The 2022 Honda Pilot did have a little bit increased towing capacity, compared to some of the later model years, and were able to achieve a 5,000 lb. maximum trailer weight rating, if you had the proper equipment and drivetrain configurations installed on your vehicle.
I do want to point out that in some cases, you also would not have any capacity at all if the vehicle was at its maximum weight limit, so you will need to take a look at the charts and study the data in order to achieve those higher-capacity ratings.
Always read through your owner's manual and make sure you abide by Honda's recommendations and requirements when it comes to towing or anything else involving your vehicle.
2022 Pilot Overview
Overall Towing Capacity: The towing capacity for the 2022 Honda Pilots ranged quite substantially from 0-5,000 lbs. depending on the number of occupants on the vehicle, whether you had a 2-wheel drive or all-wheel drive model and if you had the ATF cooler accessory option equipped on your vehicle.
If you did not have the ATF cooler installed, then the maximum trailer weight rating was significantly reduced down to 3,500 lbs.
Engine Option: Even for the 2022 models, only one engine was still available like all the other model years and this was the 3.5 L engine that came in a V6 configuration.
Trim Levels: There were an astounding seven different trim levels offered for these model year SUVs, but the trim level you had equipped did not affect the weight ratings at all and did not affect how much you could pull.
Other factors came into play that influenced the numbers and the only variable that you had attached to your trim level was your drivetrain configuration, or in other words, some trim levels did not have a 2-wheel drive or all-wheel drive option available oh, you only had one choice.
Assumed Weight: Since Honda lays out the maximum trailer weight ratings according to the number of occupants in the vehicle, we would have to know what assumed weight Honda specified for each occupant. We can find this information at the bottom of the chart and it states that each occupant is assumed to weigh 150 lbs. and have 17.6 lbs. of cargo, giving us a grand total of 167.6 lbs. per occupant.
The Chart:
The chart for the 2022 Honda Pilots was divided up into all-wheel drive models and two-wheel drive models, and as you can see from the screenshot I took below of the chart itself, the all-wheel-drive models are divided up into two different categories, ones that have the ATF cooler installed and ones that do not.
The all-wheel-drive models that do not have the cooler installed had the same specs that the two-wheel drive models had, which the ATF cooler was not available for two-wheel drive models.
You can also see on the left-hand column that Honda lists the number of occupants in the vehicle, which directly affects the maximum trailer weight ratings, according to the number of occupants in the vehicle.
This is how Honda has always listed the maximum trailer weight ratings, for all model year Pilots. In order to achieve the highest maximum trailer weight ratings, you had to have the all-wheel-drive model with an ATF cooler installed and as few occupants in the vehicle as possible.
Tongue Weight Rating:
I was also able to find helpful information on the tongue load weight ratings that were specified by Honda for the 2022 models. In the image below, you can see the maximum weight limits for the tongue load, in chart form, but above that you can see that Honda specifies a percentage for two types of trailers, one for boat trailers and the other encompasses all other types of trailers.
If you happen to be pulling a boat trailer behind you, then 5-10% of the trailer's total weight should be on the vehicle's hitch, (or tongue load of the vehicle) and if you had any other type of trailer, that percentage was increased to 10-15%.
Trailer Brakes:
Trailer brakes were also specified in the manual and were required if your trailer weighed 1,000 pounds or more, which was the same requirement for all model year Pilots. Keep in mind that these brakes will have to be independent from your vehicle's braking system, in order to be compliant.
Another thing you want to keep in mind is your local law enforcement agencies laws when it comes to trailer brakes, as they may have a different requirement than what Honda requires, so you will have to meet those requirements.
Trim Levels:
There were a ton of different trim levels available for the 2022 Honda Pilots, which were laid out quite nicely in the spec sheet that I have linked at the bottom of this article and these were listed as the: Sport, EX-L, Special Edition, Trail Sport, Touring, Elite, and Black Edition.
I did not see any correlation between the trim level you had on your SUV that directly impacted the maximum trailer weight ratings that were shown in the chart. The only thing that I did see is that some trim levels only came with either a two-wheel drive or all-wheel drive configuration, so you only had one choice when it came to the drivetrain configuration, in which case you would have to plug in the numbers for that specific drivetrain and whether you had the ATF cooler installed on the vehicle for that configuration.
GVWR, GCWR and GAWRs:
Just like all model year Pilots, Honda provided the weight specs for the vehicle that come in handy for those of you out there that like to make more complex calculations. These figures are known as the gross vehicle weight rating, the gross combined weight rating and the gross axle weight ratings. They were listed in a chart, that I have posted below, and outlines the maximum allowable weight for each metric.
GVWR: The gross vehicle weight rating was listed in the chart as "Gross Vehicle" and states a maximum weight rating for two-wheel drive models of 5,545 lbs., while the all-wheel drive models had a slightly higher capacity of 5,842 lbs.
GCWR: The gross combined weight rating followed the same pattern and were labeled "Gross Combined" in the chart and the weight limit for two-wheel drive models was set at 8,025 pounds, while the all-wheel drive models had a much higher 9,755 lb. maximum rating.
GAWRs: The gross axle weight ratings were listed for the front and rear axles and if we look at the chart, we can see that the front axle weight rating was listed at 2,734 lbs. for two-wheel drive models and 2,855 lbs. for all-wheel drive models. If we look at the rear axle weight rating, we can see that two-wheel drive models had a 2,965 lb. limit, while the all-wheel drive models had a 3,142 lb. limit.
Notes On The ATF Cooler...
While conducting my research, I came across a note in the owner's manual that talks about the ATF cooler and how it was only available for all-wheel drive models, not two-wheel drive models.
You needed to have the additional ATF cooler if you were planning on pulling more than 3,500 lbs. behind your vehicle and is why the maximum trailer weight ratings were set at a maximum of 3,500 lbs. if you did not have one of these ATF coolers installed on your vehicle.
The Trailer Package Comes With...
I was also able to find information on what comes with the trailer package that was offered as a factory accessory and as you can see from the screenshot I took below, it comes with the hitch receiver and ball mount, a wiring harness kit to plug in the trailer lights and brakes and an ATF cooler.
Other Notes I Found:
There were other pieces of information I found in the owner's manual, along with the other essential stuff I have posted above, but some of these items I think are worth mentioning and is why I always recommend you read through your owner's manual to yourself to get all of the information Honda recommends or requires.
I found information that talks a little bit about weight distribution hitches and how the 2022 models do not usually need them, but you can use them if you wanted to. Another bit of information that talks about the break-in period and how you want to avoid pulling a trailer behind you for the first 600 miles, in order to break your vehicle properly without damaging it under load when it is new.
Another bit of information talks about how using a higher octane of gasoline is recommended if you're planning on towing more than 3,500 lbs. and how certain elements like steep uphill grades, higher outside temperatures or higher altitude areas can affect your vehicle's power.
Helpful Links:
There were two main resources I used in the research for this article and is where I gathered all of my information for these 2022 SUVs.
The main resource I used was definitely the owner's manual and is where I found most of the images I have posted in this article. The manual came directly from Honda's website, as did the spec sheet, that also came in handy for other bits of information and was more of a "quick glance" sort of resource that also came from Honda's resource pages.