ROADS SCHOLAR

NEWLY STUDIED IN MATTERS UNPAVED, THE HONDA PILOT IS NOW AN ACE BOTH ONAND OFF-ROAD.

- Dave VanderWerp 

WHEN HONDA BIRTHED THE TRAILSPORT MONIKER on the previous generation Pilot and Passport, it was an inauspicious moment. With the trim offering almost no functional upgrades, the automaker appeared to be cynically chasing the emerging popularity of rugged model-line extensions. That changes with the all-new 2023 Pilot. The TrailSport truly distinguishes itself from the rest of the lineup, with all-terrain tires (and a matching full-size spare), an inch more ground clearance (for 8.3 inches total), beefy skid plates, a slightly softer front anti-roll bar, and a torque-vectoring rear diff with 20 percent more torque capacity. The off-road variant is now fully realized.

Speaking of that rear diff, it's a vectoring madman, rotating the rear end around with slide-happy shenanigans on- or off-road. Three-row large SUVS are never this neutral, but the Pilot gets all four tires fully engaged to deliver 0.85 g on the skidpad astonishing, considering the lowly T speed-rated (118 mph) all-terrain rubber. The Continental TerrainContact A/T tires claw extremely well on soft sand and mud but don't sing at highway speeds on pavement, despite their knobby tread.

The TrailSport does give up some on-road prowess relative to its siblings, with the tires and softer front anti-roll bar eroding some steering precision and allowing more body motion. The stopping distance from 70 mph is a longish 189 feet. While the TrailSport isn't as sharp as the other Pilot models on pavement, most competitors aren't either.