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The Honda Pilot comes with impressive safety tech and interior options that make it a great family vehicle. We look at these features and more in our review.
2024 Honda Pilot – automobiles.honda.com| Shop 2024 Honda Pilot on Carsforsale.com
What’s New for the 2024 Honda Pilot?
The 2024 Honda Pilot is part of the fourth generation of the highly-touted SUV. It comes in six different trim levels but all use the same 3.5-liter V6 and 10-speed automatic transmission. All trims get an impressive safety suite that includes adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, and automatic emergency braking. Honda also includes a number of different seating configurations. The 2024 Pilot doesn’t have any significant updates after an entirely new generation debuted in 2023.
Carsforsale.com Score
8/10
Powertrain
Score
7.5/10
Interior
Score
9/10
Technology
Score
7.75/10
Value
Score
8/10
The Breakdown
Comfortable interior
Classy dash design
Fun storage cubbies
Underwhelming powertrain
Inconsistent control feedback
Tiny infotainment system
Already needs an update
YEAR MAKE Specs
- 285 horsepower from base engine
- 262 lb-ft of torque from base engine
- 6 available trims
- 18.6 cu-ft of cargo capacity
- 87 cu-ft of cargo capacity with seats down
- Towing capacity of 5,500 lbs
- Wireless Android/Apple connectivity
- Standard lane-departure warning
- Two-years of complimentary maintenance
2024 Honda Pilot Powertrain 7.5/10
While Honda went to the trouble of introducing an all-new generation of the Pilot last year one aspect it barely touched was the powertrain. That’s still true as the 2024 edition gets the same 3.5-liter naturally aspirated V6. It makes 285 hp and 262 lb-ft of torque. If that sounds a bit low for a vehicle of this size and weight it’s because it is. Main rivals like the Toyota Grand Highlander and the Mazda CX-90 offer a lot more at the top of their ranges. The Kia Telluride offers identical torque but six more horsepower and weighs about 300 pounds less.
Honda puts that meager power to either the front or all four wheels via a 10-speed automatic transmission that really is the gem of this setup. It’s very smooth and while that many gears does make it sometimes hunt for the right one, we think it would be even less fun to drive with fewer gears or a CVT. As it sits, the 10-speed helps the Pilot stay in the right RPM range for the task at hand. It also helps it to achieve up to 19 mpg in the city and 27 on the highway.
Beyond that, the rest of the driving experience is somewhat disappointing. The steering is fairly numb, the body roll is noticeable, and the brakes aren’t as smooth or linear as we’d like. It’s better than in the previous generation but Honda still has some work to do to make it just right. Interestingly, the Pilot can tow up to 5,000 pounds which is more than the Odyssey, the vehicle it shares this platform with.
2024 Honda Pilot Interior 9/10
Perhaps no part of the Pilot feels as new and fresh as the interior. Honda has taken its simplified dash design from other models and incorporated it here to great success. The controls are logically laid out and look great thanks to elegant and straightforward positioning. We imagine it’ll look great for years and years to come.
The seats are supportive and allow for a wide range of adjustments. We especially like that Honda includes a number of different second-row seating options including two different styles of bench seats. One is a standard bench and the other incorporates a stowable middle seat. That kind of configurability is clever and practical. A pair of captain’s chairs is also available for those who don’t mind limiting seating to just seven passengers total.
Other available luxuries include sunshades, a panoramic sunroof, heated outboard second-row seats, a 12-speaker Bose sound system, and a household-style power outlet. Behind the third row you’ll find 18.6 cubic feet of cargo space. That’s fine and above-average for the segment. Still, we’d recommend looking at the Odyssey if cargo space is what you want since it gets better fuel economy and offers 33 cubic feet behind its more spacious third row.
2024 Honda Pilot Technology Features 7.75/10
Expect Honda to really lean into technology whenever it gets around to giving the Pilot a mid-cycle refresh. When this new generation arrived last year the tech package it came with was seriously disappointing and it still is. The base Pilot comes with a 7-inch infotainment system which is downright tiny compared to the rest of the vehicle. Even the available 9-inch unit looks small and begs the question: why didn’t Honda use its larger 11.2-inch screen available in cars like the Accord?
