2026 Honda Pilot Elite Review: First Class SUV
One of my favorite vehicles to drive is the Honda Pilot TrailSport. I recently got the opportunity to drive the 2026 Elite trim and wondered if the rugged Pilot I know, can be civilized and luxurious. To start, the new 2026 model does get some changes to all trims. To start, the front fascia is redesigned to have a larger grille. It also has a more angular design, giving it a stronger presence. You also get power tailgates across all trims, a bigger infotainment and gauge cluster screens. You’ll have a quieter cabin with up to 2-3dB in reduction in key frequencies. Honda also mentions that you’ll have improved steering feel and precision, but no details as far as what exactly was changed.
For the Elite trim’s exterior, you’ll get 20” wheels with smaller sidewall’d all-season tires, compared to the TrailSport’s 18” wheels with meatier all-terrain tires. I was concerned that I’d loose comfort having the larger wheels, but thankfully the Pilot’s suspension and chassis are set up well to give you the ride quality of a luxurious SUV. Although white isn’t my first choice of color, the Platinum White Pearl was extremely dimensional with the shine the pearl flake provided. My personal preference goes to the Ash Green Metallic, that replaced my ultimate favorite Diffused Sky Blue Pearl.
Inside the Elite trim, you’ll get some pinkies up moments. Honda labels their seats as Perforated Leather-Trimmed Seats with Quilted Ultrasuede® Accents and Contrast Piping Vented seats. That’s a fancy way of saying that they’ve created incredibly comfortable seats that also look great. Be aware that the Ultrasuede parts will absorb the heat and can make your shoulders a bit warmer. The Elite’s Bose sound system will sound better since you’ll have acoustic glass for the front windshield and the front windows to combat city sounds.
I do prefer the 3 seat second row configuration you get with the Elite, compared to the TrailSport’s captain’s seats only. The middle section in the Elite allows you to put it down for armrest use, or you can completely remove the section for easier entrance to the third row. When in a pseudo captain’s chairs, you unfortunately won’t have the inner armrest that the 7-seat configuration gets. The other neat trick you get with the Elite, is the Walk Away Auto Lock, where you press a button in the cargo area which activates the tailgate to close the moment you walk away. This is such a helpful function for unloading the last heavy item from the grocery runs, and not needing to press a button while carrying the item, or trying to get a kick sensor to actually work.
Overall, driving the 2026 Honda Pilot Elite, left me wanting more from manufactures. I feel like we should have these off-road variants to be a package that can be added on trim levels and not a trim level that doesn’t have all the options that a top of the line trim would have. Thankfully Honda has understood the demand and has offered the Passport TrailSport Elite, which combines the off-road tools from the TrailSport, with the luxuries and tech of an Elite trim. Hopefully we’ll soon see that available for the Pilot model.
