Once upon a time, you could tell the upper trim levels of vehicles by just how much brightwork there was. Wheel covers, chrome bumpers, door and window trim---all gleaming, and occasionally blinding.
Truly upscale European cars pretty much put a stop to that in the 80s (along with whitewall tires).
The pendulum has now swung so far away from the 50s, 60s and 70s signifier that you ponied up for the top trim that Honda's introducing a new upper rung of Passport where the only bright and shiny bits are the Honda badges, the dual exhaust tips and---somewhat ironically, the badge on the grille that tells you it's the Black Edition:
The Passport Black Edition features an unique grille and upper grille bar, black trim and garnish, black side mirrors, black B-pillar trim, black roof rails, black wheels---even a gloss black trailer hitch cover.
Passports are all created equal under the hood---a 3.5-liter V6 with 280 horsepower, mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission. Zero to 60 happens in 6.5 seconds and the EPA fuel economy estimate is 21 mpg combined city/highway.
All Passport Black Labels are all-wheel-drive with intelligent traction management, including modes for sand, snow and mud.
Like all Passports, there's 41.2 cubic feet of cargo space behind the seats, 77.5 with the second row folded.
And there's limo-like legroom for the rear-seat passengers---39.6 inches worth.
If you're thinking black trim isn't enough to make a vehicle the top of the line, you're right. Honda sets the Black Edition apart from other Passports with a hands-free access power tailgate, heated front and rear outboard seats, a ten-speaker, 540-watt audio system, wireless phone charging and red ambient interior lighting.
The base price of the 2024 Honda Passport Black Edition is $49,365 including destination. That price includes all of the above as well as roof rails, LED fog lights, LED low-beam headlights, leather-trimmed seats (heated and ventilated up front, a one-touch power moonroof, power front seats with driver memory, three-zone automatic climate control, a heated, leather-wrapped steering wheel, a wireless phone charger, navigation, an eight-inch center touchscreen (call me crazy, but that really felt like the right size), and a comprehensive suite of active safety features.
The Passport Black Label is so well equipped that our tester had just one option---the Radiant Red Metallic paint at $455. So the bottom line of the window sticker reads $49,820.
A realistic perspective of vehicle prices, equipment and overall excellence reveals that to be a bargain these days---and the Honda Passport Black Edition sets a new standard for a loaded mid-size SUV.
