Compare the2024 Honda PilotVS 2024 Toyota Sequoia

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Pilot deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Pilot’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Sequoia’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

Full-time four-wheel drive is optional on the Pilot. Full-time four-wheel drive gives added traction for safety in all conditions, not just off-road, like the only system available on the Sequoia.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Pilot uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The Sequoia uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Pilot and the Sequoia have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, 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, driver alert monitors, available blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

The Honda Pilot achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The Sequoia has not yet been evaluated by the IIHS for 2024.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Honda above average in initial quality. With 4 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is rated below average.

On the EPA test cycle the Pilot gets better mileage than the Sequoia:

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Pilot’s fuel efficiency. The Sequoia doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

Both the Pilot and Sequoia have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. The Pilot has a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Honda Pilot uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Sequoia requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Pilot has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Sequoia doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Honda Pilot higher (7 out of 10) than the Toyota Sequoia (5). This means the Pilot produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Sequoia every 15,000 miles.

The Pilot stops much shorter than the Sequoia:

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 Sequoia’s standard 70 series tires.

The Pilot has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Sequoia doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Pilot has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Pilot flat and controlled during cornering. The Sequoia’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The Pilot TrailSport handles at .85 G’s, while the Sequoia Capstone 4x4 pulls only .76 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Pilot’s turning circle is tighter than the Sequoia’s:

The Honda Pilot may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 1500 to 1600 pounds less than the Toyota Sequoia.

The Pilot is 8.2 inches shorter than the Sequoia, making the Pilot easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Unibody construction lowers the Pilot’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The Sequoia doesn’t use unibody construction, but a body-on-frame design.

The Pilot uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Sequoia doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Pilot has 1.3 inches more front headroom, 1.8 inches more rear headroom, 1.6 inches more rear legroom and 3.7 inches more third row headroom than the Sequoia.

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

Insurance will cost less for the Pilot owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Pilot will cost $4035 to $7985 less than the Sequoia over a five-year period.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Honda Pilot will be $18639 to $27381 less than for the Toyota Sequoia.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Honda Pilot, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Toyota Sequoia isn't recommended.

The Honda Pilot outsold the Toyota Sequoia by almost five to one during 2023.