2023 Honda Pilot TrailSport - Actually Good Off-Road Now? In-Depth Review 

One of the best looking SUVs in that segment. And probably enough off road capability for 95% of buyers.

Love the underside ramp view! So helpful to see what's going on underneath from an engineering perspective as opposed to fancy cladding and marketing badges. Kudos gentlemen.

95 % of the owners will never see this much mud so its a win for a family hauler especially for the deep snow in winter

the new honda pilot was tested for the Arizona sedona trail. Its goood enough for light off roading and most people will drive this to haul kids. It was never intended for hard off roading but at least it can be a fun family cross over. There are 2 inch lift kits for this pilot so off roading would be more fun. This does 75% of what a 4 runner can do.

I think it did great on what it’s designed to do. IMO the most capable 3 row unibody AWDs out there.

I'd take this camping and onto some unpaved roads in the mountains. Perfect for snow as well. I would probably never do the off-roading like you did and 95% of parents wouldn't either. Nice review!

That awd system did lock in quickly and was impressive. Out of the box not a great off roader but because of that awd system I'd say if it gets some aftermarket love with a bigger lift kit, larger tires, and some type of front bumper replacement to give more approach angle it might be fall into the segment competing against the other mild offroaders (ford maverick tremor, bronco sport badlands, etc).

Great review! I'm mostly a rough-roader so I was eyeballing one for car camping and hauling a small camper trailer. This was helpful!

Still waiting on the Ridgeline refresh, c'mon Honda, give it to me! 🤣

Great review. You’re spot on in calling it a roughroader. Saw one in the show room recently and thought it would be a good winter driving vehicle for our Canadian winters.

It’s not just traction control - has torque vectoring for the rear wheels though, so awd works really well. Looks good but the styling minimized approach and departure angles. Off-road versions should do something different with front and rear bumpers.

Great video! We just bought one of these, we have yet to test the off road capability. However, the on road experience is super smooth. 3k miles in 3 weeks and we have been extremely happy.

Just picked one up. Didn’t expect I hard core off road vehicle. Wanted a good suv for snow and trips to northern Michigan 2 tracks. Much better on road then my 4Runner.

That’s a pretty good AWD system. Not bad Honda. They should make the Passport even more rugged just to differentiate the Pilot and Passport more. Shorter wheel base should help.

Great video TK! That Honda v6 is an absolute stalwart engine.

Love this. All crossover videos going forward should be titled "Off-roader or Rough-roader?"

Pilot Trailsport vs Explorer Timberline? Y’all should do a mashup!

Great info, likes how you classified it as a "rough roader". Thanks, always enjoy your reviews.

Glad you showed it in a real world off-road situation. I was getting the impression it was more capable than it really is.

I like this new gen Pilot way better than last. For a family hauler it has pretty good off~road chops.

Very solid review! Appreciated!

Love the video very informative and true!!

We ordered one about a month ago and we’re super excited to get it and pull our off-road teardrop camper.

Awesome Vehicle Review as always! You guys Rock 😁

I appreciate the honest review on this.

Thanks guys 👏👏...Have a good week ahead everybody ✌️

just bought one a couple days ago it is a family hauler it'll probably never see off road like that, we just liked the look of the trailsport

Good review; well done. We’re considering a Pilot Trail Sport - and will probably be buying one (even though NOT HAPPY with only a black interior option!!) - but mainly as we live on a mountain accessible by a climbing gravel road. We’ll never experience, or ‘tackle’ the conditions you tested in, however we will encounter mud, snow and ice while climbing our 2 1/2 mile long gravel road that climbs appx 1,000’ of elev. Yes, mostly a highway hauler. Thanks for the review and discusssion!

Haven't seen you in a video in a while, so happy I found your channel!

If they would make this at least 10 inches of ground clearance and a better approach angle this thing would be a off road monster.

Thank you for this review. It definitely needs more clearance if a small mud rut is too deep.

