Honda's New 3.5-Liter V-6 Goes DOHC, Drops VTEC

• Honda's latest 3.5-liter V-6 that powers the new Pilot switches to a dual-overhead-cam design, the first naturally aspirated DOHC V-6 in any Honda or Acura since the first-generation NSX.

• Bore, stroke, and compression ratio carry over, while peak power is up by 5 hp to 285 hp and torque holds steady at 262 lb-ft.

• This new V-6 is dramatically cleaner, with some pollutants reduced by 40 to 50 percent, which should keep it compliant until at least 2030.

Hiding in the heads of the 2023 Honda Pilot's new V-6, code name J35Y8, is a dramatic change: an additional camshaft for each bank. Every previous naturally aspirated V-6 from either Honda or Acura except for the first-generation NSX has instead been a single-overhead-cam (SOHC) design. Bore and stroke carry over (and therefore its 3471cc displacement), as do a 60-degree bank angle, and a 11.5:1 compression ratio. But this new engine that powers the Pilot (and almost certainly any future V-6–powered vehicles, such as the Odyssey and Ridgeline) gets the compact DOHC heads from the turbocharged Type S-variants of the Acura TLX and MDX, where the cam bearing caps are incorporated into the valve cover, shrinking the head height by 1.2 inches.