2026 Honda Pilot Touring: O’Fallon Buyers Guide

Quick Answer: 2026 Pilot Touring

The 2026 Pilot Touring starts at $51,295 MSRP plus a $1,495 destination charge, and for 2026 it’s AWD-only, Honda dropped the front-wheel-drive Touring that some earlier model years offered. Stepping up from the EX-L or TrailSport, Touring adds 20-inch machine-finished alloy wheels, a panoramic moonroof, a hands-free power tailgate with Walk Away Close, a 360-degree TrailWatch Multi-View camera system, and a Bose premium 12-speaker sound system with a subwoofer. It also brings back Honda’s built-in satellite navigation with real-time traffic and HondaLink app-based remote start, features the lower trims skip in favor of relying on your phone. Touring keeps the stowable second-row center seat for 8-passenger seating.

2026 Honda Pilot in a red finish parked with tailgate open at an outdoor family gathering
Touring’s hands-free power tailgate opens itself when it senses the key nearby and your hands are full. Photo: Honda.

Where the Pilot stops feeling like a family hauler and starts feeling upscale

EX-L and TrailSport both make a strong practical case, but Touring is where the Pilot starts adding features you’d genuinely miss going back to a lesser trim. The hands-free tailgate is the small one that matters most day to day, walk up with your hands full of groceries or a sleeping toddler and a keyfob in your pocket, and it opens on its own. The Bose audio system is a real upgrade over the standard setup, not just a badge swap, and the built-in navigation with live traffic means road construction on I-70 doesn’t have to route around your phone’s data connection or a spotty signal.

Honda also made Touring AWD-only for 2026, a change from some earlier model years that offered a front-wheel-drive version. Practically, that means every Touring buyer gets the same 5,000-pound tow rating and 19/25/21 EPA figures, no drivetrain decision to make at this trim level, the choice was made for you when Honda set the spec sheet.

What’s standard on the Touring

  • 20-inch machine-finished alloy wheels, panoramic moonroof, acoustic front-door glass
  • Hands-free access power tailgate with Walk Away Close
  • TrailWatch Multi-View (360-degree) camera system with front-camera washer
  • Bose premium 12-speaker sound system with subwoofer, multi-zone audio
  • Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation with real-time traffic, HondaLink subscription services including app-based remote start
  • Stowable second-row center seat retained (8-passenger seating)
  • i-VTM4 all-wheel drive standard, no FWD option this model year

Touring vs. TrailSport: two different upgrades from EX-L

Touring and TrailSport both sit above the EX-L in price, but they solve different problems. TrailSport spends its budget on off-road hardware and seats seven with captain’s chairs; Touring spends its budget on comfort, audio, and tech, and keeps the eight-passenger layout with the stowable center seat. A family cross-shopping the two should think about how the Pilot actually gets used, gravel roads and light trail driving point toward TrailSport, while daily highway commuting and road trips with a full third row point toward Touring.

What Frank Leta Honda buyers say

“I found our Honda Pilot Touring SUV on a car site selling by [Frank Leta Honda] in O’Fallon, MO. I inquired in the evening and Kyler DeGaeto messaged me right away. My wife and I set an appointment to see the Pilot. Kyler was so helpful and took the time to show all the features of the vehicle and was very knowledgeable and not pushy at all. We highly recommend working with him,” wrote one Frank Leta Honda customer about buying a Pilot Touring from the dealership. Kyler DeGaeto is a Honda Specialist on the current sales team.

Frequently asked questions

Can I still get a front-wheel-drive Pilot Touring?

No, not for 2026. Honda made the Touring AWD-only this model year, a change from some earlier years that offered a FWD Touring. If front-wheel drive matters to your budget, the Sport or EX-L are the trims that still offer it.

What’s the difference between Touring and Touring Blackout?

Equipment-wise, nothing, Touring Blackout is a new-for-2026 appearance variant that pairs the same Touring feature set with 20-inch black alloy wheels and blacked-out badging and trim, for $1,200 more.

Does the Touring have a better sound system than the EX-L?

Yes, Touring steps up to a Bose premium 12-speaker system with a subwoofer and multi-zone audio, a genuine upgrade over the standard audio setup on the Sport, EX-L, and TrailSport.

Is the Touring’s navigation better than just using my phone?

It’s a different tool for a different situation. Honda’s built-in Satellite-Linked Navigation pulls real-time traffic without depending on your phone’s signal or data plan, useful on longer highway stretches where cell coverage can drop. Most daily driving, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (standard on every 2026 trim) covers it just fine.

How much more is the Touring than the TrailSport?

$700 MSRP, both AWD-standard trims. The Touring trades TrailSport’s off-road hardware and captain’s chairs for a premium audio system, built-in navigation, and the eight-passenger stowable-seat layout, worth comparing side by side rather than assuming one is simply the “better” trim.

All 2026 Honda Pilot guides

MSRP figures exclude the $1,495 destination charge plus tax, title, license and registration fees, options, and dealer-installed accessories; the dealer sets the actual selling price. Fuel-economy figures are 2026 EPA ratings; your mileage will vary. Equipment and availability can change with configuration and production timing; confirm current specs and in-stock inventory with Frank Leta Honda. Customer quotes are excerpts from public Google reviews of Frank Leta Honda.