2022 Honda Pilot

The Honda Pilot is a popular option in the ever-competitive midsize SUV market. We've always loved the Pilot for its practicality, but looks wise it has never impressed, and the 2022 model is no different: it seems droopy when compared to the competition. Behind that dreary design lies a highly capable car that offers reliable performance from its 280-horsepower V6 engine, and all models come with a slick-shifting nine-speed automatic transmission. Honda provides the Pilot in a wide range of trims, which means there is something for everyone up and down the price range. There's also a good amount of standard features. Higher up in the range, the Pilot starts to feature some premium equipment but can't match the likes of the Kia Telluride.

There's not much to report here, and we think the styling of the Honda Pilot is one of its most significant drawbacks - it's overdue for a redesign. In typical Honda fashion, the Pilot offers excellent practicality, decent standard features, and competitive fuel economy figures, but chooses restrained styling over something more contemporary. Compared to competitors such as the bold Kia Telluride, the Pilot comes across as drab, and that wagon-like side profile does nothing for its street cred. Honda does, however, offer the Pilot in a Special Edition trim, which adds a set of black alloys. The Honda Pilot Black Edition adds even more attitude, but we're not convinced that it's enough. Standard features across the range include low-beam LED headlights and LED foglights. All models get a one-touch power moonroof and a power tailgate (hands-free above EX-L level). Elite models offer a panoramic roof. Wheel sizes range from 18- to 20-inch items depending on the trim.

The 2022 Honda Pilot is classified as a midsize SUV in terms of dimensions, measuring in with a total length of 196.5 inches and rolling on a 111-inch wheelbase. It stands 70.6 inches tall and is 78.6 inches wide. The track is 66.3 inches front to back, and there's a useful 7.3 inches of ground clearance, enough for most suburban obstacles. Since it's an SUV, it would be worth mentioning its approach and departure angle of 19.7/20.8 degrees. The lightest Pilot is the 2WD EX-L, which weighs in at 4,041 lbs, while the heaviest is the AWD Black Edition at a weighty 4,321 lbs.

As if the exterior styling of the 2022 Honda Pilot wasn't dreary enough, the range of paint colors is just as drab. We understand that the Pilot was never meant to be a fashionista, but when you consider the exciting designs coming out of South Korea and elsewhere, Honda could have spent some time considering its paint offerings. In base trim, the Pilot is offered in six colors, namely Crystal Black, Modern Steel, Lunar Silver, and Obsidian Blue. Platinum White Pearl and Steel Sapphire Metallic are $395 special colors. Fortunately, more colors become available higher up in the range. The Touring and Elite add to the EX-L's list an additional special color: Deep Scarlet. The Black Edition is offered exclusively in Crystal Black or Platinum White, while the Special Edition gets six colors: Crystal Black, Lunar Silver, Modern Steel, and the three extra-cost special colors.

Let's get one thing straight: the Honda Pilot is no Civic Type R. Its bulky design, raised ride height and automatic transmission translates into a car that doesn't thrill the senses or offer an impressive 0-60 mph run, but out in the real world we have been pleasantly surprised. It's not the most underwhelming midsize SUV we've tested. Power comes from a naturally-aspirated 3.5-liter V6 engine producing 280 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque. This engine isn't as powerful as the V6 on offer in the Kia Telluride, which delivers 291 hp and 262 lb-ft of torque. Still, to our surprise, this engine sounds relatively sporty and picks up pace with an eagerness you wouldn't expect from such a vehicle. With linear power delivery, city driving becomes a pleasurable experience, even when fully loaded, and there's enough poke to make highway overtaking a stress-free exercise. Towing capacity is a reasonable 3,500 pounds in front-wheel-drive guise and increases to 5,000 lbs in all-wheel-drive configuration, which matches the Kia Telluride's towing abilities.

The Honda Pilot will spend most of its life trudging around the suburbs picking up kids from school, going to the grocery store, and perhaps going on a few extended family holidays, so those who buy these cars expect a reliable workhorse. With that in mind, Honda has gone with the traditional and trusted combination of an automatic transmission and a large capacity naturally-aspirated engine which delivers predictable power. The engine under the hood is a 3.5-liter naturally-aspirated V6, which sends all 280 hp and 262 lb-ft of torque to either the front or all four wheels via a nine-speed automatic transmission. We are impressed with how perky this combination feels: the engine offers plenty of low-down torque but doesn't mind exploring the upper reaches of the rev range either. We did, however, note that the transmission could get bewildered from time to time.

