Compare the2025 Honda PilotVS 2024 Genesis GV80

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 Genesis GV80 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 GV80 doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

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 GV80’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

With its standard Collision Mitigation Braking System, the Honda Pilot is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Genesis GV80, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

Both the Pilot and the GV80 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

There are over 4 times as many Honda dealers as there are Genesis dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Pilot’s warranty.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Pilot’s reliability 15 points higher than the GV80.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Genesis vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 13 places higher in reliability than Genesis.

On the EPA test cycle the Pilot gets better mileage than the GV80:

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Pilot’s fuel efficiency. The GV80 doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Honda Pilot uses regular unleaded gasoline. The GV80 2.5T 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 GV80 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 Genesis GV80 (5). This means the Pilot produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the GV80 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 an eight-speed automatic is available for the GV80.

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 GV80 doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

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 GV80; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which has mileage and speed limitations, or roadside assistance and a tow-truck.

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Pilot is 1.4 inches wider in the front and 1.1 inches wider in the rear than the track on the GV80.

The Pilot TrailSport handles at .85 G’s, while the GV80 Advanced pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Pilot TrailSport’s turning circle is 1.6 feet tighter than the GV80’s (37.7 feet vs. 39.3 feet). The Pilot’s turning circle is 1.5 feet tighter than the GV80’s (37.8 feet vs. 39.3 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Pilot TrailSport has a greater minimum ground clearance than the GV80 (8.3 vs. 8.1 inches), allowing the Pilot to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The front grille of the Pilot uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The GV80 doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Pilot offers optional seating for 8 passengers; the GV80 can only carry up to 7.

The Pilot has 18.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the GV80 (158.4 vs. 140).

The Pilot has .3 inches more front headroom, 1.7 inches more front shoulder room, 1.8 inches more rear headroom, 2.1 inches more rear legroom, 3.5 inches more rear shoulder room, 5 inches more third row headroom, 2.2 inches more third row legroom and 6.3 inches more third row shoulder room than the GV80.

The Pilot’s cargo area provides more volume than the GV80.

The Pilot’s cargo area is larger than the GV80’s in every dimension:

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 GV80 doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

On a hot day the Pilot’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the GV80 can’t use the remote to operate the windows.

Consumer Reports rated the Pilot’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the GV80’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Pilot’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the GV80’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

The Pilot is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The GV80 doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Honda Pilot, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Genesis GV80 isn't recommended.

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 GV80 isn’t in the top three in its category.

The Honda Pilot outsold the Genesis GV80 by almost six to one during 2023.