Yes, this goes on tough terrain but is still quite pleasant during the daily drive

By Gary S. Vasilash

I was recently watching a TV program set in New Zealand. A detective who was not familiar with the area, asked a local how to get there. She was told it would take a couple days walking. Or she could get a 4×4.

In the next scene she’s driving a Suzuki Jimny—known in the U.S. as the Samurai—through the terrain. It was striking because the Samurai hasn’t been sold in the U.S. since 1995.

If you think about off-roading or at least hard-condition driving Japanese marques, the Nissan Patrol and the Toyota Hilux might come to mind.

But Honda has always seemed more of an urban/suburban brand, more about Accords and Civics than anything that you’re going to drive over or among boulders.

The first-generation Honda Passport, which was on the market starting in 1993, had off-road credentials. It was a body-on-frame vehicle, some of which were available with a Dana Spicer 44 rear axle. The original Passport was a rebadged Isuzu Rodeo.

With time the Passport has undergone changes, including switching to the type of unibody construction that is used by its other products—not just Accords and Civics, but Ridgelines and Pilots.

While it may seem well behind us—or something we’d rather forget—COVID had consequences far beyond masks and Purell.

As people wanted to spend less time close to other people (e.g., think of an airplane), they took to trips by wheels. And as a percentage of those people figured there weren’t enough Lysol Wipes to assure that a hotel room would be sufficiently sanitized, they went to REI and bought gear so they could go to the great out of doors.

As an Accord or Civic wouldn’t necessarily cut it, they went looking for more robust vehicles. There were always various Jeeps. And Ford cleverly brought back the Bronco after 25 years and had a hit on its hands. Other OEMs have followed suit with vehicles that either can or that appear to be able to take to the Great Outdoors.

Honda has seriously entered this space with the 2026 Passport TrailSport.

All you need to do is walk up to the TrailSport and glance at the chunky tires Honda developed with General Tire, 275/60R18s. These tires—the widest and tallest tires on any Honda—clearly are built to take terrain. Cleverly, the valve stems on the wheels are embedded in the wheel structure to protect them.

Overall, the design, with more angles that bring to mind a rectangular shape, which is, as you may not know, good for load distribution and therefore good for strength. Of course the angles are smoothed, so it looks more stylish than structural.

Speaking of structure, they’ve made it substantive in many ways:

• Compared to the last-gen model, this has a 72% increase in front lateral rigidity
• A 50% increase in rear torsional rigidity
• A new front suspension with a 7% increase in lateral stiffness
• A new rear suspension with an increase in lateral stiffness of 21%

There is a hood scoop on the front which is non-functional. There is a 285-hp V6 under that hood which is fully functional, providing 262 lb-ft of torque at 5,000 rpm.

There is a new all-wheel drive system that includes a rear drive system that provides 40% more torque at launch. This is a torque-vectoring system that can provide up to 70% of the power to the rear and up to 100% left to right.

In addition to the Normal, Econ, Snow, and Sand drive modes that have been available, the 26 TrailSport adds Trail, Sport and Tow modes.

And while on the subject of towing it is worth noting that the vehicle comes with the first factory tow hitch on a Passport, and this is a substantial hitch: it is made with 12.7-mm thick high-strength steel. The hitch is designed with rear recovery points. Front recovery points are integrated into the front skid plate, which is made of 4-mm thick high strength steel, and which protects the engine and 10-speed transmission. There is also a fuel tank skid plate, which is made of 2.8-mm thick high strength steel.

(Geek observation: You might be thinking, “Hmm. . .that hitch is made of 12.7-mm thick high-strength steel and the front skid plate is 4-mm thick and the fuel tank plate 2.8 mm. What gives?” Well, for one thing, the hitch has to take a lot if there’s a trailer on the back. But for the other thing, the high-strength steel for the hitch is measured at 345 MPa and the two skid plates with 590 MPa material—and higher is stronger. This is an example of how Honda engineers put the right material with the right strength in the right places, something that is engineered throughout the vehicle.)

The new Passport is bigger than the pervious model:

• Wheelbase: 113.6 in. (+2.7 in.)
• Length: 191.5 in. (+2.4 in.)
• Width: 79.4 in. (+0.8 in.)
• Height: 73.1 in. (+0.9 in.)

To accommodate the trails the front overhang is 3.1 inches shorter, and the approach angle is increased, now at 23 degrees. The departure angle is 27.1 degrees.

One of the places the additional length provides a nice benefit is for the second row passengers: the rear seat leg room is 40.9 inches, a 1.3-inch increase.

And speaking of space, doing things in the outdoors requires plenty of equipment. The Passport provides 44 cubic-feet of cargo capacity with the second row up; 83.8 cubic feet if folded down.

