The Honda Passport RTL Is the One You Need, Not the One You Want
The basic Passport has less off-road kit than the TrailSport, but no less fundamental SUV goodness.
Pros
- Excellent AWD system
- Great interior layout and space
- Stylish exterior
Cons
- Lacks typical Honda dynamic verve
- Fuel economy isn’t great
- TrailSport looks cooler
Sorry to crush your dreams, but you probably don’t need a Honda Passport TrailSport. We get it, the off-road version of Honda’s remixed midsizer has a rugged vibe and real capability to go with it. Provided you actually use it. Which you probably won't.
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This isn’t to suggest you shouldn’t get a Passport. It’s to suggest you get the right one. Unless you're buying a rig to support an active off-road lifestyle, the entry-level Passport RTL is plenty of SUV for daily needs—and beyond.
Is TrailSport Worth It?
Compared to the Passport RTL, the TrailSport gains off-road-tuned suspension, all-terrain tires, and underbody skidplates. It looks proper perched on that chunky rubber, as orange headlight accents, tow hooks, and badges add flash for typically low-key Honda. Other minor trim and equipment differences are inconsequential for trail driving. All this makes the TrailSport start at $3,700 more than the RTL.
Fundamentally, though, every 2026 Passport is identical, sharing a chassis, powertrain, and sizing. That explains their similar results in on-pavement performance tests.
The Quicker Passport
Honda’s new 3.5-liter V-6 produces 285 hp and 262 lb-ft of torque, which goes through a 10-speed automatic transmission to AWD. With that, the Passport RTL accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in 7.1 seconds, a bit quicker than the TrailSport’s 7.7-second result. The RTL’s 15.5-second, 91.2-mph quarter mile barely beats the TrailSport’s 15.9-second, 89.0-mph pass. Neither version is fast, but they can basically get out of their own way.
Both brake from 60 to 0 mph in 125 feet—surprising, given the TrailSport’s open-tread tires. The lighter-weight, all-season-equipped RTL might be expected to have an advantage.
How the TrailSport’s off-road equipment doesn’t massively impact its performance is notable. Although it’s heavier and wears sturdier boots, it can practically keep up with the RTL. Still, that doesn’t mean it’s a wash to choose one over the other.
The Better Passport?
Don’t overlook how similar the RTL and TrailSport really are. Ground clearance and approach and departure angles are the same on both. Drive modes for towing and different off-road surfaces are shared.
Likewise, they have the same i-VTM4 all-wheel drive. This excellent system actively shifts torque front to rear and side to side to provide stability and control. Loose surfaces are where it shines—which the RTL demonstrated by getting through a deep sand pit as easily as the TrailSport.
How peaky the engine is, though, leaves power delivery suboptimal for low-speed driving on trails or city streets. There’s little torque available unless the engine can rev out, which the transmission wants to stifle for efficiency. Keeping ahead of traffic or chugging up a hill requires coaxing the engine, although using the paddle shifters or Sport mode helps. A turbocharger or hybrid system would improve drivability, as well as the Passport’s mediocre fuel economy.
Honda makes some great-driving vehicles, but the Passport follows its adventurous side down a different dynamic path. The steering is relaxed with little on-center feel. The brake pedal is long and vague. In the RTL, ride quality is slightly firmer than the TrailSport due to its less squishy suspension and tires, but it’s still comfortable. Quieter, too, thanks to rubber meant more for rolling smoothly over pavement than digging into dirt.
Any Passport Is a Good SUV
Honda designed the interior to accommodate all kinds of activities, and lots of thought clearly went into the layout. The button-adorned dashboard is very user-friendly, and there seems to be a storage area for all the things you didn’t know you needed to bring along. This Honda is tremendously roomy, exemplifying a box-on-wheels approach that doesn’t let cubic feet cramp style. Materials in the RTL aren’t as expressive as in the TrailSport, but all feel high-quality and durable.
This cabin shows how the Passport succeeds without gimmicks: Rather than try anything unusual, the SUV embodies familiar bits of Honda from the last few years. In that way it comes across as approachable and sensible, reasons enough to consider it as a do-it-all daily.
Honda didn’t stop there. It also gave the Passport real capability. A modern engine would better suit it, but the tenacious AWD and favorable measurements mean it’s more prepared for unpaved driving than the typical midsize SUV. The RTL has those chops, and the numbers prove it finds certain advantages over the TrailSport. Sure, the performance differences are negligible, but the price difference isn’t.
Personality is where the TrailSport finds an edge. It comes across as cooler and more fun, because it is. We get why that makes it the Passport you want—us, too. But for all the Passport you likely need, the RTL is it.
Alex's earliest memory is of a teal 1993 Ford Aspire, the car that sparked his automotive obsession. He's never driven that tiny hatchback—at six feet, 10 inches tall, he likely wouldn't fit—but has assessed hundreds of other vehicles, sharing his insights on MotorTrend as a writer and video host.
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