The Honda Passport is now a crossover for the beaten path
In case you didn’t know, Honda revived the Passport nameplate in 2018 as a Pilot-based midsize two-row crossover for the North American market. What was originally a ladder-frame midsize SUV co-developed with Isuzu from 1993 to 2002 was now a crossover fully-developed by Honda.
With much success from that revival, Honda has decided to renew it for another generation—now designed to be more of an off-road oriented crossover, following the wants of the customers in North America.
And now that it leans towards customers looking for a more adventure-oriented crossover, it certainly translates to its exterior as it gets a complete redesign with a more macho and rugged appearance unlike the previous generation which simply looked like a shrunken Pilot.
Its front fascia gets large rectangular headlights with C-shaped amber daytime running lights, a bold front grille finished in matte black, a hood scoop, and large amounts of black plastic cladding with a front overrider. Flared fenders give it more side character while towards the back, Honda has followed a backpack design theme which gives it a more upright rear look.
All Honda Passports ride on 18-inch wheels. The TrailSport and TrailSport Elite get 33-inch General Grabber all-terrain tires. Ground clearance is at 211mm with a 23° approach angle for easier off-roading.
While the exterior has done away with any styling cues from its Pilot sibling, the interior is a different story getting pretty much the same look for the dashboard, following a similar minimalist design direction as other Honda products for an overall sleeker look.
It features front Body Stabilizing Seats which should help reduce fatigue on long drives, and Honda also says that rear seat legroom and cargo space are larger than before.
Standard stuff include a 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster, and a larger 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system that is equipped with Google Built-In as well as wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. There’s also a 12-speaker Bose premium audio system.
Under the hood is still a 3.5-liter naturally-aspirated DOHC J35 V6 gasoline engine with Honda’s Variable Cylinder Management (VCM), producing 290 horsepower and 355 Nm of torque, mated to a new 10-speed automatic transmission. Power is sent to all four wheels through its standard i-VTM4 all-wheel drive system.
It also comes with seven selectable drive modes: Normal, Sport, Econ, Snow, Sand, Tow,and Trail. As their names suggest, the new Trail and Tow modes optimizes off-road and towing capabilities, respectively. The Honda Passport is also rated to tow an approximate 2,268 kilograms.
While we doubt that Honda Cars Philippines will launch this here, it won’t hurt to wish as they’ve tried selling North America-sourced vehicles here before. Do you think the Honda Passport should be introduced in the Philippines?