The general rule of thumb when it comes to handling is that if it doesn't look sporty, and it's an SUV, it's most likely going to handle like a moose on ice. That is not entirely true with the Pilot, but there's no hiding the fact that it's a large car. Out on the open road, the Pilot feels stable, even above the speed limit, and in town, the suspension is well sprung for a comfortable driving experience. It's when you start flinging the Pilot through the corners that it starts to show its shortcomings. Flick the Pilot into a bend, and its weight and ride height become immediately apparent. It doesn't like being flung around, yet retains its composure as well as can reasonably be expected for a three-row family crossover. The 20-inch rims that come on higher trims detract from the otherwise pleasant ride quality and we would suggest avoiding them if possible. It should perform relatively well off-road, but we wouldn't put that theory to the test as it is not 4WD enabled.

Big V6, big curb weight, and a big body don't bode well for the 2022 Honda Pilot in terms of gas mileage, but we were pleasantly surprised by how little fuel this midsize SUV uses. The secret lies in the refined V6 engine that uses variable valve timing and other tech advancements to deliver good power and decent fuel economy all at once. According to the EPA, the 2022 Honda Pilot will use 20/27/23 mpg on the city/highway/combined cycle in FWD configuration, while the AWD cars will manage 19/26/22 mpg. The FWD Kia Telluride manages to offer a comparable figure of 20/26/23 mpg. With a 19.5-gallon fuel tank on board, the Pilot should offer a total mileage range of around 429 and 448 miles when filled up.

You won't be surprised by anything inside the cabin of the 2022 Honda Pilot: it's all pretty standard stuff, but before we get into that, it should be worth mentioning that getting in and out of the Pilot is a pleasure due to its moderate ride height and wide-opening doors. Once inside, you're greeted by a logical space. Everything falls to hand easily, and it's clear that Honda designed the space with family-friendly ergonomics in mind. The interior doesn't feel as upmarket as the Kia, but there's a feeling of quality that is noticeable around the cabin, which is a classic Honda trait. Sitting high up in the front is a boon for forward visibility, and in fact, visibility is great all round. All cars get a sunroof and the top trims a panoramic roof, which helps lift an otherwise dark interior. It's a solid effort overall if a bit dull, but the level of quality seals the deal.

The Pilot is all about maximizing interior space; after all, its primary purpose in life will be to cart youngsters and teenagers to school and back. It also helps that Honda is a master at configuring interiors for maximum practicality with the Touring able to seat 7 passengers or 8 passengers. The majority of trim levels offer a three-across second-row bench and come in an 8-seater configuration, but higher up in the range, this setup is ditched in favor of two captain's chairs. As with most midsize SUVs, the front and second row is prioritized in terms of overall space, and the 3rd row is best left to kids and small adults. The headroom comes in at 39.5 inches in the front, 39.9 inches in the middle (or 40.9 for the upper trims), and 38.9 inches in the rear. Legroom is measured at 40.9 inches in the front, 38.4 inches for the second row, and 31.9 inches in the back.

The life of a Honda Pilot isn't a glamorous one. Most of the time, its interior will have to deal with all the spills and thrills of family life, so it takes some seriously hard-wearing materials to keep things looking semi-decent in the long run. All trims get leather upholstery and in the case of the base EX-L, Honda gives you a single color option: Black. The Elite and Special Edition are offered with your choice of Gray, Beige, or Black perforated leather seats. Color availability changes based on your chosen exterior color. The Black Edition predictably gets black perforated leather only. While there is a fair amount of plastic inside the cabin, everything feels well put together, and we did not experience any annoying rattles.

Ask anyone who drives a Honda Pilot or Fit what one of their favorite features of these cars is, and they're most likely going to tell you that it's the practical trunk and overall cargo space. The 2022 Pilot continues this legacy of superior practicality by offering a cavernous cargo area and a bunch of small storage nooks for added convenience. The Pilot is amongst the most spacious in its class. Cargo capacity varies between 7-seater and 8-seater cars, as the Elite and Black Edition models have a second-row console that cannot be removed - and the Touring gets a choice of seven-/eight-seater configuration. The Pilot's party trick is its adjustable cargo floor that can be configured to offer maximum storage space or to create an underfloor storage compartment. Cargo volume behind the third row is 16.5 cubic feet but drops to 16 cubic feet on seven-seater models. Behind the second row, you get 46.8 cu ft, dropping to 46 for seven-seaters. With all the seats folded, you get a spacious 83.8 cu ft, dropping to 82.1 for seven-seaters. There's a myriad of small-item storage spots scattered around the interior, with the main ones being the large center console storage bin in the front, and the glove compartment. There are two cupholders in the front.

