Honda wants you to know it’s serious about off-roading. On an aggressive off-road course hosted by Overland Experts in the hills of North Carolina last week, Honda proved that its commitment to off-roading is real, and it’s spectacular.
Just 20 months after Honda redesigned the 2026 Honda Passport, its engineers significantly updated the suspension of the 2027 Honda Passport TrailSport.
But why change 70% of a vehicle’s suspension just one year after a redesign? The changes further distinguish the Passport from the 3-row Pilot. More significantly, the Passport TrailSport is king of Honda’s off-road hill to better compete with the Subaru Wildernesses, the Toyota TRDs, the Hyundai XRTs, the Ford Tremors, the Kia X-Pros, and myriad other off-road trims.
The pretenders are soft-roaders; the intenders have true off-road capability, even if they lack a 2-speed transfer case. The 2027 Passport TrailSport is an intender.
Off-Road in the 2027 Passport TrailSport
Typically meant for Honda engineers, the in-depth 2-day session included a banana hill with two wheels off the ground, a shallow water-fording section, a series of dinosaur footprint puddles, a low-speed whoops section, an uphill fail, and two distinct recovery demos of a busted Pilot. It was so thorough that when one of the TrailSports in our caravan punctured the tall sidewall on their 18-inch Grabber all-terrain tires, it almost felt staged.
Roll out the $725 full-size spare wheel and all-terrain tire (that costs extra) from its neat vertical slot in the cargo area, and the off-road marketing gods shine upon thee.
For we terrestrial beings, it was another example of the purposeful off-road intention of the Passport TrailSport.
Engine and Drivetrain
The 280-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 carries over, as does the 10-speed automatic transmission that routes power to the all-wheel-drive (AWD) system. It sends up to 70% of the 258 lb-ft of torque to the rear axle. The twin clutch packs in Honda’s excellent AWD system act as an electronic limited-slip rear differential, and can distribute all of that rear torque to either rear wheel.
It helps gain purchase in rocky or mucky terrain, as well as with one rear wheel spinning in the air on the banana crest. When the hood tips into the sky, I’m grateful the TrailWatch camera system is standard on TrailSport models this year.
Flip the drive toggle into Trail mode, keep it under 15 mph, and the 12.3-inch touchscreen splits into two views: a bird’s-eye projection and either a front camera view or side-mirror projections that show what’s under and around the front wheels.
The only real changes to the powertrain and drivetrain are to the high-strength steel skid plates protecting the powertrain and fuel tank.
TrailSport Suspension
The big changes to the 2027 Passport TrailSport are to the 4-wheel independent suspension.
It has taller springs to boost ground clearance by 1.38 inches over the 2026 model, now reaching 9.65 inches on the 2027 Passport TrailSport. While on-road handling suffers, off-road clambering is much improved. There’s less to scrape and more to conquer. In back-to-back off-road loops with the 2026 and 2027 models, the 2027 instilled much more confidence and daring.
The only extra accessory fitted to our test cars were the $865 rock sliders. Get ’em; we beat the hell out of them.
The rebound stroke on those springs increased by 8 mm in the front and 9 mm in the rear. It’s tuned to the soft side, so you’re not too bouncy, yet it lacks the twitchiness desirable in higher speed off-roading. In short, it keeps more tire on the ground for more traction.
In total, Honda redesigned 28 suspension parts, including the front driveshafts, front subframe, control arms, and stabilizer bars. It enables the Passport TrailSport to articulate strange angles, where a front wheel sinks into a puddle as one rear wheel spins in the air as the other rolls over a hill.
The subframe changes increase the approach and departure angles to 25 degrees from 23 degrees, and the breakover angle increases to 23 degrees from 20 degrees. Approaching a series of misaligned logs enabled it to gently climb up and over without scraping the skid plates. The tailpipes tuck under the rear bumper out of the way. The tow hitch, which has a 5,000-pound capacity, doubles as a recovery point, same as the twin hooks up front.
In a twist from the norm, the Honda engineers didn’t air down the tires. They suspected owners wouldn’t air back up before going back on the road.
Up a hill and intentionally sliding back down, straddling v-ditches, articulating over daunting whoops that would’ve made me think thrice in my own vehicle, using three and sometimes two wheels to navigate gnarly conditions, the 2027 Passport TrailSport proved itself ever capable. The terrain toughened with each segment, and the rig impressed at each segment.
Passport TrailSport Limitations
The 2027 Passport TrailSport has its limitations. The TrailWatch front camera display has blacked-out curves at the top, like ski goggles. It’s intended to limit drivers from looking at the top of the screen instead of out the windshield. Why not tip it down to capture more field of vision below?
The Passport TrailSport lacks a 2-speed transfer case and low-range gearing, so it can’t crawl as capably over rocks, logs, deep mud, and the rest like a Jeep Wrangler or Toyota 4Runner. That’s fine; it handles better and more efficiently because of it.
On back-to-back trips with the 2026 and 2027 Passport TrailSports, the elevated ground clearance was felt as much on-road as off-road. It handled with generous body lean in turns, which is a natural consequence of the higher ride height. The tall sidewalls on the all-terrain tires softened things up even more. In general, both laterally and vertically, there was more looseness due to the off-road upgrades on the 2027 model.
If you’re considering the Passport TrailSport for off-roading, then concerns about cornering should revolve around trees, not twisty roads. Reserve Sport mode for passing moves.
The charm lies in its dual-naturedness. It steers so much better than a Wrangler, and is quieter and more composed than a 4Runner. Compared to other off-road SUVs like the Subaru Outback Wilderness or the Ford Explorer Tremor, it stood out.
2027 Passport TrailSport Pricing
On sale now, the 2027 TrailSport starts at $51,590, including destination fee, which makes it only $1,345 more than the 2026 Passport TrailSport. In addition to the TrailWatch camera and heated steering wheel being standard, the pronounced upgrades make for a pronounced deal.
