2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 vs 2025 Honda Pilot

The 2025 Honda Pilot was available in several trims, including the Sport, EX-L, TrailSport, Touring, Elite, and Black Edition. The Sport trim was the most affordable, but it lacked many appealing amenities, making the leather-lined EX-L a recommended upgrade. Prices ranged from $40,200 to $54,580, plus a $1,395 destination charge. The Black Edition, evaluated in Southern California, featured black wheels, blacked-out exterior trim, and black badges, with a Modern Steel paint color. Inside, it boasted black leather seats with red perforation accents, red contrast stitching, and red ambient lighting. The Pilot's rugged design, introduced in 2023, was more suited for suburban environments, and while the interior was thoughtfully designed with quality materials, the digital displays appeared dated.

The 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 maintained its distinctive retro-inspired appearance, reminiscent of the 1986-1991 Lancia Delta. The mid-cycle refresh included minor revisions to the lower front fascia, retaining the "Parametric Pixel" headlights and taillights, round wheel arches, and a high rear spoiler. The new XRT trim stood out with red tow hooks and black plastic bumper cladding featuring a "digital camouflage" pattern. Exclusive colors like Ultimate Red and Cosmic Blue Pearl were available for the XRT, while the color palette expanded with Atlas White Matte and Ecotronic Gray Matte. The interior remained minimalistic and modern, with a revised center console for improved functionality. The XRT trim featured a dark interior with all-weather floor mats and the XRT logo debossed in the seats.

The 2025 Honda Pilot was powered by a 3.5-liter V6 engine paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission, generating 285 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. This setup allowed most Pilot models to tow up to 5,000 pounds. It offered various driving modes, including Normal, Econ, Snow, Tow, Sport, Trail, and Sand. The AWD system, with torque vectoring, provided up to 7.3 inches of ground clearance (8.3 inches for the TrailSport) and allowed up to 70 percent of engine output to flow to a single rear wheel (75 percent in the TrailSport). While the V6 provided good acceleration, the transmission occasionally felt slow to downshift. Fuel economy was unimpressive, with an average of 20 mpg, falling short of the EPA rating of 21 mpg. The Pilot's handling was predictable and secure, but an adaptive-damping suspension system would have benefited the Elite and Black Edition models.

The 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 XRT featured a Terrain Mode button on the steering wheel, offering Snow, Mud, and Sand modes that adjusted throttle mapping, wheel slip, power distribution, and regenerative braking. The XRT handled off-road conditions well, with AWD as standard. The Ioniq 5's battery capacity increased for 2025, providing a range of up to 318 miles in RWD configuration, while AWD reduced the range to 259 miles for the XRT. Power output varied with the powertrain choice, with RWD models producing 168 to 225 horsepower and AWD models generating 320 horsepower and 446 pound-feet of torque. Despite its weight, the Ioniq 5 offered plenty of fun with its instant torque.

The 2025 Honda Pilot excelled in form and function, with three rows of comfortable seats and thoughtful storage solutions. However, the front passenger seat lacked adjustability, which was a drawback for long trips. The second-row seats were roomy, with a removable center section for captain's chairs. The third row was habitable for adults, though not particularly comfortable. The Pilot featured a triple-zone automatic climate control system, heated outboard second-row seats, and a panoramic sunroof. Cargo space measured 18.6 cubic feet behind the third row, expanding to 86.5 cubic feet with both rear rows folded.

The 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 addressed previous complaints by adding a rear windshield wiper and revising the center console. Heated front seats were standard, with a heated steering wheel available from the SEL trim. The Limited trim offered front seat ventilation and driver's seat memory. Interior dimensions remained unchanged, with generous legroom and cargo space measuring 26.3 cubic feet with the rear seats up, expanding to 58.5 cubic feet with them folded. The Ioniq 5 transitioned to the North American Charging System (NACS), allowing access to the Tesla Supercharger network, and included a Combined Charging System (CCS) adapter.

The 2025 Honda Pilot featured a 10.2-inch digital gauge panel and a 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system. It offered wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, SiriusXM satellite radio, text-messaging support, and wireless smartphone charging. However, the wireless CarPlay function had issues, and the voice recognition system was hit-and-miss. The 12-speaker Bose audio system was adequate but not exceptional. The Pilot included a CabinTalk feature for communication with passengers and a small four-inch head-up display.

The 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 retained its pair of 12.3-inch screens, with improved functionality and faster processing speeds. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto were standard, and the Bose Premium Audio system was available on the XRT trim. The SE and SEL trims had a six-speaker sound system, with standard navigation, dynamic voice recognition, and five USB-C ports. The Ioniq 5 featured a head-up display on the Limited trim and a wireless charging pad starting at the SEL trim.

The 2025 Honda Pilot came equipped with Honda Sensing safety features, including forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and adaptive cruise control. The Black Edition had parking sensors and a multi-view camera system with TrailWatch technology. However, the adaptive cruise control and lane-centering assist systems had issues, and the road sign recognition system was inaccurate. The Pilot earned high marks in crash tests, with a Top Safety Pick+ from the IIHS and a five-star rating from the NHTSA.

The 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 maintained its Top Safety Pick+ award from the IIHS and a five-star rating from the NHTSA. New standard safety features included an enhanced driver attention system, reverse and forward parking-distance warning, and a surround-view monitor on the XRT trim. Highway Driving Assist 1 and 2 were available, with HDA 2 offering lane-changing capability and machine learning.