When it comes to good reliable family transportation, two of the vehicles that first come to mind have to be the Toyota Highlander and Honda Pilot. They have been battling it out for years, but now the highlander is back with an all-new Generation and is ready for a rematch since it lost to the pilot.
2020 Honda Pilot
Table of Contents
What You Have to Get From 2020 Toyota Highlander vs. 2020 Honda Pilot
They were now launching into the exterior, these two looks just as different as they always have for 2020. The Highlander’s front design gets a bit more subdued and now has a classier look, but the pilot goes the opposite direction with this black edition. They are currently looking sportier than ever before as far as the lighting both offer entirely LED headlights and fog lights except for incandescent turn signals.
Moving to the rear styling, they continue to look very different here as well. But the original features are the same, including the fact that neither has exposed exhaust tips. In regards to the wheels, they both measure in at 20-inches, and their designs nicely match with the overall styling. Moving beyond the appearance to the features, the mirrors are heated with blind-spot monitoring, but only the 2020 Honda Pilot includes power-folding and auto-dimming abilities.
2020 Toyota Highlander
In addition to those BSM systems, both Toyota and Honda, give you their entire safety suites as standard equipment. That means they both have automatic emergency braking; Lane Keeping Assist adaptive cruise control, and automatic high-beam headlights. Once again, on all the models, not just these higher-end trims. And when it comes to the warranties, both of them share three-year 36,000-mile basic warranties and five year 60,000-mile power train warranties.
However, 2020 Toyota Highlander will give you two years of complimentary maintenance. Finally, the last thing to mention on the outside is that both of them can tow up to 5,000 pounds with all-wheel drive and proper trailering equipment. Alright, that is it for the exteriors, so now let’s check out the more critical family-focused interiors.
First, taking a look inside the two interiors look wildly different, just like the outsides. In the Highlander, it has real leather finished in the platinum exclusive glazed caramel color scheme. And for the pilot, it also has genuine leather seating finished in black with distinctive red accents. In regards to the seats themselves, both include ten ways of adjustment heating ventilation and two-person memory.
Now one of the most significant areas that impact satisfaction with an interior is the quality of the materials used. Starting with the pilot, it is the older product, but it still uses friendly soft-touch plastics with stitching on the upper areas and piano black trim for the lower parts. The 2020 Toyota Highlander materials have improved vastly with this new generation. And it now has lots of soft-touch materials faux wood and leather right on the dashboard. As well as along the center tunnel, that makes the Toyotas cabin feel like the more luxurious and unique place to spend time.
Now one area where they are similar is with the gauges. Both have 7-inch multifunction displays with lots of information. But one advantage of the highlander is that it includes a head-up show, which is missing from the pilot. Coming steering wheels, they are leather-wrapped and heated, and both also have rain-sensing wipers. Next up, we have one of the other very essential sections storage. Usually, Honda’s dominate this part, but for this highlander is actually on top.
2020 Toyota Highlander Interior
While both of them have giant center consoles, the Toyota secret weapon is the versatile storage shelf, which runs across most of the front. In regards to the shifters, Toyota’s is traditional. Honda’s is electronic push-button, but only the 2020 Honda Pilot has a paddle show. However, in reverse, only the highlander gives you 360-degree camera systems, and only the 2020 Toyota Highlander has an electronic parking brake.
Now moving on up the dashboard, both have three-zone automatic climate controls. One significant difference, though. That the Highlander requires you to move into the display if you want to adjust the zones or the rear climate, alright, so now let’s go ahead and compare the audio system. Overall, we will have to give the edge to Toyota. And now that brings us to the infotainment systems. First of all, Toyota has chosen to use a mega 12.3-inch display, which is larger than the 8-inch screen in the Honda. However, the other main features are the same since both have integrated navigation systems. As well as Apple CarPlay and Android auto.
Finally, ending the front part of the cabin, the highlander does have a smart mirror, and both of them have panoramic movers. Now heading outback as 3-row crossover x,’ you could say that the rear areas are just as important as the front. So, it’s undoubtedly a good thing that these are among the largest in the class.
The enlarged Highlander for 2020 does have the edge in legroom, but the head rooms are virtually the same as expected. Both use captain’s chair seating arrangements with full sliding and reclining abilities, and they are also heated. And your other rear amenities both have pretty much the same stuff, including rear climate controls, two charging USB ports, and a household outlet.
2020 Honda Pilot Interior
2020 Toyota Highlander vs. 2020 Honda Pilot Specification
They have much more in common under their hood. Both use naturally aspirated 3.5 with V6 engines that make very similar power numbers. All right, so first hanging off here in this all-new Highlander. This area here it does feel familiar, and that’s because it does have the same powertrain. Like last year, not a bad thing though quick. We get enough to highway speed power feels more than adequate. You know this is a big three-row vehicle.
2020 Honda Pilot Price
But yeah, and it doesn’t feel underpowered. Some of the competition does feel underpowered, but this seems like it gets things up to speedwell. Like we said once again, just very comfortably very quietly. It just kind of only executed everything in such a way that it just blends into the background.
Their power is cut to the ground via all four wheels and through an 8-speed automatic in the Toyota and a 9-speed automatic in the Honda. While the pilot’s transmission has received some complaints in the past, both transmission performed. In our testing, and as we have already mentioned, the powertrain isn’t the whole thing is carryovers, which does include the 8-speed automatic transmission.
Once again, this was already a pretty new transmission. It was doctrine been in the highlander for two or three years, we think, and it does a great job through this application just like it does another Toyota and Lexus products. In this segment, the pilot who feels almost the same as the Acura MDX from behind the wheel. On the paper at 55 miles an hour, we can just say how comfortable we are. You know, like we’ve been mentioning, comfort is the top priority with this 2020 Honda Pilot.
They’re not trying to mix sport in or anything like that, and this is just going to be comforted for all three rows. If you hit what the point, we’re going over a bridge, you can barely hear it, and you can’t feel any of the bumps either. And that’s just going to be a testament to how comfortable this car is going to be if you want to make a road trip.
2020 Toyota Highlander Price
How much the 2020 Toyota Highlander vs. 2020 Honda Pilot Price?
All right, so to start things off here, we will go ahead and talk about the pricing and equipment of these two, starting with the pilot. It received a new top trim level for 2020 called Black Edition. It builds upon the elite’s material and raises the final price tag after the destination $50.750.
For the all-new Highlander, we also have the highest trim, which is now called platinum for 2020. With a couple small options and destination added in its final price is only about a hundred dollars more than the pilot at $50.870.
