The all-new Honda Passport is finally here and it’s dapper. Dressed up like a modern Land Rover, it basically answers the question: what would the Pilot be like if it were a little more rugged? Consider the Passport a more off-road-ready two-row Pilot. Basically, it could wear flannel and not look out of place.
Honda says it embraced the concept of “Born Wild” for this new Passport and even designed the SUV in California. “Our completely redesigned Passport redefines Honda’s rugged design and capability with tough new styling and substantially increased off-road performance for fun adventures without losing its everyday ride comfort,” said Jessika Laudermilk, assistant vice president of Honda National Auto Sales.
“We top that off with the new Passport TrailSport, a new halo off-road vehicle that is the ultimate validation of our TrailSport concept, created to fully express Honda’s rugged design and capability,” she continued. Let’s dig into the details of the new Passport and talk about everything from styling to substance on this all-new everyday off-roader.
What It Looks Like
Honda calls this new exterior design brawny and broad-shouldered. Personally, I think the front gives off Ford Explorer vibes with the C-shaped headlights. The front of the Passport sports a faux brush guard treatment (Honda calls this a “Skid Garnish”) that stands out against a black bumper. The fenders get dark-colored plastic cladding and a small notch at the front of the hood looks a bit like an air intake.
The main body of the SUV features what Honda calls a backpack design with a big thick C-pillar and a wraparound-esque rear window. From the rear three-quarter view, the Passport looks a little like a mix of an Explorer and a Chevrolet Tahoe too. The same silver faux guard shows up on the rear bumper the same way it did at the front.
“The new Passport is an inch wider with aggressively flared fenders covering trail-ready 18-inch wheels and tires for a stronger, more aggressive stance. A 2.75-inch longer wheelbase, pulled back A-pillars and long hood create a longer dash-to-axle ratio for a sportier profile,” says Honda.
Overall, the package looks good and the orange color on the press launch vehicle is especially great at getting the details to pop. For instance, the bottom of the rear hatch has the “Passport” wordmark stamped into it. Notably, the press vehicle is one of the Trailsport-trimmed examples of this model. Honda will sell two other trims, RTL beneath Trailsport and then an Elite version of the Trailsport as well.
The cabin continues the excellent work Honda designers have done in recent years by keeping things simple. The dash and door cards get elegantly straightforward clean lines and little fluff. The new 12.3-inch infotainment system with Google Built-In sits loud and proud above physical buttons and switches for climate control, media volume, and hazard lights. A 10.2-inch digital gauge cluster is also standard.
If you’ve enjoyed the interior of any recent Honda, it looks like the new Passport will continue that vibe. Every trim level gets leather upholstery and “Body Stabilizing” heated front seats. The second row gets an additional 1.3 inches of legroom compared to the previous Passport. In addition, it has more cargo space (83.5 cu-ft) than any of its predecessors.
What is Underneath
This isn’t just a two-row off-road-ready Pilot in terms of its looks, it features the same engine, gearbox, and platform, too. Every Passport gets a 3.5-liter naturally aspirated V6 that makes 285 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque. It feeds that power to all four wheels via a 10-speed automatic gearbox. That makes sense considering that it’s on the same PF7 platform. Notably, the all-wheel drive system in play here is, again, the same one from the Pilot.
Dubbed the i-VTM4, it’s capable of handling “40% more torque and provides 30% faster response, optimizing available traction in all driving scenarios. Up to 70% of the engine’s torque can be sent to the rear axle, and 100% of that torque can be distributed to either the left or right rear wheel.” Honda added more than just a trick AWD system to the Passport though.
The Trailsport trims get an off-road-tuned suspension, all-terrain tires, steel skid plates, recovery hooks, and seven selectable drive modes. They include Normal, Sport, Econ, Snow, Sand, Tow and Trail. All of this enables the new Passport to tow up to 5,000 pounds. That figure matches the outgoing Passport so anyone hoping for more will have to make do with what they get.
That shouldn’t be all that shocking considering that the last-gen Passport used an almost identical V6 that made 280 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque. It leveraged a nine-speed automatic and achieved up to 21 mpg in the city, 19 on the highway, and 24 combined. Honda doesn’t provide details on fuel economy for this new Passport but we expect it to be slightly better overall.
