Honda Pilot (2026)

Redline Reviews remains positive on the 2026 Honda Pilot, but no longer calls it the obvious class leader. The refresh brings welcome upgrades, including a quick 12.3-inch Google-equipped infotainment system, quieter cruising, comfortable seating, flexible eight-passenger capacity, and useful cargo storage. The naturally aspirated V6 sounds good and feels responsive in everyday driving, though its measured 7.6-second 0–60 performance is disappointing. Soft handling, mid-pack space, modest styling changes, missing hybrid option, and limited luxury tech keep it from standing out against the Telluride, Grand Highlander, Palisade, and CX-90. It remains a sensible, comfortable, reassuring choice—just a very safe one.

Jordan is positive but measured, calling the 2026 Honda Pilot a sensible, comfortable family SUV rather than an exciting one. He appreciates its roomy, usable cabin, genuinely accommodating third row, quieter ride, physical climate controls, larger screens, wireless smartphone integration, and capable AWD system. However, the interior feels bland for the price, the 10-speed transmission shifts too often, driver assistance struggles on gentle curves, and the unchanged V6 misses the efficiency benefits of a hybrid. Jordan considers the refresh worthwhile but extremely conservative, recommending the TrailSport for light off-roading and the Odyssey for maximum practicality.

Alex on Autos is clearly positive about the 2026 Honda Pilot, viewing it as a worthwhile refinement rather than a transformation. He appreciates the tougher styling, spacious and genuinely usable three-row cabin, standard roof rails, larger screens, wireless smartphone integration, quilted Elite upholstery, and quieter ride. His hands-on impressions also praise the smooth V6, improved steering precision, comfortable middle-ground handling, and practical cargo space. Still, the Pilot is not especially quick or fuel-efficient, offers only one powertrain, and costs about $2,000 more. Overall, he considers the updates enough to keep it competitive, though not class-leading.

Car Confections comes away strongly positive about the 2026 Honda Pilot. After a week and 224 mixed-driving miles, they praised its exceptionally practical cabin, flexible eight-passenger second row, adult-friendly third row, smooth V6, excellent ride, quietness, and well-integrated technology. The Pilot feels easy to live with and competitively priced at higher trims, while standard safety features add confidence. Still, enthusiasm is tempered by the lack of a hybrid, firm and noisy ventilated seats, average headlights, some transmission hesitation in stop-and-go traffic, and cargo capacity that trails the largest rivals. Overall, it’s a highly recommended family SUV, especially for practicality-focused buyers.

Jen Howard and Nathan Adlen are clearly positive about the 2026 Honda Pilot, though they find its value less compelling. They praise the smooth, naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V6, quiet ride, intuitive physical controls, excellent second- and third-row space, reclining rear seats, and flexible eight-passenger layout. The Pilot feels especially well suited to families, with easy third-row access, useful USB-C ports, and strong everyday practicality. Criticisms include the awkward push-button shifter, heavy hood without struts, modest acceleration, average fuel economy, and a roughly $55,000 Elite price that rivals may better justify. Overall, enthusiasm centers on its reassuring old-school simplicity and solid construction.

TheTopher is highly impressed by the refreshed 2026 Honda Pilot, calling it a standout three-row SUV. He praises its exceptionally spacious, upscale-feeling cabin, comfortable third row, quiet ride, quick infotainment, excellent ergonomics, and unusually enjoyable V6-powered driving dynamics. The Pilot feels smooth and even slightly sporty without sacrificing family-friendly comfort, while AWD, flexible seating, and strong visibility add everyday practicality. He does flag imperfect Honda Sensing behavior, including occasional unnecessary braking, limited steering feel, and lazy downshifts. Still, those are minor blemishes in an otherwise cohesive, luxurious, easy-to-live-with SUV he would genuinely consider owning.

Motormouth is clearly positive on the refreshed 2026 Honda Pilot, calling it a comfortable, sensible family SUV. They appreciate the sharper styling, larger screens, improved steering, quieter cabin, clever removable second-row seat, smooth V6 and 10-speed automatic, and TrailSport’s notably plush ride over rough surfaces. The interior’s storage and logical controls also earn praise, though the Pilot feels more like a boulevard cruiser than a sporty SUV. Criticisms include the missing height adjustment for the passenger seat, mediocre fuel economy, limited third-row legroom, and especially high pricing. Overall, it’s a capable, well-rounded choice, but not an obvious bargain.