With so many trim levels on offer, listing all the standard features gets a bit complicated, so let's start with the base model EX-L and work our way up the ladder. On the EX-L, you can expect to find standard tri-zone automatic climate control with controls for the second row, heated front seats, push-button start, adaptive cruise control, driver's and front passenger's seatback pockets, illuminated vanity mirrors, a HomeLink remote system, integrated sunshades for the second row, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, one-touch second-row seats, leather upholstery, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. The Special Edition car shares the same features. The Touring model adds courtesy door lights, blue ambient interior lighting, and heated second-row seats (seven-seater version only), while the Honda Pilot Elite gets LED map lights, perforated leather upholstery, ventilated front seats, and a heated leather steering wheel. All models are equipped with collision mitigation braking, road departure assist, adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, blind-spot monitoring, and auto high beam headlights.

All models get a contemporary eight-inch infotainment touchscreen with Bluetooth streaming, an MP3/aux input, speed-sensitive volume compensation, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, SiriusXM satellite radio, and HD Radio. All models up to the Special Edition get a 215-watt sound system with seven speakers, including a subwoofer. After that, you get a 590-watt premium audio system with ten speakers. The Special Edition, Elite, and Black Edition all come with wireless phone charging, while Touring, Elite, and Black Edition models are offered with navigation and a rear entertainment system that features a 10.2-inch display and a Blu-ray player. The top three trims also offer Wi-Fi hotspot capability, a CabinTalk in-car PA system, and second-row HDMI interface. The eight-inch display works well and is easy to get used to, and the overall experience is perfectly satisfactory.

Reliability reviews of the 2021 Pilot are a mixed bag; it has had its fair share of problems in the past two years and earns a 78 out of 100 from JD Power. The 2021 Pilot was also recalled three times for failing tires and problems with the backup camera and its software. The 2022 Pilot has not been recalled so far.

If reliability is a concern, Honda will cover the 2022 Pilot with a basic three-year/36,000-mile warranty, a five-year/unlimited-mile corrosion warranty, a five-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty, and three years or 36,000 miles worth of roadside assistance.

With all those safety accolades behind its name, you can be sure that the 2022 Honda Pilot is packed with some serious safety features. Traditional equipment includes front airbags, front side airbags, as well as three-row side curtain airbags. The Honda Pilot impresses with its driver assistance package, which includes collision mitigation braking, road departure mitigation, adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, blind-spot warning, and auto high-beam headlights.

We like the new Honda Pilot for many reasons, the main one being the fact that it does exactly what it says on the label: it's a relatively affordable people carrier with enough room to fit seven or eight people and their stuff, and it does so with high levels of comfort and enough power, while not using too much fuel. The exterior of the Pilot is a sore point: we think it looks dreary when compared to the competition, but it's what's inside that counts. The interior is a basic setup, but it's perfect for what this Pilot is good at, which is driving around loads of people on a regular basis. The engine and transmission combination is also a good one, with the 3.5-liter V6 offering strong performance. With such a broad lineup of trim levels, it is easy to find one that's perfect for you, and there's also a pretty long list of features if you want even more individuality. We wish the infotainment system was more intuitive, but the eight-inch screen does a serviceable job. At the end of the day, you can't really go wrong with buying one of these.

For what you get, the Pilot is a good buy and well priced against similarly equipped competitors such as the Kia Telluride and Toyota Highlander. However, until the arrival of the new base model, it has nothing to compete with the rivals' base models, all of which start out in the low $30k range. The price of the Honda Pilot's base EX-L model starts at an MSRP of $39,060. Honda Pilot prices quoted here do not include tax, registration, and a destination fee of $1,225. Next up is the Special Edition, which will set you back $39,660. The Touring costs $43,620 and the Elite will set you back a pricey $49,120. For the top of the range Black Edition, expect to pay $50,620. Upgrading from FWD to AWD will add an additional $2,000 to the Honda Pilot's cost.

There are five 2022 Honda Pilot trims available, down from last year's seven with the loss of the two base models. These trims are EX-L, Special Edition, Touring, Elite, and Black Edition. All models share the same 280-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 engine and nine-speed automatic transmission.

