I Drove the 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport. Here's My Honest Review

As good off-road as it is on it

Suppose you look at the webpage for the 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport. In that case, there are numerous images and videos of the redesigned, boxy, and aggressive-looking SUV traversing various terrain, crossing a stream, and climbing boulders with ease. While steel skid plates, all-terrain tires, a complex AWD system, a multi-terrain selection system, and plenty of other off-road goodies certainly make it a competent trail blazer, it doesn’t speak much to how it fares as a city slicker full of kids and groceries.

That’s where I can speak for the Honda. I took it off-road in Central Oregon and was very impressed by its prowess and easy driving. When I wasn’t off-roading, though, I was toting my two toddler daughters and my husband in it. I can tell you with utmost certainty that it’s almost just as good on-road as it is off-road. Here are my genuine impressions after being behind the wheel of one for a week.

Trust me, it comes ready to tackle some seriously tough terrain

As I mentioned in my review of my time with it off-road, there are plenty of features and factory add-ons that make it a lot more capable than most “off-road-ready” SUVs. From the outside, the first visible add-on is General Grabber AT tires paired with a relatively high ground clearance of 8.3 inches. It has orange TrailSport accents throughout, rugged-looking body cladding, bright orange tow hooks cleverly integrated into the bumper — the whole nine yards.

The seats aren’t waterproof as they’re made of leather, but they are very easy to clean. My two toddlers naturally spilled a bit, but cleaning up sticky chocolate milk wasn’t a hassle in the slightest. The digital gauge system has an altimeter to track elevation changes and can be configured to show a live feed of the torque distribution to the AWD system, tire pressure, pitch and roll, oil pressure and temperature, and so much more. It’s built for something tougher than your daily commute, but it can easily handle that, too.

Unsurprisingly, highway and in-town driving was pure bliss

Let’s be honest with ourselves here–a majority of the Passport TrailSport Elite’s miles won’t be collected off-road. It’ll be stuck behind the many Prius and RAV4 hybrids of the nation’s busiest highways, stuck in school drop-off lines, or parked at your local Trader Joe’s. When it’s not parked at your family’s annual lake cabin, it’ll be a part of the daily hustle and bustle, and I’ll tell you that it’s a pleasure to have around. The suspension may be tuned for off-road use, but it floated over the bumps and potholes of Central Oregon. My toddlers slept like, well, babies every time we got into it, and that’s thanks to a shockingly quiet interior. It may be a giant, wide box, but it doesn’t sound like it from the inside.

Now, since Honda fitted the Passport Trailsport Elite with its trusty 3.5-liter V6, it’s not the most efficient SUV on the market. Around town, I saw an average of around 17 mpg, while on the highway, I averaged around 25 mpg. Combined, it was about 21 mpg. It’s not the worst mileage for a heavy, full-size, AWD, off-road-focused SUV, but it’s not the best, either. It would be worse while towing, naturally, but easy because of the Class IV hitch and 5,000-lb rating. I had no complaints about the mileage, but don’t go into Passport ownership expecting to get the same figures as your bestie’s hybrid Camry.

It’s also very family-friendly

With all the space that comes with being a long, wide two-row SUV, the Passport TrailSport fits perfectly into life with two small toddlers. The doors are large, tall, and open wide, so installing two car seats took me maybe 1.5 minutes. The lower anchors were visible and simple to secure, and the ceiling was tall enough to allow me to latch the top tether on the back of the seat without partially folding the seats or opening the trunk. There was plenty of room for me to make adjustments, too. No weird contorting was necessary to get them installed.

As a bonus, my girls loved the big, tinted windows, the large panoramic sunroof (especially while off-road), the built-in sunshades that cover the entire window, the easy-to-manipulate rear climate controls, the powerful A/C vents, the USB-C charging ports, and about a football field’s worth of legroom. My husband and I loved that they couldn’t kick the back of our seats while we were driving, or that they couldn’t reach each other because the Passport is so wide. No WWE, slap, or kickfests from the backseat were had in the Passport. Even three car seats, if necessary, would easily fit in the Passport.

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The trunk is also very, very generous. We did our usual weekly grocery run, a Costco run, and had to buy a few large bins and boxes from Home Depot to prepare for our move to California. The Passport had no trouble fitting it all in there, with acres of room to spare. Since it comes with roof rails, adding a roof rack for a cargo basket or box would make for even more room —not that you’d need it —but it’s nice to know there are options for families who like to hit the road and explore. There are cupholders galore in the front and rear, and even a large waterbottle-sized space in the door, so it doesn’t take up valuable real estate near the shifter.

It has loads of curb appeal, which, as a parent, I especially appreciated–it’s just a little expensive

The 2026 redesign for the Honda Passport is, hands down, my favorite of the recent radical redesigns. It took a while for me to warm up to the Subaru Outback or the Toyota 4Runner redesigns, but I immediately warmed up to the Passport. It looks like a whole new car, without losing Honda’s usual charm. It comes in fun colors, too, which I wish I saw more of in today’s new cars. It’s everything I love in an off-road SUV–the looks, the functionality, and the personality.

It’s just a little too expensive, and that’s coming from your perfectly average American consumer. The base model starts at $48,450, while the top-shelf Passport TrailSport Elite Black Out edition has a starting MSRP of $53,650. The TrailSport Elite I drove had a few options installed, which brought the price to $54,355. For what you get, the price isn’t terrible–but it’s not exactly within reach for most, especially families. There’s a reason I drive a 14-year-old car, and that’s because new cars are incredibly expensive. If those prices are within your wheelhouse, that’s amazing, and I wholeheartedly recommend it. But if you’re like most of us who wince at those numbers, it becomes a bit sticky.

Final thoughts: It’s a nearly perfect everyday SUV, and I want one ASAP

As an avid off-roader and camper, I loved everything about the Honda Passport TrailSport Elite–except for the price. It’s one of the few cars available today that can truly accomplish anything you put in front of it. It can handle the school drop-offs, a surprise snow or rain storm, it can tackle the tough trail to an incredible view and dispersed camping spot, it can tow a decent amount, and it’s packed full of family-friendly features. It’s a convenient package wrapped in a beautifully rugged bow, and I’d buy one ASAP to replace both my old Land Rover and my old Forester. I just can’t afford one, and I probably won’t be able to get one used either, as they hold their value like my toddler holds her dinosaur blanket. That said, those who can afford it would appreciate it. Like the exterior design, there’s not much to complain about.