The 2025 Honda Pilot Isn’t Exciting, but It Is Excellent

It’s been a minute since the Honda Pilot’s latest generation debuted. Actually, it’s been two years. The restyled SUV showed its muscular bod for the first time in November, 2022. Aside from a brief first-drive event in early 2023, we kind of forgot about the “new” Pilot. Does that make it an entirely forgettable machine? 

Certainly not. After a week and approximately 600 miles in a 2025 Pilot Black Edition, I found the SUV to be a superb family truckster with legitimate room for seven or eight people inside, not an easy accomplishment in the mid-size SUV segment. But my backside wasn’t very happy after three straight hours in the driver’s seat. And my wallet wasn’t happy with the required fuel stops.

Every SUV segment is super competitive, but the mid-size crew is home to heavy hitters like the Ford Explorer, Chevrolet Traverse, Toyota Highlander, Jeep Grand Cherokee… I could go on. The Pilot is arguably the best-looking of the bunch, balancing its chiseled, upright shape with clean lines and satisfying proportions. Finding that design sweet spot isn’t easy, and the Black Edition adds a bit more flavor with black exterior trim. Set against the Radiant Red Metallic paint, this Pilot just flat-out looks sharp. 

The Black Edition brings more snazzy trim inside, namely in the form of red stitching and red interior lighting to contrast with the sea of black leather. Like the exterior, Honda strikes a comfortable balance with its design, though some might find the layout a bit dated despite being just two years old. The 9.0-inch tablet-style touchscreen contributes to that—it’s decidedly smaller than most everything else in this segment.

A slightly larger screen would be easier to see and navigate, but that doesn’t mean it’s not useful as-is. Honda’s software suite is wonderfully intuitive to use, the voice control works reasonably well, and if you want to forego that for your Android or iPhone, wireless connectivity is trouble-free and near instantaneous.

If you can swing the extra cost, I recommend the optional 10.2-inch digital driver display available on higher trim levels. It supplements information such as navigation into your field of view, and it just looks good. There aren’t an overwhelming number of configurations, just enough to bring a bit of variety to an otherwise humble commute.

The layout is easily adjustable through steering wheel controls, and while I’m talking about controls, praise be: Honda keeps a simple bank of knobs and buttons beneath the center screen for climate and seat functions. When the windshield fogs up during a sudden rainstorm, it’s a godsend to reach over and turn a dial without taking your eyes off the road.

Christopher Smith / Motor1

It all melds with Pilot’s primary mission in life: to transport people safely and comfortably to their destination. That’s accomplished reasonably well in the first two rows of seats, but imagine my surprise when I shuffled into the Pilot’s third row and found actual, usable space. Admittedly I’m not a tall man at 5-foot 6-inches, but legroom isn’t the only accolade for the Honda’s rearmost seat. There’s a breadth of shoulder room, 59.5 inches to be exact. It’s enough to where three children or two adults wouldn’t feel cramped. If you regularly have a carload of folks on board, you could do worse than the Pilot.

It’s among the most spacious in the mid-size segment, and there’s still 22.4 cubic feet of space behind the third row for cargo. With the rear seat folded it increases to 60.1 cubic feet. Pulling the removable second-row center section and pivoting the seats forward opens up 112.1 cubic feet. As for that removable seat section, it neatly stows in a small storage compartment underneath the floor at the very back. Most importantly, the various configurations are super simple to set up. Pull a strap here, push a button there, and you’re carrying home a new washing machine.

How does it drive? Its 3.5-liter V-6 with 285 horsepower is… just fine. Press the gas, it goes. And the 10-speed automatic doesn’t complain about changing gears. Sure, you could choose Sport mode and pretend to clip apexes, but the Pilot isn’t supposed to be a road course rockstar. There’s plenty of power to merge into heavy highway traffic, and the suspension soaks up rough pavement without making anyone car sick. The powertrain isn’t obtrusive, or quirky, or interesting for that matter. It simply is, and frankly, that’s the way it should be for a family-focused SUV. 

Despite its size, the Pilot feels as easy to drive as a Civic. Honda Sensing includes a plethora of driver assists that are neither overly intrusive nor cumbersome, and that certainly helps reduce stress on long journeys. You don’t need an optioned-up model to get them either. Honda Sensing is standard across the line, and just like the powertrain, it simply does the job for which it was designed, without undue drama. I’d recommend stepping up for the CabinTalk in-car PA System, especially if you have noisy kids or hearing-impaired grandparents. It projects your voice through the stereo to the rear rows; trust me when I say it comes in handy.

Christopher Smith / Motor1

I wish the Pilot had the Civic’s fuel mileage. The official EPA ratings for all-wheel-drive models are 19 city, 25 highway, and 21 combined. I averaged 22 mpg over approximately 600 miles, but the vast majority of that was on the highway and rural country roads where I should be getting the best of the best. Tooling around at city speeds I typically stayed in the mid-to-high teens; at 75 mph I was in the low 20s. It’s worth noting the Pilot I had was brand new with just 150 miles on the odometer. Things could improve a bit as the engine breaks in. But there are similar SUVs with more power doing better at the pump. 

The seats were also a downer, at least for the driver. Yes, I already waxed poetic about the Pilot’s interior space and comfort, but I had a sore backside after an hour behind the wheel. Laterally speaking, the front seats were wonderful and the Black Edition’s 10-way vented driver seat was wholly supportive. Actually, it was too supportive—the seat bottom was exceedingly stiff. It’s not something you’d notice on a short test drive, and like the fuel mileage, it may ease up over time. But it’s stiff enough for me to question whether I could accept it as a daily driver.

Christopher Smith / Motor1

Even with a softer seat, I’m not sure the Black Edition makes the most sense for SUV shoppers. Its starting price of $55,675 places it among competition with more power, more tech, and frankly, a bit more personality. However, An EX-L with all-wheel drive is $10,000 less and you get much of the same equipment. More importantly, you still get everything that makes this SUV such an outstanding choice for larger families—the interior space, the driver assists, the in-car intercom, and the stalwart (albeit thirsty) powertrain. 

While I was never excited to drive the Pilot, I felt relaxed and secure behind the wheel regardless of weather or traffic. When the most precious things in your life are sitting just a few feet behind you, I can’t imagine feeling any better. Mission accomplished, Honda.