2023 Honda Pilot TrailSport Is a Roads Scholar

From the June 2023 issue of Car and Driver.

When Honda birthed the TrailSport moniker on the previous-generation Pilot and Passport, it was an inauspicious moment. With the trim offering almost no functional upgrades, the automaker appeared to be cynically chasing the emerging popularity of rugged model-line extensions. That changes with the all-new 2023 Pilot. The TrailSport truly distinguishes itself from the rest of the lineup, with all-terrain tires (and a matching full-size spare), an inch more ground clearance (for 8.3 inches total), beefy skid plates, a slightly softer front anti-roll bar, and a torque-vectoring rear diff with 20 percent more torque capacity. The off-road variant is now fully realized.

Driving the Pilot TrailSport

Speaking of that rear diff, it’s a torque-vectoring madman, rotating the rear end around with slide-happy shenanigans on- or off-road. Three-row large SUVs are never this neutral, but the Pilot gets all four tires fully engaged to deliver 0.85 g on the skidpad—astonishing, considering the lowly T speed–rated (118 mph) all-terrain rubber. The Continental TerrainContact A/T tires claw extremely well on soft sand and mud but don’t sing at highway speeds on pavement, despite their knobby tread.

The TrailSport does give up some on-road prowess relative to its siblings, with the tires and softer front anti-roll bar eroding some steering precision and allowing more body motion. The stopping distance from 70 mph is a longish 189 feet. While the TrailSport isn’t as sharp as the other Pilot models on pavement, most competitors aren’t either.

The TrailSport has more serious off-road chops than its peers but is still no mountain goat. Even with the additional ground clearance, the TrailSport’s 19.8-degree approach angle means it can’t quite clear the 20-degree ramp we use to test articulation. And any vehicle with this much wheelbase is at risk for high centering. Also, Honda incorporated the front tow hook into the forward skid plate under the oil pan, which means two things: It won’t work as a flag mount, and you may need a snorkel to attach a snatch strap after getting stuck in a water hole.

Larger Exterior and Interior Dimensions

This fourth-gen Pilot debuts a revised and fortified light-truck architecture that will also underpin the next Odyssey minivan, Ridgeline pickup, and Passport SUV. Generally speaking, the Pilot has grown in every dimension— the TrailSport specifically by 2.9 inches in wheelbase, 3.7 inches in length, and over an inch in track widths, which makes for more second- and third-row space, plus greater cargo room. The third row is not just habitable but comfortable for adults, with the seat cushion now about two inches higher off the floor for more stretch-out space. It’s not minivan grade, but it’s not far off. Parents of young children will appreciate the buttons on the second-row seats that tilt and slide them out of the way, making it easy for kids to self-embark for the back.

Bigger and stiffer means heavier, and the TrailSport’s 4709-pound curb weight is a substantial 382 more than that of the last Pilot we tested. But the structure feels about as solid as a bridge abutment, which benefits both ride and handling, and the Pilot steers with a lightness and veracity that belies its increased weight. There’s more sound-deadening material to block out the outside world too. The $49,695 TrailSport is the third-highest trim level, below the $53,375 Elite and $200 less than the Touring. It’s well equipped but missing a few of the top models’ niceties, such as ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, Wi-Fi, and Bose audio.

Visually, the 2023 Pilot marks a return toward boxy from the previous jelly-bean shape, although it’s not nearly as cubist as the second-gen model. Viewed from the side or the rear, the new Pilot blends in with its peers. Arguably, its most noticeable visual is the $455 Diffused Sky Pearl paint available only on the TrailSport.

Interior materials are of reasonably high quality, and storage bins abound. Orange stitching on the seats and dash is a touch of dress-up, but our test vehicle’s all-black color scheme is bland, and it’s the only choice on the TrailSport. We’re never fans of fingerprint-attracting piano-black trim, which unfortunately surrounds the shift buttons and climate controls. The 9.0-inch center touchscreen on EX-L and higher models is small by today’s standards.

All-New V-6 Engine

Honda’s venerable 60-degree naturally aspirated V-6 sprouts dual overhead cams for the first time, part of a comprehensive overhaul to reduce emissions. Displacement remains 3.5 liters, and a combination of more precise fuel control, higher injection pressures, and variable valve timing on both camshafts conspires to cut particulate and NOx emissions by up to 50 percent. That gets the V-6 to SULEV30 status, which should keep it emissions-legal through the end of the decade. Peak power is up a nominal five horsepower to 285 total, and torque is unchanged at 262 pound-feet, with both peaks at slightly higher rpm. The V-6 still has a pleasing intake honk, but Honda’s storied VTEC is gone, and with it the characterful high-lift-cam switchover point and resulting pandemonium at the top end of the tach.

Power-to-weight math puts the new model 7 percent behind the previous one, so it’s no surprise that acceleration is slower by similar margins: 6.9 seconds to 60 mph and 15.4 seconds at 90 mph in the quarter-mile, versus 6.2 seconds and 14.8 at 94 mph before. Fuel economy suffers too, with EPA combined ratings down 1 mpg versus comparable 2022 Pilots. The TrailSport lands at 20 mpg, which is 1 mpg worse than other all-wheel-drive Pilots. Although this SUV lags behind its most efficient peers, some buyers will appreciate that Honda is sticking with the V-6 rather than switching to a turbo four like many competitors.

Delivering all the expected practicality of a three-row mid-size SUV, the new Pilot expands the breadth of its lineup with the off-road-ready TrailSport. Its driving dynamics now bring it to the front of the pack, on- or off-road.

Director, Vehicle Testing

Dave VanderWerp has spent more than 20 years in the automotive industry, in varied roles from engineering to product consulting, and now leading Car and Driver‘s vehicle-testing efforts. Dave got his very lucky start at C/D by happening to submit an unsolicited resume at just the right time to land a part-time road warrior job when he was a student at the University of Michigan, where he immediately became enthralled with the world of automotive journalism.