After months of teasers and spy shots, we finally get to try the new Passport for real.
For the past five years, the resurrected Honda Passport has been a stepping stone between the smaller, immensely popular CR-V and the larger three-row Pilot. Not everyone needs a seven-seater family hauler, of course, so the Passport offered a practical solution — but it’s essentially just been a niche filler. Sure, the rear styling was a little different, but I wouldn’t argue the current Passport really has a character to call its own. That’s changing with this model: Meet the 2026 Honda Passport.
Or, rather, a pre-production, “prototype” version of the new Passport. While the automaker is still working to dial in the fit and finish of this new version, Honda’s idea of a prototype is pretty much ready for prime time, and that’s why they were keen to bring me, Nathan and a small group of other outlets to the off-road playground of Moab, Utah to really put the new TrailSport model through its paces.
Before diving into the details of hitting the trails with the 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport, though, there are a couple disclaimers to mention here. Since we are driving pre-production models, there are quite a few elements we won’t be covering today, including interior shots, some features and the aforementioned fit and finish (all that is coming with the reveal coming up soon, and ultimately the actual media drive review within the next few months). Several details are also TBA, so there are certain things we can’t tell you right now because Honda wouldn’t tell us — as much as I hounded their PR reps and engineers for more information.
Here, we’ll largely look at the 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport through its sheer off-road capability on some moderately difficult trails around Moab.
It’s not just a new look — it has the right stuff, too.
As details relate to the new Honda Passport’s off-road capability, particularly with the ruggedized TrailSport model, engineers did offer a few numbers to chew on. Right from the start, every 2026 Honda Passport gets a stiffer unibody construction, especially around the passenger cell. Tweaks to the SUV’s skeleton from the ’24 model ensures 50% better rear torsion rigidity and 72% front lateral rigidity, overall contributing to a more solid feel on and off the road. Even on rocky outcroppings and technical obstacles along Kane Creek Canyon, just southwest of Moab, these prototype SUVs feel composed with no creaks, rattles or other unsettling sensations.
The only banging we did hear along the route were rocks against the underbody armor, of which the TrailSport (fortunately) has more than your run of the mill SUV. In fact, Honda took some extra steps to protect the TrailSport against expensive damage by recessing the exhaust tips inside the rear bumper and installing steel skid plates under the front clip, under the fuel tank and even adding rock sliders to keep you from bashing the doors. As part of the model’s accessory catalog, you’ll also be able to buy replacement covers for the front skid plate and the sliders that give your Passport a fresher look if you do pick up a few battle scars in Moab, rather than replacing the entire units at great cost.
Under the hood, Honda did confirm the 2026 Passport lineup still packs a 3.5-liter, naturally aspirated V6 engine. The automaker says this generation Passport has more power than the 280 horsepower on tap in the last model, but they have not said much beyond just saying it’s “more powerful” and mates up to a 10-speed automatic transmission. I suspect — and I want to stress this is wholly speculation at this point — that we’re looking at something like 285 horsepower like the current Pilot, though Honda could give it a little bit more grunt for this application.
Another area where Honda disclosed a few more details pertains to the TrailSport’s all-wheel drive system. This new model packs the company’s second-generation i-VTM4 setup, which among AWD systems is already one of the most impressively capable out there. Honda’s torque vectoring system comprises a drive unit on the rear axle rather than a central transfer case, and this new setup delivers better torque at launch and faster lock-up response to send up to 70% of the engine’s torque (again, we don’t know exactly how much torque this Passport has at the moment) to the rear axle, then it can shift all of that torque to either rear wheel, if needed.
The 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport gets a new Trail Mode among its seven available drive modes, which aims to further enhance the car’s capability. The automaker’s engineering team explained that it improved the software logic for this new drive mode, increasing torque to the rear axle — up to 3,000 Newton-meters (up from 2,133 N-m in the old Passport) — and shifting drive force to the wheel with the most traction, then immediately shift it back to the wheels that didn’t have traction once they touch the ground again.
While you still don’t get physical lockers, the combination of the Passport TrailSport’s updated i-VTM4 all-wheel drive system and 31-inch General Grabber A/T Sport tires, developed specifically for this model, proved an effective combination on the light to moderate trails we encountered. Will it tackle the Rubicon? Based on the fact that it still has a decent but not earth-shattering amount of ground clearance, you probably won’t want to. Nevertheless, it can certainly hack it for some backcountry adventures, and the folks in Jeeps, Toyotas and side-by-sides out on the trail were baffled we were actually making it through some obstacles in what is, at the end of the day, a unibody crossover.
More thoughtful touches are baked into this new Passport TrailSport
Putting aside the capability on the Moab trails, where it did tackle the curated experience we put it up against, the 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport continues its list of features that help its case off the beaten path. Unlike the last model, this version has bespoke integrated recovery points, rated for up to twice the Passport’s GVWR. The recovery hooks’ bolts are also designed to slip and detach in a collision, so they don’t become projectiles to folks on either end of the crash if the worst happens.
Other noteworthy features include an updated hill descent control, which engages on slopes of 7% or greater and allows you to use the brake and throttle to set the descent speed between 2 and 12 mph. “TrailWatch” is Honda’s more capable surround-view camera system, which engages automatically in Trail Mode when you’re driving slower than 15 mph. When it’s engaged, it allows the driver better visibility from the top and the sides, and the front camera’s field of view means you can see obstacles when you’re cresting a hill, even if your view out the windshield and over the hood is just pointing up toward the sky.
Alongside the stainless steel rock sliders and the aluminum front scuff plate, the 2026 Honda Passport lineup includes a Molle storage panel system in the rear cargo area. If you want, you’ll be able to replace the resin inserts that create a storage cubby and replace them with the Molle panels. There’s a panel on each side, each panel can hold up to 11 pounds of gear.
If you don’t need a super hardcore off-roader, this new TrailSport is worth watching.
Again, we don’t have a lot of the numbers you’ll really care about for the 2026 Honda Passport, like pricing and fuel economy, just yet. We’ll have more information soon, but judging from this first look, you’ll definitely want to try the TrailSport out if you’re looking for an all-around outdoor adventure rig.
Check out our video below with Nathan for a closer look, at stay tuned for more information on the new Passport in the coming weeks and months.
