Everyone’s trying to get a piece of the off-road action, even on-road quibblers like Honda. Introduced for the 2016 model, the 2022 Honda Pilot enters off-road territory with the rugged 2022 Honda Pilot Trailsport. Jakub and Yuri drove the new off-road contender from Japan’s big “H” to determine if it's worthy of the 'rugged' title.
Closely related to its smaller sibling, the Passport, the new Pilot makes a soft entry into the three-row off-road SUV game. The 2022 Pilot Trailsport comes with a few appearance tweaks and a suspension lift.
Underneath the hood, the new off-roader comes with a 3.5-liter naturally aspirated V6 making 280 hp, with VTEC.
Yuri steps on the throttle and is content the Trailsport is making some good power that we might not be getting for future generations (at least not in the form of a naturally aspirated V6). The Trailsport closely competes with Toyota RAV4 Trail and the Subaru Ascent or the Outback Wilderness.
The new Trailsport comes with 0.6-inches of extra ground clearance. It has bigger wheels, a black grill, extra-plastic cladding, and a Trailsport badge.
You can also get the Trailsport in the Passport. Jakub feels Honda might be making the badge into a thing. However, they seem to be doing it piece by piece. For the 2022 version, you don’t get off-road tires or underbody protection.
According to a press release from the Honda website, future model years will have more off-road capability. Trailsport off-road capability will further increase with upgrades such as more aggressive tires, increased ground-clearance, tuned suspension, underbody protection, and an expanded all-wheel-drive system.
Behind the wheel, it’s easy to notice how fantastic the powertrain feels. Based on Jakub’s judgment, the 9-speed automatic transmission is okay, but nothing much. The suspension is good, it drives comfortably, but it doesn’t come with tow-hooks -if you get stuck, you’ll probably need to call a tow truck.
This entry-level off-roader has a starting price of $40,000, which is fair considering the technology is a little bit older. On the upside, the Pilot Trailsport comes with three rows, more room at the back, and a promise to get gnarlier off-road.
Humphrey is a car enthusiast whose love and passion for automobiles extended into collecting, writing, driving, and working on cars. He got his passion for cars from his Dad, who spent thousands of hours working on his old junky 1970 E20 Toyota Corolla. Years later, he would end up doing the same with a series of lemons he’s owned throughout his adult life. Full profile
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