2024 Honda Passport TrailSport Review: Passport for Adventure

The next vehicle in the TrailSport family for me to review was the 2024 Passport. The Radiant Red Metallic was such a pop of color with black and gray pewter accents. The Passport has a mix of angular and rounded styling that gives it a soften aggressive style to it. The thick 5-spoke wheel design gives it a strong design but I was wishing the Passport sat about an inch higher. Getting in, the Passport was a simple but effective design. I did start to miss some of the things that the bigger and updated Pilot had to offer. One of the first things I missed were the double and larger Pilot cup holder compared to the single smaller Passport cup holders. The infotainment screen’s angle was something I didn’t like since it pointed straight up to the sunroof causing a glare. The lack of wireless Apple CarPlay required that I had 3 different cables for my wife and I to connect and charge simultaneously. Don’t get me wrong, these are minor nitpicks since the Passport is otherwise perfect for my needs. I point these out since I’ve experienced what Honda is capable of doing when the Passport gets a refresh or new generation based on the Pilot’s changes. Under the hood, the naturally aspirated 3.5L V6 outputs 280 horsepower and 262 lb.-ft. of torque. I was surprised to learn that the Passport had a 5,000 lb. towing capacity which should be enough for me to tow my personal Miata. Of course the winner of the drivetrain is the i-VTM4 AWD system that is more proactive than reactive to power distribution. It made driving on unpaved roads extremely stable and distributed the power when I drove on muddy roads. Will this be my next vehicle? My answer would be yes but not now. That’s because I was able to see what Honda did with the Pilot refresh and if the upgrades trickle down to the Passport, I will be adding that to my driveway.