Micah Muzio is enthusiastic about the 2026 Honda Pilot, calling it an exceptionally easy family SUV to live with. He praises its roomy, flexible seating, clever storage, smooth ride, quiet cabin, intuitive 12.3-inch infotainment system, and TrailSport’s genuinely useful off-road equipment, including all-terrain tires, underbody protection, and a full-size spare. The naturally aspirated V6 and 10-speed are smooth but not especially quick, particularly when loaded. He also criticizes the high price and lack of a hybrid, while wishing for bolder styling. Overall, it is highly capable and likable, though not quite perfect.

Alanis King is cautiously positive about the 2026 Honda Pilot, appreciating its comfort, practicality, and trusted V6. The Elite offers roomy three-row seating, useful second-row flexibility, good highway manners, and intuitive physical controls, but King finds its styling bland, cabin presentation underwhelming for roughly $55,000, and its soft suspension and sluggish acceleration disappointing. The key insight is that the Pilot’s real advantage is Honda loyalty and confidence in the long-running J35 engine, rather than standout design, technology, or driving excitement. It earns a respectable B-minus and remains a sensible road-trip family SUV, though rivals such as the Hyundai Palisade feel more polished.

Jacob and Yuri are very positive about the refreshed 2026 Honda Pilot, calling it the update the SUV needed. They praise its chunkier styling, notably quiet and comfortable cabin, functional 12.3-inch infotainment system, physical climate controls, spacious three-row seating, and smooth V6 with a conventional 10-speed automatic. The Pilot feels pleasantly normal and well suited to families, with strong driver assistance and useful drive modes. Criticisms are minor: the V6 is merely adequate, the volume knob is too small, some seat trim may be hard to clean, and the cargo area fits only two carry-ons. Overall, they view it as a successful, sensible refresh.

Joe Raiti is highly enthusiastic about the 2026 Honda Pilot EX-L, calling it a standout V6 value in the midsize SUV class. He praises its comfortable, quiet ride, smooth acceleration, intuitive 12.3-inch infotainment system, practical removable second-row seat, generous cargo room, and easy visibility. The refresh feels meaningfully polished to him, though he admits the Pilot could be quicker. His criticisms are mostly detail-oriented: poor screen picture quality, halogen reverse lighting, fake exhaust trim, an exposed wiper, prop rod, lack of a sunroof, and no cargo-release handles. Overall, he strongly recommends the EX-L as a well-rounded family SUV.

Christina Branman is highly enthusiastic about the 2026 Honda Pilot’s family-focused versatility. She demonstrates a clever second-row setup that accommodates a bulky wagon, removable center seat, car seats, generous legroom, sunshades, heated seats, USB-C ports, and third-zone climate control. She also appreciates the upscale cabin, head-up display, cabin talk, panoramic sunroof, abundant cupholders, and capable V6 with available all-wheel drive. Her main reservations are that the third row is too cramped to feel like a real seat and that ceiling vents are missing.

Andrea Spencer is moderately positive about the 2026 Honda Pilot, especially its expanded standard equipment and thoughtful TrailSport upgrades. She welcomes the larger displays, Google built-in, wireless smartphone integration, heated seats, quieter cabin, improved steering, and clever removable second-row center seat. Her post is primarily an informative preview rather than a driving review, since impressions were still forthcoming. She provides detailed Canadian and U.S. pricing, fuel economy, seating, and towing figures, but offers little criticism beyond noting market-specific equipment differences and the Pilot’s relatively high fuel consumption.

Carlos Millares ve con buenos ojos la Honda Pilot 2026, aunque no la considera una compra obvia. Destaca su diseño más robusto, la pantalla de 12.3 pulgadas, Apple CarPlay inalámbrico, mejor insonorización y un clúster digital más moderno. También valora la aceleración del V6, la suspensión y la tracción integral. Sin embargo, la tercera fila es limitada, el frenado podría mejorar y el precio de 1.27 millones de pesos pesa bastante. Su mayor virtud, según Millares, es el equilibrio práctico: al abatir la tercera fila ofrece una cajuela excepcional, aunque deja abierta la comparación con la próxima Kia Telluride.