Honda Pilot 2023 three-row SUV revealed

Honda has launched the fourth generation of its Pilot large crossover, but there’s no sign of it arriving here yet.

The 2023 Honda Pilot looks more rugged than before, with a new TrailSport variant featuring a host of enhancements designed to make the car more capable.

The TrailSport features a one-inch platform, unique stabilizer bars for better traction, revised throttle and spring rates, and Continental TerrainContact AT tires with 18-inch alloy wheels.

Steel skids protect the TrailSport’s oil pan, transmission and fuel tank, and the recall points are integrated into the front skid plate.

Like the flagship Elite, the TrailSport gets Honda’s torque vectoring i-VTM4 all-wheel drive system as standard, with a more powerful rear differential that Honda says can handle more torque. 40% and provides 30% faster response.

Up to 70% of the engine’s torque can be sent to the rear axle, and 100% of that can be distributed to either wheel.

Trail mode combines what Honda calls torque logic, with 75% of available power being routed to an individual wheel for the most traction.

The new TrailWatch camera system uses four external cameras to help you navigate obstacles at speeds below 24km/h.

TrailSport and Elite, like the rest of the Pilot range, are powered by naturally aspirated 3.5 liter V6 petrol engine produces an additional 4kW of electricity for a total output of 212kW at 6100 rpm and no change 355Nm at 5000 rpm.

Honda has given the engine a new cylinder head and reduced total parts count, among other tweaks.

Drive is transmitted via a 10-speed automatic transmission to the front wheels or all four wheels. Honda claims a maximum towing capacity of 2268kg.

Honda says it’s made the Pilot stiffer than before, improving the crossover’s dynamics.

Engineers have increased front stiffness by 60% and rear stiffness by 30%, while also modifying the MacPherson strut at the front and incorporating a new multi-link setup at the rear.

There’s a modified steering ratio for better responsiveness, larger front axles and brake calipers,

It measures 5077mm long, 1994mm wide and has a 2890mm wheelbase, making it slightly longer and wider than the Toyota Kluger and about the size of a Mazda CX-9.

It’s 86mm longer than its predecessor and has a 71mm longer wheelbase and wider rails, while the styling has been squared out – although it’s still not as square as the first-generation Pilot first and second.

Up front, there’s a standard 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster on all Elite bars, featuring a larger 10.2-inch display.

A 9.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system is standard on all base Sport models, paired with a smaller 7.0-inch display. Both screens have Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, but they’re only wireless to the larger device.

Storage abounds in the cabin. The center console bin can swallow a full-size tablet, the passenger side of the dashboard has a shelf and there are 14 cup holders in the cabin – eight of which can fit a Big Gulp, in true American style.

The Touring and Elite models seat eight, with a removable second row of seats that can be stowed under the rear cargo floor.

Honda says it has improved comfort for the third row, while the new Body Stability Seat for the first row is said to help reduce fatigue during long journeys.

Eight airbags are standard, including dual front knee bags. Additions to the safety suite include traffic sign recognition, traffic jam assist and rear seat belt reminders, while adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist continue from the Pilot old but has been updated to “feature more natural reactions”.

Available features include a panoramic sunroof, heated steering wheel and ventilated front seats, while heated front seats are standard on all models.

Like the related Ridgelineonne, the Pilot was built in Alabama specifically for left-handers.

The Honda Pilot first entered production in 2002, as a unibody crossover – closely related to the Odyssey engine – to replace the Passport on the frame, a modified Isuzu Rodeo. , in North America.

The Passport name recently returned on a shorter, two-row version of the Pilot, which entered production in late 2018.

Honda Australia has offered a crossover the size of the Pilot before, in the shape of the MDX. Closely related to the Pilot, the MDX was sold here from 2003 to 2007.

It is positioned as a more upmarket model compared to the Toyota Kluger, which makes sense given that it is sold as an Acura in most markets.

While a more mainstream full-size crossover would help Honda Australia rival best-selling models such as the Kluger and Mazda CX-9, the continued lack of right-hand drive has made it no longer available.