Compare two 2026 SUVs: Honda Pilot and Toyota Highlander

The 2026 Honda Pilot and 2026 Toyota Highlander are both three-row SUVs built for families, but spend a few hours traveling in them and their differences start to become pretty clear. The Pilot gives you more room to spread out, a naturally aspirated V6, lots of cargo space, and some clever seating features. The Highlander is a little smaller and offers something Honda doesn't currently have in the Pilot lineup: a hybrid.

For a quick drive around Boardman, either one can handle family duty without much trouble. The more interesting question is which one you'd rather load with people, luggage, snacks, and everything else before heading toward Cleveland, Columbus, Pittsburgh, or several states farther away.

The Honda Pilot Is the Roomier People Hauler

If you regularly use all three rows, the Pilot has a strong advantage. Honda gives the 2026 Pilot 40.8 inches of second-row legroom and 32.5 inches in the third row. More importantly, the cabin feels designed around carrying a lot of people rather than simply having a third row available when you occasionally need it.

Cargo space follows the same philosophy. Depending on configuration and how Honda measures the available storage areas, the Pilot offers up to more than 22 cubic feet behind the third row, around 60 cubic feet behind the second row, and more than 110 cubic feet with the rear seats folded. That gives a group much more flexibility when packing for a week away, bringing home bulky purchases, or trying to fit sports equipment alongside passengers.

The Pilot also has one of Honda's better people-moving ideas: a removable second-row center seat on several eight-passenger versions. Leave it installed when you need seating for eight, or remove it to create a passage between the two outside seats. Honda even provides an underfloor storage area where the center seat can be stowed. It's a small detail that becomes surprisingly useful when your passenger needs change from one trip to the next.

The Highlander's Smaller Size Has Its Own Advantages

Bigger isn't always better, especially if most of the SUV's life will be spent running errands rather than crossing state lines. The Highlander is more compact than the Pilot, which can make it less cumbersome in parking lots, garages, and tighter urban areas. For a family that only occasionally needs the third row or fewer friends on a road trip, that can be a worthwhile trade.

The key is being realistic about how often those rear seats will be occupied. If the third row is mostly there for kids, occasional extra passengers, or short trips, the Highlander can work well. If you regularly travel with six or seven people and their belongings, the Pilot's extra interior and cargo room becomes much more valuable. A third row isn't especially useful on vacation if filling it leaves you struggling to find room for everyone's bags.

The Pilot Keeps the V6, While the Highlander Goes Turbo

The 2026 Pilot uses a 3.5-liter naturally aspirated V6 producing 285 horsepower, paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission. The Highlander's gasoline engine is a 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder producing 265 horsepower and 310 lb.-ft. of torque.

Those engines have different personalities. The Toyota turbo engine develops strong torque from a smaller displacement, while Honda sticks with the smoother, more traditional feel of a naturally aspirated V6. On a long drive through Pennsylvania hills or while merging onto the Ohio Turnpike with the family and luggage aboard, either has enough power for the job, but drivers may have a definite preference once they try both.

This is one comparison where horsepower alone doesn't tell you much. Throttle response, transmission behavior, engine sound, and how the vehicle responds when already traveling at highway speed are easier to judge during a test drive than from a specification sheet.

The Toyota Highlander Hybrid Is the Fuel-Economy Winner

Toyota has a major advantage for buyers focused on fuel consumption: the 2026 Highlander is available as a hybrid, while the 2026 Pilot is not.

The Highlander Hybrid XLE carries an EPA-estimated 35 mpg city and 35 mpg highway. Hybrid Limited and Platinum models are rated at 35 city and 34 highway. The gasoline Highlander is rated at 21 mpg city and 28 highway.

The Pilot's ratings vary with drivetrain and trim. Front-wheel-drive Sport and EX-L models are rated at 19 mpg city and 27 highway, while comparable AWD versions are rated at 19 city and 25 highway. The more off-road-focused TrailSport comes in at 18 city and 23 highway.

For a family putting a lot of miles on its SUV every year, the Highlander Hybrid is hard to ignore. A few mpg may not dramatically change a short commute, but the difference between a mid-20s highway SUV and one rated in the mid-30s can become more noticeable over years of commuting, vacations, college visits, tournaments, and weekend trips.

For Towing, the Honda Pilot and Gas Toyota Highlander Are Closely Matched

If your Ohio weekends involve a boat, camper, or utility trailer, both SUVs can reach a 5,000-pound towing capacity in the right configuration. Honda rates AWD Pilot models for up to 5,000 pounds, while 2WD Pilot versions are rated for 3,500 pounds. Toyota rates the gasoline Highlander for up to 5,000 pounds.

