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2023 Honda Pilot AWD TrailSport – Review by David Colman


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2023 Honda Pilot TrailSport

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2023 Honda Pilot TrailSport

It’s a winner!

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David Colman
Photos and Story By David Colman
Special Correspondent to THE AUTO CHANNEL


I was loading Honda's all-new 4th generation 2023 Pilot TrailSport with crates from Costco when another customer stopped in his tracks to admire my stunning Sonic Gray SUV. His first observation: "That's really a looker!" So I told him to take a closer look at the alloy rim in front of him. "It's got the Trailsport name cast right into the wheel" he exclaimed. After marveling at the foxy-looking black and orange stitching of the Honda's interior, and the size of its transparent panoramic roof, he told me he'd been shopping Ford Broncos that very morning. At the local dealer, he was crestfallen to discover that the only models in stock were a pair of Bronco Raptors, each carrying an invoice of $117,000. When I asked him how much he thought the Pilot cost, he guesstimated $75,000. So I showed him its $48,350 base price, and then reached for the smelling salts to revive him.


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2023 Honda Pilot TrailSport

Unlike Toyota, which has gone the turbo four-cylinder route for its similarly sized Highlander this year, Honda has stuck resolutely with a normally aspirated 3.5 liter V6 for motive power. While the Toyota is reasonably quick in passing situations, the Pilot is quicker still thanks to its 20hp advantage (285 vs. 265) over the Highlander. Honda puts those extra ponies to good use with a paddle shiftable 10-speed automatic transmission which is also new for 2023. The all-wheel-drive Trailsport is good for a 0-60mph run of 6.0 seconds, a quarter mile run of 14.5 seconds, and a top speed of 115mph. Those are highly respectable numbers for a vehicle weighing in at 4,313 pounds. The only yardstick the Honda loses to the Highlander is fuel economy, where the Pilot posts an overall 20MPG to 24MPG for the Toyota.


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2023 Honda Pilot TrailSport

The Trailsport edition is the 4th most expensive model in the Pilot line. The front-wheel drive Sport model carries a price of $40,495, with the EX-L next up at $43,295, followed by the Touring at $47,795. Only the $53,375 Pilot Elite tops our Trailsport, which went out the door for $48,745 (including $395 for Sonic Gray paint). In addition to the monogrammed 18-inch alloy rims, Honda upgrades the Trailsport with "Rugged Terrain" tires (265/60R18 Continental Terrain Contact), and lifts the suspension by an inch for added outback ground clearance. A recalibrated i-VTM (intelligent variable terrain management) AWD system offers a raft of Drive Mode settings that are unavailable on other Pilots (Econ/Sport/Snow/Tow/Trail/Sand). The Trailsport is fitted with steel skid plates, unique damper valving, model-specific spring rates, and thinner front and rear anti-roll bars. All these revisions make for a higher level of competence in off-road conditions, plus a softer and more compliant ride quality on pavement.


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2023 Honda Pilot TrailSport

Although we had no opportunity to take the Pilot off-road during our mostly wet week of driving, we found it to be exceptionally well suited to pavement driving. The revised suspension settings and comparatively tall Continental (60 series) sidewalls floated the Pilot over imperfections that would be jarring in a more stiffly sprung SUV. The only drivability issue we experienced was a lack of sightlines to all four corners from the driver's seat. The Pilot's front and rear fascias have been redesigned for 2023 with a blockier configuration that distances the driver from immediate surroundings. As a result, we found ourselves parking this rig several feet short of parking lot bump stops. Although standard front and rear parking sensors mitigate the problem to some extent, it would be preferable to see where you're going rather than sense it secondhand.

Honda has a winner with this TrailSport's interior. Double bands of orange stitching make the seat surfaces and dashboard pop visually, while nifty logo-embossed rubber floor mats match the slick orange Trailsport embroidery on the front seat's headrests. Our test Pilot was fitted with a pair of roomy captain's chairs in the second row, and a jump seat bench in the third row, all of which collapse effortlessly to provide a whopping 87cubic feet of cargo space behind the first row, and 48 cubic feet behind the second row. With all seats erect, you still have 18 cubic feet of storage behind the third row to fill. And filling that space is just what we were doing when we made another Honda sale that day in the parking lot at Costco.


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2023 Honda Pilot TrailSport

PHOTO (select to view enlarged photo)
2023 Honda Pilot TrailSport

PHOTO (select to view enlarged photo)
2023 Honda Pilot TrailSport

2023 HONDA PILOT AWD TRAILSPORT

    ENGINE: 3.5 liter V6 with Variable Engine Management
    HORSEPOWER: 285hp@6500rpm
    TORQUE: 262lb.-ft.@5000rpm
    FUEL CONSUMPTION: 18MPG City/23MPG HIGHWAY
    PRICE AS TESTED: $48,745

HYPES: Handsome Redesign, Off Road Chops

GRIPES: Absent Lines of Sight

STAR RATING: 9.5 Stars out of 10



©2023 David E. Colman