First Drive :: 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport

Most of us in the overlanding scene want a vehicle that can get us the absolute furthest away from civilization. We want lockers, beefy tires, a 40-degree approach angle, and if it doesn’t run on diesel, then forget it. For the rest of the population, there are the soft roaders. These all-wheel-drive SUVs won’t tackle Devil’s Hot Tub in Moab or survive a muddy mess in the wilds of Australia, but they can certainly get people out to their lake house, up to the slopes, or across the sandy beach. The 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport trim was made for these customers.

When I drove the first iteration in 2022, I was not impressed. The tires were nearly useless, the ground clearance was laughable, and there was no underbody protection. I crossed it off my list as a wanna-be and kept recommending the Subaru Outback Wilderness.

Fast-forward to the 2026 model year, and Honda has made some thoughtful improvements to the next generation Passport, going big on the soft-roading credo. The only street trim is the base RTL, with the TrailSport and fancy-ish pants TrailSport Elite rounding out the options. I spent time with the TrailSport Elite in Puerto Rico, and while there are definitely some improvements left on the table, Honda has done a great job with upgrading the trim while maintaining everyday driveability.

What It’s Got

Under the hood is a naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V6 with 285 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. This new engine gets a tow rating of 5,000 pounds and includes a larger radiator for better cooling over last year. Mated to a new 10-speed automatic transmission, the power plant gets an EPA fuel rating of 18 mpg in the city, 23 mpg highway, and 20 mpg combined. In theory, that should be enough to give you 370 miles of range with the Passport’s 18.5-gallon fuel tank.

I’ve always believed that the first off-road modification you should do to your vehicle is a good set of tires. Your car isn’t going anywhere if it doesn’t have traction, and good rubber is the only way to do that. Back in 2022, the Passport wore 245/60R18 Firestone Destination LE2 all-season tires. Uh, no thanks. [The Firestone Destination X/T is a much better choice. See the review in Overland Journal, Summer 2025.] In 2024, Honda upped their tire game, swapping out those mall-crawler shoes for a set of General Grabber AT Sport tires.

Now in 2026, the Generals are size 265/60R18, or in layman’s terms, 31 inches. These tires are nearly an inch and a half bigger than last year’s, providing more grip and traction. I didn’t even air down, and the Passport climbed steep dirt hills with nary a bit of wheel spin. Further, when I drove the car on the pavement, they weren’t noisy or stiff. Now, I wasn’t able to try out the rig in soft sand or up and over rocks, but at first glance, these tires provide a good balance between off-road performance and on-road livability.

The 18-inch wheels are available in a white or black alloy, and although they are different designs, both have the appearance of steelies. The rotors have grown to 13.8 inches for 2026 and include larger calipers, so sizing down a wheel might be tough. You may be able to get a larger tire stuffed into the wheel well, but be prepared to roll your fenders.

The last-generation TrailSport was only 8.1 inches off the ground with no underbody protection. The good news here is that the 2026 model comes with a 4-millimeter steel skid plate over the engine and a 2.8-millimeter steel skid over the fuel tank. You can even get rock rails with a 1.5 millimeter stainless steel plate installed in the Passport. The bad news is that the ground clearance is hardly any better, sitting at just 8.3 inches off the ground. The engineers told me Honda wanted to “set the new platform’s ride height suspension position to have the optimal bump versus rebound stroke with the new tire diameter.” It’s not a great choice in my book, but an aftermarket lift is easy enough.

The infotainment system gets wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as Google built-in. There are pitch, roll, and elevation gauges and a basic compass on the 10.2-inch digital cluster. A 12-volt power outlet is standard in the front and cargo area, and the TrailSport also gets a 115-volt outlet in the second row and cargo area. Three USB-C ports and a wireless phone charger round out the charging possibilities.

How It Drives

When it comes to geometry, the Passport has lost a bit of capability, again something that could be remedied with a lift. The approach angle is up to 23 degrees, but the departure angle is down to 23.1, thanks to the standard tow hitch, and the breakover angle sits at 16.7 degrees, down from 17.3 degrees, due to a 2.7-inch longer wheelbase. Again, be glad for those skid plates.

So far, the Passport is up on tire capability and underbody protection, but down on geometry. What about the all-wheel drive system? New for this year is a Trail mode that specifically calibrates the torque distribution. The front reduces wheelspin using brake vectoring, but the rear gets a bit more sophisticated. When the system senses that one wheel is off the ground, it diverts more torque to the rear, putting up to 75 percent of that power to the wheel that has more traction. However, it keeps a bit of power going to the low-traction wheel so it can help propel the Passport forward when it does touch the ground.

I saw this in action in Puerto Rico, traversing V-shaped ditches that got one wheel very high in the air indeed. The Passport was able to maintain forward momentum as long as the driver kept a steady throttle input. However, should you find yourself over your head a bit, the Passport has heavy-duty tow hooks in front and two recovery points on the rear hitch as well.

The Passport gets two techy additions that make off-pavement trails just a bit easier. A new hill-descent control can keep the SUV at a driver-selected speed anywhere from 2 to 12 miles per hour. I tried it on a 20-degree downslope and found it to be effective and mostly quiet. There were a few instances of the system audibly protesting gravity, but the speed never wavered.

Cameras also help out, especially when cresting a steep hill. I love that the button is on the end of the turn signal stalk, so there is no futzing around with the 12.3-inch infotainment screen. However, Honda goes one better and automatically turns on the camera when in Trail mode and driving below 15 mph. The view here is clear and includes tire placement graphics. There is no “invisible hood” mode, but the forward-facing and 360-degree camera views are quite helpful.

Will It Overland?

The Honda Passport TrailSport is available with a few pre-selected packages, but many features can be ordered a la carte. The Adventure Package is $1,585 and includes a roof platform with a static load rating of 165 pounds. Probably not enough for a rooftop tent unless you’re child-sized, but enough to carry some extra gear. MOLLE storage system in the cargo space provides a place to hook items and can function as tie-downs for anything you shove into the 44 cubic feet of space behind the second row. A rubberized cargo shelf can hold 44 pounds when set up in the cargo area and transforms into a table when in camp. You’ll also get a cargo light.

One thing that you won’t get is a full-sized spare. You’ll have to pony up $725 for a fifth wheel and tire, but it fits into the cargo space securely, and the vertical positioning doesn’t take up too much floor space. Still, an off-road rig without a standard full-sized spare? Come on, Honda.

My go-to trim here would be the standard Honda Passport TrailSport for $49,900, including destination, with synthetic leather and cloth seats for easy cleaning. I’d forgo the ventilated seats and 360-degree camera, but I still get a heated windshield and heated front seats, tri-zone climate control, and a power liftgate. Plus, I’d save $4,000.

The 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport isn’t the most capable rig out there, but it now has the chops to compete with the ever-popular Subaru Outback Wilderness without embarrassing itself. I’d definitely put a lift on it, and if I were really serious, I’d also swap out the stock bumpers for something that provides a bit more clearance. After all, the tires and all-wheel drive system are very good. They deserve the best packaging.

Pros:

Excellent all-wheel drive system
Great tires
Plenty of cargo space

Cons:

Needs more ground clearance and better geometry
Doesn’t come with a full-sized spare

From $49,900 | honda.com

Images: Emme Hall, Honda

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