The 2024 Honda Passport Is An Overlander To Live With

There are countless ways to earn an appeal. Sometimes it's outright ability or fulfilling an untapped niche. Other times, it's sticking to what works. The Honda Passport prefers that approach. While it remains a solid option, its biggest strength also happens to be its Achilles: age. It's what turns dad jokes into just jokes, and it's also what makes the Passport stand out.

Unchanged In Many Ways

A naturally aspirated V6 with a traditional automatic sits underneath, but on the inside, it feels like a crossover from eight years ago. Because it's a crossover from 8 years ago. The previous generation Honda Pilot was an extremely successful vehicle for Honda. So having the Passport the way it is makes sense.

When you have something that performs well, it's scary to make changes to it, but the Passport isn't just marketed as a petite Pilot. Instead, Honda says the Passport offers a top-of-the-line combination of off-road capability, nimble on-road dynamics, and rugged design. They really doubled down on the outdoorsy nature, and it partially backs it up. All-wheel drive is standard, and that comes with a torque-vectoring rear differential. 

For 2024, the Trail Sport gets off-road tuned suspension, a softer rear sway bar, and some respectable all-terrain tires. However, the 8.1 in. of ground clearance remains unchanged. They also didn't tweak the already competent drivetrain. We'll try to get this one stuck later, but this is a sensible car after all, so there's a lot of other things it needs to do.

Pricing And Exterior

First, real people need to be able to afford it. 43 grand to start may seem high, but you get a lot of Honda for that price. LED projector headlights, proximity entry, and a power tailgate—they're all standard. For just a few grand more, you can get the Trail Sport ($45,895), and we actually like its swagger. 

We think the updated front end is the right amount of manly, but we can't help but notice how stubby this is. Its proportions remind me of a German shepherd with short spine syndrome, like they just cut the old pilot short and called it a day. For 2024, the Elite Edition is replaced with the Black Edition ($49,365), which does exactly what you think it would.

Spacious, Versatile and Comfortable Interior

The distinguishing attribute to the Passport's cabin is the absurd passenger space, and that's all thanks to the Pilot's shell. Even at 6 '3, I have enough space to practice jiu jitsu. The storage is equally insane and improved for 2024 with a redesigned center console. There's a variety of door pockets and practical cup holders, and the build quality is spectacular for the price point. Still, nobody is going to confuse this with a luxury car. If you want something upscale, we would definitely recommend the new Mazda CX-70. The materials and aesthetics of the Honda are outclassed by many, in my opinion, but that's not a horrible thing because the cabin feels durable. There's also limited glossy plastic to get dusty and scratched.

On top of feeling ready for abuse, there's a plethora of analog controls. The entertainment system is also straightforward. And while the dashboard and head-unit do look dated, the screen actually has good resolution in response time. What's disappointing is that Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are wired only, and that will not work with the USB-C port. You might knock this off for being old and boring, but we appreciate its simplicity, versatility, and comfort. 

The seats offer great support for a wide variety of people, with a high level of adjustment and standard lumbar control. It also comes standard with leather upholstery, heated front seats, wireless charging, and a seven-speaker stereo system with a subwoofer that has an okay punch. It's fairly crisp, and the high volume experience doesn't leave me yearning for the 10-speaker unit you'll find with the black edition.

If you continue to spec out the Passport, you can get ventilated seats. a heated steering wheel, and ambient lighting. But in no trim is it really all that techy; you're not going to get like a full digital gauge cluster head-up display. However, that's not the appeal here, and we're more happy that the top dog, Black Edition, can still be had for under $50K. 

Even with the front seat in a relaxed position for myself, we still have an excess amount of space in the rear. We do wish the floor was maybe a touch lower for better thigh support, but we're comfortable nonetheless. We still have great storage, plenty of charging options, rear console vents, and because this is wider than a lot of three-row crossovers, the middle seat is not just for passenger timeouts. And if you spend more money, you can get HVAC controls and heated seats in the rear. 

While we kind of wish the seat could recline more, it is nice that in the cargo area you do have release buttons, and it folds nice and flat to accommodate a wide variety of furniture or for an improvised camping setup. They even make space underneath the floor for a nice amount of storage and a compact spare tire, though no full-sizer is available. something that we would have appreciated for the Trail Sport because, after all, this is the tough one that's ready to take on any landscape or poorly placed curve.

Handy But Not Ready To Replace Dedicated Off-Roaders

But can it, though? So the standard all-wheel drive system can send up to 70% of torque to the rear axle. It also comes with torque vectoring, so it can send up to 100% of torque to either one of those rear wheels. And there's the off-road suspension with the Trail Sport that should add articulation because it comes with a softer rear sway bar on top of 15% and 10% softer springs front and rear. All this information comes directly from Honda, and it should work nicely with all-terrain tires. But this is also based on an old three-row crossover, a vehicle that prioritizes handling and comfort.

It will never really replace a 4Runner, but for what most people need and for remote camping, this will be okay. We think if you could find some way to lift it, you would be very happy. And once the Passport has proved that it can indeed hang on just any old, beaten-up path, the softer suspension does make this kind of driving a little bit more tolerable, though still within reason. Obviously, there are much more dedicated off-roaders than this.

