- Mid-size SUVs are in every single place, however for those who’re making an attempt to resolve between the Honda Pilot and the Toyota Highlander, we have rounded up a number of key ways in which they’re totally different.
- The Highlander will get much better gas financial system for those who spring for the hybrid possibility, which is not out there on the Pilot.
- There are numerous similarities, although. Each SUVs can tow as much as 5000 kilos, supply all-wheel drive, and begin at virtually the identical worth: $37,645 for the Pilot, $37,955 for the Highlander.
There’s loads of competitors within the three-row family-SUV market. Two of the preferred, the Honda Pilot and the Toyota Highlander, may not supply the acute off-roading capabilities that the competitors has, however they’re succesful machines that fortunately do the repetitive job of shifting youngsters and households from place to position.
Exterior
Toyota and Honda discovered a number of sparks of design inspiration within the well-trodden mid-size SUV phase. The Highlander and Pilot share a cookie-cutter SUV form, however every has distinct notes. The Pilot is an all-new technology this yr, and Honda’s designers added a thick, body-colored C-pillar as a part of the Pilot’s new, extra trucklike look. The present-generation Highlander was launched in 2020, and the 2023 model appears to be like just like final yr’s mannequin with its engaging entrance finish.
Inside
The Highlander will get improved supplies all through the cabin this yr, together with SofTex and leather-based. On the upper trim ranges, Toyota has launched a brand new 12.3-inch infotainment show (an 8.0-inch display screen is customary on decrease fashions) and a brand new 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster. Different out there options embody an 11-speaker JBL audio system.
Inside of Honda Pilot TrailSport.
2023 Toyota Highlander Platinum AWD.
The Pilot’s all-new inside options intelligent seat methods, together with a middle part between the optionally available second-row captain’s chairs that may fold into the flooring. A 12-speaker Bose stereo system and a panoramic moonroof can be found. Infotainment on the Pilot comes with a 7.0-inch touchscreen on the 2 lowest trim ranges and 9.0 inches on the EX-L and up.
Each SUVs can seat both seven or eight individuals. There are 16 cubic toes of area behind the third row within the Highlander and as much as 22.4 within the Pilot.
Powertrain
Every of those fashions characteristic upgraded customary powertrains for 2023. As an alternative of the V-6 present in final yr’s mannequin, the brand new Highlander will get a turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 265 horsepower and 309 pound-feet of torque with an eight-speed transmission. Mixed gas financial system is 24 mpg. The 2023 Pilot, then again, retains the three.5-liter V-6 from the earlier yr, but it surely has been tweaked to provide 285 horsepower, 5 greater than final yr, whereas nonetheless providing 262 pound-feet of torque. The Pilot has a brand new 10-speed computerized transmission, another gear than final yr, and gives 22 mpg mixed.
The Pilot gives extra off-roading functionality with the TrailSport trim, however each SUVs can tow as much as 5000 kilos and will be ordered with both front- or all-wheel drive. The Highlander has a hybrid powertrain possibility that the Pilot lacks, giving the Toyota a lot better gas financial system, as much as 36 mpg mixed.
Value
The almost an identical beginning costs ought to make it clear how carefully these two fashions compete. The 2023 Honda Pilot begins at $37,645, whereas the 2023 Toyota Highlander begins at $37,955. As quickly as you begin including hybrid powertrains or all-wheel drive, the numbers rise, however these SUVs not less than begin on almost equal footing.
Contributing Editor
Sebastian Blanco has been writing about electrical autos, hybrids, and hydrogen vehicles since 2006. His articles and automobile opinions have appeared within the New York Occasions, Automotive Information, Reuters, SAE, Autoblog, InsideEVs, Vehicles.com, Automobile Speak, and different retailers. His first green-car media occasion was the launch of the Tesla Roadster, and since then he has been monitoring the shift away from gasoline-powered autos and discovering the brand new know-how’s significance not only for the auto business, however for the world as an entire. Throw within the latest shift to autonomous autos, and there are extra attention-grabbing modifications occurring now than most individuals can wrap their heads round. Yow will discover him on Twitter or, on good days, behind the wheel of a brand new EV.