- A new teaser shows the Trailsport trim of the 2026 Passport doing some rock-crawling off-road
- Upgrades include a “new, more powerful” DOHC 3.5L V6, along with torque-vectoring AWD
- The trim was mostly an appearance package when it bowed in ’22, but it seems Honda really wants to make it work
Could Honda finally be throwing down a gauntlet to the brands that make their mark off the pavement? It looks so, judging by a teaser video the automaker just released for the 2026 Passport Trailsport. While there’s not a lot of info in the video, Honda does reveal that the Passport Trailsport – and, presumably, the model’s other trims which, for 2025, are the Sport and Black Edition, with the Trailsport sitting in the middle – will have some driveline updates.
That includes a “new, more powerful” 3.5L V6 engine with double overhead cams (DOHC). The current 2025 Trailsport uses a 3.5L V6 with single overhead cam, making 280 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque. That’s mated to a nine-speed automatic, but the new engine will have a “high-strength” ten-speed automatic.
The teaser also says the new Trailsport will have a “best-in-class” torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive (AWD) system, and that’s obviously what the camouflaged model in the video is using to get around in the great outdoors.
The Trailsport trim was originally added to the Passport for 2022 as part of its refresh. It was the trim’s first appearance, and Honda called it its “new halo” for its utility vehicles; it’s since been rolled out to the Pilot SUV and Ridgeline pickup truck.
It was a bit more show than true off-road go; it included a unique grille and bumpers, slightly wider front and rear tracks, and 18-inch tires with “rugged-look” sidewall tread. For 2024, it got a bit of a bump with all-terrain tires and retuned suspension with a bit more articulation, but it wasn’t going to push any of the established rock-crawlers out of the way.
By the look of the video, this one might be a lot closer to them, and Honda says it’s putting the Passport Trailsport through “the very highest level of testing validation on challenging trails all over North America,” including rocks in Moab, sand dunes in western Michigan, and muddy trails in Appalachia.
The new 2026 Passport, including the Trailsport, will be unveiled later this fall, and arrive at dealerships early in 2025. We’re hoping it won’t be long before we get one dirty and see if it lives up to the hype.
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