Previewing the 2026 Honda Passport: A New Contender for Best Off-Road SUV

Ever since the unveiling of the 2026 Passport a few months ago, it’s been billed as “the best Honda off-road SUV.”

Taking a gander at its specs, we’re keen to agree.

The Honda Passport has always been a discerning choice for shoppers near Oxnard, CA who want a safe, dependable, and affordable vehicle, and it’s garnered a reputation as one of the best midsize SUVs of the 21^st Century. Now, it’s breaking new ground by becoming one of the most capable family SUVs on the market. Read on to find out how.

2026 Honda Passport Exterior: A Bold New Look

The Passport’s ground-up redesign is immediately evident from the moment you lay eyes on it—in fact, it almost looks like a totally different vehicle. The exterior has been completely overhauled with sharper lines and more imposing body panels to match its newfound capabilities.

It’s now an inch wider and has an almost 3-inch longer wheelbase than the previous generation, giving it a sturdier, more aggressive stance while still maintaining maneuverability.

Many intuitive minor touches have been added to the exterior to give it more off-road practicality too, like the integrated antenna, which was given a lower profile to prevent damage from low-hanging branches. It also incorporates a matte black rear section of the roof designed to protect against scratches and dings.

There will be eight available colors for the 2026 Honda Passport when it launches, including two new ones: Ash Green Metallic and Sunset Orange.

2026 Honda Passport Interior: A Spacious Ride

Thanks to its larger proportions, the 2026 Passport offers significantly more space and utility inside the cabin.

There’s more room than ever for passengers, especially in the second row, where total leg room has grown by almost an inch and a half. It may not seem like a huge difference, but trust us, you’ll notice it.

It also now has up to 44.0 cubic feet of storage behind the second row, as well as a larger underfloor cargo storage area. With the rear seats folded flat, the storage capacity nearly doubles to 83.5 cubic feet, which is about a 6 cubic foot increase over the 2025 model year. This makes the new Passport perfect for all manner of outdoor activities, from car camping to mountain biking.

The cabin is full of other thoughtful additions, like two-tiered door storage bins, a passenger-side instrument shelf, and ample cubby and console storage for devices and other sensitive items.

2026 Honda Passport Infotainment: A Focus on Tech

With the full-on redesign, Honda took the opportunity to include a heaping helping of new tech features, many of which come standard across all trims.

All 2026 Passport models now feature a large 12.3-inch center touch screen display, which allows for crisp and responsive connection to media and navigation. Other standard features include Google built-in, a 5G in-vehicle Wi-Fi hotspot, wireless Apple CarPlay®/Android Auto™, and wireless device charging.

There are also ample opportunities for wired charging thanks to the two standard USB-C ports. TrailSport-designated models also get two 110-volt outlets for more robust electrical capacity, one in the center console, and one in the rear cargo area.

2026 Honda Passport Safety: A More Secure Journey

To supplement the Passport’s raucous capability, the Honda Advance Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) architecture has been beefed up to provide greater safety in case of a crash. It also has eight standard airbags, including an award-winning passenger airbag design.

The lauded Honda Sensing® suite of driver assistance features has been given some upgrades, too. New camera and radar technology enable a wider field of detection and more precise response time. The Adaptive Cruise Control with Low-Speed Follow, Lane Keeping Assist, and Blind Spot Information systems have all been improved, and features like Traffic Jam Assist and Traffic Sign Recognition have been added as standard issue.

2026 Honda Passport Specs: A More Powerful Passport

At the heart of the 2026 Passport’s brawny powertrain is a new 3.5-liter V6 engine, which cranks out 285 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque, and is mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission with standard paddle shifters.

As with the previous model year, all 2026 Passports also come standard with Intelligent Variable Torque Management (i-VTM4™) all-wheel drive for maximum traction and stability, whether you’re roughing around in the backcountry or just trying to get to the store on a snow day.

New drive modes have been added to the roster—the list now includes Normal, Econ, Sport, Snow, Sand, Trail, and Tow, all standard. The Passport can still easily tow 5,000 pounds, which is ample for tons of uses like hauling campers and boat trailers.

Other components have been substantially upgraded as well, including the brakes and suspension, which have been reworked to make the Passport a true off-road vehicle and not just a weekend warrior.

2026 Honda Passport Trims: A New Selection and TrailSport Elite

Currently, three trims have been confirmed for the 2026 Passport upon its release:

·       RTL

·       TrailSport

·       TrailSport Elite

The RTL serves as the “base” model, while the upper-tier trims receive a few extra bells and whistles. The TrailSport gets unique off-road suspension and underbody skid plates for extra on-trail protection, while the TrailSport Elite gets all of that plus the new TrailWatch™ feature, which uses four exterior camera views to aid in navigating sketchy ground. TrailWatch™ automatically activates at speeds below 15 miles per hour for an intuitive and hassle-free experience.

2026 Honda Passport: Coming Soon to Goleta, CA

An exact release date has yet to be confirmed, but we expect to see the fourth-gen Passport at Santa Barbara Honda sometime early next year. Honda has confirmed that its starting price will be “in the mid-$40,000s.”

We can hardly wait for this rough and ready addition to the Honda lineup! If you’re as excited as we are and you’d like to receive updates about preordering the 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport, contact us online or give us a call at (805) 755-4657.

Or, if you just can’t wait, you can come to our lot located at 475 Kellogg Avenue, Goleta, CA 93117 and browse our wide selection of new vehicles right now. Don’t forget to ask about our Military Appreciation Offer!