By Kamil Kaluski
Holy crap! After years of Honda producing vehicles that make you want to fall asleep (NSX and Type R excluded, because those are savage), they finally dropped something to get genuinely excited about: the 2026 Passport TrailSport. This isn’t just a trim package; it’s Honda finally saying, “Fine, we’ll build an off-roader.”
Engine Salvation and The End of Shifty Shame
Honda delivered a glorious, traditional powertrain that rescues the Passport from the mediocrity heap: a 3.5L naturally aspirated V6 mated to a proper 10-speed automatic transmission. Forget the pathetic four-cylinder turbos and soul-crushing CVTs plaguing the industry – this V6 is a reason to buy the car all by itself. The engine makes 285-horsepower at 6100rpm and 262 lb.-ft. of torque at 5000rpm.
The new transmission is also a big improvement over the nine-speed of the past, offering refined shift quality with better gear range. The first gear seems much lower, given the feel of a torque-ier engine and the top gears allows for more relaxed and efficient cruising. While it needs some coaxing to really cruise at higher highway speeds, it feels nice, kind of old school, unlike the agonizing whine of its many continuously variable competitors.
All photos: Kevin Nguyen (thanks, Kevin!)
TrailSport Off-Road Commitment and 4Runner Comparison
The TrailSport badge now means business. Honda ditched the old look for actual nitty-gritty hardware, starting with proper 31-inch all-terrain tires, the largest ever fitted to any Honda, retuned the shocks and springs, and added thinner sway bars specifically designed for more wheel articulation. There are also real skid plates, recovery hooks, trail camera, hill descent system, and even optional rock sliders.
The AWD system, while still predominantly FWD-based, uses Honda’s torque-vectoring technology. This system, much like Honda’s SH-AWD, is way underrated, sends power where it is needed. No, it’s not as solid as locking differentials, but it’s probably best of the unibody crowd.
Honda benchmarked the Toyota 4Runner for this Passport TrailSport. While the Passport is highly competent, the Toyota 4Runner owns the crown for a pure, rugged rig. You’re sacrificing the 4Runner’s part-time 4WD, low range, locking rear differential, superior 9.1-inch ground clearance, and massive 33-degree approach angle for the Passport’s on-road comfort. But here’s the kicker: for the 97% of buyers who don’t rock-crawl, the Passport delivers all the capability they’ll ever need.
Interior Comfort
The 2026 Passport is built for civilized life. It stomps the new 4Runner in rear seat comfort, offering significantly more rear head and legroom. The cabin is also full of smart, usable features, including a huge console, deep storage bins (Honda is the undisputed champion of bins!), a full panoramic sunroof, all in very high-quality materials. Visibility is great in all directions, and all systems are intuitive to use.
The cargo area has more bins, including a large one under the main floor. Space saver spare tire is present, but a full-size spare is available as an accessory. It mounts vertically and takes a bit away from cargo area, but it’s worth it in my opinion. And it’s great that it’s even an option. Aside from some Subarus, that’s a market segment exclusive.
The Imperfections
While the new Passport is a revelation, it’s not perfect. The large, square body, and chunky tires mean it’s noisier than expected at highway speeds. More criminally, Honda made the unforgivable mistake of ditching built-in SiriusXM Satellite Radio, forcing users to stream it through their phones. If you’re a SiriusXM channel surfer, like me, that’s a strong, evocative flaw that will infuriate you daily. Finally, remember that those rugged-looking General Grabber all-terrain tires are not Severe Snow Service rated, so if you live in a deep-snow area, you may find yourseld shelling out for a second set of rubbers. But truly, those are minor complaints for an SUV that finally gives the 4Runner a real fight on value and comfort.
Costs and Competition
The 2026 Honda Passport starts at $44,750. The off-road-y TrailSport starts at $48,450. The fancier TrailSport Elite adds fancy, ventilated in front, leather seats, Bose audio, camera washers (which I totally forgot to mention in the video!), sunshades, heated steering wheel and rear seats, and four thousand dollars for a total of $52,450.
For the obvious comparison, the 4Runner TRD Off-Road starts at $49,990. Want fancy stuff like power tailgate, big screen, or an optional (!) sunroof? Then you need to step up to the $55,770 TRD Off-Road Premium. And even in that trim, the Passport has more features.
Conclusion
The 2026 Honda Passport, especially the TrailSport trim, offers serious capability, everyday usefulness, and solid comfort. The classic naturally aspired V6 engine and conventional transmission configuration laugh at troublesome engine downsizing and annoying CVTs. As someone who grew up on 90s Hondas, I’m thrilled. Go buy this thing – it’s really great.
Specs:
Jeff Glucker