Honda may be best known for its Odyssey minivan, but Honda has other great cars for families. In particular, Honda’s been expanding into the SUV and truck market of America, and Honda has plenty of SUVs for Americans to choose. One of the more popular models is the Pilot, a midsize SUV that comes with a lot of standard features.

The Honda Pilot’s standard interior features

While the pricier trims of the Pilot will have a lot of interior features and options, the standard Pilot is pretty average, according to U.S. News. The center of the Pilot’s standard infotainment system is its 5-inch display screen. Notably, U.S. News says that the 2020 Pilot’s 5-inch display does have physical controls, including a volume knob. This is the first time that the Pilot has had a physical volume control in its current generation.

The Pilot’s 5-inch display screen is also paired with standard Bluetooth compatibility, two USB ports, and a seven-speaker stereo system. The Pilot’s standard 5-inch display is not a touchscreen, and as a result, the standard Pilot doesn’t have access to Apple CarPlay nor does it have access to Android Auto. Additionally, the standard Pilot will come with a push-button start system, according to U.S. News.

In terms of seating, the Pilot can seat eight people in its standard configuration, and the Pilot offers each person plenty of leg and headroom. That said, the standard Pilot only has cloth seats.

For cargo space, U.S. News says the Pilot has 16.5 cu. ft. of space with all seats available. If the third row seats are folded down, then the Pilot has 46.8 cu. ft. of space. With the second and third row seats folded down, the Pilot has 83.9 cu. ft. of space. Furthermore, the Pilot has several smaller cargo compartments. U.S. News says that the Pilot offers a good amount of cargo room, but it’s still less than what its best competitors offer.  

The Honda Pilot’s standard engine 

While Honda’s family-oriented vehicles tend to prioritize practicality rather than performance, the Pilot’s standard engine isn’t weak by any means. U.S. News reports that Honda offers a 3.5-liter V6 as standard on the Pilot. This V6 gets 280-hp and 262 lb-ft of torque. U.S. News concedes that the Pilot’s standard engine is less powerful than its competitors, but still, the Pilot “never feels short on power.” 

The Pilot’s standard V6 allows it to accelerate from 0 to 60 MPH in about 7 seconds. The Pilot also tops out at about 130 MPH. On top of that, the Pilot is a capable SUV for towing things around. Motor1 says a standard Pilot that doesn’t have any options can tow up to 3,500 lb. However, if it’s equipped with Honda’s towing package, then the Pilot can tow about 5,000 lb. 

This standard engine gives the Pilot a fuel economy of 19 MPG in cities and 27 MPG on the highways, for a combined fuel economy of 23 MPG.

The Honda Pilot’s standard smart safety features

Honda cares a lot about safety, so the Pilot does come with more standard safety features than it does anything else. This is thanks to Honda’s Sensing suite of smart safety technology that comes standard on the Pilot. 

U.S. News says that smart safety features such as adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, crash mitigation braking, road departure mitigation, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, and automatic high-beam headlights are all standard on the Pilot. Many of these smart safety features are optional on other SUVs, so owners of the Pilot can save a lot of money compared to owners of other SUVs.