If you’re a car person, your coworkers probably ask you for advice every time they buy a car, then go out and buy a Japanese crossover. Who could blame them? Most people are really just looking for validation, and on paper, a Honda, Toyota, or Mazda is generally a fairly smart choice. Still, if you find yourself roped into these water cooler conversations, it helps to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in that space so you can at least somewhat attempt to steer the ship. This is the 2026 Honda Pilot, and the stylists have been at work making it look a little more macho.
The first thing you need to know is that there aren’t any major mechanical changes under the skin of the updated 2026 Honda Pilot, save for a revised insulation package aimed at cutting noise. It still features Honda’s 285-horsepower quad-cam 3.5-liter V6 with hydraulic lifters that finally did away with periodic valve adjustments, along with a ten-speed automatic transmission. The available all-wheel-drive system still has a torque-splitting rear differential that can overdrive the outside wheel for better on-throttle cornering, and the off-roady TrailSport trim still gets skid plates. However, Honda has re-tuned the electric power steering and added a post-collision braking system in case a driver panics after an impact and forgets to hit the brake pedal. Smart thinking.
While the pre-facelift model was handsome, its trapezoidal front grille and slim air curtains really aligned its look with that of the CR-V. Not a bad move for familiarity, but there’s a chance buyers in this segment are looking for something a little more macho. With that in mind, Honda’s pulled a page out of the Ridgeline handbook and made its three-row crossover look blockier and a tad more imposing thanks to a bigger, squarer grille. A new front fascia with a chunky bit of silver trim completes the look, and it works decently overall. The brand calls the revised styling “more aspirational” and yeah, there’s some SUV aspiration here. Considering much of the competition also sports huge maws, it stands to reason this is what the people want.
Update: Here’s the old Pilot, for reference:
Things really change in the cabin, where Honda will gleefully tell you that the new Pilot gets a 37 percent larger infotainment screen and a 43 percent larger digital instrument cluster, measuring 12.3 inches and 10.2 inches respectively. This is essentially the same setup as you get in the Passport midsize crossover, and it’s a welcome improvement. Judging by experience in other models, the new standard Google built-in infotainment system is leagues more fluid than the old setup, and standard Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are pleasing additions.
Speaking of standard features, another highlight of the 2026 Pilot is that it just gives you a little bit more stuff per trim level. All trims now get a power liftgate and roof rails, the TrailSport gets heated second-row seats, the Touring gets a 360-degree camera system, and the Elite gains suede upholstery. Small gains, sure, but welcome nonetheless. Speaking of colors, materials, and finishes, a new blue paint joins the party, the TrailSport gets an available sage color and optional brown leather, and the Touring gets slightly different brown leather upholstery. You know, because greyscale is boring.
If pricing stays about the same as the 2025 model, the 2026 Honda Pilot feels like a no-brainer if you want a practical three-row crossover without the complexity of forced induction. While the styling is a bit brash, the extra features and noise-reduction measures should make this the best Pilot yet.
Top graphic image: Honda
Looks like a very mild refresh. Looking at the 2025 vs 2026, it appears that the hood, fenders, and even the headlights are the same units. Even the fog lights and parking sensors appear int eh same spots. Only change in the front is the grille and bumper. Even the doors/mirrors look identical.
Honda got so much right with the appearance of the new Passport, but the Pilot, not so much. If the Pilot’s extra space isn’t a requirement – and speaking from a looks perspective only – I’d go with the Passport.
I’m a fan of the current Pilot (and worked on it when I was at Honda). This update doesn’t look as good as the current one.
You must’ve been at HRA/ADC. Fellow ex-“associate” here, but factory side at MAP/ELP/PMC.
Yup, “associate” at HRA. It was a great job, but Ohio wasn’t for me.
I cannot unsee that weird shaped window- between the C and D pillar. Hate it.
This or a Traverse. The troublesome V 6 or the unproven-new super pressure, ready to blow 4 banger? I know ; NEITHER !!!!
I really wish Honda would give up on that push button shifter.
My partner and I have a 2019 Honda Pilot. I wanted to name it “Pontius” but was swiftly overruled.
You don’t want to die on that cross.
Here I am fulfilling my statement that I will comment on anything Pilot/Ridgeline/Passport related. We have had our ’25 Pilot for 1.5 years now and it has been fantastic. Super comfy, enjoyable to drive, surprisingly good mpg (we get a consistent 25mpg on our trips up north), and swallows anything we need for a long weekend out. No regrets at all about this car
23 Pilot Elite here that we bought about 6-7 months ago. Agree full-heartedly. I hate that I get a bit excited about our 3 row crossover but damn if it’s not comfortable, sensible, and economical.
