The new rough-and-tumble version of the Honda Passport SUV is great off-road, or on what passes for a road in the D.C. area.
I didn’t go tearing through mud or driving over rocks, but I got a pretty good idea of the Passport TrailSport’s ability to soak up nasty bumps while navigating a partially-paved downtown street.
It does what it does thanks to “a new off-road tuned suspension and trail-ready all-terrain tires,” according Honda.
Those tires did make this mid-size, two-row SUV feel a bit trucklike on the road, as it tended to wallow on the highway. The tires were also a touch noisy. The six-cylinder engine packed plenty of punch with 280 horsepower, but the dashboard said the SUV had only averaged about 18 mpg. Extra-large side mirrors were greatly appreciated for significantly improved visibility.
With this being a Honda product, there’s a push-button shifter to get used to. Also, don’t be tempted to adjust your parking by opening the driver’s door, which will automatically send the SUV slamming into park.
Inside, the TrailSport featured black leather seats and orange accent stitching, along with orange TrailSport logos on the headrests and floor mats. My hyper-observant 5-year-old was thrilled to see that the rear door panels featured not one, but two cup holders.
Safety test results are a mixed bag, with the Passport getting an acceptable rating on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s “small overlap front” test and a marginal rating on its updated side crash test.
It also may shock you to learn that Honda places in the bottom half of brands in the J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study, which tracks problems with 3-year-old vehicles.
Bonuses abound though: not only is there a spare tire, but there’s also a handy funnel buried in the back.
While a standard Passport starts at $43,295 after shipping, the TrailSport begins at $45,895 — a modest premium for navigating trails, or the hellscape that is our area pavement.
