This is your Pilot speaking

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 08/12/2023 (685 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

‘In off-road parlance, we call that articulation.”

I’m joking as Haney Louka, former Free Press correspondent, is mentioning how the 2023 Honda Pilot Trailsport has a bit more body roll than we’ve come to expect from Honda.

As the name implies, this particular version of Honda’s largest crossover is designed to go slightly more off the road than its non-Trailsport siblings. Emphasis on the word slightly.

It has an extra 25 millimetres (about 1 in.) of ground clearance, thanks partly to larger tires and a retuned suspension.

That extra suspension height and travel will help, a bit, with articulation, or the ability of one wheel to stay on the ground while the other is crawling over an obstacle, but this isn’t a Jeep Wrangler and it’s not trying to be.

While the changes make it good for some of the more challenging cottage roads in our province, it’s still not likely to be the vehicle of choice for those looking to do some serious off-roading.

Which is fine: market realities show that the majority of marketing for off-road-ability is just that. Marketing. Folks who have no intention of anything more challenging than a parking-lot speed bump still want to know that their vehicle COULD do more, even if they won’t.

So the Pilot Trailsport is a slightly more capable SUV than a mere Pilot, but it does have some of the accoutrements that off-roaders demand, including skid plates to protect sensitive underparts and expanded all-wheel-drive ability. It does not, however, have a two-speed transfer case for that ultra-low gearing needed for rock crawling. Indeed, the only available driver interventions relevant to off-roading is activating hill descent control, choosing drive modes (sport, normal, econ, snow and tow (plus trail and sand on Trailsport)) and downshifting the transmission. The all-wheel drive system otherwise operates entirely on its own.

Where the Pilot excels is where Honda has always excelled: its 3.5-litre double-overhead cam V-6 engine has been a mainstay of larger Honda engines for decades, and in this iteration is exceptionally efficient, with fuel-economy figures that can make some smaller, four-cylinder SUVs blush.

With its added height and weight, the Trailsport is the thirstiest of Pilots, at 13 l/100km city, 10.3 highway and 11.8 combined, but its real-world numbers were slightly better.

Touring versions come in at 12.7, 9.4 and 11.2 while the Sport and EX-L versions are rated for 12.4, 9.3 and 11.0.

The tradeoff for the fuel economy is some, at times, confusion from the 10-speed automatic transmission. Slowing down for a turn and getting back on the throttle can result in a bit of a downshift delay. Still, it’s an improvement over what a CVT would feel like.

Given the Pilot’s 2,130 kg curb weight and 2,268 kg (5,000 lb) towing capacity, forgoing a CVT here makes sense from a durability standpoint, as well.

The engine, however, is smooth, quiet and powerful, delivering 285 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque and the all-wheel drive system plants that torque securely on the pavement. Untested, thanks to our largely snow-free winter at the time of testing, is how it reacts to snow and ice. Experience with previous Hondas suggests it would react very well.

The latest generation of Honda crossovers also highlights some new design language: instead of a slant nose with a chrome trim piece surrounding the H logo, the latest scheme features a blacked-out, very upright grille with large, elongated hexagonal grille openings. The body is also pushed out more to all its corners, losing the sleekness of previous models in favour of a bolder stance, a more threatening posture. The result are crossovers (HR-V, CR-V and Pilot) that make a statement instead of the previous designs seeming as though they’re trying to slink into the background.

Inside is a well-organized cockpit with an appropriate blend of actual controls alongside the touchscreen. Most functions on the touchscreen are either reserved for when parked, while others, such as radio channels, can be easily programmed for easy access while driving. Steering wheel controls can either toggle between stations or adjust volume, but these levers are small for big fingers, and my fingers are hardly big.

The Pilot, unlike its smaller sibling Passport, is a three-row crossover. With the third row folded, there’s plenty of cargo space that opens up even more when folding the second row. With the third row in place, cargo space shrinks considerably, however, the use of split seatbacks allows sharing that space between a passenger and cargo.

A large sunroof, which opens at the front, bathes the entire cabin in natural light when the sunscreen is retracted.

kelly.taylor@winnipegfreepress.com