2020 Honda Passport First Look

• Passport priced from $33,085 to $44,875
• Features a 3.5-liter V6 making 280 hp and 262 lb-ft of torque
• Fuel economy is 22 mpg (20 city/25 highway)
• Honda Sensing suite of driver assists and safety tech standard
• Best-in-class interior volume and passenger space

Brand-new for 2019, the 2020 Honda Passport 5-passenger midsize SUV returns for unchanged, with four trim levels, all with either front- or available all-wheel drive, except for the top Passport Elite, which is all-wheel drive only. All models come standard with 20-inch wheels, a matte-black grille, and Honda Sensing, Honda’s suite of driver assist and safety technologies.

How much does the 2020 Honda Passport cost?

The base Passport Sport starts at $33,085 with front-wheel drive, with the trim levels including the Passport EX-L ($37,505), Passport Touring ($40,375) and topping out at the Passport Elite ($44,875). All prices include destination.

All trims are powered by Honda’s i-VTEC 3.5-liter V6 mated to a 9-speed automatic, which makes 280 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. Fuel economy is 22 mpg combined (20 city/25 highway) with front-wheel drive, dropping slightly to 19/24/21 with all-wheel drive.

How many passengers can the Passport carry?

Slotting in between the compact CR-V and the 3-row Pilot, the Passport is a 2-row/5-passenger midsize SUV, offering plenty of headroom and space for rear-seat passengers, with rear seats that both slide and recline. The 2020 Passport boasts 41.2 cubic feet of space behind the second row, expanding to 77.9 cubic feet with those seats folded flat. This beats such competitors as the Ford Edge, Hyundai Santa Fe, and Nissan Murano. The 2020 Passport also includes a hidden under-floor compartment space, with bins that can be removed and washed.

The 2020 Passport offers a quiet ride, and its 9-speed automatic offers good shifts and steady power delivery. We also appreciate the steering, which is sportier and more precise than that of its Pilot big brother. The cabin is quiet and well insulated. We’re particularly impressed with the 2020 Passport’s torque-vectoring all-wheel drive system, with 4-mode traction management, that includes sand, mud, and snow. It offers reassuring traction on unpaved roads, over all sorts of terrain and all-season driving.

Off-road and towing capability

The Passport’s 7.5 inches of ground clearance and impressive approach and departure angles help here, although we still wouldn’t consider the Passport a true boulder-basher, like a Jeep Wrangler or a Toyota 4Runner. Towing capacity is 3,500 pounds with front-wheel drive, increasing to 5,000 pounds with all-wheel drive.

The cabin of the Passport is about what you’d expect from a Honda, well designed and with a good balance between touchscreen applications and buttons for things like radio volume and heating controls. The base trim Sport includes a 5-inch display, but on all other trims, that’s bumped up to an 8-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. Available options on the Passport also include a towing package, a hands-free tailgate, heated steering wheel, heated and ventilated front seats, rain-sensing wipers, wireless phone charging, and a navigation system.

Sharp looks, tidy size

While it’s undeniably similar to its big brother, the 3-row Pilot, we like the looks and proportions of the 2020 Honda Passport much better. It’s six inches shorter but has the same wheelbase, and it’s also an inch wider and taller. It has a steeper back window angle for a sportier appearance, and its grille has a more rugged look as well.

The 2019 Honda Passport earned a full five stars from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and we expect the 2020 Passport to do the same. It’s hard to predict the resale value of the 2020 Passport, given that it’s only in its second year, but given Honda’s impeccable build quality and history with other models, we expect it to be good.

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