Toyota Highlander vs Honda Pilot

Whether you want an SUV for yourself or your family, it’s great to get one with a ton of space and high-tech features. Two vehicles that check off those boxes are the 2021 Toyota Highlander and the 2021 Honda Pilot. But which one would be better suited for your travels around Amherst, Manchester, or Derry, New Hampshire?

To help you learn more about each vehicle, we at Ira Toyota of Manchester have created this Toyota Highlander vs. Honda Pilot comparison. Ready to see which SUV most closely matches your needs? Keep reading or skip ahead to browse our Highlander inventory right here!

Toyota Highlander vs Honda Pilot: Performance Specs

Not only do the Highlander and the Pilot have lots of features, but they also offer dependable performances, too. In fact, they each deliver a smooth ride, poised handling, and good fuel economy ratings. Let’s take a closer look!

2021 Highlander vs Pilot Performance Specs
Vehicle	Highlander	Pilot
Engine	3.5L V6	3.5L V6
Horsepower	295 HP	280 HP
EPA-estimated MPG	21 city/29 highway MPG*	20 city/27 highway MPG

 

With both the Highlander and the Pilot offering fairly similar performance capabilities and fuel efficiencies, you can’t go wrong with either SUV powering your commute. Of course, if you’re in need of enhanced fuel efficiency, the Highlander is the way to go.

That’s because the Toyota SUV is offered in four different hybrid powertrains, giving you the freedom to travel farther distances with fewer stops at the gas pump.

When equipped with the optional hybrid powertrain, the Highlander gets up to an EPA-estimated 36 city/35 highway MPG.*

Highlander vs Pilot: Interior Space & Amenities

The 2021 Toyota Highlander and the Honda Pilot easily accommodate your whole family. That’s because both come standard with seating for eight passengers—or seven passengers with optional second-row captain’s chairs. That means, there’s plenty of wiggle room in both models, but it may be a bit more comfortable for you and your passengers in the Highlander.

While both SUVs offer plenty of space for passengers, some riders may feel more comfortable inside the Highlander than the Pilot thanks to its more spacious headroom and legroom dimensions.

Plus, when you need to bring home furniture from the store or load up travel equipment for your next road trip, the Highlander provides the extra space needed to fit in that last bag with ease.

Toyota Highlander vs Honda Pilot: Interior Comfort Features

On top of providing ample passenger and cargo room, both these SUVs offer plenty of amenities to keep everyone happy. With available features like heated and ventilated front seats, plus heated second-row seats, you and your passengers can stay comfy on the hottest summer days or coldest winter nights.

The Highlander even goes one step further by providing the standard three-zone automatic climate control system. That way, you, your front-seat passenger, and your rear-seat passengers can independently set and adjust climate settings as you each prefer without affecting one another.

That means, if you like things warm, your co-pilot likes things cold, and your rear-seat passengers are somewhere in the middle, you can each travel with your favorite climate setting.

The Pilot is offered with this feature, but only as an optional amenity.

Toyota Highlander vs Honda Pilot: Technology

The Toyota and the Honda SUVs both come with lots of impressive technologies to help keep you entertained throughout even the longest commute.

For instance, they each offer a trial subscription to SiriusXM® Satellite Radio for hours of listening entertainment. But the Highlander gives you an All Access trial that has over 150 music, sports, news, and comedy stations to choose from—ensuring you’ll always find something new to listen to.

Furthermore, access to SiriusXM® with the Pilot is an optional feature only offered with higher trim levels.

Want to listen to your own songs while on the go? Sync your smartphone via Apple CarPlay® or Android Auto™ directly to your SUV to hear all the songs you’ve saved to your phone. Need to stream music? Use the built-in Wi-Fi hotspot to ensure you’ll never run out of data.

Once again, while these features come standard with the Highlander, they’re only available with a higher trim level on the Pilot.

With the Highlander, you can see everything clearly on the standard 8-inch high-resolution touchscreen and hear it through the available 11 JBL® speakers.

The Honda Pilot offers a standard 5-inch display screen with the option to upgrade to an optional 8-inch touchscreen. However, the audio system in its highest trim level has just 10 speakers. As a result, you may not get the kind of sound quality you would in the Highlander.

Toyota Highlander vs Honda Pilot: Advanced Safety Features

With plenty of space to bring along your whole family on your adventures, the safety of you and your passengers is the most important thing. That’s why both the Highlander and the Pilot come equipped with advanced safety features.

These features rely on cameras and sensors to constantly monitor a range around your SUV. When a hazard is detected, you’ll receive an alert so you can make any necessary adjustments. Some features—under certain circumstances—can provide automatic emergency assistance to help avoid a collision.

The 2021 Highlander comes standard with Toyota Safety Sense™ 2.5+, and the Pilot comes standard with Honda Sensing®. Let’s see how these two safety suites compare and which one gives you the most comprehensive safety features.

Toyota Highlander vs Honda Pilot Standard Safety Features
Highlander	Pilot
Pre-Collision System with Low-Light Pedestrian Detection Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist Full-Speed Range Dynamic Radar Cruise Control Lane Tracing Assist Automatic High Beams Road Sign Assist	Forward Collision Warning with Collision Mitigation Braking System™ Lane Departure Warning with Lane Keeping Assist System Road Departure Mitigation System Adaptive Cruise Control Auto High-Beam Headlights

When you’re looking for a comprehensive safety suite, the Highlander is the way to go. With Toyota Safety Sense™ 2.5+, you’ll have a complete range of protection as well as advanced features, such as Road Sign Assist, that aren’t available with the Pilot.

Road Sign Assist reads and interprets speed limit signs, stop signs, and much more. This information is then posted on your Multi-Information Display screen. That way, you’ll always know the speed when driving in an unfamiliar area.

Toyota Highlander vs Honda Pilot: Which Midsize SUV Is Right for You?

When it comes to the Highlander vs. the Pilot, it’s the Toyota model that comes out on top. That’s because it offers more space, more standard features, and an improved fuel efficiency.

If you want to experience this midsize SUV for yourself near Amherst, Manchester, or Derry, NH, don’t wait. Schedule a test drive at Ira Toyota of Manchester today!

¹ EPA-estimated 21 city/29 highway/24 combined MPG for 2021 Highlander FWD; 20 city/27 highway/23 combined MPG for 2021 Highlander AWD; 36 city/35 highway/36 combined MPG for 2021 Highlander Hybrid. Use for comparison purposes only. Your mileage will vary for many reasons, including your vehicle’s condition and how/where you drive. See www.fueleconomy.gov.