[Doose876]

As long as it's a V6 hybrid IMHO.

👍🏾This is the way..

 

[Ledebuhr1]

The J35 really needs more torque to be competitive. You can't get more torque out of it, but adding an electric motor would help tremendously. If you look at the Ridgeline it has the weakest engine of all midsize trucks.

 

[21EXL]

The J35 really needs more torque to be competitive. You can't get more torque out of it, but adding an electric motor would help tremendously. If you look at the Ridgeline it has the weakest engine of all midsize trucks.

Just swap in the Acura J30! 😁😁

 

[Ledebuhr1]

That engine is an Acura exclusive engine.

 

[Old Timer Shadetree]

Myself I prefer fewer “refreshes” because longer model years means cheaper repairs (body work) and standardized parts. Insofar as mechanical parts I’m more in favor of continual quality or incremental improvements. ”New” doesn’t always mean better reliability.

 

[nadaliepope]

No refresh 2026.

Look at history. Honda pilot gens are 7-9 years apart with no mid cycle refreshes.

The 4th Gen just got released it feels like. It's barely entering its third year.

That's exactly what I was thinking. It would be too early for a refresh.

 

[The Todd]

The J35 really needs more torque to be competitive. You can't get more torque out of it, but adding an electric motor would help tremendously. If you look at the Ridgeline it has the weakest engine of all midsize trucks.

Maybe b/c it's NOT a real truck! LOL I know the Ridge owners, and Pilot for that matter think it is though.

 

[YipMan_Style]

There is no need for the Pilot to get any better MPG. I think us owners would prefer the "proven" old J35 V6. Yes, the J35Y8 is new, but it's still the same engine. Carrying the MPG flag would be Civic, Accord, CRV, HRV and Prelude, to reach the CAFE numbers. I don't imagine there will be hybrid Pilot, Odyssey, or Ridgeline. Oh, and Passport.

I would bet these other Honda (large) vehicles will get the J35Y8 at the next refreshing, rather than I4Turbo or hybrid. In the uncertain world of EV and the now back on Nissan merger, I would think they want to save resources, and see in the short term.

 

[jtconnorii]

There is no need for the Pilot to get any better MPG. I think us owners would prefer the "proven" old J35 V6. Yes, the J35Y8 is new, but it's still the same engine. Carrying the MPG flag would be Civic, Accord, CRV, HRV and Prelude, to reach the CAFE numbers. I don't imagine there will be hybrid Pilot, Odyssey, or Ridgeline. Oh, and Passport.

I would bet these other Honda (large) vehicles will get the J35Y8 at the next refreshing, rather than I4Turbo or hybrid. In the uncertain world of EV and the now back on Nissan merger, I would think they want to save resources, and see in the short term.

Well that is thinking out of the box. Interesting thoughts.

 

[lowmpg]

Maybe b/c it's NOT a real truck! LOL I know the Ridge owners, and Pilot for that matter think it is though.

hey, its always nice to have more power! That's why I too would go for a liter bike over a 600cc bike.

but i get what Honda is doing.

Well that is thinking out of the box. Interesting thoughts.

Maybe b/c it's NOT a real truck! LOL I know the Ridge owners, and Pilot for that matter think it is though.

Regardless of what anyone thinks regarding it being a real this or that, more power is always a good thing, although I know what Honda is doing as far as keeping this platform simple and not overly tuned. It does fine and is fun to use the V6 as designed, it likes to rev. But could use more power, but I wouldn't want mpg to be much worse than already is nor the curb weight higher. So it's all a compromise.

But again, I'd go for a liter bike over a 600cc as well.

 

[Ledebuhr1]

If fuel economy is not important to buyers of Mid-sized SUV's then why would Hyundai and Toyota develop hybrid powertrains for their mid-size SUV.'s? Honda has even stated publicly that a Hybrid system for their large platform vehicles is "In development", and that the current Hybrid system from the Cr-V is designed to "Scale up". I would be very unusual for Honda to not refresh the Pilot every four years.

 

[Ldubs]

If fuel economy is not important to buyers of Mid-sized SUV's then why would Hyundai and Toyota develop hybrid powertrains for their mid-size SUV.'s? Honda has even stated publicly that a Hybrid system for their large platform vehicles is "In development", and that the current Hybrid system from the Cr-V is designed to "Scale up". I would be very unusual for Honda to not refresh the Pilot every four years.

