Automakers today are really feeling this new rugged, we-are-all-about-adventure trend, slapping off-road details and some extra capabilities to otherwise docile vehicles. The mid-size Honda Passport SUV is no exception, gaining bolder styling features with the 2022 redesign.
SUVs like the new Subaru Outback Wilderness or Explorer Timberline can pull it off — but the Passport?
Honda claims the redesigned Passport is “equally at home on dirt and mud-strewn trails as it is on the highway or twisting mountain roads.” We weren’t aware Passport consumers were traversing mountains and off-roading through mud-strewn trails.
But with the all-new TrailSport in the mix for the first time — a feature borrowed from Honda’s light trucks — perhaps there’s a case for a more versatile and durable 2022 Passport compared to the outgoing model.
Below, a quick 2019 Passport vs 2022 Passport comparison:
6 main changes to the redesigned 2022 Passport
In a nutshell, here’s what is new to the updated Honda SUV:
- From the A-pillars forward, the Passport gains a more aggressive look
- At the rear, expect larger exhaust finishers and a new bumper for a restyled rear design
- Inside the Passport EX-L trim, the cabin now receives contrast stitching on perforated leather seats
- All 2022 Passports now get Rear Seat Reminder and rear seatbelt reminder systems as standard
- For a sportier look, Honda is offering an optional HPD accessories package
- The TrailSport edition ramps things up with standard all-wheel drive (i-VTM4) with torque vectoring abilities; plus, distinct TrailSport interior and exterior styling details, discussed below
Like most of these more rugged family SUVs hitting the market, Honda lifted the 2022 Passport with ground clearance up to 8.1 inches to conquer the unpaved roads (or Walmart parking lot curbs).
Powering the new Honda SUV is a respectable 280-hp, 3.5L V6 engine paired to a 9-speed transmission. Advanced safety and driver-assistive technologies, part of the Honda Sensing system, are all included as standard as well.
Other worthy standard features include Smart Entry and Push-button start, LED headlights, and an 8-inch display audio system equipped with with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration.
What makes the 2022 Passport TrailSport different?
On the styling front, the TrailSport departs from the lineup with a more distinct front grill, bolder front and rear bumpers with skid garnish designs painted silver, all riding on 18-inch wheels with Pewter painted highlights.
It’s not enough to turn heads or solidify the Passport as a bonafide overlander, but the TrailSport’s Honda i-VTM4 torque-vectoring all-wheel drive system does offer credibility, providing improved traction control. Though some owners have had issues with the previous i-VTM4, according the this Passport Forum thread.
The system automatically sends up to 70 percent of the 3.5L V6’s 262 lb.-ft. of torque to the rear wheels, while managing all of that torque between the rear wheels based on driving conditions at each wheel. Towing capacity is rated at 5,000 pounds, which is about average in the mid-size SUV segment.
Takeaway
We’re not sure the 2022 Passport is a true off-roader, the way Honda is pitching it (or as they put it, more rugged exterior design that better matches its true off-road capability).
But the long list of new standard features, the TrailSport’s all-wheel drive, those ‘rugged’ design tweaks, and the sportier new HPD accessories package are welcome additions — and in a competitive mid-size SUV segment, these are all good things.
Interior and exterior 2022 Passport TrailSport pictures
