The 2023 Honda Pilot Is a Big Improvement 

Doug is the type of guy that instantly cackles like a villain whenever he uses a car microphone

The engine bay looks clean as hell for a stock modern vehicle.

I can't be the only one who wonders if the 3rd row button to move the seat in front works if someone is sitting on it. I feel this is definitely something siblings would try. 😂

My favorite thing about this car is that you just know it’s gonna last forever. No supercharger, no turbo charger, No hybrid system. Just a good old 3.5 V6 it’s gonna last for 250,000 miles.

I love these types of reviews. I know they aren’t the most exciting/viewed videos, but they are so helpful when looking to buy a car. Other reviewers are often so sterile when it comes to taking about features.

One more quirk/feature of the cargo area, the subfloor area is sized so you can store the (easily removable) middle seat if you have the 8 seater configuration. Allowing you to have a 7 seater day to day but covert it to an 8 seater when you need it.

Historically, the “it just works” ethos of the Pilot also carries well into the ownership experience. Hondas 3.5L V6 is practically bullet proof. These cars extremely reliable and as a result have excellent resale value. There’s a reason you see so many older models still on the road.

We bought one of these in June (Elite trim) and just got back from a 13 state, 5,000 mile road trip with three adults, two dogs, and a bunch of our stuff. It was a magnificent road trip vehicle and we are super happy with our purchase so far. I know some people bitch about the size of the touchscreen (it's 9" in our Elite, while the new Accords have 12.1") but honestly in real world driving it's totally fine. I'd enthusiastically recommend this rig for anyone considering a new 3 row. Came down to Pilot vs Telluride for us and we just preferred Honda at the end of the day. PS - I daily a Mk 7.5 GTI so that's my primary frame of driving reference.

The sizes of vehicles in the US continues to shock me. It’s crazy to think that this monstrosity is only considered ”mid-sized”!

Feels like it’s been so long since a regular cars have made it on the channel. I wasn’t a Honda design fan until 2022 and 2023. Seems they finally figured out how to make things look good. This and the Palisade video are super entertaining AND super helpful!

One thing he forgot to mention with the trailsport upgrades is the new rear differential. This SUV is actually decently capable off-road due to that major upgrade

I'm happy to see a return to this car's roots. My family had an old 2nd gen Pilot when I grew up. It took us wherever we needed to go, it hauled hundreds of pounds of wood and tile without complaints, and it could pull heavy trailers for hours on end. It was rear-ended four separate times (one of which totalled the other car) and it barely even needed repairs. It's still running with over 200,000 miles and 13 years of age. I have so many fond memories of that old car, and I'm glad Honda stopped trying to turn it into a pseudo-crossover minivan wannabe.

The plastic trim you pointed out, while intended to look like metal, isn't a skid plate. The actual skid plates would be underneath the vehicle and may actually be stainless steel.

The steel skid plates are more under the car protecting the drivetrain components... you were just pushing on a plastic garnish.

Love this color. Works well with the pilot! Like you're piloting through the blue sky

Although this is still a 3.5 V6, it’s a new engine. It’s now DOHC and was built to comply with new emissions standards going forward. Between the engine, the new transmission, and basically SH-AWD, it’s actually quite new underneath.

Hey Doug. The touring and elite models have second row heated seats 😊

For the first time in a decade I can look at a Honda lineup without cringing. Good job!

Thank you for reviewing no only fancy cars but some that we can actually buy. Love your videos, and super excited with your success!!

Having owned 2015 EXL, this new box shape is something which was missing for quite a long time. Thank you Honda for re-introducing this flavor again.

Doug is the type of guy who sleeps with ruler to see how long he slept

I like these reviews of regular, affordable vehicles!

Pretty much spot on though you should try the other trim levels to compare noise. The back seat has more headroom than some other similar SUV's like the Toyota Highlander and Subaru Ascent. Also it's wider than those vehicles and it feels bigger when you drive it. Trailsport version has 1mpg less than the regular versions as well. Drive modes are different on different trim levels with the LX version lacking a few modes. LX is a bit louder due to (apparently,) lack of acoustic dampening glass.

So I’ve never driven the new pilot, but I have driven the most recent passport. As a rental of all things. I had the “off-road” version of it and I actually loved it. Honda SUV’s are some of my favorites coke recently and this is from someone who test drive new cars for Audi and Mercedes. It’s definitely not a raptor or trd Tacoma but it actually did phenomenal for basic overlanding and off-roading on dirt and sand dunes. I was passing trucks and SUV’s that had gotten stuck in a HONDA. I also would like to admit that with the black on black this car was rocking, I had a LOT of girls coming up to me. Mostly moms but still. Definitely one of my favorite SUV’s to date and I think you hit the nail on the head with everything but the fun factor Doug. It is a bit more fun than you’d give it credit for if you took it camping. Definitely not fast though. Fantastic video!

