{"id":3677,"date":"2026-02-16T19:06:45","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T19:06:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dealerindepth.com\/?p=3677"},"modified":"2026-02-16T19:06:45","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T19:06:45","slug":"the-refreshed-2026-honda-pilot-aims-to-stay-competitive-in-a-crowded-suv-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dealerindepth.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/16\/the-refreshed-2026-honda-pilot-aims-to-stay-competitive-in-a-crowded-suv-market\/","title":{"rendered":"The Refreshed 2026 Honda Pilot Aims to Stay Competitive in a Crowded SUV Market"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><i>Honda&#8217;s three-row family hauler gets a mid-cycle refresh for 2026, and the updates focus on what buyers have been asking for. A larger touchscreen, improved sound insulation, retuned steering, and bolder exterior styling are all part of the package. But with rivals like the Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride adding hybrid options and undercutting the Pilot on price, does Honda&#8217;s latest round of upgrades do enough to keep families coming back?<\/i><\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Every 2026 Honda Pilot now features a 12.3-inch touchscreen that is 37% larger than the previous model year.<\/li>\n<li>The Pilot cabin is quieter thanks to new semi-tempered door glass, door insulators, a new hood insulator, and other sound-absorbing technologies.<\/li>\n<li>Honda added more features to the base Sport trim ($43,690) for 2026, including the larger touchscreen and a power liftgate.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong><b>What Changed for 2026?<\/b><\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The biggest story inside the cabin is the new standard 12.3-inch infotainment screen. This display was borrowed from the Passport and replaces the previous 7.0- and 9.0-inch units. If you&#8217;ve sat in a recent Pilot and thought the screen looked tiny for the size of the dashboard, Honda clearly heard you. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are included on every trim, and the 10.2-inch digital gauge cluster that was once limited to the Elite and Black Edition is now standard across the lineup.<\/p>\n<p>A retuned electric power steering system provides better steering feel and precision across all driving modes. Reviewers who drove the updated Pilot noted the 2026 Pilot was quiet at speed, indicating that the extra sound-deadening and now-standard laminated glass are working. The entire range gets semi-tempered door glass, door insulators, and a new hood insulator, while the Touring and Elite trims also get enclosed fender liners.<\/p>\n<p>On the outside, the Pilot&#8217;s front fascia is boxier than before, now wearing a larger grille and a two-tone rectangular element on the lower portion of the bumper. The refreshed 2026 Pilot is available in three new colors: Solar Silver Metallic, Smoke Blue Pearl, and TrailSport-exclusive Ash Green Metallic. A power tailgate and roof rails now come standard across the board.<\/p>\n<h2><strong><b>Under the Hood and on the Road<\/b><\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>A 3.5-liter DOHC V6 is standard, producing 285 horsepower at 6,100 rpm and 262 lb.-ft. of torque at 5,000 rpm. A 10-speed automatic transmission sends power to standard front-wheel drive or available all-wheel drive. In MotorTrend testing, a Pilot AWD accelerated from 0-60 mph in 6.9 seconds.<\/p>\n<p>That V6 is familiar, and reviews suggest it&#8217;s adequate but not thrilling. The engine sounds good, and the 10-speed automatic downshifts promptly when asked, but you&#8217;ll have to rev out the V6 to get meaningful grunt for passing or merging. Honda says it is working on a new hybrid setup for its larger vehicles, and electrification can&#8217;t come soon enough. The Pilot&#8217;s 20-to-22-mpg EPA combined rating trails behind some competitors, and that gap is getting harder to ignore.<\/p>\n<p>The Pilot can tow up to 5,000 lbs. It&#8217;s offered in six trim levels: Sport, EX-L, Touring, TrailSport, Elite, and Black Edition. The TrailSport continues to stand apart with all-terrain tires, skid plates, and extra ground clearance for light off-road duty.<\/p>\n<h2><strong><b>Pricing and How It Stacks Up<\/b><\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>At $43,690 to start, the <a href=\"https:\/\/carbuzz.com\/2026-honda-pilot-first-drive-review\/\"><strong>2026 Pilot<\/strong><\/a> is priced on the higher side for the segment. The brand-new Telluride ($40,735) and recently updated Palisade ($42,795) are still cheaper. Even the Ford Explorer ($40,160), Dodge Durango ($40,990), and Chevrolet Traverse ($42,795) all undercut the Pilot.<\/p>\n<p>The lack of a hybrid option also puts Honda at a disadvantage. Both the Palisade and Telluride have hybrid options for 2026, which yield a better 35 mpg combined, and the Toyota Grand Highlander hybrid leads the class with 36 combined. For families watching fuel costs, that gap matters.<\/p>\n<p>Still, the Pilot has its strengths. Car and Driver fit six carry-on-sized boxes behind the Pilot&#8217;s third row, two more than they could stuff into a Kia Telluride. The Pilot beats rivals like the Palisade and Telluride in third-row room, offering 39.3 inches of headroom and 32.5 inches of legroom. If you frequently fill all three rows, that practical edge is real. And if you&#8217;re considering something smaller, like a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gateshonda.net\/used-honda-cr-v-lexington-ky\"><strong>used Honda CR-V,<\/strong><\/a> those extra seats and cargo capacity are exactly what might push you toward the Pilot instead.<\/p>\n<h2><strong><b>Is the 2026 Pilot Worth the Refresh Premium?<\/b><\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The 2026 Honda <a href=\"https:\/\/dealerindepth.com\/index.php\/2022\/05\/02\/the-most-popular-pilot\/\"><strong>Pilot<\/strong><\/a> is a solid, well-rounded family SUV that got smarter this year without changing its personality. The bigger screen, quieter cabin, and improved steering tackle the previous model&#8217;s weakest spots. Among the 11 owners who provided feedback on the 2026 Honda Pilot for Kelley Blue Book, consumer sentiment is mostly positive, with 90% recommending the vehicle, and consumers found comfort and styling to be its strongest features.<\/p>\n<p>Where Honda falls short is in pricing and fuel efficiency. Without a hybrid powertrain, the Pilot gives up serious ground to Korean and Japanese rivals that offer better mileage for less money. The three-row SUV segment is moving fast, and the Pilot&#8217;s latest upgrades feel like the bare minimum needed to hold its current midpack position. Even so, if you value Honda&#8217;s reputation for reliability, its roomy third row, and a now-modern tech setup, the 2026 Pilot still earns a spot on your short list.<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/hCBQRncBhvA?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Honda&#8217;s three-row family hauler gets a mid-cycle refresh for 2026, and the updates focus on what buyers have been asking for. A larger touchscreen, improved sound insulation, retuned steering, and bolder exterior styling are all part of the package. But with rivals like the Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride adding hybrid options and undercutting the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":3678,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[120],"tags":[2866,2870,2868,2867,2869,1856],"class_list":["post-3677","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-honda","tag-2026-honda-pilot","tag-honda-pilot-pricing","tag-honda-pilot-refresh","tag-honda-pilot-review","tag-midsize-suv-comparison","tag-three-row-suv"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dealerindepth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/The-Refreshed-2026-Honda-Pilot-Aims-to-Stay-Competitive-in-a-Crowded-SUV-Market.png?fit=1000%2C523&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9Lldl-Xj","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dealerindepth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3677","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dealerindepth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dealerindepth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dealerindepth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dealerindepth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3677"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dealerindepth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3677\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3679,"href":"https:\/\/dealerindepth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3677\/revisions\/3679"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dealerindepth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3678"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dealerindepth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3677"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dealerindepth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3677"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dealerindepth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3677"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}