The Honda Passport has long stood as a popular two-row SUV. It’s easy to see why. The Passport stands as the reliable, safe choice for many consumers shopping for a new SUV, slotting in between Honda’s smaller CR-V crossover and its larger, three-row Pilot SUV. This year, significant changes are coming to the Passport, mirroring Honda’s new direction with its SUVs. A more off-road capable TrailSport model is here, and makes up the bulk of the lineup. Meanwhile, the entry-level RTL seeks to offer solid standard equipment in addition to those updates.
Honda retains its old 3.5-liter V6 for the Passport, giving it a modest five-horsepower bump to a total of 285 horsepower. The old nine-speed automatic is gone now, replaced by an updated 10-speed unit, which works in conjunction with Honda’s all-wheel drive system to spin all four wheels. The Passport is larger now, too, with a longer wheelbase and slightly wider waist. The interior features changes, too, including a larger infotainment screen and heated seats as standard. Further exterior changes come in the form of a totally new, boxier design with some off-road flair injected into the SUV’s looks, with an impressive 8.3 inches of ground clearance in TrailSport guise. We picked through the Passport lineup to figure out which one is the right one for most buyers.
Shocking news: The base Honda Passport is the best
Honda managed to do things a bit differently with the Passport lineup – something some OEMs are beginning to learn. There’s a sort of bell curve to a lot of purchases across a car’s lineup, and most folks land in the middle. That’d be the TrailSport, but in reality, the Passport RTL does an excellent job of providing a lot of standard features, decent tech, and solid safety systems without the added cost of a TrailSport model. Frankly, most buyers simply don’t need all that. So instead, here’s what’s included on Passport RTL models, which start at $44,750:
- 18-inch wheels
- LED headlights
- Power tailgate
- Heated leather and cloth upholstery
- Three-zone automatic climate control
- Digital instrument display
- 12.3-inch touchscreen display
- Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
- Google built-in (This forms the base for the new system’s main functions, and includes Google Maps, Google voice assistance, and more)
- Wireless charging
- Nine-speaker sound system
In addition to the following safety features:
- Adaptive cruise control
- Forward collision warning with automatic braking
- Lane keeping assistance
- Blind-spot warning
- Rear cross-traffic warning
- Front and rear parking sensors
On top of that, Honda also offers two packages, depending on whether you’d like to spice up the base car’s looks or its capability. The RTL Towing package adds a Class 3 hitch and a beefier 5,000-pound tow capacity, while the RTL Blackout package adds some black cladding and wheels.
Live like a NatGeo cover story? The TrailSport is worth the splurge
Honda
In essence, if you’re going outside more, towing more, and in general living that life you see in the Honda ads, it’s worth the step up to the Passport TrailSport. The SUV is significantly more capable off-road than it was in 2024, offering enhanced ground clearance, better recovery points, an improved approach angle, skid plates, and the new, more rugged look, all of which add to the package. Here’s what you’re getting for the Passport TrailSport’s $48,450 MSRP:
- 18-inch wheels with all-terrain tires
- Skid plates
- Unique off-road suspension
- Class III trailer hitch
- Front and rear recovery hooks
- Sunroof
- Heated windshield
- Synthetic leather seats with orange accents
- Household-style power outlet
Final thoughts: There’s plenty of Passport for everyone
Honda did reinvent the Passport’s looks for this model year, but fundamentally, the edge has been honed rather than reforged. Slow and steady wins the race, and across a spread of a few thousand dollars, Honda manages to offer something to the overwhelming majority of SUV buyers out there.
The Passport manages to offer a practical, quiet interior, even with the all-terrain tires found on the TrailSport, which generate a lot more noise than regular ol’ street tires. The space is full of cubbies for your things, and Honda’s tech gently toes the line between modern enough and simple. Moreover, there’s an astonishing 83 cubic feet of storage space behind the front seats. Honda delivers on the off-road experience in bigger and better ways, too, and while the Passport certainly isn’t as capable as something like a 4Runner, it’s much more refined. In reality, you can’t go wrong with either, and the brand’s two-row SUV brings a lot to the table for less money than Toyota’s vaunted off-road star.