Got to sit in one of these at an auto show. Very impressed with the improvements.

The new Honda Pilot looks so good. I like they went for a more boxy style. As a matter of fact I love that these vehicle manufacturers are going back to more boxy designs. I always dreamed of vehicles looking more boxy but having modern technology, though I do prefer older technology because it's more simpler.

Thanks for keeping the reviews solo

I've owned one for about a month. I take it up in the mountains in Colorado almost every weekend. It does so well! I'm honestly in love with it

Doug can you do a follow up video, covering more rare cars that you wouldn’t ordinarily recognize are rare. I loved the detail you went into in that video and you really opened my eyes and many others to some seriously cool and quirky rare gems.

It looks like a throwback to the 09-15 Pilot. Boxy design and bigger.

I have the black LX version because nobody within 70 miles had the sport yet. It's fantastic. very smooth. Got the 80% ceramic tint on all windows and 15% on front two. Looks great. plasti-dipped awd and H logo on back. for an LX, it has quite a bit standard.

I seen a couple on the road and was like ohh Doug bout to get to this😂

Doug, you should of done more research on the engine because it’s a different 3.5 engine from the last model and its still a timing belt, quad cam with no more valve adjust.

Brilliant climate control design! Honda seems to have improved what already was a good, proven and reliable SUV. Smart move.

We love our new 2023 Pilot Trailsport...I don't find it too noisy and the ride is just fine. Actually pretty fun to ride on our central Texas roads which are often very bumpy.

I love Hondas new interior design. Perfect ratio of screen and buttons, everything that should be a physical button is one and a decent screen size rather a whole monitor in the dash.

You should also do a review for the Grand Highlander as well.

We need more oversized water bottle compatibility in new cars. Right now my civic has the perfect spot for it and god am I going to miss it when I get my new car

Bought a 2023 Pilot Elite. Took it on a 2500-mile two-week road trip. We love everything (except one small thing) about it. Can’t say enough about the comfort, storage (both front cabin and rear area), and driving experience on 80 MPH interstates. All great. The one drawback is the passenger seat. We knew this when we bought it, but went ahead anyway. The passenger seat does not raise up. My wife is short. We had to buy a 2-inch seat cushion so she could see better. Honda, please put that adjustment in future models (at least in the top-end Elite).

Great video

Wow, this looks so much better than past years' designs.

Looking forward to your Grand Highlander, Lexus TX, and ID Buzz longwheelbase videos!

Im surprised you didnt mention about how smooth the new non VTEC J35Y8 is along with the 10AT transmission. When you put it in sport mode the steering stiffens up quite a bit and when using the paddles the shifts are significantly faster than the ZF 9HP48 transmission but that as well is a amooth shifting trans

That's some impressive merging onto the highway while barely looking at traffic and looking at the your camera while memorizing your script!

I hope there are people like me who hate that we are stuck with captain seats in mid row unless we buy base trims. At least give an option to choose between captain and bench seats.

I wonder if there is more sound deadening in the Elite. I would think so. I really wish someone would review the Elite model. All I see online is the Trailsport.

I'm REALLY loving the redesign

It’s cool how practical it is

What a remarkably practical interior! Quite a lot of functions have been moved back to being buttons and knobs again, which is great. Hopefully it's a trend that continues!

Doug is the type of guy to sponsor his own video

Def. Recommend doing a truck review of the Apocalypse 6×6 if you havent already. Saw one today and i was blown away!

Love Your review

Honda is my favorite car brand. And of course, I'm really excited to see what they are going to do for the next months

My aunt recently bought the new pilot and the brakes kept randomly going off when a shadow passed in front of the sensors. It even went off on the *highway* once

As someone who works at Honda building these, i would like to point out a couple of things. 1. The wheels and blue paint are exclusive to the trailsport. Also, i cant believe Doug didnt mention that the trailsport name is stamped into the rims. 2. The trailsport didnt start with this new model, it started with the previous generation. Lastly, and i cant believe i never noticed it before but Doug mentioned a camera button at the end of the wiper stalk and i didnt know that was there😅. Best believe the next time i go to work, i will be looking for that.

