Compare the2025 Honda PilotVS 2025 Toyota 4Runner

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 Toyota 4Runner doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

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 4Runner’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

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 4Runner uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Pilot and the 4Runner have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger 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.

The Honda Pilot achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2025 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated moderate overlap front crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The 4Runner has not yet been evaluated by the IIHS for 2025.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 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 11 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is rated lower.

The Pilot’s 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 7 more horsepower (285 vs. 278) than the 4Runner’s standard 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Honda Pilot is faster than the Toyota 4Runner turbo 4 cyl.:

On the EPA test cycle the Pilot FWD gets better fuel mileage than the 4Runner Limited RWD (19 city/27 hwy vs. 20 city/24 hwy).

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Pilot’s fuel efficiency. The 4Runner doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

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 4Runner doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

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 4Runner.

For better stopping power the Pilot’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the 4Runner:

The Pilot stops shorter than the 4Runner:

The Pilot 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 4Runner SR5’s standard 70 series tires. The Pilot Sport/Touring/Elite/Black Edition’s tires have a lower 50 series profile than the 4Runner TRD Sport/Limited/Platinum’s 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 4Runner SR5.

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 4Runner doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Pilot’s wheelbase is 1.6 inches longer than on the 4Runner (113.8 inches vs. 112.2 inches).

The Pilot TrailSport handles at .81 G’s, while the 4Runner TRD Off-Road Premium pulls only .72 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Pilot TrailSport’s turning circle is 1.7 feet tighter than the 4Runner’s (37.7 feet vs. 39.4 feet). The Pilot’s turning circle is 1.6 feet tighter than the 4Runner’s (37.8 feet vs. 39.4 feet).

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 4Runner doesn’t use unibody construction, but a body-on-frame design.

To almost totally eliminate engine vibration in the passenger area, the Pilot has an electronically controlled liquid-filled main engine mount. A computer-controlled electric current in the liquid changes its viscosity, allowing the mount to dampen the engine completely at all RPMs. The 4Runner uses conventional solid rubber engine mounts.

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 4Runner doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Pilot uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The 4Runner doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Pilot offers optional seating for 8 passengers; the 4Runner can only carry up to 7.

The Pilot has .8 inches more front headroom, 3.2 inches more front hip room, 3.9 inches more front shoulder room, 2.4 inches more rear headroom, 6 inches more rear legroom, 1.3 inches more rear hip room and 3.9 inches more rear shoulder room than the 4Runner.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Pilot’s middle and third row seats recline. The 4Runner’s third row seats don’t recline.

The Pilot’s cargo area provides more volume than the 4Runner.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Honda service is better than Toyota. J.D. Power ranks Honda 7th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 23% lower rating, Toyota is ranked 24th.

The Pilot has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The 4Runner doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The Pilot EX-L/TrailSport/Touring/Elite’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The 4Runner doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Pilot’s standard Push Button Start and Smart Entry allow you to unlock the doors from either front door handle, open the cargo door, and start the engine, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Smart Key standard on the 4Runner doesn’t offer a sensor on the cargo door The Pilot Touring/Elite/Black Edition’s available Push Button Start and Smart Entry also allows you to unlock the doors from either rear door handle.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Pilot has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the 4Runner only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Pilot to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The 4Runner doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Pilot EX-L/TrailSport/Touring/Elite/Black Edition’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The 4Runner offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The Pilot has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the 4Runner Limited/Platinum/Trailhunter/TRD Pro.

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

The Honda Pilot outsold the Toyota 4Runner by 43% during 2024.