2026 Honda Pilot vs 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser

The 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser was available in two trim levels, with the base model named the 1958, a nod to its North American debut year. This version featured a retro aesthetic with round headlights and basic equipment, offered in three paint colours. Despite its nostalgic charm, the 1958 model was priced at $73,270, including destination charges, making it a significant investment. The Cruiser trim, priced at $82,030, presented a more modern and upscale appearance, with additional colour options and a refined interior. It also included essential off-roading hardware and software, with the option for a Premium Package that added leather and advanced technology. The Cruiser trim test vehicle, equipped with the Premium Package, showcased Heritage Blue and Grey paint, 20-inch wheels, and an accessory roof rack, bringing the MSRP to $90,603. The Land Cruiser's design emphasized off-road capabilities, with a traditional two-box SUV structure and dark grey cladding underscoring its utility. Inside, the Cruiser trim offered a more luxurious feel than the 1958, with Java-coloured leather and dual 12.3-inch digital screens enhancing its technological appeal.

The 2026 Honda Pilot underwent a makeover, adopting a more truck-like appearance with a larger, blockier grille and grey plastic scuff plates. This design shift aligned with industry trends towards rugged aesthetics. The Pilot's exterior updates were subtle, maintaining the rugged design direction introduced three years prior. Inside, the Pilot retained its spacious and versatile cabin, with notable upgrades including larger infotainment and digital instrument panels. The top trims featured unique diamond quilting in synthetic suede, adding visual flair. The Pilot's interior continued to impress with its practicality and material quality, offering a tastefully designed midsize SUV experience. The 2026 changes, while not groundbreaking, reinforced the Pilot's reputation for practicality and comfort, making it a strong contender in its class.

The 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser was powered by Toyota’s i-Force Max hybrid system, combining a turbocharged 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine with an eight-speed automatic transmission and an electric motor. This setup delivered 326 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque, channelled through a full-time four-wheel-drive system with electronic locking rear and centre differentials. The Land Cruiser boasted a maximum towing capacity of 2,720 kilograms and featured standard Downhill Assist Control and Crawl Control. The Cruiser trim added Multi-Terrain Select off-roading modes, Multi-Terrain Monitor camera views, and a front stabilizer bar disconnect feature. Despite an official fuel economy rating of 10.1 L/100 km, real-world testing revealed a less efficient 15.0 L/100 km. The Land Cruiser excelled as a daily driver and off-road adventurer, though it struggled with handling on twisty roads due to its tires and suspension tuning. Its high seating position provided excellent visibility, and off-road capabilities were enhanced by features like the front stabilizer bar disconnect and Crawl Control. However, acceleration tests showed modest results, and the vehicle exhibited noticeable body roll during hard braking and cornering.

The 2026 Honda Pilot retained its 3.5-litre V6 engine, producing 285 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque, paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission. Standard all-wheel drive in Canada ensured confident handling. The Pilot's acceleration was more than adequate, with responsive performance during highway merging and passing. The V6 engine provided a more confident sound compared to four-cylinder alternatives. The brake pedal effort was soft, suitable for a family SUV, though occasional subtle downshifts affected smooth stops. Honda revised the steering for 2026, improving feedback and stability. The Pilot maintained its confident handling, navigating curves with ease, though it didn't offer a sporty feel. Overall, the Pilot's performance remained consistent with previous models, delivering a reliable and comfortable driving experience.

Upgrading from the Land Cruiser 1958 to the Cruiser trim replaced cloth upholstery with Toyota’s SofTex artificial leather, adding ventilated cushions to the standard heated front seats and steering wheel. The Premium Package introduced real leather and a power sunroof. The front seats provided excellent support, but the second-row seats lacked thigh support and had an uncomfortable backrest angle. Long-legged passengers might find the running boards obstructive when entering and exiting. The rear window design was less practical, requiring the glass to be flipped up rather than powered down. The centre console's cool box, part of the Premium Package, seemed unnecessary, reducing storage space. The Land Cruiser offered 1,062 litres of cargo space, with a high load floor requiring effort to load heavy items. Maximum cargo space with the back seat folded was 2,324 litres.

The 2026 Honda Pilot's cabin remained largely unchanged, maintaining its reputation for interior space and versatility. A standout feature was the removable second-row centre seat, offering flexibility between a bench and captain's chairs. The centre seat was suitable for smaller passengers, while the outboard positions provided ample space for larger adults. The seats slid and reclined, offering comfort for long journeys. Access to the third row was easy, with a button folding the second-row seatback and sliding it forward. The third row accommodated smaller adults, though thigh support was limited. The Pilot offered 635 litres of cargo space behind the third row, with a large underfloor bin for additional storage. Folding the third row was straightforward, expanding cargo capacity to 1,702 litres. The middle-row seats folded easily, allowing for a maximum cargo capacity of 3,219 litres. The front seats provided ample storage, with a long tray, cupholders, and a large centre armrest bin.

The 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser's Cruiser trim upgraded the 7-inch digital driver display and 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system to dual 12.3-inch displays. The Toyota Audio Multimedia system included wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, SiriusXM satellite radio, and access to Apple Music and Amazon Music accounts. Four connected service plans were available, including Service Connect, Safety Connect, Remote Connect, and Drive Connect. Drive Connect featured a cloud-based navigation system and a digital assistant for voice commands. The Premium Package added a 14-speaker JBL sound system, a wireless smartphone charger, a head-up display, a digital rearview mirror, and digital key technology.

The 2026 Honda Pilot featured a larger 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen and a 10.2-inch digital instrument panel. Physical shortcut buttons were replaced with customizable on-screen shortcuts. The system ran on the latest Honda software, offering quick response times and easy usability. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto were standard, though a wireless phone charger was only available on the EX-L trim. The charging pad required precise positioning and experienced occasional disconnections. The Pilot retained unique features like multiple camera angles and the CabinTalk intercom system, enhancing its technological appeal.

The 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser came equipped with Toyota Safety Sense 3.0, a comprehensive suite of advanced driving assistance systems. It included forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, pedestrian, cyclist, and motorcyclist detection, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, and lane-centring assist. The adaptive cruise control and lane-centring assist provided semi-autonomous highway driving capabilities. Additional safety features included a road sign reader, automatic high-beam headlights, and Proactive Driving Assist. The Premium Package added front cross-traffic alert, lane-change assist, and Traffic Jam Assist. The Land Cruiser received a four-star overall rating from the NHTSA, with four stars in frontal-impact tests, five stars in side-impact tests, and a three-star rollover resistance rating.

The 2026 Honda Pilot's crash test scores were unavailable at the time of writing, but it was expected to perform similarly to the 2025 model, which received a five-star overall rating from the NHTSA. The IIHS had not published results for the 2026 Pilot, but the 2025 model was named a Top Safety Pick. All Pilot trims included the Honda Sensing suite, featuring forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, driver-attention monitoring, traffic-sign reading, and automatic high-beam headlights. Higher trims added automatic braking at low speeds and parking proximity sensors. The safety features generally performed well, though the forward collision warning was slightly sensitive.