I've been waiting for the Pilot to get back to its original roots as a semi off road capable vehicle. I have a 2003, and stock it came with over 8" clearance, two recovery hooks front and two rear. The 03 has better approach angle, but no skid plates available. I wish this new model had recovery hooks and better angles - that would make it perfect in my eyes, a shame Honda didn't address these two issues.

Rough-Roader. Great description! You should trade mark it cause somebody is gonna make a trim version with it!

This would be a great beach vehicle. Enough ground clearance for sand and the AWD system is great on the snow/sand. If you drive it smart, you would rarely get stuck.

I'm enjoying my elite and happy to have the best awd when I need it

Dad tells it like it is! I love it!

We purchased this same vehicle a week ago and have something to add. The wiring to tow a light duty trailer or a heavy trailer with trailer brakes is not included. It costs almost $800 to add that feature. We were told the vehicle was ready to tow. It has the hitch, it has tow mode transmission but has no trailer light plug built in. Add in the cost of a brake controller and you are at $1K to tow at rated capacity.

best looking Pilot in years.

Great video! Have the vehicle.. just need to get Off roading!

I believe that besides that it looks great, it is probably the best option for most people

An excellent vehicle for the mountain biker or hiker that needs to take a fireroad to the trailhead.

Just took delivery of a 2024 Elite. Sold a Q7, which was a wonderful SUV, outside of the tech, the Honda blows it away as a family vehicle.

Thanks for the review and for “rough roader”. 👍🏽 I go fishing/camping/hunting and 98% of the time I just need a good drive system, better tires, and some underbody protection and I’m fine. I never expect to be able to take a Pilot or Outback to Moab or mudding, and on an average trip for the 25 miles I am off pavement there are 250 miles on pavement to get there.

Nice looking vehicle, I like the color. The look underneath was nice, too! Honda seems to have an impressive AWD system.

It's a good vehicle, and has a capable AWD system, it's just too bad when you trim out one to be a trail capable version they don't do it properly. It's built for the pavement but with rugged looks, many people might not leave the pavement but many others specifically buy these trail versions for the capability. Manufacturers like Honda should produce two versions of their rugged trims -one that looks rugged and can get through some mud and snow, and then ones that are actual sport utility vehicles that delete the on-road fuel-saving accoutrements and can live up to the badge they slap on it.

yes, they specifically said now the clutches in ivtm4 vectoring axle are stronger so it should not overheat them as fast is it happened before to tfl in on 3 or 2 wheels uphill

Saw a “tow/haul” mode. Can’t wait for that to finally get to the Ridgeline

It has me genuinely curious bc this generation is better then the last one and now there really putting it to test in all these video I’m curious to see what the next generation is gonna bring out

Doesn't it have torque vectoring AWD? The same as Acura's SH-AWD?

I LOVE THIS THING. I HAD A 1ST GEN ACURA MDX WITH ABOUT A 2" LIFT WITH SOME TOYO OPEN COUNTRY 2'S WITH SOME OTHER MODS AND USED TO RUN AROUND TONS OF TRAILS DOWN IN FLORIDA. MY BROTHER AND I & SOME BUDDIES ALL COULDNT GET OVER HOW CAPABLE IT WAS. IVE HEARD PEOPLE SAY THEY HAD TROUBLE WITH THE TRANS ON THEM BUT WHEN I SOLD MINE WITH 220K ON IT, THE THING WAS JUST LIKE THE DAY I GOT IT. REGULAR AND PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE . I WAS ABLE TO GET THROUGH STUFF MY BROTHERS 4×4 F150 WAS GETTING STUCK IN. IVE BEEN SOLD ON THESE HONDA/ACURA UNIBODY SUV'S WVER SINCE. THERE DEFINITELY NOT FOR ROCK/BOULDER CRAWLING BUT AS A TRAIL RUNNER THEYRE QUITE GOOD AND BULLET PROOF IN MY EXPERIENCE.

