Honda has released the all-new 2023 Honda Pilot. The company is placing a lot of importance on the fact that it is the biggest and most powerful Honda SUV of all time. It seats seven or eight passengers, has a new stiffer frame and a fancy all-wheel drive system. But is the biggest Honda Pilot really that big?
How much cargo space does the new 2023 Honda Pilot have?
The new 2023 Honda Pilot has plenty of room. It has 114 cubic feet of storage space with the seats folded down and 22 cubic feet of space behind the rear seats. That puts the Pilot right between its two rivals for interior space. For comparison, Toyota’s similar three-row Highlander holds 84 cubic feet of luggage, while the larger Chevy Tahoe holds 123 cubic feet.
Much of that space comes thanks to two things. One, the 2023 Honda Pilot has a 3-inch longer wheelbase than the 2022 Honda Pilot. But, two, the second row of seats can be stowed under the rear cargo floor, opening the entire middle for cargo.
How much passenger room is in the new 2023 Honda Pilot?
The second row now has a generous 41 inches of legroom. That’s 2.4 inches more than the old Pilot. Up front, there’s 41 inches of legroom. While the rear row only has 33 inches of legroom which, while not much, can comfortably accommodate a small adult.
The new pilot is also wider. Plus, the new 2023 Honda Pilot is about two inches wider than the previous version, and that adds some shoulder and hip room in each seat. The new 2023 Honda Pilot seats eight with a bench seat, or seven with a pair of captain’s chairs in between. According to news weekstorage bins can hold a large tablet.
The new Honda Pilot is also more powerful
The 2022 Honda Pilot was always fast, very fast for a large three-row SUV, with its 280-horsepower V6. But Honda had to add more power to the Pilot to compete with Hyundai’s newer SUVs like the Palisade and the upgraded Toyota Highlander. You get a new 285-horsepower V6 that’s linked to a new 10-speed automatic transmission that can keep the engine in its sweet spot more often.
The new Pilot can also be ordered with the latest version of Honda’s i-VTM4 all-wheel-drive system from the Ridgeline truck. It is the second generation of the system, and with a new differential, it can drop power faster and smoother than the previous version. The Pilot’s 5,000-pound towing capacity is unchanged.
How much does a new 2023 Honda Pilot cost?
Honda says pricing for the new Pilot will start at $39,150 for the front-wheel-drive Sport version. For the first time, Honda is labeling the Pilot as an 8- or 7-occupant version. The seven-passenger version has two captain’s chairs in the middle and is $300 off the price. Top-of-the-line Touring and Trailsport and Elite models start around $50,000. Destination charges are $1,295, and all-wheel drive is a $2,100 option on all trims.
While Honda is taking a page out of the Toyota playbook and adding a special HPD version with decals and fender flares, it’s merely an appearance package.
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