Great…my friend ended up getting a grand Cherokee after I suggested the pilot. We’ll see how that goes
Fellow Pilot owner as well. Family loves it, does everything we need and more well, and gets 25-27mpg on the highway. Lots to love and very little to complain about.
While I like our 2025 Trailsport, we get significantly worse fuel economy than y’all. My only regret was not getting the trailer wiring harness installed at the time of purchase. They want an obscene amount of money to do it after the fact, so I will be pulling the bumper off myself.
I bought and self-installed Uhaul part # CMF56518. Only thing I had to remove was some small interior panels in the cargo area. Was very easy.
Not a Pilot, but we had an ’18 MDX that replaced a possibly cursed ’15 X5 sDrive 35i. The MDX was just so much better to drive than the X5. If not on cruise control, it was very easy to look down at the speedo, and go Oh wow, I’m doing 85. It was an excellent long-distance traveler.
On long freeway trips at 70+ it would get 27-28 mpg. Its automatic was a little harsh around town at first, but they finally came out with a firmware update that smoothed things out.
Dear Autopian,
This request of mine is not part of some provocative manifesto or even an old-man-yelling-at-the-clouds moment, but please consider posting one picture of the current generation Pilot so that it’s easier to compare to the updated one.
Yes, yes, I know, a Google search would take much less time than it took to write this post, but it would make your already fantastic site even better.
In fact, it should be right up there in your site’s founding credo, just below Torch’s taillight fetish and David’s unnatural attraction to rust, that all posts about a refresh or LCI (for you BMW fans) MUST include pictures of the current version!
Replying for solidarity!
That would be useful. E.g. for people considering a purchase, it would illustrate the choice and help with the decision of wait for the (subjectively better) new one v. buy the (subjectively better) current one while it’s still available. From a publishing perspective, it can create an undercurrent positive feeling of “nice, I’m glad they did that.”
Lol, yeah I do a quick google search every time as well. Side by side comparo would be nice.
Fantastic point. I have rectified that issue. 🙂
So it now looks like an Acadia (not a good thing), still has the troublesome V6 (with a timing belt) , has the annoying and space-wasting electronic gear selector that was seemingly inspired by a kid’s toy (and with similar quality), and gains more gizmos that will fail.
Easy pass.
I haven’t been able to recommend a honda/Acura passenger vehicle for almost 2 decades. This hasn’t changed that.
I was going to say it looks like the 2025 Traverse.
Vague Lambda (or whatever it is now) platform mug sharing? Traverse seemed to be trying to copy Land Rover recently.
Yeah I was thinking the Z71 Traverse. But looking again, this is definitely more like the Acadia.
To clarify: I didn’t realize that the acadia had a face-lift for MY2024. I was referring to the 2020-2023 model in my initial comment.
Yes, the new pilot does resemble the current traverse (with its Nissan-inspired taillights) but thankfully keeps the headlights out of the bumper, so I guess that’s something.
It’s actually an all-new Acadia for MY2024. It’s on the Traverse platform now, while the previous generation was on a smaller platform.
Indeed, and it was such a weird idea to shrink the more premium offering.
FWIW this gen Pilot got a new DOHC J35Y8 V6 that so far hasn’t been anywhere near as troublesome as the SOHC J35 with Cylinder Deactivation. Yeah, a timing belt sucks since you eventually have to change it, but it is not like some of the other OEMs don’t have timing chain woes too.
I’m glad we didn’t hold out for the ’26 facelift. They made it uglier, and got rid of the best color, Diffused Sky Pearl.
“The Honda Pilot is a box for Dad Jokes.” – Regular Car Reviews.
A little more thorough of an update than I expected given Honda’s track record with MCEs lately.
We’ll be shopping in this class soon, but alas…no hybrid no care. This thing is still an absolute gas hog. As I’ve said in the past…my wife and I COULD put up with it, but why would we? Multiple competitors offer hybrids that average 30+ MPG combined. The 21 combined a non-Trailsport hybrid gets is just totally unacceptable in 2025 and makes these a non-starter for us and I assume a lot of other shoppers.
Yeah. Honda has more hybrids coming out, but it should be standard on all their SUV’s at this point.
The fact that they still don’t have a hybrid for their large platform in 2025 is a huge unforced error
21 is very optimistic too. Granted we have the Trailsport but the most recent road trip with cruise control set to 80mph we only managed 19.6mpg, slowing down to 75mph only netted 20.7. In town we struggle to get better than 17mpg. My wife loves it, but I have no idea how Honda managed to get so little fuel economy out of it.
Dang! Those MPG numbers are with 1mpg of my lifted big tired Jeep Wrangler.
