatic transmission is standard with LX, EX and EX-L trims. It powers the front wheels unless you choose the Intelligent Variable Torque Management all-wheel-drive system (i-VTM4). This is a torque-vectoring AWD system that continually transfers power between the front and rear axles, and between the wheels on either side of the SUV. Essentially, it works like Acura’s Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) system, and can put up to 70 percent of the engine’s power to a single rear wheel when necessary.

Get the Touring, Elite or Black Edition trim, and the Pilot swaps the 6-speed automatic for a 9-speed automatic with paddle shifters and quirky push-button controls. These versions of the SUV also have an Idle Stop system, which automatically turns the engine off and then restarts it when the Pilot is sitting still in traffic or at intersections.

Intelligent Traction Management is standard with all trims except for the LX. With front-wheel drive, it offers Normal and Snow driving modes. With i-VTM4, which is standard with Elite and Black Edition trims, the technology adds Sand and Mud settings.

3.5-liter V6 engine and 6-speed automatic
280 horsepower @ 6,000 rpm
262 lb-ft of torque @ 4,700 rpm
Fuel tank size: 19.5 gal.
EPA fuel economy (city/highway/combined): 19/27/22 mpg (FWD), 18/26/21 mpg (AWD)
Driving range (city/highway/combined): 370/526/429 miles (FWD), 351/507/409 miles (AWD)

3.5-liter V6 engine and 9-speed automatic
280 horsepower @ 6,000 rpm
262 lb-ft of torque @ 4,700 rpm
Fuel tank size: 19.5 gal.
EPA fuel economy (city/highway/combined): 20/27/23 mpg (FWD); 19/26/22 mpg (AWD)
Driving range (city/highway/combined): 390/526/448 miles (FWD); 370/507/429 miles (AWD)