Two Family Haulers Go Head to Head for Your Garage

Shopping for a three-row SUV that hauls the whole crew without feeling like a school bus? Honda and Toyota both build family rigs that land near the top of most shopping lists, and choosing between them comes down to what your household actually needs. This breakdown sorts out where each one wins.

• Honda’s Pilot brings a 285 hp V6, standard seating for eight, and the most cargo room of the pair.
• Toyota’s Highlander counters with a hybrid that hits 35 mpg combined, well past anything the Pilot can match.
• Honda’s lower starting price and larger standard screens hand the Pilot an edge for budget-focused shoppers.

How Much Room Do You Actually Get

Both SUVs seat a full family, but the Pilot gives you more of nearly everything. It stretches about 200 inches long on a 113.8-inch wheelbase, while the Highlander measures roughly 195 inches on a 112.2-inch wheelbase. That gap shows up most in the cargo hold. Fold the Pilot’s seats, and you open up as much as 113.7 cubic feet. The Highlander tops out around 84.3 cubic feet with everything flat.

Seating tips Honda’s way too. Every Pilot except the TrailSport carries eight people using a second-row bench, and that bench comes standard. The Toyota Highlander seats seven and charges extra for the eighth seat on select trims. For a big family or a carpool rotation, those details pile up quickly.

Power, Towing, and How They Drive

Pop the hood, and the two take different roads. Honda gives the Pilot a 3.5-liter V6 rated at 285 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque, paired with a 10-speed automatic. Front-wheel drive is standard, and Honda’s i-VTM4 all-wheel drive is available on lower trims and standard from TrailSport up.

Toyota drops the old V6 for a 2.4-liter turbo four making 265 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque through an eight-speed automatic. All-wheel drive now comes standard on every 2026 Highlander, so front-drive is no longer an option. That turbo trails the Pilot in horsepower but beats it in torque, which helps low-speed pulling. Both tow up to 5,000 pounds when you spec them right, so weekend boat and camper duty is a tie.

Fuel Economy Where Toyota Pulls Ahead

Give Toyota this round. Toyota’s gas Highlander earns an EPA-estimated 24 mpg combined with its turbo four. Honda’s V6 lands at 22 mpg combined with front-wheel drive and 21 with all-wheel drive. Then there’s the Highlander Hybrid, which posts 35 mpg combined across its trims. Honda doesn’t sell a hybrid Pilot, so if pump savings sit at the top of your list, the hybrid Toyota is hard to argue with.

That trade runs the other way on power. Its V6 drinks regular gas and gives you stronger passing muscle with no battery pack to think about. Drivers who tow often or just like the shove of a bigger engine may happily swap a few mpg for it.

Where the 2026 Honda Pilot vs. Toyota Highlander Really Splits

Tech and money are where this 2026 Honda Pilot vs. Toyota Highlander race turns one-sided. Every Pilot now ships with a 12.3-inch touchscreen, a 10.2-inch digital driver display, and Google built in. Toyota’s Highlander opens with a smaller 8-inch screen and a 7-inch gauge display, with the 12.3-inch upgrades saved for pricier trims.

Price seals it. Honda’s Pilot starts around $42,395 for a front-drive Sport, and you can add all-wheel drive when you want it. Because Toyota made AWD standard and cut the old base trim, the Highlander now starts at nearly $45,870. That’s a few thousand more before you option a thing, and you get less standard screen for the money.

Trim by Trim Comparison Chart

Feature	2026 Honda Pilot	2026 Toyota Highlander
Starting MSRP	$42,395 (Sport, FWD)	$45,870 (XLE, AWD standard)
Standard Engine	3.5L V6	2.4L turbo 4-cylinder
Horsepower	285 hp	265 hp
Torque	262 lb-ft	310 lb-ft
Transmission	10-speed automatic	8-speed automatic
Drivetrain	FWD standard, AWD available	AWD standard
Hybrid Option	Not offered	2.5L hybrid, 243 hp, 35 mpg combined
EPA Combined MPG (gas)	22 mpg FWD / 21 mpg AWD	24 mpg AWD
Standard Seating	8	7 (8 available)
Max Cargo Room	Up to 113.7 cu ft	Up to 84.3 cu ft
Max Towing	5,000 lb (AWD)	5,000 lb (gas)
Standard Touchscreen	12.3-inch	8.0-inch (12.3-inch available)
Digital Driver Display	10.2-inch standard	7-inch (12.3-inch on Limited, Platinum)
Basic Warranty	3 yr / 36,000 mi	3 yr / 36,000 mi
Powertrain Warranty	5 yr / 60,000 mi	5 yr / 60,000 mi

Honda Pilot Trim	Starting MSRP	Toyota Highlander Trim	Starting MSRP
Sport (FWD)	$42,395	XLE (Gas)	$45,870
Sport (AWD)	$44,495	XSE (Gas)	$47,940
EX-L (FWD)	$44,695	Hybrid XLE	$47,620
EX-L (AWD)	$46,795	Limited (Gas)	$50,325
TrailSport (AWD)	$50,595	Hybrid Limited	$52,075
Touring (AWD)	$51,295	Platinum (Gas)	$53,525
Touring Blackout (AWD)	$52,495	Hybrid Platinum	$55,275
Elite (AWD)	$53,695
Black Edition (AWD)	$55,195

Why the Pilot Earns the Nod

Add it all up, and the Pilot takes the win for most families. It costs less to start, packs more standard tech, seats eight without an upcharge, and swallows more gear. Toyota’s Highlander earns real respect for its hybrid and its stingy fuel numbers, and that counts for a lot if your commute runs long. For shoppers who want the most three-row SUV for the money right now, though, the Pilot makes the stronger case.

See the 2026 Pilot Up Close at Gates Honda

We’ve helped Central Kentucky families sort through three-row SUVs for generations, and we’re happy to walk you through the 2026 Pilot in person. Stop by our Richmond showroom to sit in all three rows, fold the seats, and see how the cargo area handles strollers, sports gear, or a big grocery run. Our team knows every trim from Sport to Black Edition, so we can match the right one to your budget and the way you drive. When you’re ready, we’ll set up a test drive and let the Pilot speak for itself. Our Honda-certified service crew sticks with you for the long haul, too, keeping your Pilot in top shape long after you drive home.

Tags: 2026 family SUV, 2026 Honda Pilot vs. Toyota Highlander, Gates Honda Richmond KY, Honda Pilot specs, Honda Pilot vs Highlander, three-row SUV comparison, Toyota Highlander hybrid mpg
Posted in Richmond Honda Dealer | No Comments »