2026 Honda Passport TrailSport unveils new off-road equipment and infotainment screen

The new generation of Honda’s midsize SUV looks much boxier this time around, but retains the power of a 3.5-liter V6.

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by Chris Chilton

October 22, 2024 at 9:00 a.m.

Updated 10/22: We may have had our best and clearest view yet of the next-generation 2026 Passport during last week’s Rebelle Rally, but Honda isn’t done teasing. Once again, it’s the off-road-focused TrailSport model that gets all the attention, although we also get a brief glimpse of the interior, including the standalone infotainment screen and the area of ​​the chest.

Today we learn that the TrailSport features 18-inch wheels on 31-inch all-terrain tires and bright orange front recovery points. A shorter front overhang sharpens the approach angle, giving it a little more bite when the terrain gets rough.

The real party trick, however, is the available TrailWatch system. With front, rear, side, and 360-degree camera views, plus tire path guidelines, it’s designed to help you navigate obstacles that would normally keep you guessing, like blind crests and narrowed trails . Honda is also rolling out a wide range of accessories, including rock guards, a front skid plate and a landing-ready MOLLE storage system.

The two-row SUV, which slots between the smaller CR-V and the larger three-row Pilot, will debut next month, likely at the Los Angeles Auto Show. (Original story follows below).

Honda’s all-new fourth-generation Passport is having its papers checked one last time before it can make its global debut. But here’s a camo prototype of the dirt-focused Trailsport variant to give us a taste of what will be on sale at Honda dealerships early next year.

Honda has released a slew of images and a video of a disguised Trailsport put through its paces, showing the SUV tackling both sand and rock trails, wading through deep water, and climbing up and down slopes stiff.

Related: The 2026 Honda Passport Trailsport Looks Like a True Off-Roader

Although Honda hasn’t released any technical details like ground clearance and approach, breakover, and departure angles, we can see that the prototype is at least wearing a proper set of General off-road shoes. And it seems to handle the terrain well given that the Passport is traditionally a road-focused SUV and not a serious rival to tracked vehicles like the Ford Bronco and Jeep Wrangler.

The text accompanying the teaser video confirms good news for those who are tired of downsizing. He tells us that the Passport continues with the power of a 3.5-liter V6, but without knowing if this V6 produces more than the 280 hp (284 hp) delivered by today’s SUV, and also reveals that The current nine-speed automatic transmission is being upgraded to a “high-strength” 10-speed unit.

Power is sent to all four corners via a second-generation i-VTM4 all-wheel-drive system with torque vectoring, according to the video.

Honda describes the new Passport Trailsport as “the most adventure-ready and capable Honda SUV ever,” saying its engineers tested the SUV everywhere from the rocks of Moab to the muddy trails of the Appalachian Mountains to the dunes sand of western Michigan.

The car manufacturer’s designers, for their part, are rediscovering their love of straight lines. The new Passport is the squarest yet, squarer even than the 1993 original and its 1997 successor, whose new SUV adopted the raked C-pillars.

And while the prototype doesn’t reveal much in terms of finer design details, an early sketch shows the front of the 2026 SUV, including prominent “Passport” lettering, a “Trailsport” badge, hood ornamentation intriguing and horseshoe-shaped. DRLs let us know what to expect.