That makes the decision less about chasing a bigger maximum number and more about the vehicle itself. Consider the loaded weight of your trailer, passengers and cargo inside the SUV, how frequently you tow, and where you plan to travel. Someone towing a camper through hilly country several weekends each summer should shop differently from someone pulling a small utility trailer twice a year.

Ohio Winter Driving Considerations

For 2026, Toyota makes all-wheel drive standard on gasoline Highlander models. Honda offers its i-VTM4 all-wheel-drive system on the Pilot, with AWD standard on trims such as TrailSport and available on some others.

The Pilot also gives drivers a Snow drive mode, while AWD versions add Trail and Sand modes. The TrailSport goes considerably farther with all-terrain tires, an off-road-tuned suspension, skid plates, recovery points, TrailWatch camera technology, and a standard Class III trailer hitch.

Most families in Boardman don't need an off-road SUV simply because it snows in Ohio. Good tires remain a huge part of winter traction. But if your trips include unpaved access roads, campsites, cabins, muddy trailheads, or other places where pavement ends, the Pilot TrailSport offers useful hardware rather than just rugged styling.

Which Is Better for a Long Interstate Trip?

For a trip with four people, the answer is fairly close. Both SUVs provide plenty of passenger space, modern infotainment, available upscale features, and the driver-assistance technology people expect in a current family vehicle.

Add more passengers and luggage, though, and we start leaning toward the Pilot. Its greater interior volume and cargo flexibility become more useful the longer the passenger list gets. The Pilot can seat up to eight depending on trim, and its removable second-row center seat makes it easier to switch between maximum seating and easier third-row access.

The Highlander Hybrid makes the stronger counterargument for families who cover lots of miles with fewer people aboard. If you typically travel with four or five passengers and don't need the Pilot's full cargo capacity, getting fuel economy in the mid-30-mpg range is a pretty appealing benefit on a long ownership cycle.

What About Technology and Everyday Comfort?

Honda gives every 2026 Pilot a 12.3-inch touchscreen and Google built-in, along with wireless smartphone integration. Depending on trim, you can add features such as a Bose premium audio system, panoramic moonroof, multiview camera system, Head-Up Display, heated and ventilated front seats, and heated second-row seats.

The Highlander offers its own strong technology package, including available 12.3-inch displays, JBL premium audio, a Panoramic View Monitor, Head-Up Display, panoramic glass roof, and heated and ventilated seating depending on trim. Both also bring comprehensive driver-assistance systems, so we'd spend less time counting features and more time actually using the controls during a test drive. Screen size doesn't tell you whether you'll like an interface after six hours on the road.

So, Pilot or Highlander for Ohio Road Trips?

If your trips regularly involve a full passenger load, lots of luggage, towing, or outdoor recreation, the 2026 Honda Pilot has the more convincing overall package. The extra cargo capacity and passenger room are practical advantages, while the V6 and available i-VTM4 AWD give it a capable feel that fits a large family SUV. The Pilot also starts at a lower MSRP than the 2026 Highlander, although equipment and drivetrain choices can quickly change an apples-to-apples price comparison.

The 2026 Toyota Highlander makes a stronger case for someone who doesn't need quite as much space. Its smaller footprint is easier to live with around town, and the Highlander Hybrid is the obvious choice between these two if maximizing fuel economy is high on your list. For a family of four or five that travels frequently but rarely fills the third row, those advantages may be more useful than having the Pilot's extra capacity.

The best way to separate them is to picture your hardest trip of the year rather than your easiest drive of the week. Think about how many people are coming, where their luggage goes, whether you're towing anything, and how many hours everyone will spend inside. If that mental picture looks crowded in a smaller three-row SUV, the Pilot starts making a lot of sense.

Test Drive the 2026 Honda Pilot at #1 Cochran Honda Boardman

If you're shopping for a three-row SUV around Youngstown, bring the people who will actually ride with you when you come for a test drive. Try the second and third rows, open the cargo area with all the seats in use, and see how easy it is to change the seating arrangement. Those details tell you far more about a family SUV than simply comparing horsepower or screen sizes online.

Take a look at our Honda SUV inventory online, or visit #1 Cochran Honda Boardman to explore the 2026 Honda Pilot and schedule a test drive. Take a closer look at its passenger room, cargo flexibility, V6 performance, and available all-wheel drive, and decide whether it's the SUV you'd want packed and ready for your next Ohio road trip.