Get Hotcars Premium. Start your free trial today
The Passport TrailSport is as comfortable off the road as it is on the road, offering more than meets the eye.
The SUV segment is perhaps the most competitive segment in the automotive industry. With a lot of manufacturers going the SUV route, it now takes a lot to stand out from the crowd. Whether you’re looking for luxury, looks, or capabilities, you now have 10 options for each instead of one or two. The real trick, however, is to build a well-rounded SUV that is as capable as it is good-looking, and most importantly, it must have the right price tag when it’s going up against numerous other SUVs. Honda believes in their Passport TrailSport and would put it up against any other SUV. We had to find out for ourselves, and here is what we learned about the 2022 Honda Passport TrailSport during our week of driving it.
In a world taken-over by forced-induction, we almost cringe when we see a naturally-aspirated V6. Why not add a turbocharger or two and make something really powerful out of the SUV? Then we take a step back, give the engine a shot, and remember that not everything is about 0-60 times. The 2022 Honda Passport TrailSport gave us that feeling in the start with its 3.5-liter V6 engine, but the engine turned out to be quite capable and powerful. The engine works collaboratively with a 9-speed automatic transmission with shift-by-wire and paddle shifters. With power going to all four-wheels, the engine delivers 280 horsepower at 6,000 RPM, and 262 lb-dft of torque at 4,700 RPM.
In addition to the variable all-wheel drive system, the Passport also features a torque vectoring rear axle. The Passport distributes the torque to the rear wheels when needed, and also distribute it between each rear wheel to maximize traction during off-road conditions. You may have noticed how late the peak torque comes on, which is quite standard for a naturally-aspirated vehicle. While this robs you from the thrilling acceleration, it comes in handy during off-roading. This allows you to go through the slippery and rough terrains without spinning your wheels each time you get a little aggressive with the throttle. The mid-to-high RPM peak torque delivery makes this SUV truly easy to drive off the road. The Passport also comes with four terrain modes: Normal, Snow, Sand, and Mud. Engine behavior and throttle mapping will change with each mode to maximize traction based on the terrain you’re driving on.
Related: Honda Passport, Ford Edge, & Nissan Murano Race For Crossover Supremacy
The 2022 model brings a redesigned front-end, with a bulged, rugged, aggressive hood and fenders. The front also gets a reshaped bumper and differently-styled grille. The elegance of the headlights and the aggressiveness of the grille and hood bring together a well-balanced look of daily-driver and capable off-roader. The rear gets small taillights, as well as dual oversized exhaust tips that completely changes the look back there. Our loner came in the sonic gray pearl paint color, which is a new color for 2022. All TrailSport Passports will come with 18-inch wheels with pewter painted highlights. All in all, the design of the TrailSport isn’t flashy. Instead, it’s simply a balance of clean and tough.
While the exterior is simple, the interior is much simpler. There isn’t much to it, except that it’s comfortable, spacious, and functional. The lack of a physical shifter and the use of buttons instead creates the feel of a spacious center console, especially with the extra-large storage in the middle. The TrailSport trim level brings some orange to the interior, with orange stitching, embroidered head rests, and orange ambient lighting. The infotainment system offers Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but unfortunately you have to use a cable to access this feature. The technology exists, so we don’t know why OEMs are not implementing it, but expect it as soon as they upgrade the infotainment system in the near future. Rear passengers will get the luxury of reclining their seats slightly, which makes the TrailSport a true adventure vehicle, given the adventure is far from home and a road trip to it is in order. Overall, the cabin is simple, functional, and comfortably spacious.
Related: These Off Road Wagons Will Make You Rethink Buying That SUV
Built as a uni-body construction with a fully-boxed floor, the 2022 Honda Passport offers a stiff chassis designed for tough terrains. This rigidity translates perfectly around corners, with little to no slop. To improve the suspension further, Honda’s engineers equipped the Passport with coilovers on the front and rear, and gave the TrailSport an 8.1-inch ground clearance for off-roading. This makes for a high-enough ride to clear most obstacles, yet not too high to compromise handling. Combine these with the active, mechanical torque vectoring, and you have great handling and maximized traction.
The 2022 Honda Passport TrailSport feels as good as it looks in terms of ruggedness and simplicity. It is truly a well-rounded SUV. While the CRV is one of the best-selling SUVs, many buyers feel they may be too small for their needs, not to mention the lack off-roading capabilities and rugged looks. The opposite can be said about the Honda Pilot, as many believe it’s too big. Well, the size of the Passport is just right. Acceleration feels lazy, but that was clear the second we saw where the peak torque is at. Common for naturally-aspirated V6s with this kind of displacement, the acceleration and throttle response are extremely linear.
Related: Off-Roading A Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro Brings Back All The '90s Nostalgia
Despite feeling slow, the Passport is anything but. For an SUV that weighs around 4,200-pounds, the Passport’s 6.2-second 0-60 mph performance is impressive. As we’ve mentioned above, on the road, the Passport TrailSport feels well-balanced. It handles extremely well around corners, but it never really sacrifices comfort. The suspension isn’t overly stiff, and the cabin is a great place to be. We averaged 20 mpg on combined driving, which isn’t really bad for the size and purpose of the vehicle. The overall drive feels more on the rugged side, however, which brings up the question of what we should compare the Passport to? There are a lot of SUVs on the market, most offer much more sophisticated cabins, but we can all agree they don’t offer the capabilities of the Passport. The ones that can outshine the Passport in terms of off-road capabilities won’t have the comfort. If you find an SUV that offers the comfort, style, and capabilities, they will most likely lack the credibility and reliability of Honda.
In a previous conversation with Doug Macmillan a few years ago, owner of Hondata and a man that not only dedicated his life to testing and tuning Hondas, but also works closely with their engineers, he shined the light on some of the testing each Honda engine has to go through. The testing is rigorous, and includes tremendous strain on the engines for prolonged periods of time, as strenuous as redlining the engine for a very long time. This was an eye-opener to why Honda has been successful in producing such reliable vehicles, and the Passport is no different.
The Honda Passport has a starting MSRP of $38,370. The TrailSport trim level brings the price up to $42,970. So far, that’s still a great price for what you get. In the end, you’re buying style, reliability, ruggedness, and very decent capabilities. However, our loner had a sticker price of $51,364. Our Passport TrailSport had almost every feature you can have, down to the Trailer Hitch option, the Cargo Cover, and the HPD Black Package. While we loved what we got, the price seems to take the TrailSport into a different tier, competing with the likes of the Acura MDX and RDX, Infiniti QX60, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and the Volkswagen Atlas. Some of these aren’t direct competition, and the beauty of Honda buyers is that once they try Honda, they always stick with Honda. If it’s my personal car, I would justify the $42K price tag, and I wouldn’t buy anything lower than the TrailSport.
Bassem has been writing in the automotive industry since day one of his career. The love for any machinery with wheels has been embedded deep into his heart at a tremendously early age by his father. Bassem has created content for a variety of sources in numerous styles, from pure entertainment to the most technical of topics. His work can be found on newsstands, websites, and social media, reaching millions of enthusiasts.