Agile For Its Size

Motivating the passport is an engine that traces its roots back to before I was born. It's a 3.5L naturally aspirated V6 with VTEC, the traditional kind that kicks in at 5500 RPM, and you can really hear that changeover. It's paired up with a 9-speed automatic. We think the benefit is not only the sound but also the linear power delivery that you get with the traditional automatic and no forced induction. Everything about this feels natural, and it's also been proven at this point as well, but we'll talk about that more later. 

The only downside is that, especially when you're at about 6,000 feet in elevation, you really do need to tap into VTEC to get this thing to hustle. Whereas the turbocharged competition has a big leg up when it comes to mid-range power, even if their peak numbers are lower. Push it to the max, and it will get to 60 in under 7 seconds—something that we definitely will not achieve at high elevation, but let's try it anyway. 0 to 60 and 7.9 seconds at high elevation with two adults in the car is commendable. While the transmission is usually smooth from takeoff and it shifts seamlessly, it's hesitant to kick down gears unless you're bold with your right foot. 

Put the passport into economy mode, and the throttle pedal will feel more like a suggestion. Though we've gotten used to it over the past week, and this has allowed me to get 22 miles to the gallon at high elevation by going up mountains and idling an unrealistic amount. The EPA ratings still aren't all that impressive. This can tow 5,000 lb., which puts it on par with basically any three-row crossover and the Toyota 4Runner, funnily enough

Pulling up to highway speed at 65 mph, the all-terrain tires do speak up a little bit, but compared to something like a CRV, we think this is a little bit more serene at speed. And it gets even better with the acoustic front windows of the Black Edition. 

You would expect a midsize vehicle with three-row underpinnings to be soft and bodish which would work out in its favor on a bad road, but the passport actually opts against that. It reacts quickly to imperfections and potholes, always feeling stable, and we wouldn't characterize the ride as jittery either, but it is more firm than we were expecting. You feel all of the imperfections. As a result, a mangled backroad can be a nuisance, but a smooth one is a pleasure. 

The body roll is under control in the passport; it's stable and direct. while the steering is numb and it doesn't really build up a whole lot in weight. It's very precise, and the Passport is ready to change direction. Compared to other cars that offer this much space, this one is agile. On top of being easy to maneuver around corners, it's easy to see out of with these large windows and sizable windshields that's not all that far away.

Reliability And Safety

When it comes to reliability, this should be better than average. The J-series V6 was introduced in the 1998 model year for the Accord. Obviously, it's seen many adaptations over the years. This one does have cylinder deactivation, a technology that used to have problems with Hondas, but it's not something that's really reported here. 

The 3.5L V6 has been highly dependable during its stint in the passport, but the name plate has some issues. According to carcomplaints.com, with NHTSA reports for its first year back in 2019, the transmission would shift into neutral automatically due to a since-fixed bug. There were also reports of auto-stop-start failures and select complaints with the AC. All of these issues largely dropped off in 2020, but infotainment and electrical bugs persisted in a smaller quantity. Consumer Reports data largely backs this up, but owner reviews on Cars.com show a high satisfaction rate, which reassures me. So if reliability is of the utmost importance to you, we would happily recommend a Honda Passport, or, as the forums lovingly label it, the "PP.”. 

Safety-wise the Passport old bones prevent it from any top safety pick status. It'll come with the usual active driving AIDS, though the lane centering could use a little bit more refinement and the parking sensors are inconsistent; sometimes they're unbothered by 18 inches of concrete, other times snow sends them into psychosis.

Not Just A Jack Of All Trades But A Master Of Several

We don't have a whole lot of beef with the Honda Passport. It advertises itself as a rugged go-anywhere vehicle, and it does give you some pretty good capability, but ultimately it's a compromise. It leaves in most of the utility that you would get with a three-row crossover, not just with the passenger and cargo space but also with the insane amount of storage and little family-oriented details. However, the old Pilot's Bones have made it feel dated, not just with the tech or design but with the ride quality too. A Subaru Outback or even the archaic Toyota 4Runner are noticeably more forgiving. 

If it were based on the new pilot, neither of those things would likely be an issue. Its wild side is also a bit exaggerated. Even with the new trail sport that made legitimate improvements to the ground clearance, off-road angles, and lack of underbody protection without accessorizing, prevents this from reaching Subaru Wilderness levels of seriousness.

So there are better off-roaders (Toyota 4Runner), more comfortable rides (Subaru Outback), more engaging driving dynamics (Mazda CX-70), and most of its competitors also feel more fresh. You could choose which attribute is most important to you and make a decision from there, but the passport does what Honda does best. multifaceted strength. You could call it a jack of all trades, but it's a master of several too. 

It's hard to beat the versatility and handling of the Passport with this footprint. Its proven powertrain is potent, and the build quality can't be knocked off for under $50K. It also doesn't fall flat on its face in terms of value, ease of use, or off-road capability, especially in the Trail Sport kit.

It's one of Honda's worst-selling models because of its aging underpinnings and cabin. However, after living with it and its flaws, we think it deserves so much more. We're not necessarily saying it should sell better, but it does deserve a well-thought-out redesign. We think Honda is really on to something, but until then, if you want a nice, extremely practical crossover with traditional values and you're willing to accept its wrinkles, consider a “PP.”