2022 Honda Pilot Trailsport, Video, Review, Pricing

By: Joshua Lee
November 9, 2022

We love a good midsize crossover that offers great functionality and capability when it comes to transporting family and cargo. Many customers like having an SUV for its size and the comfort of knowing that it can take them anywhere with no trouble at all. What manufacturers have recently started doing is advertising their SUVs that’s set for the outdoors. Cue in the 2022 Honda Pilot TrailSport where it’s designed for customers who want a vehicle that’s off-road ready.

We were given the 2022 Honda Pilot TrailSport from Honda Canada to see what this trim is all about. The Pilot Trailsport comes with a black front grille and side mirrors, black 18” wheels, TrailSport badging on the tailgate, and orange accent stitching. Those are…basically the only differences that sets it apart from its other 5 trim levels. It’s not much but Honda says it will make future TrailSport variants more off road ready with increased ground clearance, modified suspension, underbody panels, and expanded all-wheel drive capabilities.

2022 Honda Pilot Trailsport - Driveman.ca

The Pilot Trailsport is powered by a 3.5L V6 producing 280 horsepower, 262 lb-ft of torque, and can tow up to 5000lbs. Being a big car, there is ample power and the nine-speed automatic is smooth as well. The Trailsport is 0.6” higher than its other trims due to its all-terrain tires; ride quality is comfortable as it absorbs bumps on and off the road. While the Pilot isn’t all that engaging to drive, it is easy to maneuver and the torque-vectoring all wheel drive system help keep the car under control. The Pilot also comes with Intelligent Traction Management that helps manage the car on Snow, Mud, or Sand.

You will be pleased to have the Pilot as a road trip car when you realize just how roomy it is inside. The Pilot is equipped with heated front and second row seats, heated steering, front armrests, wireless charging pad, second row sunshades, tri-zone climate control, three 12-volt power outlets, and four USB outlets. The cabin layout is simple with hard buttons for the climate control and an 8” touchscreen for all other menus including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Honda LaneWatch blind spot system and the back up camera show up clear on this display as well. The 7” driver’s display feels outdated compared to Honda’s newer models but gives out all necessary information that’s easily controlled by the steering-wheel buttons.

Sitting anywhere in this eight-passenger vehicle is comfortable. All seats have orange stitching and the front headrests have ‘TrailSport’ embroidered on it. Second row passengers have a lot of room to stretch out and with a push of a button, automatically slides the row forwards giving you easier access into the third row. Third row passengers have their own air vents and have decent leg room. Cargo capacity goes from 524L behind the third row and expands up to 3092L behind the first row.

The Honda Pilot TrailSport is equipped with a lot of driver-assisted features such as: adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, lane departure warning, rear cross traffic monitoring system, collision mitigation braking system, and forward collision warning.

Fuel economy ratings for the Pilot TrailSport are 12.3/9.5/11.1L/100KM city/highway/combined; we got 10.4L/100KM for the week which is not bad at all.

The Honda Pilot Sport starts at $46,920, EX-L Navi at $50,420, Touring 8 Passenger at $56,220, Touring 7 Passenger at $56,620, and Black Edition at $58,420. The TrailSport fits in the middle starting at $52,420 but if you like the Sonic Grey Pearl paint that we have, the price will go up to $52.720.

The Honda Pilot is a great all-rounder for a midsize crossover. It is fuel efficient, spacious, and provides a comfortable ride. The TrailSport trim is nothing more than just some minor cosmetic enhancements inside and out. It doesn’t offer any extra off-road capabilities so there isn’t much to differentiate from its other trims. Keep in mind, this third-generation model has been on the market since 2016 and Honda has teased the fourth generation TrailSport model which is built on its new global light truck platform that’s also shared with the 2022 Acura MDX (Reviewed Here). Nevertheless, we believe the Pilot TrailSport does provide good value for your money and will handle whatever you throw at it. Just… maybe put off the rock crawling.