Last updated August 4, 2026
The Honda Pilot lineup starts with the straightforward LX, while EX, SE, and Sport models add the comfort, safety, and convenience features many families want. EX-L versions are the leather-lined family upgrade, with some older versions adding built-in navigation or rear entertainment. Touring is the upscale road-trip branch, and TrailSport is the trail-focused alternative with real off-road hardware. Special Edition and Black Edition models add distinctive dark styling at different equipment levels, while Elite is the regular premium-comfort model.
The Base Model trim level — LX plus a 2024 Sport-based entry — is the simple, family-first Pilot focused on three-row space, V6 power, and everyday usefulness.
Best for: Families who want the Pilot’s core space and capability without paying for luxury-focused extras.
Highlights
The Mid-Level trim level — EX, EX w/Honda Sensing, SE, and Sport — is the well-equipped everyday Pilot, with member trims emphasizing convenience, safety, entertainment, or modern cabin tech.
Best for: Shoppers who want more comfort and useful family features while keeping a practical, mostly cloth-trimmed cabin.
Highlights
Adds noticeable everyday conveniences over the Base Model, including heated front seats, easier second-row access, remote start, and added blind-spot or safety technology depending on member trim and year.
53 in stock
The Comfort Upgrade trim level — the EX-L and its Honda Sensing, Navigation, RES, and Navi & RES versions — is the leather-lined family step-up, with road-trip options for drivers and rear passengers.
Best for: Families who want a more comfortable cabin and easier kid-hauling without moving to Touring or Elite.
Highlights
Adds leather-focused comfort over the Mid-Level trims, along with a moonroof, power tailgate, and extra family conveniences; specific EX-L versions add navigation, rear entertainment, or the full safety suite.
171 in stock
The Fully Loaded trim level — Touring and Touring S — is the upscale road-trip Pilot, with premium audio, navigation, extra camera help, and a darker appearance on Touring S.
Best for: Frequent travelers who value a quieter-feeling, feature-rich cabin and added parking and cargo-loading convenience.
Highlights
Adds a more complete road-trip package over the Comfort Upgrade, led by premium audio, built-in navigation, extra camera views, and newer-year panoramic-roof and hands-free-tailgate features.
70 in stock
The Rugged Styling trim level is TrailSport, the adventure-focused Pilot with added clearance and protective hardware for rough roads and light trail use.
Best for: Active families who regularly visit campsites, unpaved roads, or mild trails but still need a useful three-row SUV.
Highlights
Compared with the Fully Loaded level, TrailSport adds trail-focused suspension tuning, skid plates, extra clearance, and a dedicated trail camera instead of centering on luxury and road-trip equipment.
11 in stock
The Special Editions trim level — Black Edition and Special Edition — adds factory dark styling, with Special Edition building on EX-L comfort and Black Edition pairing the theme with near-luxury equipment.
Best for: Shoppers who want a Pilot with a more distinctive factory look and either practical EX-L-based convenience or premium Black Edition comfort.
Highlights
Compared with TrailSport, these editions trade the trail-first theme for darker styling and comfort features. Special Edition follows the EX-L formula, while Black Edition adds premium seat comfort and display features.
42 in stock
The Premium Luxury trim level is Elite, the regular top comfort-focused Pilot with richer seating, extra heating and ventilation, and added day-to-day polish.
Best for: Families who want near-luxury comfort in a Honda without the Black Edition’s special appearance theme.
Highlights
Elite is the regular premium branch: it adds substantially more seat comfort than Special Edition, while offering much of Black Edition’s luxury equipment without its edition-specific dark styling.
