Toyota Highlander vs Honda Pilot

Growing households around Worcester, Auburn, and Shrewsbury often fall into a similar debate about their next family vehicle: the Toyota Highlander vs. Honda Pilot. Each SUV offers three rows and has a host of appealing safety and performance equipment. What’s the best way to separate the pair, then? At Harr Toyota, we thought a deep dive into the specifications of each SUV would prove informative.

So if you take time to read through the following sections, you’ll learn about the fuel economy of both the Highlander and Pilot, along with many other key traits!

MPG Estimates for 2021 Highlander, Pilot

Transporting your whole family safely is a primary goal for the Toyota Highlander and Honda Pilot, as is getting you to your destination with as much fuel remaining as possible. Thanks to intelligent performance setups, both the Highlander and Pilot are efficient, but it’s Toyota that gets the most bang for your buck at the pump.

Your Toyota Highlander cab return an EPA-estimated 36 city MPG/35 highway MPG, courtesy of a hybrid powertrain.¹ Even if you stick with the gas-powered, non-hybrid engine, your Highlander can receive an EPA-estimated 21 city MPG/29 highway MPG.¹

Not only does the Honda Pilot fail to produce a hybrid option for your SUV, the gas-powered engine lags behind that of the Highlander, mustering an EPA-estimated 20 city MPG/27 highway MPG.

Performance Outputs: Highlander vs Pilot

So if the 2021 Toyota Highlander is more efficient than the 2021 Honda Pilot, which SUV delivers more power? Both SUVs tout a V6 engine under the hood, yet Toyota again outdoes the Pilot by giving you more power under the hood.

The V6 offering in the Toyota Highlander makes as much as 295 horsepower. When you look at the Honda Pilot, the most you can expect from the V6 is 280 horsepower.

Interior Proportions for Passengers

Having a comfortable cabin goes a long way when you’re making your daily commute with the family or are packed in for a road trip. While the interior proportions are close, the 2021 Highlander bests the Pilot in overall space.

Take legroom, for example. In the first and second rows, the Highlander provides 42 inches and 41 inches respectively, while the Pilot peaks at 40.9

inches of front legroom and 38.4 inches of middle row legroom!

^{1 EPA-estimated 21city / 29 hwy/ 24 combined mpg for 2021 Highlander; 20 city/ 27 hwy/ 23 combined for 2021 Highlander AWD; 36 city/ 35 hwy/ 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.}