This thing probably weighs over 1000lbs more, and is also shaped like a brick
Ditto, except for an XJ Cherokee with mud tires (that I no longer feel is safe to take over 65mph)
23 Elite awd here and we average about 23.5 for everyday use. Long drive/road trip at 70, we’re around 24-25, have seen as high as 26-27
Knowing how my wife drives, her low regular use MPG doesn’t necessarily shock me, it was the highway mileage that baffled me. We had a Hybrid CRV as a loaner for a couple of weeks and she only managed 28mpg in that.
haha that’s funny. Me and a good friend had a couple beer induced garage talk one night about how much better our fuel mileage is when we drive vs our wives. Her foot is always on something, whether the gas or brake, there’s little in-between/coasting.
Next-gen Pilot will have a hybrid option so I’d personally hold off if that’s something you’re interested in.
We’ll need to buy before the next gen is here, unfortunately
Most (if not all) of those hybrids don’t have 5000lbs of towing capacity, though. To my knowledge, all the hybrids in the class top out at 3500lbs.
So while not a factor for you, it’s probably what helps move metal for others.
Without the headlights and tacked on tablet inside, I would be hard pressed to find a substantial difference from a 2008 pilot. Near 20 years on its a bit more powerful, a bit more efficient, and a bit bigger. It hauls the same number of people, tows about the same amount, and has almost the exact same cargo space. As for tough = offroad, it has less ground clearance unless you by the offroady one. That gains you .3 inch more than standard in 2008.
Don’t forget Trailsport gets a slight lift and A/T tires (IMO, they’d be better off giving you two sets of wheels as a selling point, but most people want that rugged look 24/7). IIRC, it’s also has some transmission trickery to approximate a crawl gear electronically.
I still think it’s long overdue for a hybrid system because these things are all pretty thirsty, but good V6 reliability pays for a LOT of fuel. OTOH, it can be a hard sell against the slightly smaller CR-V Hybrid that absolutely destroys the Pilot in efficiency.
It’s also a hard sell against the a hybrid Highlander (grand or regular), the new Palisade hybrid, or even just a base CX90. Both hybrids get better CITY mileage than a regular AWD Pilot and the mild hybrid CX90 is only one MPG off from doing so as well. Choose the Trailsport trim and a Pilot or Passport is, somehow, less efficient than a lot of body on frame competitors.
How Honda managed to pull that off is a mystery to me. Anyway, I think these are nice cars, and if you only do rural driving the MPG benefit of a hybrid might not be worth the added complexity. But the fuel economy is just totally unacceptable in 2025 and that’s why my wife and I won’t be looking at a Pilot despite being in the market for a car in this class.
FWIW The Honda drives way better than the GH, and the CX90 packaging is atrocious. It’s why my wife picked it over those two. The gas mileage sucks, but at $8k less than the GH hybrid in a similar spec, while also being nicer to drive, it was an easy choice. It would take roughly 8 years at $3.00/gallon for us to break even with the GH based on the amount of driving we do. Based on our normal turnover rate for cars, we won’t have it longer than 5.
The V6 hasn’t been reliable in a while. The cylinder deactivation tech has been a problem, and there’s been other issues, likely in part to Honda programming the oil change intervals too far apart.
Our 2015 Ody is going strong, albeit with a manually deactivated VCM (not just for longevity, but for driveability). OCIs have been about 10k based on Blackstone’s recommendation of 13,500(!) so I can’t complain there.
I know they switched to DI in the newer models, but we didn’t have any reason to replace it, so I’m not as up to date as I wish I were…but I’ve definitely heard stories about longevity slipping.
I get it but I am not a fan of looking tough and not being tough. I would rather have something that looks like a X-90 covered in pompoms that has actual recovery points armor, and 4 low and can actually go off road than a car with plastic trim around the wheel arches and no recovery points that “looks” tough.
At least this one actually has metal skidplates, which is better than most of the appearance package CUVs offer. The reviews of it were pretty solid. The lack of recovery points is weird, though — allegedly the front one is up under/behind the plastic air dam and would do some damage if you actually used it.
I worked for Honda within the body durability group when this package was developed. The main test group was in my department, but I never worked directly on this.
Anyway, the front recovery point on the Pilot Trailsport is in the skid plate – basically a slot you can put a hook in. The trailer hitch is rated as the rear recovery point. Both are a little odd and the front one especially is difficult to access, but I can attest to them being sturdy enough for recovery.
Overall, the Trailsport trim on the Pilot and new Passport adds a surprising amount of legitimate capability without being too cumbersome for on-road use (other than gas mileage).
I’m not sure who thought suede upholstery would be a good idea for what is fundamentally a family car, but they should have left that to just the MDX.