2023 Honda Pilot Up Close: More, More, More

Everything is getting bigger these days, from mortgage payments to pandemic-afflicted waistlines, and it looks like one of America’s favorite SUVs is growing in size and stature, as well. That’s really the big news for the 2023 Honda Pilot, which gets a thorough redesign for the new model year. It rides on a new, dedicated light-truck chassis and features more length, more wheelbase, more track width, more interior space, more power, more technology and even more off-road capability than ever before. Yep, the keyword for the 2023 Pilot is simply “more” — it’s what Americans want, and it’s what Americans are about to get.

Related: 2023 Honda Pilot Racks Up Space, Safety, Off-Road Chops for TrailSport

More Rugged Looks

The trend toward off-roadizing your eight-passenger, family-hauling, grocery-getting commuter wagon is proceeding at breakneck pace right across the industry. The Ford Explorer Timberline, Kia Telluride X-Pro, Nissan Pathfinder Rock Creek and Subaru Forester Wilderness are all meant to take a normal, on-road, car-based crossover-style SUV and turn it into a two-track terror in the woods, apparently. Some automakers are resisting this trend, but most are joining it — Honda is merely the latest.

The new Pilot’s styling is indeed more angular and upright, less carlike than ever before, but I don’t know that I’d term it all that “rugged.” It’s longer than its predecessor by nearly 3 inches and rides on a chassis with a longer wheelbase and wider track, giving the SUV a larger footprint than ever. Various trim levels will have differing details on the Pilot’s designs, such as black or chrome for the more upright grille, wheel sizes ranging from 18 to 20 inches, and things like chrome exhaust finishers or black roof rails.

But for the true adventurers, the TrailSport trim level represents Honda’s most off-road-capable SUV ever. And the ruggedizing is more than just giving it some knobby tires (though it does indeed have those, with Continental TerrainContact AT all-terrain tires on unique 18-inch wheels with inset spokes). The TrailSport also gets an exclusive off-road suspension with a 1-inch overall lift and greater wheel articulation, a set of underbody skid plates, unique stabilizer bars, plus a new TrailWatch camera system that activates automatically at speeds under 15 mph when the Pilot is in “Trail” mode, one of seven selectable drive modes. A new torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive system that’s more robust and responsive than before is standard on the TrailSport and optional on all other trims except the range-topping Elite.

The TrailSport should be a good match for the Explorer Timberline and should also handily outperform the new Telluride X-Pro, which doesn’t feature the additional underbody protections or unique off-road drive modes that retune the vehicle’s systems. Curiously, while the TrailSport does have recovery points for being towed out of situations in which it has become stuck, the front ones are integrated into the front skid plate, which is under the vehicle and not visible or easily accessible — two qualities of tow hooks that one generally wants when the vehicle is stuck up to the bumper in mud.

More Space Inside

The Pilot grows its dimensions internally, as well, with all-new styling inside. It features new fatigue-reducing seats and a nifty removable second-row center seat cushion that stows under the rear cargo floor. This flexible seat allows for the choice of easy pass-through to the now bigger-than-ever third row seats without removing child seats that may be affixed in the second row. Honda claims that the Pilot’s bigger dimensions mean that it now offers best-in-class overall interior passenger room.

Sitting in the new Pilot, you’re struck by the longer hood and more upright cabin, but visibility still remains a strong suit of the SUV. Materials quality is also impressive, with the top Elite model offering excellent build quality and premium materials all around. The legroom in the second row has grown by 2.4 inches, which is a serious improvement. Not that the Pilot was exactly on the small side previously, but bigger models coming from competitors have apparently driven Honda into offering more room than ever in the hopes of keeping competitive. Getting in and out of the third row is a snap, too, thanks to easy tilt-and-slide second-row seats.

More Grunt Under the Hood

The 2023 Pilot’s power comes from a new 3.5-liter V-6 engine that makes 285 horsepower and 262 pounds-feet of torque and is mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission driving either the front or all four wheels. The SUV’s AWD system comes with new torque vectoring and more robust components, and it can bias the rear wheels with a 30/70 front-rear torque split and then divert up to 100% of that rear-wheel torque to either of the rear wheels as needed for maximum traction.

So yes, more grunt is available, but there’s no more towing ability from it: The Pilot is still rated to tow 5,000 pounds, which is decent for its segment and enables it to tow a good-sized boat, a small camper, some personal watercraft and other popular toys. That level of power is competitive with some rivals like the Telluride, Pathfinder and Hyundai Palisade, but it does fall short of the top turbocharged V-6 in the Explorer. Whether or not that small bump in power is enough to offset the increase in the new Pilot’s size will have to wait for a full road test.

More Money to Take One Home?

There are a few things we don’t know about the new 2023 Pilot. We don’t know what the fuel economy is, for instance, but given that it’s a bigger vehicle with a more powerful engine, it’s one area that seems unlikely to be more than the outgoing model — and there’s no Pilot hybrid in sight yet. Another thing we don’t know is how much more Honda plans to charge for this much more Pilot. Everything is more expensive every year, so it stands to reason that the SUV’s price is likely to go up when it hits dealerships later this year. Still, given the improvements in size and equipment, and the potential capability of the new TrailSport, it should be worth it.

More From Cars.com:

• Honda Pilot: Which Should You Buy, 2021 or 2022?
• Honda’s TrailSport Treatment Aims to Take Family SUVs Off-Road
• What’s the Best 3-Row SUV for 2020?
• 2021 Honda Pilot Commits to 9-Speed Automatic Transmission, Adds Special Edition and Content to Base Model
• 2020 Honda Pilot Review: Showing Its Age

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