Here’s What Makes the 2023 Honda Pilot TrailSport So Capable off the Beaten Path

They had to develop a comfortable family-sized crossover that wouldn’t feel out of place off the beaten path.

This might sound like a compromise at first, which is correct from a certain perspective. Looking at the glass half full, the Pilot TrailSport can be considered as combining the best of both worlds. On the one hand, you have a three-row crossover that’s more than adequate for the school run. When school’s out, dad and mom can use the same vehicle to get the kids out of the urban jungle for some well-deserved family time in the nature.

What makes the TrailSport stand out, though? Both it and the premium-oriented Elite feature a stronger rear differential that handles 40 percent more torque and provides 30 percent faster response. The i-VTM is a torque-vectoring AWD system designed to send up to 70 percent of the naturally-aspirated V6 engine’s torque to the rear axle. From there, up to 100 percent of the available torque can be distributed to either rear wheel.

The 24-valve V6 in the 2023 model year Pilot is an all-aluminum affair with low-profile cylinder heads and hydraulic lash adjuster rocker arms. It cranks out a respectable 285 horsepower and 262 pound-feet (355 Nm) of torque at full chatter. 70 percent of that means 199.5 horsepower and 183.4 pound-feet (248.6 Nm) not including drivetrain losses. By comparison, the Mazda MX-5 Miata is crankshaft-rated 181 horsepower and 151 pound-feet (205 Nm) of torque channeled to the rear axle only.

TrailSport further sweetens the deal with Sand Mode and Trail Mode, two settings that optimize the unibody sport utility vehicle’s capability on loose and uneven surfaces. TrailSport is also the reason for engineering the stiffest chassis and body structure the Pilot has ever seen. Honda quotes lateral rigidity increases of 60 percent up front and 30 percent aft.

The only 2023 model year Pilot shipped from the factory with off-road-tuned suspension, which results in one inch of additional ground clearance, the TrailSport also flaunts increased approach, departure, and breakover angles. It may not be a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, but it’s good enough for light off-roading ventures with your SO, kids, and family dog.

Unique stabilizer bars optimized for articulation also need to be mentioned, along with TrailSport-exclusive spring rates and damper valve tuning. Thick steel plates protect the oil pan, automatic transmission, and gas tank, plates designed to support the vehicle’s weight crashing down a rock. The recovery points are rated at twice the Pilot TrailSport’s GVWR.

18-inch wheels wrapped in Continental TerrainContact AT rubber boots are standard as well. In the aforementioned Trail Mode, the front brakes are programmed to reduce wheelspin and maintain traction. Last but certainly not least, TrailWatch is a camera system that uses four cameras and four camera views to help the driver navigate obstacles located outside their line of sight at speeds below 15 miles per hour (ca. 15 kph).