Are you a man looking for adventure, yearning to unleash your spirit of exploration? Going off the beaten path using an SUV that’s not only capable of traversing untamed terrains but also getting you there in style and comfort. Well, my fellow car-loving men, we have a special off-road capable SUV for you, the 2023 Honda Pilot TrailSport.
The Honda Pilot was introduced in 2002 as a 2003 model; it has grown in size, with the first generation looking like a bigger Honda CR-V. We have reviewed several Pilot SUVs over the years and are fans of this large-ish SUV. On November 7, 2022, Honda introduced the 4th generation Pilot (code-named YG1/2), featuring all-new interior and exterior styling.
Honda has been overhauling their vehicle lineup recently; they’ve introduced an all-new Civic, CR-V, HR-V, Accord, and Pilot. Last week, we had the opportunity to review a 2023 Honda Pilot TrailSport for a week to see how it performs during daily family tasks like taking kids to school, grocery shopping, and loading it up with people.
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2023 Honda Pilot Canadian Prices
The 2023 Honda Pilot is offered in five trims in Canada, with the base Pilot Sport starting at $52,775 and the top-of-the-line Pilot Black Edition starting at $64,975. Trims have changed slightly since the last time we reviewed the 2019 Honda Pilot, and prices have increased significantly; you can compare the prices to the 3rd generation Pilot here. Below is a list of the prices for all five trims of the Honda Pilot
- Honda Pilot Sport: $50,650
- Honda Pilot EX-L: $54,450
- Honda Pilot TrailSport: $57,450
- Honda Pilot Touring: $61,350
- Honda Pilot Black Edition: $62,850
Our review car was the 2023 Honda Pilot TrailSport; it came with the optional Diffused Sky Pearl paint ($300) and a price tag of $59,875. The price includes $2,000 for Freight & PDI, $100 for Federal Air Conditioner Fee, $25 for tire duty, and the optional paint.
Honda Pilot Engine/Transmission
All 4th generation Honda Pilot trims are powered by naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V6 engines with direct injection, producing 285 horsepower at 6,100 rpm and 262 pound-feet of torque. Power is sent to all-four wheels via a 10-speed automatic transmission. HP has increased by 5, and the torque remains the same as the 2019 Pilot we reviewed.
All trims of the Pilot have a towing capacity of 1,588 kilograms (3,494 pounds) or 2,268 kg (4,990 pounds) with the towing package.
Fuel Economy
The 2023 Pilot Sport and EX-L are rated at 12.4/9.3/11.0 liters/100 kilometers in city/highway/combined driving. The TrailSport is rated at 13.0/10.3/11.8, and the top two trims are rated at 12.7/9.4/11.2 L/100 km. The difference in fuel consumption arises from different wheel sizes and the all-terrain tires on the TrailSport trim.
On our weeklong test drive of the Honda Pilot TrailSport, the onboard computer showed an average of 12.0 L/100 km in 50/50 city/highway driving.
Handling/Performance
The 2023 Honda Pilot TrailSport performs like a big SUV with a comfortable ride; it’s not as bouncy as some dedicated off-road vehicles, which makes for a pleasant driving experience. There is no hint of “Sport” in this Sports Utility Vehicle, which is to be expected. Our review car came with the TrailSport design 18” aluminum wheels with P265/50 R18 110T A/T tires, which made the ride even more comfortable.
The V6 has more than enough grunt for city and highway driving. The transmission does a good job of being in the right gear at the right time and upshifting as quickly as possible to save fuel. The Pilot comes with Integrated Drive Modes (IDM), which include Sport, Normal, Econ, Snow, and Tow on the Sport trim. All other trims add the Trail and Sand modes.
We didn’t take the Pilot off-road because, living in the city, there are no trails, and this is how most of these vehicles will be driven to schools, malls, and soccer practices. The Pilot TrailSport performed these types of duties flawlessly for us. However, the Pilot TrailSport is capable, and there are plenty of YouTube videos showing what it can achieve; TFL has a good video on the capabilities of the 2023 Honda Pilot TrailSport; check it out above.
Honda Pilot Styling
The previous generation Pilot was a pretty decent-looking vehicle, but it gave me minivan vibes. The 4th generation Pilot will not be mistaken for a minivan. It looks like an old-school boxy SUV, and that toughness is increased on the TrailSport trim.
Like the redesigned CR-V, the Pilot features a clean design with a few body lines. There are no over-styled elements on the Pilot; it looks quite handsome, in my humble opinion. The design does give me Dodge Durango vibes; I did mistake a black Pilot for a Durango when I saw one a few weeks ago.
The front features a large grill that doesn’t look out of place on the Pilot. The Pilot features LED headlights, daytime running lights, signal lights, and taillights. The rear is quite boxy, featuring large rear lights.
Honda Pilot Interior
Like the exterior, the interior is boxier than the previous Pilot’s. The interior has a familiar look, it looks similar to the new CR-V, HR-V, and Civic with some changes. The Pilot doesn’t feature the honeycomb grill found on the aforementioned vehicles, but it does feature an extra shelf on the dashboard where the honeycomb grill theoretically would’ve been.
The interior layout is clean and easy to understand and use. There is a 9” infotainment screen (the Pilot Sport comes with a 7” screen) with decent-looking graphics. Below is a separate section for the climate control buttons and knobs; below is some storage area, a wireless charging pad, two USB ports, and a 12v outlet. The Pilot uses buttons for the transmission selector, which is the same as the previous generation Pilot. The gauge cluster is half digital and half analog, featuring a 7” TFT display. The Touring and Black Edition trims come with 10.2” TFT gauge clusters.
The front seats are large and comfortable, with TrailSport sown into the headrests on the TrailSport trim. The driver’s seat is 10-way power-adjustable, and the passenger seat is 4-way power adjustable on all trims. All trims also come with heated front seats, and all but the Sport trim come with heated second-row seats. The top trims come with ventilated front seats.
Our review car came with second-row captains’ seats; all other trims come with second-row bench seats, giving them a theoretical seating capacity of 8 people. I say theoretically because the rear seat is wide enough for two adults; putting a third adult there is asking for trouble. The third-row seats have a surprising amount of leg and headroom; however, the seats are positioned so that your knees are much higher than your hips, making long trips in the third row quite tiring. However, they are perfect for children, even with car seats, because they have enough legroom.
Tech, Safety, and Comfort Features
All trims of the 2023 Honda Pilot are well-equipped, and even the base model should meet the needs of most families. Safety features like collision mitigation braking, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, and road departure mitigation are standard. Features like blind spot monitoring, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, and rear cross-traffic monitor are standard on all trims.
Higher trims add things like real leather, a panoramic moon roof, rain-sensing wipers, power-folding mirrors, navigation, head-up display, 360-degree cameras, and more.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I was quite pleased with the 2023 Honda Pilot. It’s a mid-size SUV but feels like a larger SUV on the inside with enough room for a large family and some of their gear or a small family with a lot of gear. The V6 engine produces enough power for a vehicle this size and is not too bad on fuel consumption. It’s an attractive-looking vehicle, especially with the TrailSport trim, which was quite a head-turner in the bright blue color our review car came in. You also don’t need to spend thousands extra on the higher trims, as even the base Sport trim has many safety and comfort features.
