The fourth-generation, 2026 Honda Passport includes two TrailSport trims, loads of off-road equipment, and a healthy accessories list to shop from, too.
Honda just revealed the fourth-generation, 2026 Passport. It will launch with just three trims: RTL, TrailSport, and TrailSport Elite. Clearly Honda took a big bias against pavement with the latest Passport. Two of the three will be versions of TrailSport, Honda’s off-road friendly sub-brand.
Styling revolution
Designers clearly took a revolutionary approach to styling the latest Passport, as it bears little resemblance to the outgoing model. The front fascia looks squared-off and chunky, with amber LED running lights enveloping the main beams on the TrailSport trims. You also see a chunky silver front bumper, two big orange recovery loops town low, and a strip of black at the leading edge of the hood. Fog lights also hang out in the corners.
The chunky shape continues in profile, apart from massive black roof rails protruding from the roof. You also get a beefy, body colored c-pillar to contrast a lot of black around the window trim, sideview mirror covers, and wheel wells. It reminds me of an old-school, Toyota 4Runner.
The look continues in the rear, with big, blocky, vertically mounted taillights, a trailer hitch down low, which doubles as the rear recovery points, and the name PASSPORT stamped into the liftgate, just below the license plate. The rear bumper gets the same silver paint as the front. And the exhaust tip gets tucked way up to maximize departure angle clearances.
legit off road kit
But the latest Passport brings much more than styling to the table. The two TrailSport trims get 31-inch, size: 275/60R18 General Grabber All-Terrain Tires, multiple skid plates to protect vital parts, and front and rear recovery points. That’s in addition to different spring rates, shock absorber tune, and anti-roll bars.
And, if you go with the TrailSport Elite, in addition to a bunch of added comfort items inside, you get the Trailwatch Camera System, which integrates the views of four cameras. Honda will also offer tons of accessories to customize the Passport as you wish.
Outgoing Passports had 8.1-inches of ground clearance; this one has 8.3-inches, the same as the Pilot TrailSport. It’s also wider and comes with a longer wheelbase. Overall, the 2026 Passport is 190.6-in long, 79.5-in wide, 73.1-in tall, and rides on a 113.8-in wheelbase.
Those dimensions come from a new, stiffer platform. The suspension geometry remains the same four-wheel-independent setup, struts up front and a multilink set-up in back. Honda added forged steel suspension arms and cast-iron knuckles up front. Those knuckles hold on to bigger brake rotors, now, 13.8-in in diameter.
new power more power
The New Passport also gets a new powertrain, plucking from the Honda Pilot parts bin, the Passport uses the same DOHC 3.5-liter V-6 with 285 HP and 262 lb.-ft of torque. Honda also bolted up the same 10-speed automatic transmission as the Pilot.
And continuing on since the 2023 model, all Passports are AWD. But for 2026, it gets the second-generation i-VTM4 all-wheel-drive system, which can handle 40 percent more torque at the rear and respond 30 percent faster than before. Just as before, i-VTM4 can send up to 70 percent of available torque to the rear axle with 100 percent of that torque going to either side.
Also as before, Honda says the Passport can tow 5000 lbs.
looking inside
Inside all Passports get a fully digital, 10.2-inch instrument cluster and a 12.3-inch center display. You get wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto connectivity as well as Google Built-in to use, all of it standard. Not to mention seven drive modes: Normal, Econ, Sport, Snow, Sand, Tow, Trail.
That’s in addition to standard body stabilizing, power adjusting, heated front leather seats, with driver’s seat memory and a power liftgate in back. Honda also says the second row gets an additional 1.3-inches of legroom.
The TrailSport trim adds synthetic leather seats with orange cross stitching, headrests with the TrailSport Logo, all season floor mats, and a panoramic sunroof. The center display adds readouts for Roll, Pitch, and elevation.
The top TrailSport Elite trim gets heated and ventilated seats, heated steering wheel, second row climate controls, rear door shades, ambient lighting, and a 12-speaker Bose sound system.
And there’s plenty of space for stuff, Honda says you get 44 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second row and nearly 84 cubic feet with the second row folded.
coming soon
Expect the 2026 Honda Passport to arrive at dealers early next year with a starting price for the RTL in the mid-forties. Based on what Honda did with the Pilot, expect the TrailSport to sneak in just under $50K and TrailSport Elites to cost somewhere in the mid-fifties.
I’m definitely intrigued by how Honda transformed the Passport from a mid-size, two-row, suburban crossover, to a take-me-very-seriously off-road friendly adventure vehicle. How will it drive on roads? I hope to find out soon.
