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Honda has launched the new 2023 Honda Pilot. The company is making a lot of the fact that it’s the biggest, and most powerful, Honda SUV ever. It can seat seven or eight passengers, has a new stiffer frame, and a fancy all-wheel drive system. But, is the biggest Honda Pilot really that big?

How much cargo space does the new 2023 Honda Pilot have?

2023 Honda Pilot in blue on dirt
The 2023 Honda Pilot | Honda

The new 2023 Honda Pilot has a lot of room. It has 114 cubic feet of storage space with the seats folded flat, and 22 cubic feet of space behind the rear seats. That puts the Pilot right between its two rivals for interior space. For comparison, Toyota’s similar three-row Highlander holds just 84 cubic feet of luggage, while the larger Chevy Tahoe holds 123 cubic feet.

A lot of that space comes thanks to two things. One, the 2023 Honda Pilot has a 3-inch longer wheelbase than the 2022 Honda Pilot. But, two, the second row of seats can be stowed under the rear cargo floor, opening up the entire middle for cargo.

How much passenger space is in the new 2023 Honda Pilot?

interior of the 2023 Honda Pilot
2023 Honda Pilot interior | Honda

The second row now has a generous 41 inches of legroom. That’s 2.4 inches more than the old Pilot. In front, it has 41 inches of legroom. While the back row only has 33 inches of legroom which, while not a lot, can comfortably seat a small adult.

The new pilot is also wider. Also, the new 2023 Honda Pilot is about two inches wider than the previous version, and that adds some shoulder and hip room to every seat. The new 2023 Honda Pilot can seat eight people with a bench seat, or seven with a pair of captain’s chairs in the middle. According to Newsweek, the storage bins can hold a large tablet.

The new Honda Pilot is also more powerful

The 2022 Honda Pilot was always quick, well quick for a large three-row SUV, with its 280 horsepower V6. But Honda had to add more power to the Pilot to compete with new SUVs from Hyundai, like the Palisade, and the upgraded Toyota Highlander. It gets a new 285-horsepower V6 that is tied to a new 10-speed automatic that can keep the engine in its sweet spot more often.

The new Pilot can also be ordered with the latest version of Honda’s i-VTM4 all-wheel drive system from the Ridgeline truck. It’s the second generation of the system, and with a new differential, it can put the power down quicker and smoother than the previous version. The Pilot’s 5,000-pound towing capacity doesn’t change.

How much is a new 2023 Honda Pilot?

Honda says the new Pilot prices will start at $39,150 for the front-wheel drive Sport version. For the first time, Honda is labeling the Pilot as either an 8-Occupant or a 7-Occupant version. The seven-passenger version has two captain’s chairs in the middle and $300 to the price. The top-line Touring and Trailsport and Elite trims cost around $50,000. Destination charges are $1,295 and all-wheel drive is a $2,100 option on all trims.

While Honda is taking a page out of the Toyota playbook and adding a special HPD version with decals and fender flares, it’s simply an appearance package.

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Writer - Sedans & Coupes

Dan Mayfield

Dan joined MotorBiscuit in 2022 with over 20 years of experience in journalism and a lifelong passion for anything related to the automotive industry. He grew up wrenching a 1949 Ford pickup truck and an MGB with his dad, learning how not to wire a fuel pump (he inadvertently set the MGB on fire).

After earning a bachelor’s degree in photojournalism from the University of New Mexico, Dan has contributed his expertise to a range of local outlets, including the City of Albuquerque, US Eagle, and the Alliance for Local Economic Prosperity.

On weekends, Dan spends Saturdays enjoying “cars and coffee” chats and, on Sundays, he’s watching the Route 66 Cruise roll through town. He also races motorcycles, and it’s not unusual to find him elbows-deep in his latest cafe racer build.

Taking advantage of the local desert terrain, Dan also enjoys exploring and driving off-road in his trusty Ram Rebel pickup truck, which provides personal insights into his contributions to our Trucks, SUVs, & Crossovers coverage. Dan strives to give our readers unique information about the dynamic automotive market, reading anything that has to do with cars, trucks, bikes, 4X4s, and, in his words, “everything with a motor.”

Dan has earned a number of accolades from the Public Relations Society of America, and is a University of Southern California, Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism Fellow.