High. Handsome. The 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport AWD

The Honda Passport's awkward phase is officially over.

The last-gen Passport was an improvement over the one before it, but the basic design language was so rooted in the mid 2010s that a brand new one with paper plates still looked five years old.

That is obviously not a problem with the all-new 2026 Passport, which looks so modern, clean and purposeful with the slightest touch of retro that the designers assigned to the new Toyota Land Cruiser may be wondering if they overthought their assignment a bit. And if the 4Runner team looks a little nervous, well, they may have good reason to be.

The new Passport is two and a half inches longer, almost an inch taller and nearly an inch wider than the last one, squared off and jacked up in all the right places. And the "rugged" vibe is more than a vibe---the TrailSport model (our tester) features an off-road tuned suspension, steel underbody skid plates, heavy-duty recovery points and specially-engineered all-terrain tires.

Even what's under the hood is new---or at least a new version of Honda's 3.5-liter V6.

This one makes 285 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque, and it's mated to Passport's first-ever 10-speed automatic transmission. Zero to 60 happens in roughly seven seconds, which is par for the course. Fuel economy is on the weak side---19 city/25 highway and 21 combined for the standard Passport---18/23/20 for the TrailSport.

And the Passport gets a new generation of Honda's i-VTM4 all-wheel drive system, with a stronger rear drive unit that can handle 40% more torque and provides 30% faster response, optimizing available traction in all driving scenarios. Up to 70% of the engine's torque can be sent to the rear axle, and 100% of that torque can be distributed to either the left or right rear wheel.

There are now seven standard selectable drive modes---Normal, Sport, Econ, Snow, Sand, Tow and Trail. And with 8.3 inches of ground clearance, the Passport TrailSport may not be ready for the Baja 1000, but it's a credible off-roader.

The 2026 Passport has 44 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second row of seats. Fold those and there's 83.8.

Rear seat passengers get abundant legroom---40.9 inches.

The base price of the 2026 Honda Passport begins at $44,750 ($46,245 with destination) for the RTL trim. There are seven trims in all, with the top of the ladder being the TrailSport Elite Blackout at $53,650 ($55,145 with destination).

Our Trailsport is the middle rung of that ladder. Base price $48,450 ($49,945 with destination). Apart from what I've already mentioned, standard equipment for TrailSport includes a rear camera washer, leatherette and cloth seats with TrailSport orange stitching and accents, amber ambient LED ligthing, TrailSport all-season floormats, LED TrailSport amber daytime running lights, LED fog lights, a panoramic moonroof with tilt and slide function, a heated wiper zone, side mirror turn indicators, a Class III trailer hitch with harness and hitch panel, glodd black power-folding side mirrors, and high-visibility recovery hooks.

All that is on top of the regular Passport standard equipment, which includes a robust suite of active safety features, pushbutton start, remote engine start, a capless fuel filler, auto-dimming rearview mirror, hill start assist, hill descent control, trailer stability assist, a 12.3-inch color touchscreen, a nine-speaker audio system including subwoofer, two 12-volt power outlets, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Alexa Built-In, Google Built-In, a wireless phone charger, four USB-C charging points, HondaLink and HondaLink subscription services, a wi-fi hot spot, heated power front seats, 60/40 split-folding rear seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, three-zone climate control with humidity control and air filtration, an acoustic windshield, rear privacy glass, smart entry with walk-away locking, a power liftgate, heated side mirrors and a security system.

Honda's one-price trim strategy means no extra-cost options, so the bottom line on the window sticker reads $49,945.

Getting this good a package for a hair under $50,000 these days is a major win. Honda has fully arrived in this segment, and for the first time in a long time, the 4Runner has some serious competition.