The Honda Pilot has quietly become one of the steadiest sellers in the three-row class, averaging more than 10,000 sales a month this year. When Honda refreshed it for 2026, it left the drivetrain alone and went after the things owners actually touch every day: the screens, the steering and the noise.

That makes trim choice more interesting than usual. Shoppers looking at a Honda Pilot for sale in Brooklyn, or anywhere with tight parking and salted winter roads, face the same question every Pilot buyer does: how much of the trim ladder you actually need, and whether all-wheel drive is worth the extra mpg it costs.

What the 2026 refresh changed

The hardware underneath is familiar. Every Pilot uses a 3.5-liter V6 rated at 285 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque, paired with a 10-speed automatic. Honda’s i-VTM4 all-wheel drive, which can send up to 70 percent of torque to the rear axle and vector it side to side, is available on every grade.

The cabin is where the changes live. The touchscreen grew to 12.3 inches, 37 percent larger than before, and the digital instrument display grew to 10.2 inches. Google built-in, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and 5G Wi-Fi are now standard. Honda also retuned the electric power steering for more feel and cut cabin noise by 2 to 3 decibels in key frequencies. A power tailgate and roof rails are standard across the lineup, and the front end wears a larger grille.

Doing the trim math

Trim
Drive
EPA city / hwy / combined
Makes sense if

Sport, EX-L (2WD)
Front-wheel drive
19 / 27 / 22 mpg
Most miles are city and highway, garage or street parking, mild winters

Sport, EX-L (AWD)
AWD optional
19 / 25 / 21 mpg
Snow, steep driveways, ski trips

Touring, Elite, Black Edition
AWD standard
19 / 25 / 21 mpg
You want more comfort features

TrailSport
AWD standard
18 / 23 / 20 mpg
Unpaved roads, camping, light trails

The gap between front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive is small on paper, 1 mpg combined, which makes AWD an easy add for anyone who parks on the street through a Northeast winter. The TrailSport is the one to think twice about in the city. Its off-road tuning costs 2 mpg against the front-drive model, though it does add standard heated outboard seats in the second row.

The Sport 2WD starts at $42,195 plus a $1,495 destination charge, according to Honda, and prices climb from there.

Take a typical Ditmas Park family with three kids and a grandparent who rides along most weekends. They street-park, drive to Long Island for holidays and head to the Poconos once a winter. An EX-L with all-wheel drive covers all of it, keeps the leather seats, and skips the TrailSport hardware they would rarely use.

Where to see the lineup

Plaza Honda, on Nostrand Avenue in Brooklyn, stocks the current Pilot lineup and keeps a running guide to what the 2027 model is expected to bring at www.plazahonda.com/2027-honda-pilot-trims-mpg-and-pricing-for-nyc-families. Its factory-trained service department uses genuine OEM parts and offers pickup and drop-off across the five boroughs. Delivery is free within 25 miles, trade-ins get a same-day appraisal or cash offer with no purchase required, and financing pre-approval can start without a Social Security number or date of birth.

The takeaway

The refreshed Pilot does not reinvent anything, and that is the point. The V6 and the 10-speed carry over, while the screens, steering and cabin finally feel current. For most city families, the sweet spot is an EX-L or Touring with all-wheel drive, which leaves the TrailSport to the people who actually leave the pavement.