The 2023 Honda Pilot TrailSport, with seating for six passengers, might be the perfect way to start your outdoor dream life and double as a daily driver. Whether your goal is wildflower-peeping, hiking, watersports, or spending quality time with family and friends in the great outdoors, it could be your perfect vehicle. Let’s dive into the specifics,
The 2023 Honda Pilot TrailSport is powered by a 285-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 engine with 10-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive is standard but since this is the TrailSport, AWD carries you along. Special 18″ inch all-terrain tires are included along with steel skid plates for the engine and the fuel tank. The TrailSport gets a 1-inch lift for a total of 8.3 inches of ground clearance. There’s a high-strength steel rear hitch with built-in recovery points, standard. The Honda Pilot Trailsport is no rock crawler; therefore, we won’t see them on the off-road trails, but you’re sure to see them on forest service roads and at a park-operated campsite. The Pilot TrailSport doesn’t pretend to be anything else but a capable family SUV.
The Pilot Trailsport has an integrated Class III trailer hitch and a maximum towing capacity of 5,000 pounds. That’s enough to tow your Tear Drop trailer with ease.
Striking Rugged Looks
The 2023 Pilot has been redesigned from front to rear. A new hexagon mesh grille and narrow-eyed LED headlights make it stand out from the competition. With its new, rugged, boxier style and new long hood, the Pilot will make heads turn.
Interior and Cargo Outfitted for the great outdoors
We were surprised by Honda Pilots’ interior. It is spacious, contemporary, and perfect for any type of adventurer. Feel free to pack your stargazing tent for that next galactic adventure. This new interior is quite handsome, actually. For instance, the leather-wrapped steering wheel and leather-trim seats make a comfortable retreat for a road trip or driving through rugged terrain.
Connectivity is at your fingertips through the 9-inch touchscreen display. Of course, it is Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatible. If smartphone mirroring is not your style, you can still arrive at destinations guided by Honda’s Satellite-linked navigation system using offline maps. This makes it easier to navigate off-the-grid, hopefully keeping the “minions” from repeatedly asking the dreaded “are we there yet?” This all goes toward making those long road trips more enjoyable.
Test drive
During our test drive, we could take the Pilot TrailSport on the iconic Castle Hot Springs Trail to validate its sports capabilities. One helpful feature was the Trailwatch system, which utilizes the Pilot’s front, side, and rear cameras providing various angles to aid in maneuvering through tight spots or when approaching steep drop-offs. Think of the system as a virtual spotter.
During the Winter of 2022 and 2023, the Sonoran desert has received its share of rainfall. The usually dry, rocky washes were essentially flooded. A sandy bottom has replaced the rocks in the wash bed, but locking the Pilot in trail mode made the crossing less challenging.
Overall, we found the Honda TrailSport fully capable of transporting you through the rugged terrain and back.
