Take a look at just about any list of the most reliable car brands, and you're going to find Honda and Toyota at the top of it. Honda and Toyota have both earned reputations for producing some of the most reliable cars, trucks, and SUVs on the road today.
So, you really can't go wrong with purchasing a vehicle from either one. If, for example, you're in the market for a three-row family SUV, the 2023 Honda Pilot and the 2023 Toyota Highlander are both great options. But find out which one will be more reliable below.
Engine
The engine found in an SUV, especially an SUV that's on the larger side, is going to have a lot to do with its reliability. If an engine isn't equipped to handle everything that a large SUV is going to throw at it, it could very well lead to the SUV not being as reliable as it should be. Both the 2023 Honda Pilot and the 2023 Toyota Highlander have impressive engines in them, but it's ultimately the 2023 Pilot that comes out on top.
The 2023 Honda Pilot has a 3.5-liter V-6 engine that can produce up to 285 horsepower, which is a 5-horsepower increase over the 2022 model. The 2023 Toyota Highlander, meanwhile, has a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine that can produce up to 265 horsepower. This obviously makes the 2023 Pilot's engine slightly more powerful, capable, and reliable than the one found in the 2023 Highlander.
Transmission
For the 2023 model year, Honda decided to upgrade the transmission in the Pilot. The 2023 Honda Pilot features a 10-speed automatic transmission as opposed to the nine-speed automatic transmission that was found in the 2022 model. This gives it even more of a leg up on the 2023 Toyota Highlander, which only has an eight-speed transmission. The 2023 Pilot's 10-speed transmission should help it perform better overall than the 2023 Highlander while also making it more reliable.
Interior
The 2023 Honda Pilot and the 2023 Toyota Highlander are both big SUVs, so you and your family shouldn't have any issues with spreading out once you climb inside one of them. But if you're relying on an SUV to give you the most space possible, you'll appreciate what the 2023 Pilot brings to the table.
It's going to be at least 6 inches longer than the 2023 Highlander and over 2 inches wider depending on which trim you choose, which is why some 2023 Pilot models will fit up to eight people rather than just seven like the Highlander.
It's also worth pointing out that while both the 2023 Pilot and the 2023 Highlander have three rows, the third row in the Pilot is cited as being more spacious than the one in the Highlander. You'll be happy to hear this if you plan on routinely having kids or even teenagers and adults all the way back in the third row of your 2023 Pilot.
Safety
The great news for those shopping for a large SUV is that both the 2023 Honda Pilot and the 2023 Toyota Highlander are going to check all the right boxes in terms of safety. They're each equipped with a slew of safety features that'll provide you and your family with all the protection you'll need.
The 2023 Pilot comes with a comprehensive suite of safety features called Honda Sensing that'll keep your family safe from all angles. This suite includes such features as automated emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane departure warning with lane-keeping assist, and adaptive cruise control. The 2023 Highlander offers a similar package of safety features, including automated emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, and lane departure warning with lane-keeping assist.
Warranty
You can tell a whole lot about how reliable a vehicle is based on the warranty that its manufacturer provides. So, it shouldn't come as any huge surprise to hear that both the 2023 Honda Pilot and the 2023 Toyota Highlander come with wonderful warranties on them. In fact, their warranties are very similar from top to bottom.
The 2023 Pilot and the 2023 Highlander both have limited warranties that provide coverage for three years or 36,000 miles. They also both have powertrain warranties that run for five years or 60,000 miles. And you'll get complimentary scheduled maintenance on both of them for the first two years. This should make you feel more confident about your decision to jump behind the wheel of either one.
Reliability Ratings
Every year, J.D. Power releases reliability ratings for just about every car, truck, and SUV that automakers release. These reliability ratings are based on hundreds of thousands of reviews that are completed by unbiased vehicle owners. They reveal a lot about how the general public feels when it comes to the reliability of different vehicles.
Both the 2023 Honda Pilot and the 2023 Toyota Highlander scored high in this year's J.D. Power reliability rankings. They actually both scored 81 in terms of quality and reliability, which makes them above average compared to other vehicles. This suggests you're going to be buying a reliable SUV regardless of which direction you decide to go.
You should, however, keep everything in mind that you've learned here about the reliability of the 2023 Honda Pilot versus the 2023 Toyota Highlander when trying to decide which one to buy. The 2023 Pilot has a few things going for it that help it beat the 2023 Highlander by a nose.
See How Reliable the 2023 Honda Pilot Is by Taking a Test Drive
The best way to see how reliable a 2023 Honda Pilot will be is by test-driving one today. Ciocca Honda of York has 2023 Pilots that you can take out for a test drive so that you're able to experience what it's like to be inside one for yourself. We can also set you up with more information on the latest Pilot and which features you'll find in it. Contact us at our dealership here in York, Pennsylvania, now to arrange a test drive of a 2023 Honda Pilot.
Honda Pilot 3.5 EX 2023 by RL GNZLZ is licensed with CC BY-SA 2.0
