Often, when a new generation of mainstream car goes on sale, it’s a few hundred dollars more than the old one. Consumers are price sensitive above all else, and not rocking the boat too much is a great way of angling for future sales success. The boxy new 2026 Honda Passport? It’s a few thousand dollars more than the old one, which doesn’t seem great considering how we’ve all been squeezed over the past few years.
Setting price aside, the new Honda Passport seems pretty swell. It’s still essentially a cut-down two-row sibling to the Pilot, and it starts with handsome, squared-off new styling and a great front end, more rear legroom than before, and more cargo space as well. Then it adds a new V6 with hydraulic lifters that won’t require periodic valve adjustment, a beefier Trailsport trim with actual skid plates and recovery hooks, and optional General all-terrain tires. However, we can’t just set price aside. We aren’t talking million-dollar hypercars here, we’re talking crossovers for real families, and Passport families better be bringing in that cheddar to upgrade to the new one.
Let’s start with the base Passport RTL, which stickers for $46,200 including freight, or $2,350 more than before. Sure, it does add wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which were wired on the old model, but it also takes away full-leather seats. As for options on the new Passport, the towing package is a no-brainer for an extra $700, but the $1,200 upcharge for the RTL Blackout appearance package doesn’t seem like the best use of funds.
Moving up the range, the Otterbox-style Trailsport does gain some extra off-road gear for the new generation, and it comes with nice creature comforts like a panoramic sunroof and a heated windshield, but it also rings in at $49,900 including freight, or $3,450 more than the old one. Oh, and if you want blacked-out trim on top of that, tack another $1,200 onto the price tag.
The top-trim Honda Passport for the outgoing model year was the Black Edition, which basically murdered out all the trim and piled on the options, adding such amenities as a premium audio system, ventilated front seats, and a hands-free tailgate. Well, for 2026, things are a bit different. The top Passport Trailsport Elite trim now builds on the off-roady mid-range trim, and a blacked-out visual treatment is optional on top of that. If you’re looking for a full-jam Gotham-spec Passport, the new Trailsport Elite Blackout costs a whopping $55,100 including freight – that’s $5,180 more than last year’s Black Edition model. If you wish to skip the Autozone-ish visual treatment, you can get a Trailsport Elite without the black trim for $53,900, which cuts the year-over-year delta to $3,980.
Still, that’s a big price jump. In fact, all trims see pretty big price increases for the new generation, which is cause for trepidation in an age of increased focus on affordability. As it stands, $46,200 to $55,100 is a lot of money to spend on a family car, especially when you can buy a Hyundai Santa Fe or Subaru Outback for a lot less coin. The new Honda Passport looks pretty good, but I worry about its pricing. It was already expensive for a mainstream midsize crossover, but four-figure increases threaten to push it out of reach of more people.
Top graphic image: Honda
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Honda you’re dead to me!!!
Hydraulic lifters baby! Welcome to the new age!
(I know Honda dealers could make a lot of money on valve adjustments but does anybody actually get it done as a maintenance item?)
I have a Texas ranchette (75acres). The creek crossing requires about 19.7° approach and 20.8° departure angles. It does not require awd/4wd or all that much ground clearance (7.3″ suffices). I know the stats, because my wife’s 2021 pilot manages without issue. I’m shopping around, and this is a weirdly difficult minimum requirement to meet. All I want is smaller suv without a big honking nose. So far I’m only confident of the kia seltos, ford bronco sport, and subaru forester wilderness. Maybe the chevy trailblazer activ trim? Not viable (sub $40k) Honda option, as far as I can tell.
Yes it’s reasonably expensive, but still not a horrible value considering predicted reliability and resale value. I’m the target demographic for this (in Ash Green for sure) but immediately threw it out because I absolutely despise push button shifters. What is this, a ’55 Packard?
It’s not cheap, but neither is anything else any more. It’s also worth keeping in mind that yes, it is a lot more money than the old one, but Honda really half-assed the outgoing Passport, IMO. It was just a less-useful Pilot. This generation offers a significant step up from the previous one in basically every way. They also offer two other very affordable SUVs below this, so I don’t see the harm in them offering a more expensive niche-y one.
So this is a bit anecdotal, but when we were shopping for our Pilot the dealers were pushing the Passport pretty hard. The models were too close to each other, both in size, content, and price. Aside from the Trailsport trim, most people just went for the Pilot over the Passport, so the dealers had non-Trailsport Passports sitting on the lot. We needed the third row, so the Passport wasn’t an option, but I can see why Honda moved the new Passport into the “active lifestyle” niche to reduce the copious amounts of overlap it had with the Pilot. Too bad the price is insane, because I certainly like the looks.