I spent the past two weeks driving a rental Volvo XC90 plug-in hybrid. It isn't quite as big as a Pilot but still a decent sized car. Uses a turbocharged 4 cylinder. Ran pretty good. I think the batt's, which I never bothered to recharge, were good for about 30 miles. Overall combined fuel economy is claimed to be about 27 mph. It was my first time in a larger hybrid vehicle. BTW, as much as I hate to admit it, I found the driver's seat incredibly more comfortable than the PIlot's.

Funny thing is when I rented it I didn't know it was a hybrid. I pushed the start button then asked the rental guy why the car wasn't starting. He said it was "operational" and I should just step on the pedal. That is when it hit me I was running on batteries.

 

[Ledebuhr1]

Wasn't the 2025 Pilot already released by now last year?

 

[RedCapote]

I think Honda is very much seeing the lackluster sales of the more expensive 4-cylinder turbos on the Toyota side and realizing they (Honda) have got it right with the NA V6's and lower price points. Affordability is the winning formula during these economic times. That said, I would not mind a reliable, tried and true hybrid addition to the V6 for better fuel consumption, but I don't see that happening on this generation of Pilot. Not even on the refresh. The American market will be quite an interesting case study for Honda over the next few years.

 

[Ledebuhr1]

Toyota can't keep the Hybrid Grand Highlander in stock. The new Hyundai Palisade is also going to offer a Hybrid. The Hybrid CR-V and Accord are very well-designed systems, that get great fuel economy. The J35 can't compete with the hybrids in fuel economy.

 

[YipMan_Style]

The thread topic here is "2026" Pilot refresh. Honda may be late to the game compared to Toyota's long history. It's easy for Toyota to scale up, down, left and right. My guess would be that we won't see a hybrid (large vehicle) for Honda until 2030.

And I hope we don't see it any sooner because I would want this powertrain to be tried and true.

The J35Y8 is cheaper to build from what I read, and cleaner in terms of emissions. So I think the J35Y8 V6 will soldier on for a while.

 

[Biocureboy1985]

The thread topic here is "2026" Pilot refresh. Honda may be late to the game compared to Toyota's long history. It's easy for Toyota to scale up, down, left and right. My guess would be that we won't see a hybrid (large vehicle) for Honda until 2030.

And I hope we don't see it any sooner because I would want this powertrain to be tried and true.

The J35Y8 is cheaper to build from what I read, and cleaner in terms of emissions. So I think the J35Y8 V6 will soldier on for a while.

Agreed. As much as I want to see a Hybrid Pilot, I don't think we will get it until the next gen Pilot. Honda is late to the game but at least they are trying to hybridize their line-up. Can't speak the same for Acura whose "fully EV model-line up" business model will be a failing proposition for them. I really don't want to see the turbo I4 be with hybrid. Would love to see Honda redevelop the sport hybrid they were using in Acura in the late 2010s and use the V6 with it. Honda/Acura used to be revolutionary decades ago. Be nice to see that than just be late to the game with the typical status quo.

 

[GreginJaxFl]

I think Honda is very much seeing the lackluster sales of the more expensive 4-cylinder turbos on the Toyota side and realizing they (Honda) have got it right with the NA V6's and lower price points. Affordability is the winning formula during these economic times. That said, I would not mind a reliable, tried and true hybrid addition to the V6 for better fuel consumption, but I don't see that happening on this generation of Pilot. Not even on the refresh. The American market will be quite an interesting case study for Honda over the next few years.

The problem is that if they make a hybrid Pilot, they will likely also change to a 4 cylinder turbo. They giveth and then they take away. Keep the V6 and add electric motors and I would buy.

 

[Ledebuhr1]

I believe the MDX hybrid from several years ago was a V6 and was more tuned for performance than fuel economy. It got 27/27 which, I'll bet Honda could improve upon with different tuning.

 

[cintocrunch]

I believe the MDX hybrid from several years ago was a V6 and was more tuned for performance than fuel economy. It got 27/27 which, I'll bet Honda could improve upon with different tuning.

For a long time Honda tried to bring hybrid tech in as a performance option, like the MDX Hybrid (Sport Hybrid I think they called it?) and the 7th gen Accord which paired the J30 with the hybrid system. Can't think of any examples that sold well, most people would rather their performance model have forced induction to get more power than a hybrid system.