The two newest designs in the mainstream 3-row SUV class are the Honda Pilot and the Mazda CX-90.

You’ve been hearing about the Pilot for many years, of course. But a recent redesign has radically changed its character. The 2024 Pilot is boxy in a handsome way and has off-road skills earlier Pilots lacked.

You may not have heard of the CX-90. It’s entirely new, replacing the CX-9 with something more sophisticated and flexible. It’s available with a gas-only powertrain common to the luxury classes or a fuel-saving plug-in hybrid setup.

Let’s see how these two compare.

2024 Honda Pilot

The Honda Pilot has long been a reliable and family-friendly 3-row SUV. But Honda redesigned it from the wheels up late in the 2023 model year, giving it a new personality. It’s still a great family hauler but appears more rugged and has an off-road-oriented TrailSport model that backs up the look. Prices start at $37,090.

Honda Pilot Highlights

Lower price: Mazda has been remaking itself as a more upscale automaker, and the CX-90 shows it. But so does its price tag. The base model Pilot starts more than $2,500 under the base model CX-90. As you move up the trim ladder, the gap grows. A fully-loaded CX-90 Turbo S Premium Plus costs almost $7,500 more than the equivalent Passport Elite.

Rugged SUV character: Both of these are available with all-wheel drive (AWD) that will get you through icy weather. But the Pilot comes in a TrailSport edition with a suspension set up for off-road driving, added ground clearance, and grippy all-terrain tires. Mazda has nothing like it for the new CX-90.

More cargo space: We think the boxy look is handsome, but that’s subjective. What’s objective? Measurements. The Pilot has almost 13 cubic feet more cargo space than the CX-90.

Check this week’s Fair Purchase Price or see the Pilot models for sale near you.

2024 Mazda CX-90

The 2024 Mazda CX-90 is entirely new, replacing the CX-9 as the flagship of the Mazda showroom. It’s a unique vehicle in the affordable 3-row SUV class, set up like something from a luxury automaker and available in a plug-in hybrid version. Prices start at $39,595.

Mazda CX-90 Highlights

Luxury car bones: Luxury vehicles often have different mechanical layouts than the affordable cars you might be more familiar with. When it built the CX-90, Mazda used a layout common to luxury vehicles. That means a turbocharged inline 6-cylinder engine – a design known for smooth power delivery – and an AWD system that sends more power to the rear wheels than the front unless it needs to prevent a slip. It feels smoother and more poised.

Elegant design: It’s as if Mazda has spies in the design shops of other automakers. Almost every automaker bringing out a new SUV for the 2024 model year has leaned into boxy, chunky, rugged design themes. Mazda went the other way. The CX-90’s lines say tailored and sophisticated. Showing up to the party underdressed is embarrassing. Showing up overdressed is a power move. The CX-90 made the power move.

Elegant interior styling: That dressy theme continues when you open the door. The CX-90’s cabin feels pricier than the typical family SUV. Light-colored wood trims with lovely straight grain patterns and dashboard stitching drawn from traditional Japanese bookbinding techniques make it feel more considered than the Pilot’s cabin.

Check this week’s Fair Purchase Price or see the CX-90 models for sale near you.

Similarities

Just five horsepower separates them. They have identical warranties, and both get 25 mpg in combined driving

Conclusion

2024 is a good year for SUV design. The two newest entries in the affordable midsize class show it.

The Honda Pilot keeps its flexible family nature but brings a handsome new look and real off-road chops to the contest. It offers more cargo space, and is available at a lower price.

The Mazda CX-90 is trying an entirely different approach. It looks more sophisticated, with elegant Euro-luxe lines and an upscale cabin. Its standard inline-6-cylinder engine and rear-biased AWD system give it a more refined driving feel, too. But its price reflects its move uptown and won’t be worth it for some.

Specifications