PALMAS DEL MAR, Puerto Rico — Among my earliest memories of driving was riding my Honda Z50s mini-bike along backwoods trails at 11 years old. These bikes were easy for a novice to handle and incredibly fun to ride. They withstood anything us neophyte drivers could dish out. Fast forward a few decades and you have to wonder why, given Honda’s long history of building trail bikes and all-terrain vehicles, their SUVs haven’t been off-road warriors. It’s mystifying.

Yet that finally changes with the introduction of the all-new 2026 Honda Passport Trailsport, a true canyon conqueror, able to do a tidy job of off-roading that would have proven too challenging to previous Honda SUVs.

Redesigned and restyled, Honda designers did a masterful job of toughening up the Passport Trailsport’s design and personality with a noticeably more truck-like attitude. It shows a more square-jawed demeanor, possessing a tall, squared-off hood and clean fenders that make it easy to place while off-roading. It’s strikingly handsome and classically Honda conservative. Its looks should age well.

While the Passport is offered in lower RTL trims, it’s the upper Passport Trailsport trims that are the ones to have. Opting for a Passport Trailsport brings with it all-terrain 31-inch tires on 18-inch wheels, off-road tuned suspension, recovery hooks, skid plates, roof rails, a heated windshield and an integrated Class III trailer hitch with harness. Towing is rated at 5,000 pounds. A compact spare tire is standard — an increasing rarity these days.

Inside, you’ll find the typical modern Honda instrument panel, with a 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster and a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay, wireless Android Auto, a Wi-Fi hotspot and Alexa and Google built-in. The touchscreen is more than large enough and easily reached. Its software is quick, responsive and easy to use, and the large buttons are easy to hit accurately. There are dual USB-C ports front and rear, along with a wireless phone charger.

Seats are excellent, being wide with noticeable bolstering that’s not overly aggressive. Base Trailsports get a seat covering with a stripe down its center, lending a sporty attitude you won’t find in the more restrained Elite trim. It also has a burlap-like cloth trim on the instrument and door panels. Leg and head room are unstinting in both rows, while it has a massive 44 cubic foot cargo hold behind the second row, expanding to 84 cubic feet with the second row stowed.

With standard all-wheel drive, the 2026 Honda Passport’s 285-horsepower 3.5-liter V-6 and 10-speed automatic transmission proves potent when placed in Sport mode, while Normal mode provides a more refined, relaxed driving experience. There’s more than sufficient power, although some may wish for more ponies under the bonnet. Engine braking is modest when lifting your foot off the throttle, but engine noise is generally well-suppressed. Road and tire noise are minimal for a Honda. Steering is nicely weighted, and the suspension does retain much of the compliance that makes it so good off-road. That means that while you can push this Honda through corners, it’s no sports car. And while there is rebound over bumps on-road, it’s very well controlled without being stiff, providing a very comfortable ride.

And once the sidewalk ends, it’s ready. Rated at a 23-degree approach angle and a 27-degree departure angle with 8.3 inches of ground clearance, it’s ready to tackle the forest primeval. While there is no way to lock this vehicle into low gear, one can place it into Sport mode and manually shift the transmission into first gear using the steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters. And its hill descent control is very-well engineered. Just turn it on and forget it off-road. It senses when you’re on a downward slope and activates, basically being a cruise control for hills.

Also appreciated were the Elite trim’s many cameras, which made placing the unseen parts of the vehicle easier when off-road. Steering ratio is ideal, offering enough play to make precision on trails a snap without being too loose, like recent Toyota products. A two-hour offroad test drive up and down hills and hollers, mud, muck and sand showed this little beastie to be positively unstoppable. It’s fairly wide, which makes for good room inside but calls for care on trails and tight thoroughfares. And with a combined EPA-rating of 20 mpg, fuel economy is nothing special. But at least it uses regular unleaded fuel.

The 2026 Honda Passport Trailsport finally lives up to the off-road prowess of its two- and three-wheeled cousins, tapping into the toughness and tech that has made them so much fun to drive. That the Passport Trailsport engenders much the same thing, while delivering the tech and on-road comfort you’d expect, makes it a must-drive for anyone looking for an SUV in this class.

Larry Printz is an automotive journalist based in South Florida. He can be reached at TheDrivingPrintz@gmail.com.

2026 Honda Passport Trailsport

Base price: $48,450

Engine: 3.5-liter V6

Horsepower/Torque: 285/262 pound-feet

EPA rating (combined city/highway): 20 mpg

Fuel required: Regular unleaded

Length/Width/Height: 192/79/73 inches

Ground clearance: 8.3 inches

Cargo capacity: 44-84 cubic feet

Towing capacity: 5,000 pounds

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