Honda Passport Trailsport Trims: What's Different Between Each One?

Japanese auto giant Honda showcased the all-new Passport in late 2024 as the fourth generation model of the brand's two-row, Pilot-based crossover SUV. Sporting a more rugged, squared-off stance, the 2026 Honda Passport is available in RTL, Trailsport, and Trailsport Elite trim grades. Honda introduced the first Passport Trailsport in 2022, becoming the first Honda production vehicle to wear the "Trailsport" label, a more off-road-ready version with trail-rated hardware and a more outdoorsy vibe.

The Trailsport legacy is alive and well in the new Honda Passport, but there are subtle differences between a Trailsport and Trailsport Elite. All new Passports share an extensively redesigned body style with flared fenders to accommodate 18-inch wheels and tires across the lineup. However, the Trailsport and Trailsport Elite have signature amber DRLs, LED fog lights, metallic silver front and rear skid garnishes, a gloss black front grille, and Trailsport badging.

Honda's Blackout Package is available for the base Passport RTL, Trailsport, and Trailsport Elite. It includes black 18-inch alloy wheels with HPD center caps, black wheel lug nuts, and glossy black front and rear emblems for an additional $1,200 over the base MSRP.

The new Honda Passport Trailsport and Trailsport Elite have standard off-road suspension with custom spring rates and damper tuning. It includes redesigned stabilizer bars for better off-road comfort and wheel articulation. The standard front MacPherson struts and rear multilink suspension attach to a stiffer platform that offers a 72% increase in front lateral rigidity and a 50% increase in rear torsion rigidity.

Moreover, the Passport Trailsport and Trailsport Elite have steel underbody skid plates to protect the oil pan, gearbox, and gas tank when bashing through the woods. Front and rear recovery hooks and General Grabber all-terrain tires co-developed exclusively for Passport Trailsport models are part of the adventure-ready package.

The primary differences between the Trailsport and Trailsport Elite are the price and standard equipment. Although all 2026 Passport models have heated front seats, auto up/down power windows, push-button start, tri-zone automatic climate control, a leather steering wheel, a 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster, and a 12.3 infotainment touchscreen with Google built-in, the Trailsport Elite has more goodies to command a higher $53,900 starting MSRP than the $49,900 for the standard Trailsport model (pricing includes the $1,450 destination fee).

The range-topping Honda Passport Trailsport Elite has acoustic front side glass, smart entry with walk-away auto lock (all doors and the tailgate), puddle lights, a power liftgate, auto-dimming side mirrors, rain-sensing wipers, perforated leather upholstery with black piping and contrast stitching, ventilated front seats, rear outboard heated seats, a heated steering wheel, and rear door sunshades. The Trailsport and Trailsport Elite feature wireless Apple CarPlay & Android Auto with Alexa built-in, but the latter has an upgraded 12-speaker Bose audio system with a subwoofer.

All 2026 Honda Passports share a 3.5-liter V6 engine with 285 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque. The engine turns all four wheels using a 10-speed automatic transmission and Honda's second-gen i-VTM4 (Intelligent Variable Torque Management) all-wheel drivetrain. The powertrain offers seven driving modes, including Sport, Trail, and Tow.

Meanwhile, Honda Sensing is standard across the board, but the Trailsport Elite adds a TrailWatch multi-view camera system that shows tire path graphics to navigate over rugged terrain safely. The Honda Sensing ADAS package includes collision mitigation braking, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring, automatic high beams, and more.