| Pros | Cons |
| ✓ Boxy, rugged styling | ☓ 8.3 inches of ground clearance is not enough |
| ✓ Genuine off-road capability | ☓ Fuel economy is OK, not great |
| ✓ Feels equally at home on the road | ☓ TrailSport models are over $50K (and may get pricier) |
| ✓ Practical, well thought-out interior |
From completely new styling to a more rugged, adventure-ready vibe, the new Passport is so much more than just a two-row Pilot.
Months after we checked out the prototype and got our first look at the production-spec models in a studio, we’re finally getting the chance to drive and experience the 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport. And Honda had an interesting location in mind to test out this new one: the beachfront roads lush tropical forests of Puerto Rico. It’s definitely a different sort of vibe to Moab, and the automaker brought me and Kase out to the island to see just how solid this new fourth-generation model is for its targeted market.
The 2026 Honda Passport lineup takes a bold step away from the last-generation model, which functionally came across as a slightly smaller version of the three-row Pilot. This one still occupies the same market position as its predecessor, sitting between the CR-V and the recently revamped Pilot, but gets a far more distinctive identity, whether you’re taking the kids to school or indeed trekking through some moderately technical back country.
While it’s taken us a minute to be able to actually show you what the Passport’s like to experience, the cars are already at dealers and available to configure online. Honda’s taking a relatively simple approach to the trim walk this time around, offering a base RTL model, then the TrailSport above that (and, if you want more features, the TrailSport Elite). As of April 1 — and yes, the irony of that embargo date isn’t lost on me — the 2026 Passport lineup starts at $46,200, rising to $49,900 for the TrailSport and $55,100 for the most expensive TrailSport Elite.
We’re exclusively focusing on the TrailSports here, since Honda was particularly keen to show off its abilities. A video review is up on TFLoffroad right now (click the link or scroll down to the end of my written review), and we’ll have another on-road video coming to TFLcar Wednesday morning (Update: You can watch it now!).
What makes this Honda Passport TrailSport a ‘TrailSport’?
Let’s face it, most of the unibody SUVs you see with ruggedized off-road-ish packages are mainly there for show. The ‘get out there and do stuff’ vibe is strong in this part of the market, and the 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport aims to capture plenty of those folks, as well as those who want to go a step further without necessarily going for a full-on Jeep Wrangler or Ford Bronco — and buying into some of the day-to-day compromises that decision can create.
To that end, this updated lineup does get a boxy exterior with slight fender flares, plenty of plastic cladding, chunky roof rails and a (non-functional) hood scoop. Even if you stick with the RTL, it certainly looks the part of a brawnier, beefier SUV than its unibody underpinnings would normally suggest. Honda also made plenty of changes under the skin, including a new suspension setup with stronger forged steel control arms and cast iron steering knuckles, updated MacPherson struts up front as well as more rigid subframe and stiffer mounting points for the multilink rear suspension.
The TrailSport, though, takes things even further, and not just with model-specific amber LED running lights (the ones on the RTL are white). The dirt-focused model gets orange-painted recovery points that hold several times the weight of the vehicle, as the automaker teased in dramatic fashion last week leading up to today’s driving impressions embargo. Even better, they’re designed to break away in a front-end collision so they don’t turn into jabby projectiles to whomever you hit, which is a nice safety touch. TrailSports also get a set of specifically formulated 31-inch General Grabber A/T Sport all-terrain tires, wrapped around 19-inch wheels with differing designs depending on which trim you choose.
Overall, the 2026 Honda Passport sits on a 2.7-inch longer wheelbase than before, and is 2.4 inches longer overall as well as 0.8 inches wider. Even with the larger size, though, the new front bumper design offers up a 23-degree approach angle — better than the old one’s 21.1 degrees. That said, you do get ever-so-slightly-worse breakover and departure angles of 16.7 degrees (vs. 17.3 degrees before) and 23.1 degrees (vs. 24.3 before), respectively. Ground clearance is a bit better, but it still only measures out to 8.3 inches, which is an inch or more lower than, say, one of Subaru’s Wilderness models.
The Passport TrailSport brings in substantial body protection, thankfully, which is good because you’re going to need it when you plan to head into some true off-roading. There’s a high-strength steel skid plate at the front to guard the engine and oil pan, aswell as one under the fuel tank. The available $1,800 HPD package adds in an additional, replaceable front scuff plate and rock sliders that integrate well with the rest of the package (the steel rails have aluminum HPD-branded covers which are also replaceable, so you can swap those out without having to replace the rails entirely when you do scuff them up).
If you go for the top-end TrailSport Elite, you do naturally get some more goodies, but one feature you’ll really want is the TrailWatch camera system. On top of the Trail drive mode with an integrated pitch and elevation display on the all-digital gauge cluster you get in the normal TrailSport, TrailWatch is a four-camera system that will show you crucial angles up front and around the front wheels at speeds up to 15 mph. It automatically disengages when you go faster than that, then comes back on when you drop back down below 12 mph again, while you can switch the camera views through a button on the end of the wiper stalk. Normally, I wouldn’t recommend going for the top trim just for its own sake, but TrailWatch is exclusive to the Elite and insanely useful…so take that for what you will.
How well does it actually work off-road?