Hi Doug, great review as always. A few comments from a 2019 Elite owner. Some of the features you seem to think are new I enjoy on my 19´ - cabin talk I have. I also have the senseless eco button and also 4 drive modes. I also have a flip-down screen for the kids to view DVD, but it rarely gets used. Pull-up sun shades are great and also on my 19´. My two girls do love the rear captains seats. Also the button for getting into the third row we enjoy as well. Apple CarPlay is great as well as voice commands with the button on the steering wheel. I can dictate texts with Siri with iMessage or WhatsApp, super convenient. All sorts of room as you note, great family car. I must say I was disillusioned a little when shopping this car though. I live in Costa Rica and the roads are not very good. Lots of bumps and potholes. I felt buying the pilot would get me an overall more robust undercarriage and running gear- it’s really not. I don’t think it’s any beefier than your standard sedan after really looking underneath it. I have about 40K on the car and am facing $2k in front end work. Also a slow leak in the transfer case and now the transmission is acting up, not looking forward to that repair. Honda only does 3yr - 36k mile warranty here witch sucks but it is what it is. Having said all that, I still love my Pilot! Oh, one other thing, the entire car industry including Honda have done a great job pushing all wheel drive. I get it if you’re driving in snow but pretty much overkill if you’re not. Heavier car, more complicated, uses more gas and eats up front tires, although it does handle better. My wife and I both have four wheel drive trucks so I would not buy another all-wheel drive for the family car, just don’t need it in 99% of driving scenarios. Hope my comments help others!

I really like this new Pilot especially the Trailsport! I personally like the half digital/ analog gauge cluster because it looks much cooler than that BMW looking digital gauge cluster thats gonna break at any moment, and I don't need more features than that. I also have no idea why you would compare this to an X5 and the GLE though. Like... Those are complete different cars. You gonna have to take a break from reviewing several luxury cars and review some normal cars Doug.

This is the only other midsize SUV I'd consider beyond the telluride/palisade.

I bought a EXL TRIM a couple months ago .. loving it so far great family car .

I was chilled to the bone at 11:57 and the manical laugh... still can't sleep. LOL

I’m surprised the home-style electric outlet didn’t come much sooner, such a common sense idea. EDIT: I meant cars as a whole, not just the Pilot. Cars haven’t had the actual cigarette lighter for a long time now, so I’m not sure why the cigarette lighter style outlet continued past that. Should’ve made the switch then.

This Pilot is also a lot more rigid and more safe than the previous version. As a result of this and the new awd system and new engine it's also surprisingly nimble to drive.

You can see the progression of Honda simply making this look less like a Van/SUV to solely and SUV. They did a good job. I think the next revision will be the one to go for. I did see one of these today on the highway and quickly noticed it and applauded Honda (albeit in my head) for finally making this look good to almost anyone and not just a Mom who needs 3 rows.

Doug, take a weekend some time with some people you know in the off-roading community. There are great locations to explore within a 4hr drive from SoCal. This is an enthusiast community with every bit as much enthusiasm as exists in the exotic/sport car world. I think you'll really enjoy it. And then maybe on your next review you won't push your fingers against the front bumper and call it a "skid plate".

New cars need to be cheaper, less tech and just reliable. I will rather buy a 20,000 dollare car for my family than something woth a cool design and led everything and a stupid tablet attached to the dash board.

Good to fit in some regular cars in your reviews. Chevy Trax, maybe?

You had a Honda HR-V review few months ago and then the new Pilot right now. Hoping to see a future video of the new CR-V as well. It’s the sweet spot of the three size and price-wise.

Nice, looking forward to a Grand Highlander review at some point to compare all these 3 row midsize SUVs!

Looks like the latest generation Pilot took a lot of 3rd row ergonomic cues from the Kia Telluride, good for them 👍🏼

I really like the new pilot. This and the new pathfinder rock creek look really cool!

I was waiting for this one ! I have an 06 385k !

The "Cabin Talk" demonstration... 😆🤣

Cars people drive the bloody piss out of flooring it at all times because of some sort of chip on their shoulder, the first one goes without saying: Nissan Altima Honda CRV Base model Honda Civic Toyota Rav 4 any version Subaru Forester non-XT Base Model Ford Focus Electric cars that arent Tesla's Hyundai Santa Fe Feel feel free to chime in with geographically appropriate examples also. I find this topic interesting.

As one of Doug’s visually impaired viewers, it always impresses me how many ‘thises’ Cars and Bids manages to sell

that interior leather is so nice

12:44 I found the space to put a second wireless charger. Passengers (often the spouse) have phones too.

