Perfect is a powerful word. When applied to a vehicle in a review, it gets a little tricky because as soon as you test a vehicle, its replacement is already being designed and planned by that same automaker. Perfect has a way of evolving over time.
The Straight Pipes called the Passport Perfect in the title of their review.
TFL said in its review, “Seriously, for what I’d want in a well-rounded daily driver, the 2026 Honda Passport is almost perfect.”
Many other publications pointed out aspects of the Passport and called those perfect. Included were the cameras and the folding table that stores in the cargo area.
So, based on our testing, would we call the 2026 Honda Passport “Perfect?” For many buyers, YES!
2026 Honda Passport TrailSport Elite - What Is It?
The all-new 2026 Passport is a large, five-passenger sport utility vehicle. It’s big everywhere. All five seats are roomy, and the cargo capacity is huge. TrailSport means this is the off-pavement-capable version, and Elite means it has all the fancy bits layered onto the TrailSport trim.
2026 Honda Passport TrailSport Elite - What’s It Cost?
The TrailSport Elite we tested had a price, including Destination and Handling, of $54,355. Be sure to budget about $500 for dealer Doc Fees on top of that price. Our view is that this is a great price for what you get.
2026 Honda Passport TrailSport Elite - Powertrain & Fuel Economy
The new for ‘26 Passport has a 3.5-liter engine that can deliver 262 lb-ft of torque. It is matched up to a 10-speed automatic transmission, and it has seven distinct drive modes, including Snow and Sport. The EPA says the Combined Estimate is just 20 MPG, but we observed 27 MPG in suburban and rural driving. The Passport uses Regular gas.
2026 Honda Passport TrailSport Elite - The Drive
The Passport is a comfortable and very capable-feeling SUV. However, it is large, and that impacts its fun-to-drive factor a bit. Off pavement, larger is not better. On suburban and rural roads, the Passport TrailSport is quiet and handles nicely. On the highway, the all-terrain tires hum a bit.
Starting off, the Passport isn’t snappy, but it’s got enough torque to move you along nicely. The naturally-aspirated engine is smooth, but the peak torque is way up in the higher rev range, where most suburban drivers never venture.
Overall, the Passport feels roomy, satisfying, and safe on the road.
2026 Honda Passport TrailSport Elite - Interesting Features
I’m that guy who writes all the spare tire stories. The Passport gets my thumbs up for having a spare standard on every trim, and you can order an additional full-size spare if you wish. It ends up being mounted in the cargo area. There is also a table that you can deploy.
As nifty as those are, my favorite feature was the driver-dash display. On the left, you can call up an elevation screen. It even plots your elevation changes. So cool. On the right, you can watch tire pressure or have a mini-Google Maps display. This is the best SUV driver display on the market today, and it’s not even close.
2026 Honda Passport TrailSport Elite - Infotainment and Interior
Honda offers Google Maps built in, but the great news is you can also use Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. We used both and they worked perfectly. Google built-in makes no sense to me as an infotainment super-user. You may feel differently if you’re that person without a mobile phone.
We can honestly say that the Bose audio was the best Bose-provided system we have heard.
2026 Honda Passport TrailSport Elite - So, Is It Perfect?
As a roomy family SUV with off-pavement capability and a conventional powertrain, yes, the 2026 Honda Passport is perfect. However, the Passport could be a bit snappier and provide a better MPG rating. For this vehicle to be perfect in my mind, it would have a hybrid powertrain with about 50% better fuel economy and 50% more torque at 1,500 RPMs. If you drive the Passport and like the engine and transmission’s torque delivery, buy it. The vehicle is perfect in nearly every respect.
John Goreham is a long-standing member of the New England Motor Press Association and an expert vehicle tester. John completed an engineering program with a focus on electric vehicles, followed by two decades of work in high-tech, biopharma, and the automotive supply chain before becoming a news contributor. He is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE int). In addition to his eleven years of work at Torque News, John has published thousands of articles and reviews at American news outlets. He is known for offering unfiltered opinions on vehicle topics. You can connect with John on LinkedIn and follow his work on his personal X channel or on our X channel. Please note that stories carrying John's by-line are never AI-generated, but he does employ grammar and punctuation software when proofreading and he also uses image generation tools.
