The winding passage snakes through narrow canyons scattered with boulders, the product of geologic activity and its location on the edge of a continental plate. We drove it into a remote off-road trail in Ocotillo Wells called Tectonic Gorge. It seems a bit contrived, but as it turns out, the Passport is in fact far more capable off-pavement than we suspected (or most owners will ever experience). The Trailsport’s 8.1-inch ride height and approach and departure angles all remain the same as other trims (21.1 degrees approach, 24.3 departure).
Unlike the Subaru Outback Wilderness, it doesn’t have any real suspension upgrades, just exclusive 18-inch wheels that are more suited to unpaved roads than the standard dubs. The appearance package features a chunkier grille, silver lower fascias that evoke skid plates, some dark chrome trim and amber lighting inside, and orange mountain range logos scattered throughout. Instead, Honda added a new Trailsport trim, starting at $43,695 including destination and offered solely in AWD. Honda’s also dropped the entry-level Sport trim, effectively making the two-row Passport’s starting price of $39,095 (including $1,225 destination), at the EX-L trim level, $1,040 more expensive than the three-row Pilot’s. Like the facelifted Ridgeline, it declares a tougher visage because buyers today want to know they’re pointing a fortress wall in whatever direction their screen-addled meandering takes them. A more upright and squared grille headlines new sheetmetal from the A-pillars forward. You can tell by the changes made to the 2022 Passport how Honda intends to position it.
And yes, I am as sick of hearing about “adventure lifestyle” owners as you might be, but market research does indicate more people are doing outdoorsy things these days, and even if most buyers are just dreaming of doing so, car companies are going to keep catering to that lifestyle, real or not. It hopes, though, that customers will see the Passport as the exciting option, the choice for outdoorsy families. In such a landscape it gets increasingly difficult for a brand like Honda to stand out. The Passport is a result (victim?) of this convergence. You can have any engine you want, as long as it’s a small-displacement turbo four or V6. Cars are already converging into a sort of vague two-box shape with optional AWD. We don’t need to wait for the electric future, though. Specifically, when cars are built on nearly identical skateboard architectures and everything has a 0-60 time of 3 seconds, what’s going to differentiate one marque from another? On the night before our convoy of 2022 Honda Passport Trailsports set out for a day of rock-strewn canyon trails, the dinner conversation turned, as it often does in industry gatherings these days, to the future of the automobile. 2022 Honda Passport Trailsport First Drive | Still not Honda enough And still too much like the Pilot as well
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