- Rugged and family-friendly Honda Pilot continues to set the standard in the midsize 3-row SUV class
- Styling enhancements inside and out elevate premium appeal of Honda Pilot
- 2026 Pilot gains significantly larger touchscreen (+37%) and more standard tech features
- Improved steering feel and quieter cabin bring higher levels of driving enjoyment
- Pilot TrailSport now available in the trim exclusive colour Ash Green Metallic
Honda has advanced the rugged, family-friendly Honda Pilot for the 2026 model year with several key upgrades inside and out. These include a larger touchscreen, a more premium and tech-rich interior and major styling updates.
Also improved are the Pilot’s steering feel and a quieter cabin, enhancing both driving enjoyment and overall comfort, plus upgraded safety features. The refreshed 2026 Honda Pilot will be offered in five well-equipped trim levels: Sport, EX-L, TrailSport, Touring and Black Edition. The latest Pilot begins arriving at Canadian dealerships early next year.
“Our latest Honda Pilot continues to improve significantly with advanced technology, new styling and better driving dynamics,” said Emile Korkor Assistant Vice President Honda Canada. “The Pilot’s latest upgrades offer Canadians a premium, 3-row SUV packed with capability, comfort and plenty of space for on and off-road adventures.”
New for 2026
- Standard Features:
- Redesigned front fascia with a larger grille
- 12.3-inch HD colour touchscreen (37% larger)
- 3.2-inch larger – 10.2-inch digital driver instrumentation display
- Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility
- Wi-Fi capability
- Quieter cabin (noise reduced 2-3 dB in key frequencies)
- Improved steering feel and precision
- Roof rails (added to EX-L; previously Sport, TrailSport, Touring, and Black Edition only)
- New colour option: Solar Silver Metallic
- Post-Collision Braking system (PCB)
- Pilot TrailSport
- New colour option: TrailSport trim exclusive Ash Green Metallic, replaces Diffused Sky Pearl
- 360-degree surround view camera (previously Touring, Black Edition)
- Pilot Touring:
- Ultra-Suede seat accents with diamond stitching
- New design machine-finished Shark Grey 20-inch alloy wheels
- Pilot Black Edition
- Berlina Black 20-inch alloy wheels
More Premium Cabin with New Features
The elevated cabin experience of the 2026 Honda Pilot brings more comfort and features for the whole family with more standard technology than ever, reduced cabin noise, and higher quality materials.
Every 2026 Honda Pilot now features a new ultra-wide 12.3-inch touchscreen, 37% larger than the previous model year, powered by the latest HMI software for smooth, lag-free performance.
It also includes a 10.2-inch digital driver display, now 43% larger, offering enhanced visibility and a more immersive driving experience.
Pilot now includes standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, Google built-in, and wi-fi hotspot capability. The new HMI software provides a simplified navigation structure with fewer embedded menus. Designed with simplicity in mind, the system offers three user-defined, easily programmable shortcuts on the left side of the screen. A 360-degree surround view camera is now included on the Pilot TrailSport (new for 2026) in addition to the Touring and Black Edition.
For a more refined driving experience, the Pilot cabin is quieter thanks to new semi-tempered door glass, door insulators, a new hood insulator and other sound absorbing technologies that reduce the transmission of engine, road and wind noise. In addition, Pilot Touring adds enclosed fender liners to further reduce road noise.
Additionally, the Touring and Black Edition are even more luxurious with new diamond quilted Ultra Suede seat accents and high-contrast door panel stitching.
More Aspirational Design
The rugged exterior design of the 2026 Pilot is even more adventure-ready, with a bolder design that includes a new larger grille and more pronounced front and rear scuff plates. Sport and EX-L feature a new black grille with a gloss black surround; while Touring and Black Edition are distinguished with a new gloss black grille, and TrailSport with a grey grille. The new scuff plates are silver on EX-L, TrailSport, and Touring, and black on Sport and Black Edition.
To further highlight the additional off-road capability of the Pilot TrailSport, its new rear scuff plate features an exclusive design with a robust off-road ready style, and its rear PILOT logo gains new orange trim, matching its TrailSport badges.