While this is a feature that is undoubtedly good for everyone who is going off-road, it is particularly good for those who only occasionally go off road: the TrailWatch system. Put the vehicle in Trail mode, and when under 15 mph there is a forward-view camera that shows what is ahead and is angled such that it shows a section of space the driver otherwise can’t see. (If you’ve ever crested a hill and not known what’s on the other side you know that there is a certain associated anxiety.) There are also TrailWatch top and side views.

But let’s face it: Most Passport TrailSport drivers are going to spend most of their time driving on paved surfaces, in parking lots and through neighborhoods, on surface streets and freeways.

And this brings me back to the Accord and Civic, two vehicles that are absolutely engineered for those environments.

And the TrailSport feels like one of those vehicles when simply going about your daily drives. The Elite trim, with leather all around and a 12-speaker Bose system, and a 12.3-inch center touch screen, and an array of other amenities is something that makes that daily drive as pleasant as all of that aforementioned engineering makes the off-road driving thoroughly manageable.

Maybe a few years from now I will watch a TV show set in New Zealand and the detective will be behind the wheel of a Passport TrailSport.

By Gary S. Vasilash

While geography isn’t necessarily destiny, there is something about the Honda Passport being built in the company’s complex in Lincoln, Alabama. It seems somehow appropriate that a vehicle that is biased toward the outdoors would come from a locale that is not full-on urban (i.e., the population of Lincoln was 6,845 in the 2020 census; it is approximately 45 miles due east of Birmingham). I’m guessing that not long after one leaves the Lincoln city limits there is access to a number of driving surfaces that are less developed than, say, compared with the situation in Detroit (where the Grand Cherokee, a Passport competitor, is produced), so those putting the vehicle together have a good sense of what’s needed, and the Honda culture is such that the people who engineer the vehicle listen.

When the 2024 Passport was launched last fall, Lance Woelfer, assistance vice president of Honda National Auto Sales, American Honda Motor Co., said, “With more rugged off-road performance than ever before, the 2024 Honda Passport builds on our legacy of engineering rugged, capable and comfortable SUVs for active, weekend adventurers.”

Somewhat off the beaten path

To be sure, some “weekend adventurers” are inclined to go to places that are far off the unbeaten path, but this two-row midsize crossover, while certainly more robust than you might expect a vehicle from Honda to be (assuming that you associate it with Accords and Civics), probably isn’t the ute that hard-core off-roaders would opt for. (For those so inclined, know that the ground clearance is 8.1 inches and the approach and departure angles are 21.1° and 24.3°, respectively.)

However, the standard in the Passport lineup is Honda’s i-VTM4 torque-vectoring all-wheel drive system that sends torque where it is needed, as much as 70% to the rear wheels, and then 100% of that can be shifted to the wheel that needs it, based on conditions (i.e., if the left wheel is off the ground or there is a slick patch beneath it, such as when stuck in the snow, the torque will be shifted to the right wheel to get things moving).

A superb characteristic of the i-VTM4 system is that things happen automatically: no knobs, buttons or levers required. (It seems to me that those who are occasionally dealing with uncharacteristically demanding conditions, such as when doing some weekend adventuring, probably have their hands sufficiently full (e.g., trying to avoid that downed tree and working to miss the jagged rock on the other side) without needing to do something else but piloting the vehicle.)

Big on black

The trim package driven here, the Black Edition, looks sufficiently aggro, but for someone who is trail-oriented would likely opt for the TrailSport version of the Passport

But the Black Edition, with trim added to the front fascia, blackout treatments on features front and back, and painted—black—20-inch alloy wheels, has an appearance that is particularly striking.

On the inside there is—no surprise—more black, such as the seats (the fronts are ventilated; the rear heated), though there is brightly contrasting red stitching that provides a brightening accent. What I found notable is that even the door opening lever is black, something that might otherwise go untreated: they are nothing if not thorough.

And while on the inside know there are an 8-inch color touchscreen and a 540-W audio system, CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, two USB ports in the front (an A data port and a C charging port—and it should be mentioned there is a Qi wireless charger) and two for the backseat passengers (boy C charging ports).

Performance and people

The Passport is powered by a 280-hp V6 that generates 262 lb-ft of torque at 4,700 rpm. It is mated to a nine-speed automatic that offers paddle shifters. The vehicle uses regular unleaded, which is probably a good thing as its EPA numbers are 19/24/21 mpg.

The Passport provides room for people—EPA passenger volume 114.9 cubic feet—and objects—a maximum behind the first row of 100.7 cubic feet and 50.5 cubic feet with the second row up.

And to protect the people and objects, there the Honda Sensing array (with functions ranging from adaptive cruise to collision mitigation braking).

The MSRP for the ’24 Honda Passport Black Edition is $47,970.