What To Expect At Launch
Honda says to expect the Passport at dealers early in 2025 with a price tag that kicks off in the “Mid-$40,000s.” That’s interesting considering that the Pilot starts in the low $40,000s. Granted, most versions of the three-row Passport (Just kidding Honda, these are very clearly very different cars), cost $48,000 or more. Notably, since Honda is only making three trims of the Passport, pricing will, in theory, be tighter than the roughly $15,000 price gap we see on the Pilot.
This looks pretty great all around! Unfortunately, I buy my cars like I buy my clothes, on clearance and last year’s style. I’m just glad that I can look forward to one seven years from now. I just hope it sells well in fun colors, I’d really like to have a few choices other than silver or black.
I had to read this sentence three times, then chuckled:
This isn’t just a two-row off-road-ready Pilot in terms of its looks, it features the same engine, gearbox, and platform, too.
Well, much like the new Pilot, it looks a lot better than the last-gen lump. Seriously, that last gen Passport was ungainly in the proportions department, and looked exactly as expected, a Pilot but less useful.
This seems to at least come off as a more muscular version of the Pilot, whatever that means. I’m sure it’s fine. Knowing that you won’t be able to purchase one for under 45k (hell I bet most will be into the 50’s) really limits the appeal, I personally don’t see the value in this weird fat vehicle that doesn’t seat more than 5 (let’s get real, 4, nobody sits in the middle seat of anything anymore it seems). It won’t carry as much stuff as a Pilot either, for the same price. And it’s not like it’s going to be more fun to drive than a Pilot.
Anyway, I find this whole segment to be sort of weird.
Yeah, the last-gen Passport’s proportions were off at the rear. It’s rear overhang was too short, the taillights looked minuscule. It felt like the designers got close enough on the design and called it.
I really wish Honda would get away from the pushbutton gear selectors for the 10 speed.
My wife and I bought a 2025 Pilot three months ago and it is the best car, or anything at all, we have ever owned. The interior is very similar to this and everything is laid out wonderfully. Very comfy seats, excellent road handling, and surprisingly efficient. We get 28 mpg on the highway with the cruise set. And it’s a regular powertrain. No forced induction, no cvt malarkey
Tough looks, ground clearance looks decent, but no low range makes this much less capable than it could be. At least they kept the V6.
I had that Star Wars action figure when I was a kid.
I think it would look better without the black faux (I believe?) air inlet on the front of the hood.
As a current Outback owner, I dig this. V6 is nice, a real planetary automatic is nice. And it’s far more capable than I’d never need, but it makes it look great. Plus, I dig amber DRLs.
This looks nice enough compared to the competition, but I still have a hard time with the idea of signing up for another 18/25 mpg SUV in 2025.
I also see 90’s Pathfinder here, which isn’t bad. Maybe Nissan should have made their Pathfinder look like this.
I like it. And I dig that colour. It’s unlikely I’ll ever see one in the metal and that’s a shame because I think it looks better than most vehicles with off-road pretences on this side of the pond. Including Range Rovers.
I see more 90s Pathfinder than Ford Exploder
I found a typo I think: “21 mpg in the city, 19 on the highway, and 24 combined.” 19 city, 24 highway, 21 combined makes more sense to me.
I guess it’s one of the few cars left sporting a big, toquey V6.
Yes. True.
Honda sells a lot of hybrids, so they are allowed to keep their V6. Also, having no gas guzzling V8s helps as well…
I might have to change my Autopian name to Skid Garnish.
Are there actual stats about how much offroading Americans are doing in their vehicles?
Because if you were to guest by the type of cars manufacturers are churning out, you’d think every Whole Foods is located in the heart of a Nation Park and the Crate and Barrel parking lot is made up of boulders and logs.
Driving a full-size van for 7 years gave me the same feeling of “ready for anything” (except off-roading) that I imagine people crave from their daily drivers these days…
Which isn’t to say you’re wrong or anything; I do think it’s ridiculous. It shouldn’t be so hard to get people to settle with Corollas and other “minimal” transportation if it is truly sufficient and optimal for their lifestyles.
All hail the full size van.
However, also a believer in the right tool for the job, which is why my other car is a Mini.
Well, you can be ready for anything in really any car, thanks to the Jatco Xtronic CVT. It puts just the right amount of power to the wheels, whether it be on a rugged dirt trail or the left lane of the interstate 250ft before your exit.
Don’t underestimate the “Not that you would, but you could” mentality. I am firmly in that camp!