This is an excellent example of AWD, clearance and capabilities for the MALL shopper:)

" trail" ie dirt road and fire trails... and approach angle from a rutted path is not approach angle measured by anyone. Proper techniques and paying attention to limitations and conditions will make this perform the way intended. It's not a UTV.

Haha, rough roader is right. Where are ppl going off-roading with a Pilot? Excellent review. Thoughts on just the captains chairs in the 2nd row? Lacklustre for me… wish they included the removable bench seat in the Touring and above… No trail cam is a huge miss, why should the consumer pay the same price for less. I do like the factory lift, wheels/tire combo, and the full sized spare that comes with the trail sport. What trim would you get, for a family hauler?

smart video - really well done as always - car is good - marketing is horrible (isn't the marketing department ALWAYS screwing things up?)

Are there any good lift kits out there for this vehicle like the Toyota SUV line?

Nice video. Time for an American build version like GM/ford where you can slap some 33s on it and proper suspension and clearance.

I don't feel they put across that there's nothing else in this segment like the Honda Pilot Trailsport. I happen to know this because I bought one brand new, on a road trip and drove it home to the Colorado mountains. Before that, I shopped everything out there. The AWD on this family SUV is second to none. We live in the San Juan Range, and frequent rough Colorado roads to our favorite hiking trailheads, hauling our two dogs and sometimes a couple of friends or visiting family, and nothing does this and the combo of road tripping better. They also said this was boring but in a good way. I drove ours home over Vail Pass, and many other passes to get back home to the San Juans, and while it's no BMW (I've owned a dozen of those, including the X5), it is most certainly more fun than any other option in this segment, because of the torque-vectoring diff. To be clear, I'm not saying it's more fun than a BMW, because no BMW is within this 50k segment. But BMWs are my reference for mountain pass fun. Lots of reviewers have said the Pilot drives smaller than it is, and that's exactly what I felt on my recent 900 mile road trip through the mountains. Yeah, the approach angles aren't great, but that's certainly not a deal breaker for our needs here in Southern Colorado.

I just got back from a Moab trail, and this trailsport is only doing the most basic of trails, Hurrah trail would be one of the only trails it could do. And I am going to tell people, if you plan on lifting this rig and put extra money into it, I think your still going to have approach and departure issues and you are still going to need low range gearing. A lot of the most difficult off-roading is steep inclines and without a low range you won't be climbing anything. This is basically a decent soft roader only. Honda still needs to do a lot more.

best review

No cameras in Canadian version? I've almost ordered , lucky there is min 6 months wait so i decided not to get it. Maybe I'll wait for me 4 runner to see what it is

Hey TK...late coming back from work

Love this vehicle. My only question is, at about 12:05 in the video, how the hell did those cars get there??? Isn't that an 80s Accord or Acura??

I think the aftermarket will sole any issues this bad boy has , i personally love that honda is trying yo give buyers what they want

which is more capable? This? Or the Subaru Outback Wilderness?

You didn't show the full-size spare from the inside 'trunk floor'.

With such a good AWD system, if it had a little better clearance and approach angle it could be a competitive off-roader. Hopefully Honda is listening.

We have seen the off road test a lot of youtube. How about a towing test video. Thank you.

What exactly are the differences between 2022 and 2023 ?

I have a 2011 Touring 4WD, didn't get the 3rd gen because it looks too much like a minivan. Probably can't afford a Trailsport, so I think i'm gonna get an LX AWD instead.

Lift it, change the front for a higher approach then add skid plates. Pretty much set

is that N for Nebraska?

Trailsport Ridgeline coming?

Is the pathfinder rock creek better than the Honda trailsport

I don't get this U.S. spec - Canadian spec thing, especially nowadays. I would think Honda would simply build a "North American" spec and be down with it. Seems it would be more cost effective.