35 in stock| Feature | Mid-Level | Base Model | Fully Loaded | Premium Luxury | Rugged Styling | Comfort Upgrade | Special Editions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Includes | EX, EX w/Honda Sensing, SE, Sport53 in stock | LX, base21 in stock | Touring, Touring S70 in stock | Elite35 in stock | TrailSport11 in stock | EX-L, EX-L w/Honda Sensing, EX-L w/Navi & RES, EX-L w/Navigation, EX-L w/RES171 in stock | Black Edition, Special Edition42 in stock |
| Cabin theme | Comfort-focused, mainly cloth | Simple, cloth-focused family cabin | Upscale road-trip cabin | Perforated leather with quilted accents | Durable synthetic leather | Leather-trimmed family cabin | Leather with edition-specific trim |
| Moonroof treatment | SE: power moonroof | Not a defining feature | Panoramic in recent years | Not a defining feature | Not a defining feature | Power moonroof on EX-L versions | Special Edition: power moonroof |
| Tailgate convenience | Power tailgate on recent Sport | Not a defining feature | Hands-free power tailgate | Not a defining feature | Not a defining feature | Power tailgate | Special Edition: hands-free |
| Navigation / rear entertainment | SE: rear DVD system | Not a defining feature | Built-in navigation | Not a defining feature | Not a defining feature | Navigation and/or entertainment versions | Not a defining feature |
| Driver visibility / parking help | Blind-spot help varies by member | Sport-based entry: blind-spot monitor | Multiview camera | Not a defining feature | TrailWatch camera | Front and rear parking sensors | Not a defining feature |
| Trail hardware | Family-road focus | Family-road focus | Road-trip focus | Luxury focus | Skid plates and added clearance | Comfort focus | Appearance focus |
| Appearance theme | Sport adds a sportier look | LX plain; Sport-based entry bolder | Touring S blackout theme | Conventional premium look | Rugged exterior theme | Comfort-first styling | Dark exterior themes |
| Premium seat comfort | Heated front seats | Sport-based entry: heated front | Varies by model year | Ventilated front and heated second row | Heated second-row captain’s chairs | Leather and heated front seats | Black Edition: heated and ventilated front |
LX is the simpler entry trim when it appears. On fourth-generation Pilots sold with both, Sport adds heated front seats, a power driver’s seat, blind-spot monitoring, remote start, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, and 20-inch wheels. Sport became the entry trim again after LX was dropped.
On third-generation Pilots, EX adds the everyday features many shoppers notice: an 8-inch touchscreen, heated front seats, remote start, a power driver’s seat, and easier second-row access. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto arrived on EX and higher trims for 2017.
EX-L is the comfort upgrade over EX. On third-generation models, it commonly adds leather seating, heated front seats, a moonroof, and a power tailgate. On newer Pilots, EX-L remains the family-comfort step above Sport, with leather trim and added cabin flexibility.
In newer lineups, EX-L focuses on practical family comfort with leather-trimmed seats, parking sensors, CabinTalk, and a stowable second-row center seat. Touring steps up with a panoramic moonroof, Bose audio, built-in navigation, extra camera views, and a hands-free tailgate.
In recent years, Elite adds more cold- and hot-weather comfort over Touring. Key upgrades include ventilated front seats, heated outboard second-row seats, a heated steering wheel, a head-up display, richer seat trim, and rain-sensing wipers.
Black Edition is the style-focused version of the loaded Pilot. In the newer lineup, it builds on Elite’s premium equipment with black exterior details, special logos, and distinctive red-accented interior trim. Elite has a more understated appearance.
Touring S is the darker-looking version of Touring on the refreshed newer lineup. Honda also calls it Touring Blackout. It keeps Touring features such as the panoramic moonroof, Bose audio, navigation, and hands-free tailgate, then adds a factory blackout appearance treatment.
Pick TrailSport for rough roads, camping access, and light trail use. Pick Touring for road-trip comfort and premium cabin features. On newer models, TrailSport adds skid plates, extra clearance, trail cameras, and specialized AWD settings; Touring adds Bose audio, navigation, and a panoramic moonroof.
Since the 2023 redesign, TrailSport has been the genuinely trail-focused Pilot. It includes standard AWD, specialized trail settings, protective skid plates, one inch of extra ground clearance, a front trail camera, and an integrated Class III trailer hitch.
EX-L is the usual family comfort pick in newer lineups. It adds leather-trimmed seating, front and rear parking sensors, wireless phone charging, CabinTalk, driver-seat memory, and a stowable second-row center seat without moving into Touring’s premium travel features.
Navi means built-in navigation, while RES means rear entertainment system. An EX-L w/Navi has factory directions and traffic information. An EX-L w/RES adds an overhead video screen and related connections. Some used Pilots combine both packages.
On late third-generation Pilots, Special Edition builds on EX-L with black 20-inch wheels, black roof rails and exterior trim, a hands-free power tailgate, and wireless phone charging. It keeps EX-L comfort features such as leather seating and a moonroof.
No. The 2015 SE sits between EX and EX-L and pairs fabric seats with a moonroof and factory rear DVD system. The later Special Edition is based on EX-L and emphasizes leather comfort, black exterior details, wireless phone charging, and a hands-free tailgate.
The layout varies by year and trim. On newer models, LX uses an eight-person second-row bench, while EX-L has a stowable center seat that supports either a bench-like layout or a pass-through. Newer TrailSport models with second-row captain’s chairs seat seven.
It means that Pilot has Honda’s driver-assistance suite. On older EX and EX-L models, the suffix identifies versions with adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping help, road-departure help, and automatic emergency braking. The suite became standard across the lineup for 2019.