Our 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport review finds a rugged, roomy two-row SUV with off-road capability, everyday comfort, and impressive balance.
Honda has given the Passport a square-jawed body, standard all-wheel drive, a naturally aspirated V6, and enough trail hardware to make the TrailSport badge credible. It is not a rock crawler. Instead, it targets buyers who want genuine rough-road ability without the noise and trucklike ride that often come with a traditional off-roader.
That balance is the Passport’s strongest quality. It feels more substantial than a typical crossover, but it remains easy to understand and live with.
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Powertrain and Road Manners
According to Honda’s official specifications, every 2026 Passport uses a 3.5-liter V6 producing 285 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque, paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission. Honda’s second-generation i-VTM4 all-wheel-drive system can vary torque between the rear wheels, helping the SUV feel secure on wet pavement and more responsive on loose surfaces.
The engine is smooth and predictable rather than dramatic. There is enough power for passing and highway merging, although the Passport’s weight means it does not feel especially quick. The TrailSport’s all-terrain tires add some road texture, but the suspension avoids the restless movement that can make rugged SUVs tiring on longer drives.
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TrailSport Hardware That Actually Matters
The TrailSport starts at $48,650 and brings more than orange badges. It receives 18-inch wheels with 275/60R18 all-terrain tires, an off-road-tuned suspension, steel skid plates, bright recovery hooks, a heated wiper zone, and an integrated Class III trailer hitch.
Ground clearance is 8.3 inches, and towing capacity is rated at 5,000 pounds. Seven drive modes include Trail, Sand, Snow, and Tow settings. This is still a unibody SUV without low-range gearing, so serious technical trails remain the territory of vehicles such as the Toyota 4Runner or Ford Bronco. For forest roads, muddy campsites, snow, and rough access roads, the Passport should have more capability than most owners need.
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Fuel Economy and Value
The compromise is fuel use. The published EPA ratings for TrailSport models are 18 mpg city, 23 mpg highway, and 20 mpg combined. Regular gasoline helps, but buyers covering high annual mileage may find the smaller CR-V TrailSport Hybrid easier on the budget.
The TrailSport Elite adds ventilated front seats, leather upholstery, a Bose audio system, rear sunshades, acoustic front glass, and the TrailWatch multiview camera, but its $52,650 starting price pushes the Passport toward premium competition. The regular TrailSport is the better value because it includes the important mechanical hardware.
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A Cabin Built Around Real Life
The Passport seats five, and the absence of a third row gives it an unusually useful cargo area. There are 44 cubic feet behind the rear seats and 83.8 cubic feet with them folded. Hidden cargo bins, a broad opening, and a one-touch folding rear seat make the space easy to use.
The TrailSport includes heated front seats, tri-zone climate control, a panoramic moonroof, two 115-volt outlets, and durable leatherette-and-cloth upholstery. A 12.3-inch touchscreen, Google built-in, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a 10.2-inch digital instrument display cover the technology basics without turning the dashboard into a glass wall.
Safety equipment includes adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assistance, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and automatic emergency braking. The redesigned Passport earned strong results in IIHS testing, including Good ratings in the updated moderate-overlap and side evaluations.
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The Verdict
The 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport succeeds because it does not confuse capability with punishment. It has the space of a serious family vehicle, the controls of a sensible Honda, and enough off-road equipment to support actual weekend adventures.
Its fuel economy is ordinary, its acceleration is unremarkable, and its price is no longer modest. Even so, the Passport offers something increasingly rare: a rugged SUV that remains calm, practical, and uncomplicated during the other six days of the week.
