LIKES
- Big interior space
- Refined highway driver
- Works fine in moderate off-roading
- Standard safety gear
DISLIKES
- 9-speed automatic gets confused
- Not much bigger than CR-V
- No low-ratio four-wheeling
- TrailSport doesn't include off-road upgrades
BUYING TIP
The 2022 Passport adds a new TrailSport trim that looks more rugged, but doesn’t offer any off-road upgrades.
What kind of vehicle is the 2022 Honda Passport? What does it compare to?
The Passport is the mid-size, two-row cousin of the three-row Pilot, with more rugged styling that hints at its greater off-road capability thanks to a raised suspension and greater approach/departure angles. It competes against a range of two-row mid-size crossovers, from the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Subaru Outback, to the Toyota 4Runner.
Is the 2022 Honda Passport a good car/SUV?
The Passport earns a TCC Rating of 6.3 out of 10, with its minor refresh not moving the needle much from its 6.0 score last year. Though the Passport has off-road dreams, most of its points come from its spacious interior and strong safety features.
What's new for the 2022 Honda Passport?
The Passport gets a small refresh for the 2022 model year that changes up the front styling to make it more truck-like. It has been restyled from the A-pillar forward with a new hood and squared-off grille that make the Passport look more like the Ridgeline than the Pilot. There’s a new rear bumper as well to make room for larger exhaust tips (though the sound will remain the same). Wheel designs are all new and top out at 20 inches. A Honda Performance Development (HPD) styling package, including a new grille, black fender flares, wheels, and HPD graphics, is now optional.
The Passport still shares its 280-hp, 3.5-liter V-6 with the Pilot, along with a 9-speed automatic. Front-wheel drive comes standard on the EX-L, with AWD standard on the TrailSport and Elite.
Feature updates are minimal. Rear seat/seat belt reminders are now standard and EX-L models add wireless smartphone charging. Honda grants Pilot-like space to five people in the Passport; rear seats and rear-seat space are especially good, as is storage inside the Passport’s center console. The front seats could use more shape, but the expansive cargo hold maxes out around 78 cubic feet; if you can fill it for a weekend jaunt, you’re probably on the tiny-house vector and just don’t know it yet.
An 8.0-inch multimedia display is standard, with Apple CarPlay and Android auto. Each trim level of the Passport also comes with automatic emergency braking, active lane control, and adaptive cruise control.
How much does the 2022 Honda Passport cost?
The Passport has dropped the Sport and Touring trims for 2022, making the EX-L the new base model. Its price has gone up as well in the refresh, making it $39,095 to hop into the most affordable Passport now (versus less than $34,000 for a Sport a year ago). Tack on an extra $2,100 to get all-wheel drive. That’s followed by the Trailsport at $43,695 and the Elite at $45,430, both of which come with AWD standard.
Where is the 2022 Honda Passport made?
The Passport will be produced alongside the Pilot, Ridgeline, and Odyssey at Honda’s plant in Lincoln, Alabama.
Styling
The new TrailSport trim looks even more rugged.
With a meaner grille and a stubby tail, the 2022 Passport doesn’t look identical to the long, tapered three-row Pilot. It’s comely, but not a ground-breaker. We give it a 5 for styling.
Is the Honda Passport a good-looking SUV?
At about 190 inches from nose to tail, the Passport’s big for its mission, and Honda pulls some styling tricks out of its toolbox to make it look shorter and different than the Pilot. The front end has an unpainted chin that reads like three-day beard growth. From the side the Pilot family resemblance is unmistakable, but the Passport cuts its own outline with a thick slash at the tail that connects the roof and fenders.
The interior of the Passport hardly changes from that in the Pilot. It’s fine: it’s a well-organized work space with a low, open feel, and a wide and deep center console. A lot of dark and black trim could use some relief, though. A nicely sized 8.0-inch touchscreen does come newly standard for 2022.
Performance
The Passport has some off-road capability, but it’s best attributes shine through on the pavement.
The Passport is Honda’s most off-road oriented vehicle, more so than the Pilot thanks to its added ground clearance and shortened overhangs. That makes it suitable for trail duty, but the hardcore stuff should still be left to the Wrangler and Bronco. It earns a 6 for performance, thanks to an above average ride.
Is the Honda Passport 4WD?
Yes, AWD is optional on the EX-L, but standard on the TrailSport and Elite trims.
The Passport shares its 3.5-liter V-6 with 9-speed automatic powertrain with several Honda models. That engine makes 280 hp and that gives the Passport more than enough oomph for day-to-day driving, though the 9-speed automatic can feel a step behind at times with delayed downshifts.
Though it has off-road styling, the Passport is best suited for highway driving where its quiet cabin and smooth ride make it easy to chew up miles with minimal effort. It’ll clamber over Moab’s red rocks without too much agita, but it’s happier getting to the trailhead than it is picking its way over the trail.
There are a few different off-road driving modes—Sand, Snow, and Mud— that change the powertrain’s behavior and traction control settings. The Passport does feature 8.1 inches of ground clearance (on all-wheel-drive versions), but the lack of a transfer case or lockable axles means that any kind of crawling is a change.
Comfort & Quality
The Passport ditches a third-row for a spacious rear cargo area.
The Passport’s ability to fit five adults, good rear seats, and large rear cargo area all earn an additional point to give it an 8.
Though the Passport deletes the third-row seat and is about six inches shorter than the Pilot on which it’s based, interior room for both passengers and cargo are an area in which the SUV excels. The front seats are a bit flat on the bottom, more cushioning would help them to be more comfortable. Leather is standard now on all trim levels.
Move to the backseat and things improve, the bench provides ample support and there is 39.6 inches of rear leg room—plenty of space for even three adults to sit back there without too much cramming.
Safety
The Passport earns good crash scores and comes with solid standard safety features.
How safe is the Honda Passport?
With a strong set of standard safety features and good crash scores from the ratings agencies, the Passport earns an 8.
It earned a full five-star overall rating from the NHTSA, though it only got four stars for its frontal crash impact performance. The IIHS gave it a “Good” crash test rating for all but the small overlap front test, where it earned an “Acceptable” grade.
Features
Moving up the base trim to the EX-L adds many features, but at a cost.
By axing the Sport trim, the base price of the Passport has gone up significantly but that does give it a big jump up on standard equipment. It earns a point for its long standard features list, as well as its large standard touchscreen (8.0 inches) to give it a 7.
Which Honda Passport should I buy?
The answer is the same as last year, the EX-L. Its 8.0-inch touchscreen features Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, a big step up from the dinky 5.0-inch screen that used to be standard in the Sport. It also features leather upholstery, a power liftgate, heated front seats, roof rails, and a wireless charger.
There’s less of a case to be made for the new TrailSport model, unless you really want the cosmetic upgrades and badging.
How much is a fully loaded Honda Passport?
That’d be the Elite model at nearly $47,000. For that, you add cooled front seats, heated rear seats, automatic wipers, hands-free power tailgate, and an upgraded sound system.
Fuel Economy
The Passport’s gas mileage leaves something to be desired.
Is the Honda Passport good on gas?
No, it is not. The FWD models earn the best EPA ratings, 20 mpg city, 25 highway, 22 combined. With AWD, those numbers don’t go down much: 19/24/21 mpg. That earns the Passport a 4.
A hybrid version of the Passport would go a long way to alleviating some of these problems, like Toyota has done with its two-row mid-size crossover, the Venza.
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