It’s been about three weeks since the last episode in the 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport Long-Term Test series, so I’m due for an update. Sadly, it’s not the story I had in mind, which was supposed to be about a 2,000-mile family road trip for my birthday. Everything was lined up to drive down to Missouri to camp out with my amigo and colleague, Caleb Jacobs, but I had to pull the plug at the last minute. Then, life happened. Sucks.
Instead, I’m moving up an installment that I’ve been excited about for a while, in which I comb through all the questions you’ve left in the comments section of previous blogs and do my best to answer them. Now, many of the questions are repetitive, so I’ll only answer them once, but there are some exciting bits nonetheless. But first…
The Update
In this series’ most recent post, I shared with you the first comprehensive review of the Passport, which was conducted at 5,000 miles. I covered everything from likes and dislikes to tech, handling, interior, practicality, and just about everything I’d cover in a regular review, but in much greater depth.
September and October were pretty busy with work travel, so I haven’t quite reached 6,000 miles in the Passport yet, but I’m getting close. And actually, I’m going to be moving places in December, so I expect the odometer to work overtime as I do a few things with the family for Thanksgiving and then run a bunch of errands ahead of towing a U-Haul trailer for the actual move. More on that to come at a later time… and wish me luck. Moving sucks!
Without further ado, here are the answers to most, if not all, of the questions you’ve shared with me one way or another.
Q&A
- Does Honda offer a Passport Hybrid? According to my tally, this question (or comment, in some instances) was raised 25 or more times. The answer is no. Or, perhaps, the better answer is “not yet?” If someone from Honda product planning is reading this, maybe they’ll see that there’s genuine interest in one.
- Can you get the Passport up on a lift so we can get some photos of the underbody, suspension, differentials, skid plates, etc? The answer is yes. I am working on it, along with other special requests for this kind of mechanical/engineering stuff. More to come.
- Could you dedicate some time to discussing the drivetrain and suspension? The answer is yes. A conversation with Honda is underway to interview some drivetrain and suspension engineers who were involved in the development of the Passport. I plan to ask questions I’ve come up with after four months of driving it, and also gain some insight into why certain aspects of the SUV are the way they are, specifically the suspension tuning and engine power, torque, fuel economy, etc.
- Is there any misalignment between the front bumper and front fenders after months of driving? Technically, this was posed as a comment from an alleged Passport owner, but it was interesting and worth addressing. The answer is no. No structural or cosmetic issues with the body, but I will keep an eye on things.
- Will this design language be used on the 2026 Ridgeline? I don’t know, but I sure hope so! I love the design of the new Passport, and frankly, every blog I’ve written so far is full of comments praising the boxy, rugged design.
- Any gripes with the cruise control? Another comment from a Passport owner that I turned into a question. The answer is yes. I’d say that 99% of the time, the cruise control works as it should, until it detects that the vehicle is traveling downhill. When it does, it doesn’t give the car enough leash to increase the speed due to gravity. Instead, the moment the speedo reads one or two miles per hour higher than the set speed, it immediately taps the brakes. It’s extremely annoying. Now, I’m not talking freaking mountain-road driving here, I’m talking flat central Indiana with a few lame sloping hills on Interstate 69. Not only is it bad for fuel economy, because it always sheds more speed than it intended by tapping the brakes, but it’s also uncomfortable and can even be unsafe.
- Satellite radio? The answer is no. The Passport and many other new Honda vehicles no longer carry SiriusXM radio. But as a reader cleverly pointed out, you can still get a membership via the smartphone app and simply stream it to your car.
- Is there a way to mimic a round speedometer and tach on the digital gauges? The answer is yes. You can choose from a variety of graphics and gauge cluster styles via the configurable menus.
- Do the rear seats fold to give a flat load floor? The answer is yes. You can fold the rear seatbacks 60/40 and have a pretty large space to carry stuff. I’ve been using that lately as I declutter my house ahead of selling it.
- Does the engine run on a timing belt? The answer is yes.
- Is there a hybrid model? Again, seriously?
- How much does the Passport cost? The lowest-trim Honda Passport (RTL) starts at $46,245, including a $1,495 destination charge. My tester, a top-of-the-range TrailSport Elite, costs $54,355.
- What is the final drive ratio? The 10-speed automatic transmission has a final drive ratio of 4.167.
- Can you turn off ADAS? The answer is yes. Every ADAS assist can be adjusted or turned off. Depending on which one, specifically, it may have different threshold levels, but either way, for the safety of everyone, I recommend not disabling anything entirely. They are there for a reason.
- Can you find an RTI ramp to test suspension flex? Refer to my answer at the top of this list!
- How are you coping with that non-OEM all-weather mat? Frankly, I thought it was hilarious that a reader picked up on my choice of floormats. They even highlighted that they were generic and were not trimmed to fit the Passport specifically. They’re right. These all-weather mats and trunk liner (funnily enough, they’re MotorTrend brand) were cheap, and I originally bought them for my old Honda Odyssey, which I no longer have. I love them because they are oversized and easy to pull out, hose down, and throw back in after the dogs get them all filthy. In this case, I threw them in the Passport during a rainy, muddy weekend, and I didn’t want to risk ruining the stock carpet ones. I have to take photos of this thing constantly, y’know?
- Why is the Passport having middling sales, while its less brawny-looking twin (Pilot) is hitting 9k units per month? Per Honda’s sales numbers released earlier this week, Honda has moved over 46,000 Passports this year so far, but there’s no breakdown on how many of those were the previous gen versus the new one. However, Honda did highlight that the new Passport had a record month in October and that over 80% of all units sold were TrailSport models. As for the Pilot comparison, it’s not really fair. The Pilot is one of the best-selling SUVs in America, and it’s the definition of a mainstream, three-row, family SUV, whereas the Passport is slightly more niche.
- Do Passport owners recognize other Passport owners? The answer is yes! I’ve had other Passport owners flash their lights at me or wave at me before. It’s pretty cool.
I hope I answered all your questions! If I didn’t or you have another one, please drop it in the comments section below or send it to me at jerry@thedrive.com.