Honda has been selling rugged, off-road vehicles for decades and its Passport is one of the most popular Honda vehicles with a young, male demographic. It’s clear that the vehicle is intended to take on the Toyota 4Runner head-to-head and much of the Honda marketing material focuses on the differences between these two vehicles. With Toyota falling behind in its interior redesign efforts over the last few years, Honda’s well poised to redirect lots of 4Runner fans into the Honda brand too. Honda offered me a chance to spend a week trying out the 2022 Honda Passport Trailsport AWD and I quickly assented; I’ve been curious about the larger Honda SUV for a while.
What I find most interesting about the 4Runner – and the Passport – is that they have more of their heritage as a small pickup truck SUV crossover. Indeed, the first generations of these vehicles feel a bit like a pickup with a topper and someone who’s chopped the interior. The benefit is that it’s bigger inside and wider too, offering more passenger and cargo room than similar vehicles designed from the ground up as an SUV. Of course, by 2022 these have been completely redesigned from the frame up, but I still say if you look at the exterior of the Passport Trailsport, there’s still a ghost of a pickup showing through its bones:
The Trailsport edition gives it rugged 18″ wheels, a more aggressive front skidplate design, and, when we get to it, a more attractive rear profile too. Notice also the orange “Trailsport” medallion on the front grill. This trim model includes slightly wider front and rear wheels to increase stability too, and it does hug the road nicely when on rougher surfaces.
Truth be told, though…
[ This article is continued on PlanetDave.com as “Cruisin’ in the 2022 Honda Passport Trailsport AWD” ]