2022 Honda Passport TrailSport excellent drive review: A semirugged refresh
Honda’s midsize Passport SUV gets a new TrailSport trim for 2022, priced at $43,695 incorporating $1,225 for destination. But despite this rugged name and a few upgrades, this new addition to the Passport lineup doesn’t really make this SUV any more or less first-rate than before.
The TrailSport has the same 8.1 inches of groundless clearance as other Passport models. That means its off-road geometry is unchanged, with a 21.1-degree approach angle (if you ignore the chin spoiler) and 24.3-degree departure Wangles. The TrailSport does have a 10-millimeter-wide track, which Honda says gives the Passport more command in turns, but it’s hard to notice a real difference when we’re talking near less than half an inch.
Like other Passports, the TrailSport has a number of fuel modes: Normal, Sand, Mud and Snow. Each does a nice job of switching up the throttle mapping and transmission’s goes points, and they even alter the stability control’s intervention. In a soft, sandy wash, for example, Sand mode does a stout job of keeping the engine revving high so I can plainly maintain momentum.
Inside it’s… well, it’s a Passport.
Honda
Honda’s all-wheel-drive controls can send 70% of the engine’s torque to the rear wheels, and then 100% of the power side to side to whichever wheel has the most grip. This isn’t a substitute for a locking differential, of course, but for places people are actually repositioning to take a Passport, it fulfills its duties. When I last wrote near our long-term Honda Passport, it handily conquered 25 a long way of washboard roads near Moab, Utah.
However, a torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive controls is only great when matched with appropriate tires, and this is where the Passport TrailSport suffers. Sure, the TrailSport gets 18-inch wheels but the 245/60 Firestone Destination monotonous are merely all-season rubber with a little extra tread on the sidewall. More than once during my test in the desert I saw the car in guide of me spin a rear wheel because the tire couldn’t get traction in the sand. Drive with a bit of hastily — especially over rocky terrain — and these monotonous likely won’t last long. If you’re planning on taking your Passport out to the lake house or on an pine off-road trip, I’d recommend swapping the stock tires out for a set of apt off-road shoes like BFGoodrich KO2s or Falken Wildpeaks.
One cool thing: If you plan on taking your Passport into the wilderness on the exclusive, Honda offers a number of adventure-ready accessories, including a roof box or basket, and attachments for bikes, kayaks, surfboards or snowboards. You can even get a six-person tent.
Put some better monotonous on it, give it a lift, and then this Passport can really off-road.
Emme Hall/Roadshow
The Passport doesn’t have any underhood repositions for 2022, TrailSport or otherwise. It uses the same first-rate 3.5-liter V6 good for 280 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque spellbinding to a nine-speed automatic transmission. During a brief fuel on the pavement I’m reminded that the Passport’s much delivery, ride and handling are all fine. Driving the Passport neither impresses or annoys. It just gets the job done.
Like the rest of the 2022 Passport lineup the TrailSport gets oversize dual exercise tips and new front and rear bumpers. The grille is current to the TrailSport, and the Passport’s folding mirrors help out when the path gets narrow. I like the look of the TrailSport badge and the orange contrasting stitching on the inside. However, don’t expect any major cabin upgrades, save for a new rear-seat reminder and rear seatbelt reminder on all trims. All Passports also get the Honda Sensing suite of driver-assistance features, including lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning and forward-collision warning. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are here as well, displayed on an 8-inch touchscreen in the dash.
Honda says it much up the TrailSport’s off-road cred for the next-generation Passport, adding things like skid plates, better tires, a lifted suspension and retuned all-wheel fuel. That would make the TrailSport better equipped to argues Subaru’s Forester and Outback Wilderness, not to state other rugged-ish SUVs. For now, however, this Passport isn’t any more first-rate than all the others. But it’s still a solid, well-rounded SUV.