I am one of those people who thinks small cars and SUVs are best and just what 90% of people need :) But my dad had a 99 Izusu Trooper I think, and it was wonderful and for that reason I really like this Pilot ❤️ (Originally the Pilot and the Trooper were the same car)

Ideal cargo space for Doug to buy those cookies in bulk from now on

Cars should put magnets in the back of headrests… MagSafe my phone to the back and boom RU-vid time!

I have a 2G 2014 Pilot EXL 4WD and i like how this new gen kinda goes back to mine in terms of boxy/cube styling, not to mention the comical practicality on the inside in terms of cupholder/trunk space. the engine is also finally moving away from the VTEC SOHC that honda guys seem to love, but this new DOHC motor seems to be doing the job just well too. additionally, to critique on doug's driving impressions: true, the pilot isn't really fun to drive... but in the my 2G at least, it's oddly fun to shift from 1 to 2 and into D banging off the near-7000rpm redline in true Honda fashion but maybe thats just be lol

Doug is the type of guy to trade in his Carrara Gt for a pilot

Doug's the type of guy to make you notice that he's wearing pants instead of shorts... And it feels strange...

In regards to the Captains Chairs. The Touring and Elite have a removable middle seat in the middle row. This will give you that captain chairs however it does not have the folding down armrests.

Doug is so cool, Doug sponsors Doug's videos....

Doug the kind of guy who drinks Bud Lite and says stunning and brave with every sip.

Love Doug Demilo! ❤

I’m 💀 😂 after that CabinTalk demonstration.

Finally, a review I know something about. We picked up our new Pilot Trailsport about a month ago, right before taking a family vacation. It was about 600 miles each way, with large parts of it through the mountains of WV, VA, and NC, and running in Eco mode (with a heavy foot) we still averaged 22mpg. We took the trip down with our two kids (under 10 YO) and there was plenty of room for them in the second row, charging for iPads, and with the third row folded down there was plenty of storage for everything that we needed to transport for a long beach vacation. It drove like a dream, and rode like a dream. When we got to the beach house we unloaded and pulled up the third row so we could transport two additional kids and one additional adult, no problems. Everyone was comfortable and happy. Did we need to take it onto the sand at the beach? Nope. Did we anyway just because we could? Yup. Sand mode worked just fine. It's been almost 20 years since I've owned a Honda, and they still continue to impress. If only they made a sporty sedan for me... My only criticism is the braking. It did seem like it was a bit slower to slow down or come to a stop than expected, even taking into account the vehicle size. It caught me offguard a couple of times, and nearly killed us when my wife tried to take a 90 degree turn in the wet far too fast. Fortunately the oncoming traffic was able to avoid us and we escaped without a scratch, but the braking was the one thing that needed the most "getting used to". Doug also didn't mention that it has a system for monitoring driver attention. Several times while my wife was driving it beeped and flashed a warning about "low driver attention level". She accused the car of being "judgy", but she did try to take that corner too fast because she wasn't paying attention, so...yeah. And of course it comes with the usual complement of auto start/stop, lane departure, etc, a bundle that they call "Honda Sensing" that is now standard on all their cars (or so I am told).

Doug! Review the mazda CX-90 please!! I want to hear your thoughts about it

I've owned a honda pilot since 2017, 50k miles on it and have only needed oil changes and minor updates like windshield wipers and air filters. Runs so well, fun to drive, and plenty of amenities. Would love a newer version with more advanced cruise control but I'm still so happy with mine ❤

Japanese car maker: あなたの車はどれくらいの大きさが欲しいですか Americans: YES!

I drive a 2018 elite and sat in a new elite and i can say they definitely improved it although the last generation is still a good vehicle.

the trailsport doesn't have rear heated seats because it's not at the top of the lineup. There are 2 more trims higher than this one and they both include rear heated seats, along with a bunch of other goodies this doesn't get. the trailsport is basically and EX-L/Touring 7P with different styling, wheels, and stitching for the interior.

So happy we seem to be done with the joint car reviews.

Can't wait for the new LC review

I drove the pilot, passport and ridgeline, these Suvs are super dope!

for me the current honda infotainment with the dial is one of the best out there.

Airline style seat tray table would be a nice addition to captain seats!

Still driving my first gen pilot. 15 years old now... Would be really nice to upgrade to this.

Honda: "Lets make the Pilot an offroad version, people will love its offroad capabilities" Me: *Laughs in approach and Departure angle*