Honda’s midsize two-row SUV has certainly gotten expensive over its lifespan.
Have you noticed a trend with Honda models lately? The automaker is changing tack for the 2023 model year, eliminating its base models and instigating substantial price hikes in the process. After the CR-V and the Civic, we now have trim changes for the 2023 Honda Passport, as our friends over at Autoblog also noted looking at the model’s configurator page.
Not only is the Sport trim gone — that version went away with the 2022 refresh — we’re now losing the front-wheel drive EX-L as well. With its departure, the 2023 Honda Passport now goes all-wheel drive only. This year’s AWD EX-L starts off at $42,395 (including $1,295 destination), marking an effective $3,300 hike in the barrier to entry. Apples-to-apples, the 2023 version is $1,200 more expensive.
If you think that’s awfully pricey, you’re not wrong. When it went on sale for the 2019 model year, the (then base) Sport trim kicked off the range at $33,085. Now, you’ll have to pay nearly $10,000 more to get into a new Passport at all. The TrailSport sits in the middle of the range at $44,895, while the top-end Elite comes in at $47,855 before package options and accessories.
What will this mean for the Pilot?
For the time being, the larger Pilot maintains both a Sport base trim and FWD options. Pricing for that model, per the configurator, starts at $39,375 — $3,020 less than the least expensive Passport. However, we’re right on the verge of seeing the redesigned 2023 model, and with its arrival will most likely come a pared down, more expensive trim walk.
