Honda Pilot 2022 Review

The 2022 Honda Pilot is one of our favorite three-row SUVs thanks to its spacious, thoughtfully designed interior and smooth ride. Added bonuses include better-than-average fuel economy as well as a smooth, powerful V6 engine. The Pilot pretty much had the class covered until the Kia Telluride and Hyundai Palisade came along and shook things up. It's rumored that Honda's looking to redesign the aging Pilot for 2023 — it's been around in its current guise since 2016 — to put it back on top of this family-friendly class.

For now, though, Honda is tightening the belt by discontinuing the LX and EX, which were previously the Pilot's two most affordable trims. That means the 2022 Pilot lineup starts out with the EX-L. This won't matter much if you were shopping for a nicely equipped SUV to begin with, but budget shoppers will no doubt be put off by the Pilot's higher starting price this year.

Within the three-row midsize SUV class, we think the Palisade and Telluride are still top of the pack. There's also the roomy Volkswagen Atlas and refined Mazda CX-9 to consider. But overall, the Pilot does a lot of things very well and has few major pitfalls. Read our MatoCar Expert Rating below for more.

What's it like to live with?

If you're interested in knowing what it's like to live with a Honda Pilot, check out our long-term test of the Pilot. We tested a Pilot Elite for a year, driving it over 20,000 miles, commuting with it to work, taking it on road trips, and collecting data all along the way. Note that while we tested a 2016 model, most of our reporting still applies to the 2022 Pilot.

Which Pilot does MatoCar recommend?

The 2022 Honda Pilot is a three-row midsize SUV that comes in five trim levels: EX-L, SE (or Special Edition), Touring, Elite and Black Edition. The EX-L, SE and Touring models have seating for eight, though second-row captain's chairs — which reduce capacity to seven — are optional on the Touring. The captain's chairs are standard for the Elite and Black Edition trims.

All Pilots are powered by a 3.5-liter V6 (280 horsepower, 262 lb-ft of torque) paired to a nine-speed automatic transmission. EX-L, SE and Touring models come with standard front-wheel drive or optional all-wheel drive. All-wheel drive is standard on Elite and Black Edition models.

EX-L Now the entry-level trim for 2022, the EX-L comes stacked with features, including:

• 18-inch alloy wheels
• LED headlights
• Sunroof
• Heated mirrors
• Power liftgate
• Remote engine start
• Proximity keyless entry and push-button ignition

Inside you'll find:

• Driver's seat memory settings
• Auto-dimming rearview mirror
• Tri-zone automatic climate control
• Second-row sunshades
• Power-adjustable, heated front seats
• One-touch slide-and-fold second-row seats
• 60/40-split folding third-row seats
• Leather upholstery
• Seven-speaker audio system
• 8-inch touchscreen
• Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone integration
• Satellite radio
• Four USB ports (two up front and two in the second row)

Standard advanced safety features include:

• Adaptive cruise control (adjusts speed to maintain a constant distance between the Pilot and the car in front)
• Forward collision mitigation (warns you of an impending collision and applies the brakes in certain scenarios)
• Lane keeping system (makes minor steering corrections to help keep the vehicle centered in its lane)
• Blind-spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert (warns you if a vehicle is in your blind spot during a lane change or while in reverse)

SE (Special Edition) Has the above equipment plus:

• Unique black-painted exterior styling elements
• 20-inch wheels
• Roof rails
• Hands-free liftgate
• Wireless charging pad

Touring Gets all of the above plus:

• Sound-reducing windows
• Ambient interior lighting
• Navigation system
• Heated second-row seats
• Rear entertainment system
• 115-volt household-style outlet
• 10-speaker premium audio system
• Wi-Fi hotspot
• Cabin intercom system
• Parking sensors (alert you to obstacles that may not be visible in front of or behind the vehicle when parking)

Elite Tops the Pilot range with:

• Automatic wipers
• Auto-dimming and power-folding side mirrors
• Panoramic sunroof
• Heated steering wheel
• Ventilated front seats
• Second-row captain's chairs

Finally, the Black Edition is equipped identically to the Elite but has black exterior accents and red interior trim.