If you lost or traded in your old Passport, there’s good news from Honda. The marque has reissued its former badge with the debut of the 2019 Honda Passport at this year’s Los Angeles auto show. The all-new five-passenger SUV goes on sale early next year.
If you recall, Honda’s original 1994 Passport was essentially a rebadged Isuzu Rodeo SUV and it officially expired back in 2002. The reissued Passport will slot between the smaller CR-V and supersized Pilot in Honda’s latest lineup.
Like the Pilot and Ridgeline pickup, the new two-row crossover rides on Honda’s Global Light Truck platform. The unibody SUV has a four-wheel independent suspension with MacPherson struts up front and a multilink independent rear.
Honda’s new and substantially improved Passport is available in four trim levels: Sport, EX-L, Touring, and Elite. All are available with 2- or all-wheel drive (AWD), except the top of the line Elite trim, which comes with AWD with torque vectoring as standard. Honda’s Intelligent Traction Management system offers Snow, Sand, and Mud modes for all types of off-road adventures.
Under the hood, a 3.5-liter V-6 engine makes 280 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. The engine is mated to a 9-speed automatic transmission.
Honda’s latest truck touts a standard 3,500-pound towing capacity that’s upgradable to 5,000 pounds if you opt for the tow package.
Looks wise, the small SUV sports a matte-black grille flanked by boomerang-like LED headlights, a floating roof, defined wheel arches, a scratch-resistant matte finish, wide tailgate, and chrome exhaust finishers. It all rolls on standard 20-inch black wheels shod with 245/50R all-season tires.
The Passport measures 190.5 x 71.6 x 78.6 inches (L x W x H) and has a wheelbase of 111.0 inches. Honda states that its ground clearance is up 0.8 inches compared to the three-row Pilot. Aside from mall runs it seems to be a capable off-roader to boot.
Inside, the Passport yields 115.9 cubic-feet of passenger space and has a total interior volume of 157.1 cubic-feet for all your camping gear, groceries, and mountain bikes. There are 41.2 cubic-feet behind the second row of seats that’s expandable to 77.9 cubic-feet, if you fold the seats down. Plus, another 2.5 cubic-feet of under floor storage and there’s even room for a spare tire. Thanks Honda!
Depending on the trim, additional goodies offered are a power tailgate, tilt/slide moonroof, blind spot information and rear cross traffic monitor, front and rear parking sensors, second-row sunshades, heated, wireless phone charging, embedded Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System, 4G LTE in-vehicle Wi-Fi, and more bells and whistles to satisfy most techies.
A 215-watt audio system with a 5.0-inch display monitor and six speakers, a subwoofer and a volume knob for diehards is standard. Also, included is a suite of safety and driver assistance technology, which includes a multi-view rear-view camera. All trims receive collision mitigation braking, forward collision warning, road departure mitigation, lane departure warning, lane keeping assistance, and adaptive cruise control.
EX-L, Touring, and Elite trims boast a fancier 590-watt 10-speaker premium audio system with an 8.0-inch audio touchscreen that is Android Auto and Apple CarPlay friendly.
Want more? There are two accessory packages to choose from—the Adventure Package adds running boards, a trailer hitch, and a roof bin. The Urban Package adds front and rear underbody spoilers, 20-inch wheels, cargo storage bins, roof rails, and crossbars.
The Passport will be manufactured at Honda’s Lincoln, Alabama plant and its transmission will be assembled at its Tallapoosa, Georgia plant.
Passport pricing, fees, and other requirements to apply for one have not been announced at this time.
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