Kase and I both took a crack at a special off-road course Honda created months before our arrival with mud, ruts, sand and steep angles to really test the Passport TrailSport’s moxie. Crucial to that performance is the automaker’s latest-generation i-VTM4 all-wheel drive system. It uses a new rear differential that allows the car to meter out up to 70% of the engine’s torque to the rear when it can, then shift all of that torque to the wheel with the most grip. There are quite a few times that came in handy, actually, as we moved through off-kilter turns that left one rear wheel hanging uselessly in the air.
Even without having a true locking differential, disconnecting sway bars and some of the more hardcore off-road kit you would get with a body-on-frame off-roader, the 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport performs admirably well on trickier surfaces. Even up loose, steep inclines its all-wheel drive and traction control systems, as well as the mechanical grip through those Grabber A/T Sports, more than pulled their weight. On the downhill stretches, Honda’s hill descent control system was also a class act — and you can increment the maximum speed more intuitively through the throttle and brake pedal, rather than fussing with the cruise control switches while you’re also trying to concentrate on, you know, steering and staying in control.
The Passport manages solid off-road performance without compromising itself on the pavement.
Here’s the sweet spot for folks shopping for an adventure-worthy family rig: The 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport is also a class act on the road. That’s where the stiffer construction really shines, in tandem with the SUV’s light and quick steering and compliant ride. Kase posits that the TrailSport could actually compromise itself a bit on the pavement to provide an even better off-road experience (i.e. it could stand to be a little softer), but this should hit the sweet spot for most people needing to daily-drive their SUVs…like me, who can only afford to own one car, at the best of times.
Sure, factor in the all-terrain tires and boxy design, and we aren’t talking about a sports car here. It’s still a midsize SUV, but the rugged Alabama-built Passport can hack it with confidence pretty much anywhere.
Seriously, for what I’d want in well-rounded daily driver, the 2026 Honda Passport is almost perfect.
Almost. You see, we didn’t really find anything to really gripe about with the new Passport’s exterior aesthetic. It looks really cool, as far as I’m concerned, and there’s a bit of black above the rear windows, which Honda calls the “backpack” design, so you can lean long stuff like skis or fishing poles against the car without scratching the paint. That, along with the front recovery points and hitch setup that equips the Passport to tow up to 5,000 pounds, show just how well thought-out the new Passport is. Similarly, you can get a vertical spare tire mounted in the cargo area as an accessory (that gives off a nice, old-school Cherokee XJ vibes and saves you from getting caught in the middle of nowhere with nothing but a donut tire and some prayers).
The interior is also as well executed as any other modern Honda. You get physical buttons to control pretty much everything, be they the steering wheel or climate controls, the seats, the drive modes, the volume, or indeed the TrailWatch camera setup. Both first and second rows offer plenty of legroom and headroom, while you get up to 83.8 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats folded. Keep them in place, and you still get 44.0 cubic feet of space (up 6.1 and 2.8 cubic feet from the old Passport, respectively). The TrailSport gets embroidered seats that are heated (and ventilated on the Elite) and a panoramic sunroof, and you get a 12-speaker Bose sound system, a heated steering steering wheel and rear climate controls if you step up to the TrailSport Elite. All models get a 12.3-inch infotainment display with Google Built-in apps as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support.
Honda sticks with the 3.5-liter V-6 that offers decent, but not dazzling, fuel economy.
If you aren’t too keen on Toyota’s decision to move to a 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with the new 4Runner, then it’s good news here. Honda is sticking with a 3.5-liter V-6 here, putting out 285 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque. This time around, it’s mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission (like the latest Pilot), a combination which offers up solid power both on- and off-road.
The only “major” down side, so far as I can tell, is fuel economy. Honda notes the EPA-estimated fuel mileage ratings for the TrailSport models is just 18 City / 23 Highway / 20 Combined mpg, and you get 1 extra mpg if you stick with the RTL. We did not have a chance to really test out those figures in the real world, and we should get a better idea of how that shakes out when we test it in Colorado. Nevertheless, even on paper, those figures aren’t exactly impressive, considering even the new 4runner manages at least 20 mpg in most forms thanks to its new downsized powertrain offering. That may not bother you too much if you like larger, lower-strain engines that aim to be reliable over the years, but it’s worth taking into account given the expansion of more fuel efficient options in the midsize market.
So, should you buy a 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport over the competition?
Honda’s made interesting moves with this new Passport in terms of looks and capability, and they’ve certainly paid off. The Passport’s new design stands out from the rest of the automaker’s own lineup as well as its rivals, and the TrailSport particularly is a step up from the old model as well as the base RTL, if you’re actually looking for that off-road capability.
There is a price to pay for the Passport’s flexible practicality, though, and that price is…the price. At just over $46K, the RTL isn’t exactly cheap, but the pill gets a bit tougher to swallow when you’re talking about $50K or $55K with the TrailSport models. It’s a tough one, because I’d want to get the TrailSport Elite for all its features, but that MSRP puts it in the same league as your Toyota 4Runner TRD Off-Road, your Ford Bronco Badlands and your Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, and those are still on a different level if you want a true, dyed-in-the-wool off-roader.
In the grand scheme of shopping your next SUV, the 2026 Honda Passport takes what was a thoroughly competent family SUV and pulls it more toward the dirt-ready segment, while establishing its own unique identity from the larger three-row Pilot (and its TrailSport version). So, if having a solid all-rounder is what you’re aiming for, the TrailSport should absolutely be on your shopping list. If you don’t need quite as much capability off the pavement, then the less expensive RTL is the way to go.
