A midsize SUV with seating for five, the 2026 Honda Passport gets more rugged this year to better take on the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Toyota 4Runner, as well as the Chevrolet Blazer and Honda’s own three-row Pilot.
The Passport is effectively a smaller Pilot without the third row, though it’s tuned and positioned more as an off-roader. It has good space and an adventurous side, though we can’t give it a rating until we drive it in early 2025. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
Just about everything. It gets a complete redesign this year with more off-road capability, a revised lineup with a new top model, slightly more power, and more interior technology.
On the outside, the Passport sports a new design. The wheelbase is 2.8 inches longer, and overall length is up 1.5 inches. Some of that length is devoted to a longer hood with a more squared off shape borrowed from the Prologue electric SUV. The nose has a fake scoop at its leading edge. Below that is a dark, short grille flanked by rectangular headlights surrounded by C-shaped daytime running lights that are white on the base model and amber on the TrailSport models. The Passport name is stamped below that. A black grille sits down low, and it’s protected by a silver-gray bumper insert with integrated orange tow hooks on the TrailSport models. The bumper leads into a front engine skid plate on TrailSports.
Along the sides, the Passport sports “backpack” design theme created with dark rear windows and a matte black on the rear roof section and the standard roof rails. Darkened rocker panels lead into blacked out wheel well cladding with a tab at the top of each wheel. The antenna is now integrated into the passenger side rear glass to replace a sharkfin antenna that could get caught on a tree when off-roading. The rear end has an integrated spoiler up top, T-shaped taillights, and the Passport name stamped above a silver-gray lower bumper insert that reflects the front end.
The interior improves its technology with a 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster in a traditional binnacle and a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen that sprouts from the top of the dash. The TrailSport models get screen readouts for roll, pitch, and elevation. The Passport name is stamped below the infotainment screen, and separate climate controls sit below that. The center console is home to a wireless charging pad, Honda’s transmission buttons, a drive-mode selector, and cupholders. Honda leans into an adventure vibe with orange accents in the TrailSport models. Upholsteries range from cloth to synthetic leather to real hides.
Cargo space is improved. The cargo area has up to 83.5 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats down, about six cubic feet more than the outgoing model, and 44.0 cubes with the rear seats up, including roughly six cubic feet found under the rear floor. The second row gains 1.3 inches of legroom. The Passport has 10 cupholders.
2026 Honda Passport engineering
The 2026 Passport lineup will consist of RTL, TrailSport, and new TrailSport Elite models. EX-L and Black Edition trim levels won’t return. All will be powered by a new 3.5-liter V-6. It’s a dual-overhead cam engine instead of single-overhead cam and it makes 285 hp, up from 280 hp, and the same 262 lb-ft of torque. It’s hooked to a 10-speed automatic with standard steering wheel shift paddles instead of a 9-speed. All models will come with all-wheel drive with torque vectoring on the rear axle. Up to 70% of the torque can go to the rear axle, and all of the power at the rear can go to the wheel with traction. The Passport can tow up to 5,000 pounds.
The Passport will continue with a MacPherson strut front suspension and a mult-link independent rear suspension, and Honda says it has stronger forged steel suspension arms. Honda also says the steering column and front torsion bar are stiffer for better steering feel. The platform, which is shared with the Pilot and Acura MDX, boasts a 72% increase in front lateral rigidity and a 50% increase in rear torsional rigidity. Track increases a little more than an inch to 68.0 inches up front and 68.2 inches at the rear, and width is up about an inch to 79.5 inches. Ground clearance increases 0.2 inch to 8.3 inches for all models, and thus far Honda has shared only the approach angle of 23.0 degrees, which is better than the outgoing road-focused versions but 1.3 degrees worse than the outgoing TrailSport. Perhaps the TrailSport version’s figure will be better.
TrailSport versions will get 31-inch General Grabber all-terrain tires, an off-road suspension tune, engine and gas tank skid plates, front tow hooks, and a trailer hitch connector with integrated tow hooks. They will also come with a surround-view camera system with forward and side views to help when off-roading. This “TrailWatch” view activates automatically when in Trail mode and below 15 mph. Drive modes will consist of Normal, Econ, Sport, Snow, Sand, Tow, and Trail. Standard hill descent control on all models can be set between 2 and 12 mph.
Honda will equip the Passport with the Honda Sensing suite of safety features. It includes automatic emergency braking, active lane control, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitors, rear cross-traffic alerts, automatic high beams, a rear-seat reminder, and front and rear parking sensors. Also standard and new for 2026 are traffic-sign recognition and traffic jam assist. Honda says it aims to earn the IIHS’s Top Safety Pick+ rating.
How much does the 2026 Honda Passport cost?
Prices aren’t yet available, but Honda says the 2026 Passport will start in the mid-$40,000 range. That will be for an RTL model. It will come standard with cloth upholstery, the two dashboard screens, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Google Assistant, a wireless charging pad, and 18-inch alloy wheels that mount all-season tires.
The TrailSport will get black synthetic leather upholstery with orange contrast stitching, heated front seats, the surround-view camera system, and a panoramic sunroof. The TrailSport Elite will have real leather, a heated steering wheel, cooled front seats, heated rear seats, rear climate controls, and a 12-speaker Bose audio system.
Honda will also offer a variety of accessories, including Molle panels for the rear cargo area, rock rails, a front skid plate protector, a roof platform, black emblems, a rear cargo light, a rear cargo shelf that turns into a table, and a full-size spare tire that mounts in the rear cargo area.
Where is the 2026 Honda Passport made?
In Lincoln, Alabama.
