As a result of slowly dawning realization within the US that most individuals that enterprise off-road don’t want an excessive body-on-frame truck or truck-based SUV off-road automobile, we have seen the rise of the lifestyle off-roader – or “soft-roader” should you choose. Largely, these off-road variations of standard crossovers are small, however Honda has gone all out on its newest technology of the mid-sized Passport to create a TrailSport model.
The 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport is essentially the most off-road succesful Honda SUV ever, with customary rugged options, together with off-road tuned suspension, expanded all-wheel drive system capabilities, strong metal skid plates, brilliant orange heavy-duty restoration hooks, specifically engineered all-terrain tires and extra, to get weekend adventurers even farther down the path or up the mountain
– Honda
It’s going to value round $45,000, however will not be out there till the start of 2025. Honda invited us to a studio in LA to to check out the TrailSport, nonetheless. Here is what we discovered.
Tons Of Off-Street Goodness
The fantastic thing about a soft-roader is that it is sensible and comfy to drive each day however, come the weekend, it’s going to attain these journey spots for tenting, mountain climbing, fishing, biking, or no matter out of doors pursuits folks keep in mind. The brand new Passport is already able to coping with some tough floor, however the usual TrailSport comes with further goodies:
- 18-inch wheels wrapped with Normal Grabber all-terrain tires
- Suspension tuned for off-road
- Three metal skid plates
- Heavy-duty entrance and rear restoration factors (together with some critically sturdy orange towing eyelets on the entrance which can be engineered to interrupt away within the occasion of a entrance collision)
- Regular, Sport, Econ, Snow, Sand, Tow and Path modes.
The TrailSport Elite model provides Honda’s new TrailWatch digital camera system, which seems to be like it’ll compete with GM and Ford’s glorious techniques.
The TrailSport has an inexpensive method angle for its supposed use (23 levels), however Honda tells us the small aero items in entrance of the tires unbolt, which ought to make a giant distinction. The rear’s departure angle seems to be good. There are a whole lot of good touches to the TrailSport trims, together with sunken valve stems within the wheels to keep away from damaging them on the path, and the roofline above the rear aspect home windows are plastic to keep away from scratching when leaning issues towards them. There is no shark fin on the roof for tree branches to catch on – as an alternative the antennas are constructed into the rear-quarter window.
Powertrain: As Stable As It Will get
The Passport is supplied with the newest model of Honda’s glorious 3.5-liter V6 engine and its well-proven 10-speed computerized transmission.
| 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport Engine Specs | |
|---|---|
| Engine | 3.5-liter DOHC V6 |
| Horsepower | 285 hp @ 6,100 rpm |
| Torque | 262 lb.-ft. @ 5,000 rpm |
| Transmission | 10-speed computerized |
| AWD System | i-VTM4 torque-vectoring |
| Drive Modes | Regular, ECON, Sport, Snow, Sand, Tow, Path |
The TrailSport contains Honda’s VTM4 all-wheel drive system with “Path torque logic” and Hill Descent Management as customary. The engine is a naturally aspirated 285-horsepower unit and it makes nearly as a lot torque, which is plentiful for off-roading in addition to on a regular basis life and towing. And with out turbocharging, there’s much less complexity, which ought to translate into extra reliability and simpler upkeep. It may possibly tow as much as 5,000 kilos, which is greater than sufficient for most individuals.
Equipment Galore
The TrailSport comes with a space-saving emergency spare tire, so an important accent Honda has for it’s a full-size spare. Whereas we do not assume any off highway trim ought to include an emergency spare tire over a full-size, we won’t consider one other soft-roader that has been designed to maintain a full-size spare. Honda’s considering is that the space-saving emergency spare is there for day-to-day use, then a full-size spare can bought and saved within the cargo house with the included mounting system when happening adventures.
Honda is even providing rock sliders to guard the sills of the TrailSport in notably tough terrain, and so they’re hidden below plastic cladding. Honda says the Passport TrailSport has the “broadest line of real Honda equipment ever,” however our favourite is a callback to late first-generation and second-generation Honda CR-Vs. Each CR-V of that interval got here with a folding picnic desk saved below the cargo space. Sadly, the TrailSport’s desk is not customary, however the ingenious composite and rubber coated cargo shelf alternative transforms right into a picnic desk giant sufficient to seat 4 folks and able to holding as much as 44 kilos.
Our Take: Promising
Earlier than we get to the optimistic, we do have just a few issues on the destructive aspect to level out. Whereas we perceive the reasoning for together with an emergency spare and a full-size spare being an adjunct, we additionally imagine no automaker must be promoting an off-road trim with no full dimension spare wheel and tire. It is a security challenge for patrons who’ve purchased an off-road succesful automobile, and, frankly, credibility as an off-roader. We’re additionally not followers of the tires “co-developed solely with Normal Tire for the brand new Passport TrailSport idea”. Bespoke tires for automobile fashions is all nicely and good on an ultra-high-end supercar, however it’s not nice for real-people automobiles – they’re inevitably costly to interchange, and the older the automobile will get, the tougher they turn into to search out.
We’re impressed with the extent of thought and element that is gone into the Passport TrailSport. It is definitely not like just a few different soft-roaders we have pushed the place a set of tires, roof bars, and a few stickers have been slapped onto a regular model and known as completed. The actual fact alone {that a} system has been included and a full-size spare off-road wheel and tire is offered, tells us Honda is taking the TrailSport badge critically. The proof might be within the driving, however our sense is that, with the full-size spare tire added, we might be assured to take it into some pretty tough areas in inclement climate.