2023 Honda Pilot Trades Minivan Vibes for a Brawnier Guise

• The 2023 Honda Pilot has been redesigned with a more rugged look, a roomier interior, and increased capability.

• The Pilot also has a new powertrain, a redesigned 285-hp 3.5-liter V-6 and a 10-speed automatic transmission.

• The TrailSport trim makes the Pilot truly capable off-road thanks to all-terrain tires, steel skid plates, and a lifted suspension.

Ever since the original Honda Pilot debuted back in 2003, it has basically been a minivan dressed up as a three-row mid-size SUV. However, its shared bloodline with the sliding-door-toting Honda Odyssey wasn't outwardly obvious until the outgoing third generation. That's when the Pilot showed its true colors, with a bulbous shape and bland bodywork that deviated from its boxier predecessors. That's also one reason it failed to stand out in a competitive segment full of more interesting alternatives. Well, Honda has flipped the script, with the new fourth-generation 2023 Pilot getting bigger, brawnier, and better at doing off-road stuff.

New Above and Below the Hood

Let's start with the obivous. The 2023 Honda Pilot no longer looks like a lifted minivan. Along with being a lot squarer than before, it has an upright front end and front roof pillars that sit farther back, giving it a longer dash-to-axle ratio. The Pilot is also 3.4 inches longer from stem to stern, and its wheelbase stretches by 2.8 inches, too. Its front and rear tracks are also wider, growing by up to 1.2 and 1.5 inches, respectively.

The increased dimensions are part of a new platform, which makes the Pilot the most rigid it's ever been, according to Honda. The company also says its new chassis includes a stiffer suspension, a quicker steering ratio, and other changes intended to make the Pilot handle and ride better. A set of larger front brake rotors (13.8 versus 12.6 inches) and a shorter overall pedal motion are improvements in the braking department. The addition of extra sound-deadening materials should also make for a quieter interior.

It would've been easy for Honda to take the 280-hp SOHC 3.5-liter V-6 and nine-speed automatic transmision from the outgoing Pilot and plug it into the new one. Instead, the automaker completely redesigned its venerable engine, keeping the same displacement but making myriad improvements. In a nutshell, the new DOHC V-6 has better packaging.

While the 3.5-liter makes the same 262 pound-feet of torque, horsepower rises to 285. A cylinder-deactivation system also joins the party in pursuit of better fuel economy. However, Honda hasn't yet announced EPA estimates. All Pilots now have a 10-speed automatic transmission (paddle shifters included).

TrailSport: A Truly Rugged Trim

The 2023 Pilot won't be the first with a TrailSport-badged trim, it'll just be the first one where it actually meant something. That's because, unlike the glorified appearance package that came before, the new TrailSport model is truly capable on most trails—as we learned during a prototype drive.