Here’s the thing about the 2025 Honda Passport Trailsport—it’s built like it wants to climb mountains, but most of us are just trying to survive the end of the Clean Air stickers. After spending a week with this rugged-looking SUV, I can tell you it handles both scenarios better than you’d expect, even if the most challenging terrain we encountered was the perpetual construction zone on the 210 freeway.
Let’s talk about what’s under the hood, because this is where Honda got it right. The 3.5-liter V6 pumps out 280 horsepower, and unlike some of the turbocharged competition that feels sluggish until the boost kicks in, this engine delivers power exactly when you ask for it. No waiting, no lag—just smooth, immediate response whether you’re merging into 70-mph traffic or accelerating past that person who thinks 45 mph is the speed limit.
The nine-speed automatic transmission deserves special mention here. While other manufacturers seem to think more gears automatically equals better performance, Honda actually tuned this one properly. It doesn’t hunt for gears like a confused teenager on the first day of working that computer gizmo thing at the drive-thru window at Jack-in-the-Box. The transmission just works, shifting smoothly and staying in the right gear for whatever you’re doing.
You know how some SUVs look tough but feel flimsy when you actually use them? The Passport Trailsport isn’t one of those. This thing feels substantial in a way that makes you confident it could handle whatever you throw at it. The doors close with a satisfying thunk, the interior materials feel like they’ll survive years of coffee spills and muddy shoes, and the overall construction quality reminds you why a Honda is a Honda.
The Trailsport trim adds some genuine capability too. With 8.1 inches of ground clearance and a suspension that’s been tweaked for off-road duty, it’s ready for more than just parking lot speed bumps. Sure, it’s not going to out-crawl a Jeep Wrangler on the Rubicon Trail, but for the 99% of us whose idea of off-roading is a gravel parking lot at the trailhead, it’s more than capable.
Where the Passport really shines, is that it’s genuinely practical. The cargo area is massive, swallowing up everything from Costco runs to camping gear with room to spare. We’re talking 41 cubic feet with the seats up, which is more than most of its competitors can manage. Fold those rear seats down and you’ve got 78 cubic feet of space. That’s enough room to move a small apartment’s worth of stuff.
The seating is comfortable for real people, not just the perfectly proportioned models in the brochure photos. The front seats have enough adjustment to accommodate everyone from a petite spouse to a basketball-playing teenager. The rear seats actually have legroom, which is apparently a revolutionary concept in some SUVs.
The dashboard layout makes sense, too. The 8-inch touchscreen is positioned where you can actually see it without taking your eyes off the road for dangerous amounts of time. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto work seamlessly, and the climate controls are still actual buttons and knobs instead of being buried in touchscreen menus.
The Trailsport doesn’t scream for attention like some SUVs that seem designed by a committee to look “aggressive.” Instead, it has a purposeful, no-nonsense appearance that suggests capability without resorting to fake vents and unnecessary plastic cladding. The blacked-out trim and 18-inch wheels with all-terrain tires give it just enough visual toughness without looking like it’s trying to compensate for something.
In a world where the Ford Bronco and Jeep Wrangler get all the off-road glory, the Passport Trailsport takes a different approach. It’s the practical choice for people who want capability but don’t want to sacrifice comfort for the sake of looking rugged.
The Bronco and Wrangler are undeniably more capable off-road, but they’re also louder, less refined, and frankly, less comfortable for daily driving. The Chevrolet Blazer offers similar on-road manners but can’t match the Passport’s cargo space or towing capacity. The Nissan Murano is more car-like but lacks the ruggedness that makes the Passport special.
What Honda has created is something different—an SUV that can handle weekend adventures without making your weekday commute miserable. It’s the Swiss Army knife of midsize SUVs: not the absolute best at any one thing, but really good at everything you actually need it to do.
Honda keeps things simple with three trim levels. The EX-L gives you everything you need, the Black Edition adds some visual flair and premium features, and the Trailsport (our test vehicle) is the one to get if you want the most capability. All come with the same V6 engine and all-wheel drive, so you’re not sacrificing power for features or vice versa.
After a week of daily driving, the 2025 Honda Passport Trailsport proved itself to be exactly what most people actually need: a reliable, capable, and practical SUV that doesn’t require you to make compromises. It’s not the flashiest option in the segment, and it won’t win any drag races, but it will get you where you need to go comfortably and reliably, whether that’s the grocery store or the mountains.
In a market full of SUVs that try to be everything to everyone, the Passport Trailsport succeeds by being really good at the things that matter most. Sometimes, that’s exactly what you want.
