Performance & Efficiency
Looking for a new SUV that gives you options? While the Honda Pilot comes well-equipped with a V6 engine that makes a capable 280-horsepower, the Toyota Highlander offers an even more powerful engine - a 295-horsepower, 3.5-liter V6. And if that weren't enough, the Highlander also offers an efficient four-cylinder engine, too. And speaking of efficiency, the Highlander has the Pilot beat in that category, too, providing up to an EPA-estimated 21 mpg city/27 mpg highway versus up to an EPA-estimated 19 mpg city/27 mpg highway in the Pilot.
Space & Style
The Honda Pilot is undeniably stylish, boasting a sleek exterior with standard alloy wheels, standard LED daytime running lamps, and standard rear privacy glass, among other niceties. The Toyota Highlander also boasts a handsome exterior with auto on/off headlights, daytime running lamps, and color-keyed exterior mirrors, plus alloy wheels and privacy glass. Inside, both SUVs offer seating for up to eight passengers or seven passengers with available captain's chairs, and up to around 84 cubic feet of cargo space with the second and third rows of seats folded flat.
Safety Features
If you want the safest SUV possible for your Highland travels - especially if you're comparing between entry-level trims, then you'll love the Toyota Highlander. Out of the Honda Pilot and the Toyota Highlander, only the Highlander comes standard with the Toyota Safety Sense-P (TSS-P) suite, equipping it with the following features:
- A pre-collision system with pedestrian detection
- Lane departure alert
- Automatic high beams
- Dynamic radar cruise control
- Road sign assist
- Lane tracing assist
The Honda Pilot offers Honda Sensing™, a suite of four standard active safety technologies also designed to keep you and your passengers safer. Though Honda Sensing™ is undoubtedly a safety-enhancing suite of features, it doesn't include anything like lane tracing assist or road sign assist.
Technology & Infotainment
The Honda Pilot provides a standard touchscreen infotainment system, but its screen is 5-inches - comparatively smaller than the 6.1-inch touchscreen system standard in the new Toyota Highlander. Higher trims in both the Highlander and Pilot will give you access to an 8-inch touchscreen and both Apple CarPlay™ and Android Auto™ smartphone integration.