Compare the2024 Honda PilotVS 2023 GMC Acadia

For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Honda Pilot have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision. The GMC Acadia doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

The Honda Pilot has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Acadia doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Pilot EX-L/TrailSport/Touring/Elite has a standard Low-Speed Braking Control that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Acadia doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Pilot’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Acadia doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Pilot and the Acadia have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

The Pilot’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Acadia’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

Honda pays for scheduled maintenance on the Pilot for 2 years or 24,000 miles. Honda will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. GMC only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Acadia.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than GMC vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 16 places higher in reliability than GMC.

The Pilot’s 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 57 more horsepower (285 vs. 228) and 4 lbs.-ft. more torque (262 vs. 258) than the Acadia’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Honda Pilot uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Acadia with the 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder engine requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Pilot has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Acadia. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Honda Pilot higher (7 out of 10) than the GMC Acadia (6 to 7). This means the Pilot produces up to 1.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Acadia every 15,000 miles.

A 10-speed automatic is standard on the Honda Pilot, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a nine-speed automatic is available for the Acadia.

For better stopping power the Pilot’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Acadia:

For better traction, the Pilot has larger standard tires than the Acadia (255/50R20 vs. 235/65R18). The Pilot TrailSport’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Acadia (265/60R18 vs. 255/65R17).

The Pilot LX/EX-L’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Acadia SLE/SLT’s standard 65 series tires. The Pilot Sport/Touring/Elite’s tires have a lower 50 series profile than the Acadia’s optional 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Pilot has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Acadia AT4.

The Pilot TrailSport has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Acadia; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Pilot’s wheelbase is 1.3 inches longer than on the Acadia (113.8 inches vs. 112.5 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Pilot is 2.8 inches wider in the front and 3.1 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Acadia.

For better maneuverability, the Pilot TrailSport’s turning circle is 1 foot tighter than the Acadia’s (37.7 feet vs. 38.7 feet). The Pilot’s turning circle is .9 feet tighter than the Acadia’s (37.8 feet vs. 38.7 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Pilot has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Acadia (7.3 vs. 7.2 inches), allowing the Pilot to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Pilot TrailSport’s minimum ground clearance is 1.1 inches higher than on the Acadia (8.3 vs. 7.2 inches).

The Pilot offers optional seating for 8 passengers; the Acadia can only carry up to 7.

The Pilot has 14.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Acadia (158.4 vs. 143.8).

The Pilot has .5 inches more front headroom, 2.7 inches more front hip room, 2.5 inches more front shoulder room, .6 inches more rear headroom, 1.1 inches more rear legroom, 4.1 inches more rear hip room, 3 inches more rear shoulder room, 2.1 inches more third row headroom, 2.8 inches more third row legroom, 1.7 inches more third row hip room and 5.2 inches more third row shoulder room than the Acadia.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Pilot’s middle and third row seats recline. The Acadia’s third row seats don’t recline.

The Pilot’s cargo area provides more volume than the Acadia.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Pilot. The Acadia doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The Pilot’s minimum standard towing capacity is much higher than the Acadia’s (3500 vs. 1000 pounds).

Standard Trailer Stability Assist on the Pilot uses the Vehicle Stability Assist sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Acadia doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The Pilot’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Acadia’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open them fully. Only its driver’s window closes automatically.

On a hot day the Pilot’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance with the keyless remote or at the outside door handle. The driver of the Acadia can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Pilot Elite’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The Acadia’s intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Honda Pilot and the GMC Acadia, based on reliability, safety and performance.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Pilot third among upper midsize suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Acadia isn’t in the top three.

The Honda Pilot outsold the GMC Acadia by 88% during 2022.