And now — at least from what I’ve seen — the Trailsport Pilot is the go-to model for a lot of people. I see them daily, even though the Passport Trailsport had a few years’ headstart (and was admittedly not much beyond cosmetics). I just never saw the value in paying more money for less car, especially when they’re almost identical.
Passport is like Ford Edge or Toyota Venza in many ways — nothing really wrong with it, but its siblings are crowding it.
Maybe a price hike is what they need just to make buyer feel a little more smug or something 🙂
What a great color, to bad Honda will only build 5 in that color and the rest will be in 50 shades of gray, black, white, and silver.
I think Honda is where VW was in the year 2000. They can’t seem to build the uber reliable things they did in the past, so they are making a shift to be slightly upmarket which is a dumb move imo.
Yep. But these will last more than 5 years, which is nice.
/rehabbing my 2001 top-trim VW as we speak
//wow I forgot how much smoother and quieter it was compared to new stuff
That you are right on.
Your MK4 is smoother and quieter than new cars?
Of course it’s more expensive. Honda says that it’s built for off-roading, so you pay a bit more for the solid rear axle with a locking diff, selectable low-range transfer case, body-on-frame construction, and excellent approach/breakover/departure angles.
You had me in the first half…
Don’t forget the snorkel, lightbar, and roof top tent that come standard with the top package
1998 Passport LX was $22,700, which is $44,333 today. Not all that far off.
Did I miss it, are there front recovery points? I try to not “off road” without front recovery points.
Yeah they’re at the absolute bottom of the front bumper so you can smash them into small rocks.
Just like all the new Toyotas.
EDIT: Wait no, the Tundra does not have any front recovery points.
I’m guessing people who test drive the 4Runner and don’t like that it drives like the truck it is will be perfectly happy with the Passport.
My daily is a ’20 PP & I had a 4Runner as a rental and yeah, this is a pretty damn accurate take.
This is in the segment I’m going to be shopping in in the next few years ($50,000 cars that can haul a family but still have soul) and I really want to love it. I think the exterior looks great, I appreciate that it has a big NA V6 that’ll probably run until the heat death of the universe, the interior is simple, not overly tech-ey, and well designed…and if we all want to be honest with ourselves it’s probably all the capability that 99% of us need.
…but I just feel like something is missing. I’ve given Truck Dudes a lot shit over the years but I’m almost starting to get what drives people to want them, and it’s not being honest with yourself about what you really need. It’s emotion. It’s about having something cool that you can do whatever you want with, even if you aren’t going to. It’s about character.
And this just seems to be writing checks it probably can’t cash. The ground clearance is lousy, there’s no transfer case, it’s front wheel drive based all wheel drive and not four wheel drive, etc. The V6 is a selling point and I’m sure it’ll be softer and more pleasant around town than a truck….but do you know what’s way more cool?
…a truck. And this is almost the exact same price as a 4Runner, which has exponentially more capability, more space, optional third row seats, an optional hybrid powertrain, and let’s be real here….it’s way cooler and is an institution. If you tell your buddies you have a 4Runner they’ll be like “hell yeah brother” and even normies will be like “oh that’s a name I recognize and those trucks are neat”.
If you tell them you’ve got a Passport they’ll either know you have repackaged Pilot or not know it at all. I just think that (and I’m an idiot, to be fair) if I bought one of these knowing I could’ve had a real truck would always be in the back of my mind even though this would probably serve me better. And I don’t think I’m alone, for better or worse.
Anyway, between the aforementioned 4Runner, the Land Cruiser, the Bronco, the Wrangler, and (insert off road capable pickup of your choice here) I just don’t think this will be as much of a draw for enthusiasts….and on the other side of the equation Subaru now has hybrids. I do think some normies will see this and be like “oh cool, a boxy Honda, Hondas run forever” and buy them, but I’m not sure if it really has the chops to compete with the actual trucks.
…speaking of which, someone needs to talk me out of getting a Sierra or Silverado with the Baby Max because Mercedes’ excellent article and my subsequent research has convinced me that I want that powertrain, even though I don’t even vaguely need it. Thanks in advance for your service.
Well said, as a currrent Wrangler owner on my 5th jeep and have owned a Toyota and Ranger Pick up. There really is not much in this car that an actual enthusiast would want. Low range is a minimum and clearance is a close second. I may replace my jeep with a Bronco, landcrusier, 4 runner, but Not a honda.
