2022 Honda Pilot Awaits New Base Trim, So It Starts At $40,285 For Now


2022 Honda Pilot awaits new base trim, so it starts at $40,285 for now

Honda has begun the rollout of the 2022 seven-seater Pilot crossover, emphasis on "begun." The base LX and EX trims available presently won't make the leap into next year, and Honda hasn't debuted the trim or trims that will substitute. It's possible just one new entry-level model will replace the LX and EX, Honda writing in a press release that this autumn will welcome a "well-equipped new entry trim level aimed at younger buyers and active lifestyles, offsetting the no longer available LX and EX entry trim levels."

The part about catering to younger buyers with active lifestyles is interesting because the line two years ago was that Honda created the Passport for that demographic. The 2021 Passport starts at $34,015, $240 more than the 2021 Pilot LX. We're wondering now if Pilot shoppers took a look at Passports on the other side of the showroom floor and said, "Do you have that with three rows?" 

What the trim reorganization means for the moment is the 2022 Pilot starts at $40,285 for the front-wheel drive EX-L model after the $1,225 destination charge. The other news that impacts wallets is that Pilot prices have gone up by $400 across the board for 2022 for the five extant trims — EX-L, Special Edition, Touring, Elite, and Black Edition.

On the feature side, the new base model will ditch the five-inch infotainment screen and the lack of Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility. Honda says it's making the eight-inch touchscreen and smartphone integration standard across the range. The larger display and phone integration already come standard on the pricier models. There will also be a new Sonic Gray Pearl exterior color also available this fall, but we don't know yet if that will be a no-cost option or one of the premium colors that runs $395.