The latest Honda Pilot lineup is made up of a half-dozen trims: Sport, EX-L, TrailSport, Touring, Elite, and Black Edition. A 285-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 engine partners with a 10-speed automatic transmission to form the powertrain. The Sport, EX-L, and Touring come standard with front-wheel drive, with all-wheel drive as an option; the three highest trims are made only with AWD.
A drive mode selector is included on every Pilot, with settings labeled Sport, Normal, ECON, Tow, and Snow. All-wheel drive models add settings for Trail and Sand. When it’s properly equipped, the 2025 Pilot is able to tow as much as 5,000 pounds. According to the EPA’s official estimations on fuel economy, FWD ’25 Pilots achieve 19 mpg city/27 mpg highway, with AWD versions retaining the same city rating but lowering the highway estimate to 25 mpg. The TrailSport is the exception, as the increased weight of its special off-road equipment lowers its fuel economy to 18 city/23 highway.
The new base trim, the Sport, has cloth seats, a 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, a 4-way power passenger seat, push-button ignition, heated front seats, tri-zone automatic climate control with rear-seat vents, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, four USB ports (two front and two second row), 14 beverage holders, a front 12-volt power outlet, gloss-black roof rails, LED lights (headlamps, taillights, brake lights, and fog lights), matte-black power side rearview mirrors, and 20-inch Shark Gray alloy wheels. The EX-L adds leather-trimmed seating, driver’s seat and mirror position memory, second-row climate controls, wireless device charging, the CabinTalk in-car PA system, second-row sunshades, third-row USB ports (two), a HomeLink remote system, an additional 12-volt power outlet (cargo area), an auto-dimming rearview mirror, a programmable power tailgate, body-colored heated side view mirrors with integrated turn signals, and 18-inch Pewter Gray machine-finished alloy wheels.
The TrailSport reduces seating capacity to seven passengers with its second-row fold-flat captain’s chairs and adds a one-touch power panoramic moonroof, synthetic leather upholstery with orange stitching, a heated steering wheel, a 110-volt power outlet, power-folding side mirrors, a heated windshield, a gloss-black front grille, and 18-inch gray alloy wheels with the TrailSport logo and black lug nuts. Its specialized off-roading features include underbody skid plates for the engine and fuel tank, plus front and rear recovery points. It’s the only model that comes with an integrated Class III trailer hitch.
The Touring is equipped like the EX-L with the addition of a hands-free tailgate, on-demand in-trunk seat storage, a stowable second-row fold-flat center seat, and 20-inch Shark Gray machine-finished alloy wheels. The Elite adds perforated leather upholstery, ventilated front seats, a 4-inch head-up display, second-row heated outboard seats, a 10.2-inch driver information display, rain-sensing automatic windshield wipers, plus power-folding and auto-dimming side rearview mirrors. Elevated style is the theme of the Black Edition, which punctuates its loaded features list with unique black exterior accents, perforated leather seats with red stitching, and 20-inch gloss black alloy wheels topped with black lug nuts.
All 2025 Pilots come with the Honda Sensing suite of driver-assist features (forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, traffic jam assist, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, a rearview monitor, traffic sign recognition, a driver attention monitor, automatic high-beam headlights, blind-spot warning, and a cross traffic monitor). The EX-L and above add low-speed braking control with front and rear parking sensors, while the TrailSport, Elite, and Black Edition have a multi-view camera system and TrailWatch camera display.
Standard on the 2025 Pilot is a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a 7-speaker sound system with a subwoofer, HondaLink access, Bluetooth hands-free phone and audio streaming, SMS text messaging, and smartphone connectivity with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (wireless on all but the Sport). A 9-inch touchscreen, SiriusXM satellite radio, HD Radio, and a manual volume knob are added to the EX-L and higher, with a satellite-linked navigation system installed on the Touring and higher. The EX-L and TrailSport also have a 9-speaker sound system with a subwoofer, while the others (Touring, Elite, and Black Edition) spoil their passengers with a 12-speaker premium Bose sound unit with multi-zone audio. The three highest trims also get connected navigation, a Wi-Fi hotspot, voice recognition, and a trial subscription to HondaLink subscription services.