Already tried, brother.
I love Mercedes writing and the deep dives she does. But I don’t let her articles convince me into purchasing anything (other than maybe a camper someday). I’m just not that adventurous. If I was, I’d probably be furiously kicking the fenders of a W8 Passat on the side of the highway right now.
At these prices, I wonder if even the default Honda Normals will take a look around. I could see if they were particularly desirable or interesting or had something that stood out, but they’re totally just another Standard Universal Vehicle. TV shows could use these with covered badges.
I was talking to a doctor the other day (whose husband is also a doctor, so they do OK) and she was complaining about the prices of cars, mentioning that her “just a GMC” Acadia cost as much as her Audi (which she liked, but replaced because it was an Audi and it did Audi things).
I am assuming if you compare trims across this, 4Runner, Bronco, etc. that for a given price you get more of the cool capabilities (off-road geometry, suspension, transfer case, lockers, tires, etc) with the others and more creature comforts with the Honda.
For many, that is the right balance. It looks ruggged, most people don’t know what transfer cases and lockers are and don’t need to, and you don’t have to yell if you want to make a phone call on the highway.
Of course, I said to “hell with that” and bought a Bronco because it was cool, and life is short and the window to buy cool cars seems even shorter. But I am pretty sure my better half and even my little ones would be happier with something like this.
Hold on, does this imply that Honda was previously selling an engine in 2024 that did not have hydraulic lifters and required regular valve jobs? Or is this just a bit of unnecessary detail, like saying it’s a fuel-injected V6? Because if it’s the former, wow. o.O
Also, as someone who would prefer blacked out trim to chrome most of the time, these blackout packages are extortionate (not just Honda). I will never pay four figures for something I could do with $50 in plasti-dip. I guess someone must though since they all offer stupidly expensive options for it.
This V6 is also Honda’s 1st DOHC in the U.S. (the NSX had it but that was an Acura here). Here’s the write up from 2023 in C&D. It puts in perspective how long the ol’ SOHC V6 was around.
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a42662418/honda-35-v-6-engine-dohc/
Wow, and here I was thinking Toyota was always last to adopt new tech. That’s crazy.
In Honda’s defense it had direct injection- the 4Runner kept with the 4.0L using port fuel injection instead of the newer 3.5 V6 in the last gen Tacoma which was direct injection.
Direct injection just means that in addition to needing valve jobs, it also needs periodic walnut blasting to clear the carbon out of the valves. 😉
Apparently, that’s only if it’s German- or maybe Korean-made (ironic in that Germans pioneered GDI in WW2) and a big one of those issues was HPFP failure that ate cams and whole engines. I had over 200k and 180k miles on a Focus SE and ST respectively and had not a single issue or loss of performance, mileage, or drivability related to DI (only issue with either of them was that I had to replace the EGR valve on the ST that caused a slight stumble, which was part of a recall, but was cheap and easier to just swap out myself every 75k). They never had any of that blasting or cleaning fluid done and I never installed a catch can (but the guy selling these tells me my car will blow up if I don’t instal one and he has a spreadsheet on his website to prove it! —A few rubes on the ST forum). DI is pretty much standard now, so many normal people drive cars with it and probably the only ones getting that done on the majority of the cars are the type that gets talked into everything at dealers or quick lube places (You need to change your harrameter filter. We’re running a special this month…). Not a single person I know—and people ask me a lot of car questions—has asked me if an expensive walnut blasting is really necessary or commented about having any of the issues we’re told will happen by the people selling snake oil.
Carbon buildup definitely happens in pretty much all DI engines, but whether it causes a noticeable problem is a valid question. I suspect in most cases it will hurt airflow through the valve ports a bit, but unless it manages to build up on the valve seats themselves most people will be able to drive with it and never notice.
I mostly though it was funny that Honda picked the one technology that can introduce additional maintenance on an engine that apparently already needs an excessive amount of maintenance. 🙂
I agree that it happens (carbon build up isn’t new to DI, anyway), I just think it’s not a real world problem.
I knew Honda had used solid lifters for a while, but it was only recently that I found it they had still been using them and I was shocked. And I thought they stuck with distributors too long back in the 90s! I wonder how many owners actually have them adjusted. If I didn’t know that, there’s got to be a cargo ship load of owners who don’t and many people buying Hondas pretty much throw away the service book, so maybe they just don’t become a problem often in real life or people are vigilant enough to hear some ticking and get them looked at? Modern oils are awesome.