The base EX-L is available in FWD or AWD and standard features include automatic headlights with LED low beams and auto high-beams, LED fog lights, 18-inch alloy wheels, a power moonroof, a power tailgate, and roof rails. On the inside, it gets automatic three-zone climate control with controls for the second row, leather upholstery, heated front seats, one-touch second-row seats, driver and passenger front seatback pockets, push-button start, illuminated vanity mirrors, sunshades for the second row, a HomeLink remote, leather-trimmed steering wheel, and an auto-dimming rearview mirror. The infotainment touchscreen measures eight inches and includes Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, HD radio, SiriusXM satellite radio, Bluetooth streaming, speed-sensitive volume compensation, an MP3/aux input, three USB charging ports, and a 215-watt, seven-speaker audio system. Driver-assistance features include adaptive cruise control, forward-collision mitigation with braking, road departure assist, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, auto high beams, and blind-spot monitoring.

The Special Edition has mostly the same features as the EX-L, but adds black 20-inch alloy wheels, a hands-free power tailgate, and wireless phone charging.

Next up is the Touring, which additionally features front and rear parking sensors, chrome door handles, full-LED headlights, a second-row HDMI interface, a rear-seat entertainment system with a 10.2-inch display, heated second-row seats when specified with seven seats, blue interior ambient lighting, navigation, Wi-Fi, the CabinTalk in-car PA system, HondaLink subscription services, and a 590-watt, ten-speaker audio system - but no wireless charging.

The Elite trim is available in seven-seater configuration and with AWD only and additionally gets a panoramic sunroof, rain-sensing wipers, a heated steering wheel, LED map-reading lights, perforated leather upholstery, and ventilated front seats - as well as regaining the wireless charging pad.

Top of the pile is the Black Edition - also seven-seater and AWD only - with its model-specific paint and interior colors, gloss-black door handles and exterior accents, black 20-inch wheels, panoramic roof, and red LED ambient lighting.

Overall, Honda doesn't offer any comprehensive packages since the five trims should cater to most buyers' needs. The base model comes with a few basic package deals, mainly of protective gear for the exterior and cargo areas. Honda also offers accessories such as a trailer hitch for $384 and roof crossbars for $240. The Touring trim can be had with perforated and heated second-row captain's chairs for an additional $300.

The Pilot was never intended to be a premium luxury vehicle, and it shows: the sedate exterior styling and basic interior design are all built around the idea that the Pilot will serve as a hard-working family SUV. For this reason, we're going to look at the lower half of the range. At the top end of the range, the Black Edition tries too hard to be a premium and sporty car, and we're not convinced, so we'll give that a skip. If it were up to us, we would go with the EX-L that already comes with everything you need, including leather upholstery, heated front seats, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration, along with an eight-inch infotainment display and safety features such as LED fog lights and blind-spot monitoring, all for a price of $39,060. If you want something cheaper in the low-$30k region, you'll have to opt for a rival or wait for the new base model.

The Telluride is a highly competent product from Korean car manufacturer Kia, and at first glance is the more handsome car. By a mile. The Telluride looks fresh and combines stylistic elements of the Volvo XC90 and Range Rover in a midsize package, which works really well. Power is provided by a 3.8-liter V6 unit that produces 291 hp and 262 lb-ft of torque, which is sent to either the front or all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission. We love its smooth V6 engine, and large families will definitely appreciate the generous interior space with 7 seats, which we might add is more stylish than the Pilot. The ride is beautifully set up, and as is usual with Kia products, you get a ton of standard features. Unfortunately, it's not as fleet-footed as the Pilot. We would still take it over the Honda, though.

The Highlander has been around in one form or another for over two decades, and Americans are still buying them in droves, which surely means that it's good, right? That answer is not that simple: the Highlander gets a lot of things right but fails at a few as well. The Toyota is motivated by a 3.5-liter V6 offering 295 hp and 263 lb-ft of torque. Power gets channeled to the front, or all fours via an eight-speed auto transmission. We appreciate its highly configurable seating arrangement that is perfect for large families on the go, with a total of 8 passengers accommodated. It also comes with a good amount of standard features and a long list of safety tech. On the road, it is composed and quiet, but the Honda is the better car in this regard. On the other hand, the third-row seating is very tight, and we aren't impressed with the cluttered dashboard. We'll take the Honda.