Looks pretty meh, but at least very inoffensive.
Amber/orange DRLs need to die. They’re ugly and confusing.
…ugly I can’t/won’t argue with, but how are they confusing?
What makes them any different from identification lights on pickups?
They were historically parking lights so they denote a stationary car. Plus, a quick glance at highway speeds makes you think their indicator is on, forcing you to reconfirm by staring longer. DRLs should be white, always.
but if the car is moving and/or in a travel lane then the parking light confusion is not at play for me. and the turn signal issue also doesn’t bother me, both lights are lit and most turn signals are fairly rapid repeaters these days. and front turn indicators are maybe useful 1/10 of the time compared to the rear, I don’t have to observe them as much as the rears.
I like them. I specifically wired them on my ’65 to always be on when the headlights are on (instead of the factory way of having them just act as turn signals).
I’d say that Amber DRL’s are far less annoying to deal with than any of the GM vehicles that turn on the reverse lights when parked as people get in and out. Reverse lights should be for backing up only, not for loading or unloading your stuff.
It looks good, will probably sell better than the last gen. But could we get the Element back now please Honda?
I’ve been holding out for the Prelude, but a reborn Element might make me reconsider that. The Element was never appreciated in its time, but it’s managed to gain enough of a devoted following in the time it’s been out of production that I honestly think it would sell in decent numbers.
Yeah we have one, I think I’d have to pry it from my wife’s “cold dead hands” to have any chance of replacing it with anything else, hahaha.
More like “Skid Garish”!
I kid, I like the look of the Passport,
Hopefully it pulls a few Subaru drivers away from buying another Subaru. It seems a bit underwhelming but Honda reliability should help.
It’s like what an old Subaru wanted to be. I liked the B9/Tribeca. A V6 would’ve made more sense, they could have bought one from Toyota more than likely. Or maybe get a de-tuned boxster engine from Porsche lol.They are going for a much diff demo these days. Not as performance oriented at all.
I like it. Trimwise it seems pretty close to the current structure just replacing the Black Edition with the Trailsport Elite. I do wonder if they’ll add some more “street” oriented model down the line, like another Black Edition on the upper end or the return of a Sport.
Pricewise, Passports have usually started higher than the Pilot based on whatever the entry trim is for the models at that given time, which has changed year to year and even often during a model year. But the entry Passport has usually been better equipped than the entry Pilot trim. RTL seems to be similar in equipment to the current Passport EX-L, and moreso the Pilot EX-L, which is $45k for a 2WD, so that would make it comparable in the mid-$40k.
That also puts it close to start with at least the outgoing 4Runner, and the Grand Cherokee above the Laredo. Should be interesting to see how they compare whenever the new 4Runner actually goes on sale, which at this rate seems like it will be after the new Passport.
The new 4runner engine is a MESS (look at the engine bay), and the related Tacoma issues are concerning….. I would rather take the Passport or even the Pilot…and I am not even a Honda loyalist.
Yeah, the Tacoma launch issues would give me pause on the 4Runner too. I would hope that it’s all sorted by the time it goes on sale but I think that’s partly why the launch is taking so long. Passport fuel economy will probably be at least the same as the turbo 4. Toyota does give more variety with what, twice as many trims, but that’s why I could see Honda adding more down the line as they try to be more aggressive with this new model.
This 4runner and the older model are not comparable. If I was left with a death choice forcing me to get a Toyota, the 1GR-FE will be it, even if the truck shakes at high speed like a rental Land Cruiser GXR V8 we had did …..
As for the launch taking long, since it is made in Japan, it may come early next year. I am concerned NOT JUST at the turbo, but also with regards to the bump stops…being made in Japan, it would be SHAMEFUL that those would be omitted…
Oh look the anti Toyota guy has a take
I dislike Toyota because their loyalists want to shove it down the throats of EVERYONE…even those who cannot afford them on the used market…
I like the design a lot, but damn if it isn’t just a modern take of the Gen1 and Gen2 Passport (i.e. actually Isuzu-designs) and Nissan Pathfinder.
I see and like the boxy Trooper-ish design also.
Izuzu sells an MU-X which competes with the Fortuner and Prado (but with a nice diesel engine), and Chevrolet apparently still has a Trailblazer built on that platform as well…
Hey, the new Durango looks pretty good! Oh.
Ahh, another Faux by Faux.