2020 Honda Pilot Review

You have more choices than ever for a three-row midsize SUV, yet the Honda Pilot, a mainstay of the class, remains one of the best choices available. You'll enjoy roomy seating for up to eight, a quiet interior and a comfortable ride quality. The plush accommodations don't come at the expense of performance either since the Pilot is surprisingly capable when driven on twisty roads. And while we're not totally enamored with the optional nine-speed automatic transmission, there's no doubt the standard V6 has plenty of power to move this large crossover.

Aside from a few driving aids that could stand for a little more operational refinement, the Pilot has no obvious faults. However, there are a few newcomers that you'll want to consider. In its top trim, the Kia Telluride has a few more features than the luxe Pilot Elite, and we've given it a slight edge over the Pilot in our rankings. You might also like the roomier Volkswagen Atlas or the redesigned Ford Explorer. Overall, though, the 2020 Honda Pilot is one of the best all-rounders on the market and deserves a spot on your shopping list.

Notably, we picked the 2020 Honda Pilot as one of Edmunds' Best 3-Row SUVs for 2020.

What's it like to live with the Pilot?

With a spacious cabin, exceptional comfort and a tremendously roomy cabin, the Honda Pilot is the quintessential three-row crossover. As soon as we got behind the wheel of this newest model, our editors universally agreed: The Pilot was the best of the bunch. We immediately reached out to Honda and secured a fully loaded Elite model for our long-term test fleet. Over the course of a year and 25,000 miles, we drove our Black Forest green tester to Las Vegas, Sacramento and Oregon. Usually, it performed the commuting duties typical of a family-friendly SUV. To read about our experiences, read our long-term Pilot test. Note that while we tested a 2016 Pilot, most of our observations still apply to the 2020 model. The only exceptions deal with the infotainment and transmission improvements Honda made for 2019.

The Honda Pilot comes in six primary trim levels: LX, EX, EX-L, Touring, Elite and Black Edition. All models are powered by a 3.5-liter V6 (280 horsepower, 262 lb-ft of torque). A six-speed automatic transmission is standard for most trims, while a nine-speed transmission comes with Touring and above models. Front-wheel drive is standard on lower trims, with all-wheel drive standard on Elite and Black Edition models and optional on other trims.