2026 Honda Pilot First Drive Review: Vanilla Deserves Love Too

OCEANSIDE, CA—Vanilla gets a bad rap.

Somewhere along the line it became a synonym for “boring.” That’s unfair. Vanilla is there to be a strong foundation for some of the best ice creams. It makes coffee more palatable for those who maybe don’t want to be reminded that they’re drinking hot bean juice. Vanilla is a solid, often unsung foundational flavor in so many delicious desserts.

Despite this Pilot generation still feeling like a new addition to the segment it’s already been around for three years, and has thus come in for a timely, well-rounded update. This mid-cycle facelift keeps Honda’s largest SUV fighting right at the pointy end of the class; not necessarily the best in any single way, but never far off. The 2026 Honda Pilot is a vanilla family SUV.

Honda has simplified the Pilot lineup by spreading previously high-trim features across the whole lineup. The larger 12.3-inch touchscreen and accompanying 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster are now in every trim, and even more useful is a standard power liftgate. There’s a retuned electric power steering (EPS) system, better sound deadening, and tweaks to the styling both inside and out.

What hasn’t changed is the powertrain lineup: the Pilot continues on as one of the few remaining V6-powered models in its class, with a choice of either front- or all-wheel drive; the rugged TrailSport as well as the top-shelf Elite and Black Editions are only available with the latter. No matter the number of driven axles, the Pilot employs a 10-speed automatic transmission.

Even when parked beside a ‘25 at our lunch stop, the 2026 Pilot’s changes are subtle. The embiggened grille is the easy tell, with the lower bumper adopting a more squared-jaw look. The huge contrasting scuff plate isn’t functional, and switches out for a black version on the Sport and, uh, Black Edition.

Our Elite tester features a handsome new design of 20-inch alloys, which also appear on the Touring and Black Edition (no prizes for guessing the changes on the latter, mind you). This Solar Silver paint is also new along with a Smoke Blue Pearl, while the Pilot TrailSport can now be had in the excellent Ash Green found on other TrailSport models.

The Pilot’s dependable V6 setup is a perfectly cromulent one for the daily grind. With 285 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque it falls squarely in the thick of the segment. Responses are good and power is adequate, though the V6 needs to be wrung out to a high 5,000 rpm if you want maximum torque. With just two of us in the cabin it’s fine, but loaded up with a whole family and their gear the experience might be decidedly more taxing. And that’s without even bringing the Pilot’s 5,000-pound towing capacity into the equation.

To its credit, the 10-speed rarely is left hunting for gears. Flatten the right pedal and it kicks down appropriately, with a decently meaty V6 growl burbling up from under the hood. There are five standard drive modes, while EX-L and up models with AWD gain Sand and Trail options.

The Pilot could use an up-sell hybrid powertrain like the Toyota Grand Highlander and Hyundai Palisade. Not only because the V6’s fuel economy is a middling 21 mpg combined (11.2 L/100 km), but to address full-load power reserves.

There’s no getting around it: the Pilot is a beefy unit of a family SUV. It’s not the type to “shrink” around its driver, and that’s okay. What it does do is build confidence around its size. The Pilot is sure-footed with clear sightlines, so while it isn’t the most agile in the class it remains one of the easiest—and thus least stressful—to drive.

Without driving a ‘25 back-to-back with the new model, it’s hard to gauge the changes to the power steering. On-center weight is reassuring as we head into the hills north of San Diego, though it barely increases as lock is applied. Many buyers will likely appreciate this light helm, but when the road does get twisty, a bit more resistance would be nice.

This tester uses Honda’s i-VTM4 all-wheel drive system, which can send up to 70-percent of system torque to the rear axle and then if needed send 100-percent of that torque to either wheel. With the perfect weather of our completely on-road test drive that never needed to be tested. Same goes for the Pilot’s admittedly useful Hill Descent Control system, which we’ve experienced in other models.

It may ride on 20s, but the Pilot retains a comfort-first bent that is wholly appropriate for its mission statement. Body roll is well contained, and bumps rarely upset the equilibrium. The additional sound insulation (including semi-tempered side glass) keeps the Pilot impressively quiet on the highway. Touring and Elite models even add enclosed fender liners for further sound deadening.

Front-seat space and comfort are both high, with a natural seating position that affords drivers an excellent view out and around the big box. The middle row remains a Pilot strength with 40.8 inches (1036 millimeters) of legroom and essentially the same headroom as the front row. Even the third row maintains that latter advantage, while legroom in the way-back is an acceptable 32.5 inches (826 mm). As before, the Pilot’s second-row middle seat can be removed and easily stowed in the under-floor compartment in the cargo area.

Speaking of, the Pilot can still swallow full-size SUV levels of stuff, with 18.6 cubic feet of storage expanding to 48.5 and 86.5 cu ft when dropping the third- and second rows.

The Hyundai Palisade has set a new bar in this class for interior style that a lightly updated Pilot simply can’t match. The cabin design is safe and falls in line with the rest of the modern Honda lineup. It’s all screwed together well, and at least there’s an interesting jagged-rock pattern on the center console instead of gloss black. There are ample storage spaces peppered throughout the cabin, great for the Pilot’s job of family ferry.

A brown leather interior is available on TrailSport and Touring trims. A lighter cabin color is also available on this Elite along with the standard black. Both color choices include a welcome change to the seat materials, with a quilted Ultrasuede pattern covering the top half.

Honda’s larger touchscreen houses the same infotainment system as before. Like the cabin design, it isn’t the flashiest in the business but is straight-forward in operation, which counts for a lot. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are both standard, and the former hooks up quickly without issue. Wi-Fi hotspot capability and four USB-C ports are standard; every trim except the base Sport adds a wireless charger and two more ports in the third row. Honda’s useful in-cabin PA system is standard across the board.

The Pilot’s safety suite remains largely unchanged for ‘26, with a robust lineup of all the usual suspects. For this year the 360-degree camera is now available on the Touring.