Is there any difference between trail sport and other model except ground clearance in Canada? Like in slip differential and how it sends power in the rear wheels? Would love to see same test for regular pilot and how they fair compare to trail sport.

Please test the ford explorer timberline

I think there are things people just don't want (me included). We do a lot of cross country traveling and the 3rd row seat are just worthless to me. Rather have the storage. As long as I can get 4 maybe 5 people in the vehicle I'm good. Also, The moon roofs just aren't used enough to justify. It's just more moving parts to break down/leak. Ground clearance is good. Same as a Jeep. It's just the approach angle isn't there. Five thousand pounds towing - Fantastic. Just give me more storage without the extra row of seats. Gas mileage wasn't touched upon. But looking around what this 3.5 L gets is 18 city/23 Highway/20..combined (which will translate to a little less). My 3.6L Subaru will get slightly better mileage. The new Mazda CX-90 a little better gas mileage with the straight six turbo but still has the 3 rows a seats and a huge sunroof. Granted, these 3rd rows and be laid down but think about all the extras storage with out them. Your video was well done and informative. Cheers.

I like Honda. I have a Civic and a Ridgeline. I would buy some other brand if I needed a sufficient off-roader.

I want to see longer trails and various terrains, because many other specifications have been discussed and are boring.

Put a plow in the front and move mud and snow.

Great for the urban jungle with lots of potholes

I'm always in the comments about Honda clearance. 20" tires and a 😁 3-4" liftkit is needed. Test the clearance Function for the trailsport edition in deeper muddy conditions with rocks. Hopefully they put more skid plates underneath the doors as well. A huge rock 🪨 or the edge of a cliff 🤔 👀 could definitely damage 💔 accessible part where the skid plates don't exist 🤔 Honda headquarters gotta upgrade. OFF ROAD is a major factor. Honda has to replace the items that has benefits. Excuses don't help. 20" -22" wheels and tires off road packaging with the 3-4" liftkit is the BEST judgment for REAL LIFE Responses and RESULTS...

@TruckKing I am debating hard between Honda Pilot Trailsport, and Subaru Ascent. Apart from daily commute in winter through slushy Minnesota highways, will also be making winter road trips across North American snow belts, often over unplowed country roads. Having played with both vehicles, which one would you guys recommend, with focus on snow handling, and reliability?

I'm very impressed with the new pilot. I would take the n/a v6 over the turbo 4 Highlander all day.

Could you put a lift kit on this vehicle? Or at least just something to raise it a little bit

I think for most it would do great. It is annoying with the type of marketing they do. I only hope they’ll go bigger with the Passport- hence even the name should be able to get you anywhere.

Honda telling you that the Trail Watch camera system is not available in Canada is in no way an answer to the question, “Why is Trail Watch not available?” You really let Honda get away with that response?!!

Yup to me it is an excellent snow ready SUV on public roads. Which is much better than all the Koreans and most of the Japanese competition.

Pretty good offroad for a minivan.

I’m still surprised that Honda doesn’t have a true off-road vehicle to compete with Toyota. Maybe they figure that if you want to go off-road you get a Honda dirt bike or four wheeler.

In this class, the Traverse makes most sense.

9:46 😄😄

GBR!

the trailsport has heated second row????? Are you sure? i would double check that and fix it in your video.

My wife bought the passport trail sports and she got it for the look. Some of us buy for a look not what it can do.

Maybe next year Honda. This vehicle is not a true off-road or even light off-road SUV. It needs a better approachment angle and a higher lift, better skip plate, real tow hooks in the front and rear connected to the frame.

I can't wait to get one and replace the BMW X3. It's perfect for the wife. I dont off road with that, I have my jeep Rubicon for that.

I think the truck perform a great job for the price point....I don't want to pay $100,000 for a Sequoia....

These are the minivans of today.

Rough -roader - that's a good decription, but since you're Canadian, shouldn't it be "Rough Rider"?? lol