Pulling up to Campbell River Honda for my 2025 Honda Pilot test drive, I couldn’t help but notice the bright & beautiful Canadian flag welcoming me in, the perfect invitation for the uniquely Canadian test drive I was about to experience out on the island. Continuing the greeting was Noel Medrano (Product Specialist), ushering me right to customer parking and then into the dealership, with another warm welcome from everyone on the floor, a very intimate and cozy building that reflected this friendly atmosphere. From there, General Manager David Bastock got the test drive paperwork done quickly and easily, followed by a full walk-through of the vehicle and features, then I was off!

Island Driving in the Pilot

I’m someone who likes to sit very upright, with a straight back, when I’m driving, and had no problems at all doing this in the Pilot, and staying comfortable the entire time. I really put it to the test, too, driving up and down the island, and stayed extremely comfortable the entire time. The heated steering wheel was a nice touch on the drive as well, especially with how easy it felt to maneuver, with fine detail adjustments you could make just with one finger, if you wanted. David told me all about the driving modes on the Pilot, like Eco and Sport, and while he mentioned Sport as his favourite, to the average driver like myself, I couldn’t really feel much of a difference between them and would’ve been happy just bombing around in Eco forever. That’s not a knock on the Pilot at all—rather, all of the driving modes were comfortable and I never felt like I was ‘held back’ when switching between them!

Top of the List for Me: Seating & Cargo Space

As fun as this SUV is to drive, being a mom with a full family, the biggest thing in a vehicle that can win me over is what it can offer for seating and storage space. What got me right away was the removable middle seat in the second row, which can basically turn that middle row into Captain’s Chairs on a whim (not to mention the easy storage space for it in the trunk). As a parent, this is huge! We have a seemingly ongoing debate when vehicle shopping about whether to opt for bench seating or captain’s chairs, especially when you might have a few extra people onboard, so that problem is immediately solved with the 2025 Pilot. Beyond that middle row, there’s lots of cargo space when the third row is folded down, and even more so underneath the floor and with side cubbies. Said “convertible row” instantly got me excited for the car, along with the climate controlled seats (with front and rear controls) to keep everyone happy. I really loved the huge sunroof, catching the sun all day long, but also with built-in sun shades for the kids to block it out when it gets a bit too much for them. While my kids are well past their car seat years, it’s also worth noting that the Pilot has 4 LATCH anchors for peace of mind safety. So many wins when it comes to family-friendly features!

All My Favourite Bells & Whistles

Who doesn’t love a few good bells & whistles in your vehicle, so I collected some of my favourites (along with one I wasn’t a fan of, for good measure):

Apple CarPlay for the kids to put on the Mufasa soundtrack for the millionth time

Bose Speakers with amazing sound quality, and when you need to crank them up to drown out the backseat bickering

Lane Keeping Assist & Adaptive Cruise Control because distracted driving is real when you have kids in the back seat (I wasn’t kidding when I said my top features are based around my kids!)

Head-Up Display is a feature I didn’t know I needed this feature in my life until now… it’s so nice to have all this info in your immediate view. This is a must-have for any vehicle I buy forever!

Hands-free Liftgate, as I’m always carrying some manner of dance bags, groceries, etc. to my vehicle, so being able to open the trunk without using my hands is huge

Washer Spray for Backup Camera was, again, another thing I didn’t know about! I almost forgot about this one, because I didn’t actually use it (thankfully, no messy weather for this test drive), but it’s nice to not have to go out and clean it off yourself!

Wireless Charging Pad was the one thing I didn’t like. In my experience, they don’t work as well as they should; they take a long time to charge your phone, your device feels warm to the touch, and all this stop-and-start charging can’t be good for your phone’s battery. One of the few misses for me!

Final Thoughts

Being a mom is a huge part of who I am, and, naturally, the well-being of my family is top priority. I’m at the stage of life where seating and cargo space are gonna be the main drivers in any vehicle purchase for us. Sure, those bells & whistles and driving comfort are all nice, but it was the fact that you can configure the 2025 Honda Pilot with Captain’s Chairs or bench seating, along with the storable third row, was a massive win on my test drive. That functionality alone would push the 2025 Pilot to the top of my list when I’m next in the market for a new vehicle. A big thank you to David and the team at Campbell River Honda for providing this vehicle to this “cool mom” for an extended test drive!

Disclosure: This 2025 Honda Pilot was provided for a complimentary test drive by Campbell River Honda, located at 2773 N Island Hwy, Campbell River, British Columbia. They can be reached at (250)286-0641. Views and commentary provided by the author are not sponsored by the dealership or Honda Canada.

Model (as tested): 2025 Honda Pilot Black Edition
Base Price: $68,236
Options: Sonic Grey Pearl exterior colour ($300)
Freight & PDI: $2,000
Federal Air Tax: $100
Total Price as Test Driven: $70,636 + GST + PST

Tag: Test Drive Review

My 24 Hours in the Pilot’s Seat: A 2025 Honda Pilot Test Drive