Honda Pilot

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?

Now that the entry-level LX and EX trims have been discontinued, the 2022 Pilot's starting price is quite high by class standards. Luckily, the base EX-L packs a lot of features for the money, such as heated front seats, leather upholstery, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone compatibility. Our pick, though, would be the SE (or Special Edition). It's similar to the EX-L but has blacked-out trim and wheels for a more stylish appearance.

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: