The Honda Passport is the Japanese brand’s latest niche-filler in the ever-hot crossover market.
Automotive trivia hotshots will point out this isn’t the first time the Passport name has found itself on the back of an H-badged crossover. From 1993 to 2002 Honda stuck its badge on the hearty Isuzu Rodeo for two Passport generations.
The new model, which debuted in 2019, follows the spirit of its forebears, with more of a focus on off-road ability than other Honda crossovers. No longer sitting on a truckish body-on-frame platform, the Passport instead shares its unibody setup with the Pilot. The Passport even gets the same wheelbase as its three-row big brother, but with a slightly shorter overall length and seating for five.
Like the Pilot, the Passport’s model structure is easy to grasp, with all trims using the family 3.5-liter V6. The engine is rated at 280 hp and 262 lb-ft, hitting the ground through Honda’s nine-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive is standard on most trims: AWD is standard on the Elite trim, and optional on the rest of the line.
The Passport’s higher ride height and shorter length make it a slightly more frequent visitor to the pumps than the Pilot. Front-drive models score 20 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway (22 mpg combined). All-wheel drive versions drop every measurement by one. Thankfully the V6 drinks regular fuel, not premium.
Standard equipment on the Passport includes 20-inch wheels, push-button start and the Honda Sensing safety suite of driver aids. There’s plenty of space in and behind the seats too, thanks to that long Pilot-matching wheelbase.
The Passport is American-designed and built. It rolls off the same Lincoln, Alabama production line as the Pilot, Ridgeline, and Odyssey.