Roof rails are now standard on all trims, further increasing Pilot’s capability and style. Touring and Black Edition trims feature newly styled 20-inch wheels. Touring rides on new machine-finished Shark Grey alloy wheels with black lug nuts. At the top of the range, Pilot Black Edition gets new Berlina Black alloy wheels with black lug nuts.
The refreshed 2026 Pilot is available in two exciting new colors: sophisticated Solar Silver Metallic and TrailSport exclusive Ash Green Metallic, which is now available on all Honda TrailSport models.
Enhanced Driving Experience
The confidence-inspiring dynamics of Pilot are enhanced by a retuned electric power steering (EPS) system providing increased steering feel and precision across all driving modes. Pilot’s improved steering feedback is smooth, natural and direct, further supporting driver confidence and security during spirited driving on winding roads. The steering system’s on-center weight also has been increased for more stable-feeling and relaxed highway cruising with less input from the driver.
Powerful, Strong and Capable
The 2026 Honda Pilot features an extremely rigid platform engineered from the beginning with TrailSport’s true off-road capabilities in mind, which benefits the ride, handling and overall refinement of the entire Pilot lineup. A powerful 3.5-litre DOHC V6 is standard, producing 285 horsepower at 6,100 rpm and 262 lb.-ft. of torque at 5,000 rpm (both SAE net). Paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission tuned exclusively for Pilot, the combination is smooth and responsive.
The award-winning Honda i-VTM4™ all-wheel drive system is standard on all Pilot trims. It helps to optimize traction in all driving scenarios, especially slick conditions and off-road, the torque vectoring i-VTM4™ system progressively distributes optimum torque not only between the front and rear axles, but also between the left and right rear wheels for more precise and exhilarating handling response.
Up to 70% of the engine’s torque can be sent to the rear axle, and 100% of that torque can be distributed to either the left or right rear wheel. When cornering, i-VTM4™ distributes more torque to the outside rear wheel, creating a yaw moment to help turn the vehicle through corners – making for more accurate turns, reducing understeer and improving controllability.
Five standard selectable drive modes customize the driving experience for various conditions: Normal, Econ, Snow, Sport and Tow modes. EX-L models and above also feature a Sand mode and a Trail mode which optimize Pilot’s off-road capabilities. Hill Descent Control system is standard on all Pilot models.
Pilot TrailSport is an authentic, off-road-capable SUV for family adventures with exclusive rugged hardware, including rugged all-wheel drive capabilities and robust steel skid plates that protect the underbody from damage on the trail. TrailSport’s raised off-road tuned suspension with additional ground clearance, increases articulation and improves off-road ride quality, all without sacrificing Pilot’s exceptional on-road comfort and handling.
To take adventure-seeking families even further off the beaten path, Pilot TrailSport includes beefy all-terrain tires that improve traction in dirt, sand, mud, rocky terrain and snow, while remaining quiet and comfortable on the road.
Safety for Everyone
Honda is committed to further advancing safety for everyone sharing the road. Based on this commitment, the fourth-generation Pilot is a leader in midsize SUV safety performance with standard active and passive safety technology. This includes the Honda SensingTM suite of safety and driver assistive technologies, the latest version of the Honda proprietary Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure and advanced airbag technology designed to cradle the head and offer enhanced protection – all standard on all Pilot models.
In addition, every 2026 Honda Pilot includes a new Post-Collision Braking system (PCB) to help mitigate damage and injuries sustained during multi-collision accidents.
On the 2026 Pilot the Honda SensingTM suite of safety and driver-assistive technologies includes Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS) with Pedestrian Detection, Forward Collision Warning; Road Departure Mitigation (RDM) incorporating Lane Departure Warning (LDW); Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS); and Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC).
For more information on the Honda Pilot click here.
About Honda Canada
Honda Canada Inc. was founded in 1969 and is the parent company for both Honda and Acura vehicle brands in Canada. Since 1986, the company has produced Honda engines and over 11 million cars and light trucks at its Alliston, Ontario manufacturing facilities, where the Honda Civic and Honda CR-V are currently built. Honda Canada has invested over $21 billion in Canada, and each year sources over $3 billion in goods and services from Canadian suppliers. Since its inception, Honda Canada has sold over five million Honda and Acura passenger cars and light trucks in Canada through a dealer network of more than 280 dealerships across the country. For more information, please visit www.hondacanada.ca.
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