The public took to Honda’s Pilot when it was launched in 2002, as the first three-row, mainstream SUV to be developed on a car-like unit-body platform. That following has resulted in more than 2 million units sold since, and it remains a top-20 vehicle on the sales floor.

Pilot’s last full regeneration occurred for the 2016 model year, and after a mid-generation re-styling last year there are no major tweaks for 2020, with the exception of a new top-of-the-line Black Edition trim level based on the former top-tier trim, the Elite. The new Black Edition adds exclusive exterior and interior styling enhancements, and like the similar Honda Ridgeline Black Edition, the Pilot Black Edition comes exclusively in Crystal Black Pearl paint and includes Black Edition badges on the grille and tailgate, Black-painted 20-inch alloy wheels, and blackout treatments for the grille, headlight trim, side trim, door handles, window trim and fog light accents. Inside, there is red accent lighting for the dash, doors and center console, with red accent stitching on the front and second row captain's chairs, door panels and steering wheel. The Black Edition logo is embossed on front seats and floor mats, and the front and second-row seats get a red accent to the perforated-leather seating surface.

For the rest of the 2020 Pilot line-up, Honda has added Honda Sensing® as standard on all trim levels, along with available HondaLink with 4G LTE Wi-Fi, CabinTalk™ and CabinControl™ applications, and Honda i-VTM4® torque-vectoring all-wheel drive is now available on all trims.

However, the Black Edition isn’t the only loaded and trendy trim on tap. I tested the next line-topper, the Elite model, which was imbued with such accouterments as a Panoramic Sun Roof and such interior upgrades as heated second-row captain's chairs, heated and ventilated front seats, perforated leather front and second-row seats, heated steering wheel, 590-watt premium audio system with 10 speakers and Multi-Zone Audio, wireless phone charger, illuminated front- and second-row beverage holders and LED front-row map lights. Outside the Pilot Elite has automatic-dimming, power-folding side mirrors and standard Intelligent Variable Torque Management™ All-Wheel-Drive System. From a safety perspective the Pilot Elite comes with Honda Sensing®, a suite of safety and driver-assistive technologies designed to keep you out of bad situations by alerting you to things you might miss while driving. Honda Sensing® includes Road Departure Mitigation, Lane Keeping Assist System, Collision Mitigation Braking System and Adaptive Cruise Control.

Borrowing inspiration from Honda’s Odyssey minivan, Pilot comes at you with an aggressive grille featuring a bold interpretation of the Honda “flying wing” design, and sporty front fascia with standard LED low-beam headlights. The rear features wing-design taillights, and sculpted tail. The eight-person family utility vehicle is built with unit-body construction with slender, non-boxy lines and a powerful stance. The 2020 Pilot measures 196.5 inches in length; 78.6 inches in width; and a wind-wobbling 70.6 inches in height on a 111.0-inch wheelbase. Ground clearance is 7.3 inches, and curbweight ranges from 4036 lbs. to 4400 lbs. depending on trim and extras.

Inside, Pilot is filled with soft-touch materials throughout the cabin and tech runs supreme throughout with audio/connectivity and driver conveniences. The Pilot Elite cabin is accommodating, with headroom of 39.5 inches up front (some trim models reach 40.1 inches), 40.9 inches in row two and 38.9 in row three. Legroom is 40.9 inches in the front row, 38.4 inches in the middle row and a child-accommodating 31.9 inches in row three. Shoulder room comes in at a comfortable 62.0, 62.0 and 57.6.

The 2020 Pilot powers up with a 280hp, 262 lb-ft of torque 3.5-liter V6 engine. Depending on the trim model, it is mated either to a 6-speed automatic or 9-speed automatic transmission. My Pilot Elite was outfitted with a 9-speed and was EPA rated at 19 mpg/city, 26mpg/highway and 22mpg overall in AWD. My mixed-use tests showed an average of 21.3mpg.

Fit for soft-road conquering and in-town deftness, my Pilot reacted well on the highway, softened road irregularities and accelerated better than niche expectations with zero-to-60mph tests finished off in 6.6 seconds during a 15.3-second quarter-mile (hand-timed).

The 2020 Honda Pilot is available in six trims in both 2WD and AWD, with the AWD costing an additional $2,000, starting with the LX at $31,550 for 2WD; the EX at $34,430; and the EX-L at $37,860. All of those come with a 6-speed automatic transmission, while the following upper-tier Pilots are outfitted with a 9-speed auto-trans. The Touring trim starts at $43,715, the loaded Elite trim in AWD only, starts at $49,215 and the Honda Pilot Black Edition starts at $50,715 in AWD.

My test Pilot Elite in Deep Scarlet Pearl matched to a Beige Perforated Leather interior came with advanced Navi and rear entertainment system and 20-inch alloy wheels. We added Body side molding for $225, door edge guards for $105, door visors for $275, hood air deflector for $185, moonroof visor for $155, Premium running boards with lights for $725, perforated leather heated second row captain’s chairs for $300, and a splash guard set for $115.  With destination and handling charges of $1120, my 2020 Honda Pilot Elite stickered at $51,125, but discounts may be available, so check with your local dealer.

> Visit www.CarlisleEvents.com for more on the automotive hobby.

Mike Blake, former editor of KIT CAR magazine, joined Carlisle Events as senior automotive journalist in 2004. He's been a "car guy" since the 1960s and has been writing professionally for about 30 years. </I>

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