2023 Honda Pilot review

SEDONA, Ariz. — Honda’s fourth-generation Pilot is here in all of its squared-off, butched-up glory. Packing an updated powertrain with new drive modes and an upgraded TrailSport model for the outdoorsy types, the overhauled three-row wades into a segment where every new entry seems to push the boundaries of jack-of-all-trades utility and light-duty adventuring. Honda picked Sedona because it was one of many places across the country where its engineers spent time testing the capabilities of its new TrailSport models, Pilot included. Home turf, if you will. What the company didn’t count on was a freak January snowstorm that paralyzed the small town’s main arteries for several hours on the morning of our test drive. Neither the Elite nor the TrailSport models Honda brought along for evaluation were equipped with snow tires, so we were cautioned about following distances and slick hills before being released into the snow-covered desert. We started our drive in a TrailSport. The unique conditions provided an opportunity to test one of the fourth-gen Pilot’s new additions: selectable drive modes. Sure enough, “Snow” is one of them, and paired with the Continental all-terrains, it handled the slop with aplomb. A full-ABS braking test found reasonable grip from the knobby A/Ts even on icy hills, giving us confidence that we’d be able to get by on some of the area’s steeper inclines. A set of knobby tires might prompt concerns among those of you who know Honda’s history of...