I still have my ST. Those ST forums in 2012-2016 were something….
Sigh. Too bad the new Scouts aren’t out. They’d beat this up, steal it’s gas money and laugh all the way past the pump.
I expect to see these everywhere once the lease pricing gets announced.
RUGGED BLACK PLASTIC TRIM™
Rubbermaid should start saying they build their trashcans out of automotive-grade materials.
But wait, there’s more!
Trump just announced a 100% tariff on Canadian made cars, so it’s double the price.
Won’t this be produced in their Alabama factory like the outgoing passports?
Tariffs raise the prices of all goods. However, it looks like Paul is joking, though you can never tell these days.
2026 Honda Passport: For when you want to spend 4Runner money on a Pilot with an REI Membership, Fewer seats, and checks written by its looks that its chassis can never cash.
Other than the lack of low range and true offroad capability, I like everything about this more than the new 4Runner.
Signed, a 5th gen 4Runner owner.
And for a lot of people that may be exactly what they want. I just don’t see the value proposition in spending BOF SUV money for a crossover with a body kit and marketing to suggest it’s as capable as a 4Runner. It’s nearly 5k higher base than a Pilot, CX-70/90, and similar cars that are just better values overall. This gen Passport doesn’t seem like a bad vehicle by any stretch, but it does seem undeserving of it’s price tag given what it offers.
As a fellow 5th gen owner I’m with you. I like that Honda stuck with the V6 vs. a I4 turbo then everything else. The Passport has enough offroad ability for me (mostly sand in the Outer Banks) but should ride significantly better than my 4Runner (and get better fuel economy with the 10 speed). The Hybrid in the new 4Runner is not really a plus for me in that it detracts from the load space and really take up a lot of the rear.
Goddamn is that expensive. I’ll give Honda credit, it looks a hell of a lot better (the last gen and Pilot equivalent looked like ass before) but I’m not seeing much here that justifies a 46k minimum. My guess is that Honda is hoping to snag a few buyers who have no idea that this isn’t a 4Runner competitor.
I was thinking the same thing. For someone who just wants the look, this is actually a compelling choice over the 4Runner, but it’s really missing the name cachet for that price. This pricing is not too far off the TRD Offroad Premium 4R, which is in a whole different league when it comes to offroad capability. One would really have to like the Honda to pick it over the 4R.
Doesn’t this still have a NA V6?
I could see that appealing to some folks over mandatory turbo/hybrid, even though I myself am not much of a Honda guy.
Yeah, apparently Honda is going to stick with the N/A 3.5L for another generation. I’m actually thinking the turbo motor in the new Yotas is going to be a big improvement, but the jury is out on long term reliability.
I’m not a Honda guy either, but I DO like the look of this, and Honda does have a pretty capable AWD system, for what this is. There’s a youtube channel, JonDZ Adventuring, who does some pretty difficult trails with a modded previous gen Passport. Honda actually had him involved with the original Trailsport rollout.
I am missing the logic of buying a honda becasue it rides nicer than a 4runner and then modding the hell out of it to make it “almost” as capable off the pavement as 4runner and wrecking the nice ride. People could just get the 4runner.
It is cool to see moded things off road that were not intended to be there though.
But I also feel like the same people who would care to have a V6 over a turbo 4 are the same people who wouldn’t want to own butch-adjacent SUV based on a minivan.
I mean, I love me a minivan with a V6 but I’m a weirdo.
I’ve never bought an SUV new, so I don’t know how it typically goes, but my guess is one half of the couple wants something that looks truck-like, the other half wants something that rides well, and they just kind of muddle around until they buy whatever has the best incentives that month.
So you might be right.
I think the likelihood that the V6 would sway someone is low, but I think your rationale for why Honda will still manage to sell a bunch of these despite the product being entirely unremarkable is sound.
I hardly ever believe bigger is necessarily better, but I do get a little confused as to why someone would pay more to buy one of these over a Pilot.
Styling and image. Just like a ton of other cars. Why do people pay roughly 10% more a 4 Series over a 3 Series? They are the same dang size, wheelbase, performance, and effectively weight for a 10% price differential just because people will pay more for 2 massive doors or a swoopy roof vs a standard 3 box design. See also Land Cruiser vs 4Runner, most GMC vs Chevy counterparts, Bronco Sport vs Escape, literally any appearance package, etc. Lots of companies do it. I question the price of this personally, but I’m betting I’ll see a lot of them at my daycare during drop off.