Yahoo Autos These Are The 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport's Best Design Details And Cleverest Features
Honda just unveiled the 2026 Passport, which is described as its most off-road capable SUV ever. No longer just a Pilot with a shorter rear end, the new Passport is a fantastic piece of boxy design — I think it’s Honda’s best design in years, and certainly its most interesting U.S.-market crossover ever. I recently got to spend time in a studio with three different Passport TrailSports, including one that has a bunch of factory accessories (the green one), so I could talk to designers and product planners and learn all about this new SUV, and to capture these wonderful photos for you Jalops.
Click through to see all of the clever features and cool design details of the 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport, and read our full reveal story for all the details.
Cute Face
I mean, just look at it! It’s so cute! TrailSport models get those amber running lights, plus that hood scoop, different bumper designs with the silver skid plate elements, big orange tow hooks, thicker fender flares and other different trim pieces.
Cute Booty
The Passport reminds me of the JDM Crossroad, one of my favorite Honda designs. You can get letter badges that fit inside those indents as an accessory. I’d just get the second, third and fourth letters.
Backpack Style
Honda says the Passport TrailSport was designed to look like a hiking backpack, with the roof rails being its straps. The new Passport has an almost three-inch-longer wheelbase than before, and its proportions are great.
Form And Function
That black trim piece isn’t just for style’s sake, it’s so you can safely lean things like fishing poles or skis against your Passport without damaging the paint.
OK, Not Everything Is Functional
The TrailSport’s “hood scoop” is just for show, but it does look cool.
Chunky Wheels
Every 2026 Passport has 18-inch wheels, but TrailSports have wider wheels that wear 31-inch General Grabber all-terrain tires with a specific compound. The above wheels are the standard TrailSport offering, while the ones below are for the fancier TrailSport Elite, and the black wheels on the green Passport beneath that are a Honda accessory design.
Gotta Have Protection
In addition to the standard underbody skid plates made from thick steel that protect the gas tank, oil pan and transmission, Honda will offer further accessories like additional skid plate elements and rock rails. Also, the wheel valve stems are sunken so you don’t knock them off when off-roading, and the exhaust is tucked underneath the rear bumper so you don’t knock that off either.
Color!
The standard interior color scheme is black with orange accents, but you can get this lovely brown on the TrailSport Elite. Check out how cool the floor mats are!
Material Mix
The standard TrailSport has a mix of synthetic leather and grey fabric that looks and feels really nice. I also like the geographic trim pieces and the rubber surfaces that have a topographical map design. No matter what interior color you go for, the TrailSports all have orange stitching and accents.
Room For Activities
The 2026 Passport has a ton of cargo space, and Honda has a lot of clever solutions back there. As you can see in the above photo, the left side of the underfloor storage is big enough to put a generator in, while the ride side holds the spare tire. Cubbies on the sides hold 32-ounce water bottles and can be fitted with MOLLE racks, and there are mounting points for other accessories.
An Unexpected Throwback
Honda offering a full-size spare that mounts in the cargo area like on an old ’90s SUV was not on my 2024 bingo card.
The Table Is Back!
The second-generation CR-V iconically was available with a plastic table that could stow in the cargo area, and Honda has brought that idea back as an accessory for the 2026 Passport. This might just look like a normal rubberized cargo shelf with a cool topographical design, but you can pop it out of the car, attach the included set of four legs and turn it into a table. As a cargo shelf it can only hold 44 pounds, but as a table Honda says it can hold 300 pounds. It’s pretty lightweight and easy to remove, and it’s also able to be lifted via the rear hinges to access your stuff.