The system itself is easy enough to use and fairly quick too. Buyers who prefer Android Auto or Apple CarPlay can use them as it’s standard across the entire Pilot lineup. Every Pilot also gets a digital gauge cluster but most make due with another somewhat small 7-inch screen there. The Elite trim gets a 10.2-inch version along with a heads-up display which we like very much. Of course, for $53,000 we should like it.
In terms of safety, the Pilot is very well equipped. Every version gets standard adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, automated emergency braking, and pedestrian detection. Blind-spot warning and rear cross-traffic alert are both standard on every trim except for the LX. A surround-view camera system is standard on the TrailSport and above. Notably, the 2023 Pilot was an IIHS Top Safety Pick+. Test standards might change that for 2024 but the IIHS hasn’t released its results as of this writing.
2024 Honda Pilot Trims & Pricing
LX – $38,465
The base Pilot gets 18-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, keyless entry, tri-zone automatic climate control, a second-row bench seat, a 7-inch infotainment system, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, and seven speakers.
Sport – $40,975
The Sport adds 20-inch wheels, LED fog lights, remote start, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, power-adjustable heated front seats, blind-spot warning with rear cross-traffic warning, and unique exterior design flourishes.
EX-L – $43,775
Buyers who go for the EX-L go back to 18-inch wheels but get a programmable power liftgate, a sound-deadening windshield, leather-trimmed upholstery, second-row captain’s chairs, second-row climate controls, driver’s seat memory settings, a 9-inch infotainment system, nine speakers, a wireless device charger, parking sensors, and automatic emergency braking.
Touring – $48,275
The Touring model adds 20-inch wheels, a gloss-black front grille, a hands-free power liftgate, keyless entry, a panoramic sunroof, sound-reducing front windows, ambient interior lighting, second-row bench seats with a stowable center seat, a 12-speaker Bose sound system, and a Wi-Fi hotspot.
TrailSport – $50,175
The off-road-focused TrailSport comes with all-wheel drive, 18-inch wheels, all-terrain tires, a full-sized spare tire, an off-road-tuned suspension with a small lift, faux-leather upholstery, a surround-view camera system, off-road stability management, underbody skid plates, a class III hitch, a panoramic sunroof, a household-style power outlet, a heated windshield, a heated steering wheel, and second-row captain’s chairs.
Elite – $53,855
The Elite gets 20-inch wheels, all-wheel drive, a heads-up display, heated outboard second-row seats, ventilated front seats, and a digital instrument cluster.
2024 Honda Pilot Overall Value 8/10
The Honda Pilot is officially a bit tough to recommend. It’s not a bad SUV but in truth, very few cars today are truly bad. The issue for the Pilot is that it no longer leads the segment in a number of aspects. It’s mostly average and average is fine but it’s not special or exciting. Thankfully, the Pilot continues to put practicality over just about everything else so it blends solid fuel economy with decent enough styling and cargo space along with two years of complimentary maintenance. It’s a very safe pick but the Odyssey might be the smarter pick for die-hard Honda fans.
CarsForSale.com Overall Score 8/10
2024 Honda Pilot – automobiles.honda.com| Shop 2024 Honda Pilot on Carsforsale.com
Sometime soon we expect to see Honda add a larger infotainment system to the Pilot along with possibly a rear-seat infotainment system too. It could even extend the warranty to compete with rivals like Hyundai and Kia that, for now, offer a lot more value overall for the money. It would also be nice to see Honda give the Pilot more than the paltry 285 ponies it’s currently making due with.
2024 Honda Pilot FAQ
How much can a Honda Pilot tow?
The 2024 Honda Pilot can tow up to 5,000 pounds when properly equipped.
Does the Honda Pilot have a third row?
Yes, the 2024 Honda Pilot offers a third row.
Does the Honda Pilot come as a Hybrid?
The 2024 Honda Pilot does not have a hybrid model.
