Road Beat: 2019 Honda Passport, Honda’s best ever SUV/CUV and Best in Class

Not very often does a new car/truck come along that gets my attention as the new Honda Passport did. It is certainly not a rebadged Isuzu as the original “rush to market” first Passport was.

Actually, the new Passport is built on the Honda Pilot chassis sharing the powertrain, wheelbase, track and some other items, including instrumentation, but It is a totally different vehicle. By shortening the length about half a foot, limiting the interior to two very comfortable rows of seats and recalibrating and returning its state-of-the-art suspension, Honda has created an almost totally new and different vehicle.

First some measurements. The new Passport rides on the same 111-inch wheelbase, it stretches out to 190.5 inches, remains exactly 78.6 inches wide but stands about two inches taller at 72.2 inches partially the result of an increased ground clearance of an inch to 8.1 inches. Yes, the Passport not only looks more rugged and businesslike, it is. And that is a good thing as the new Passport is a looker with a slightly modified window line that really works. If it looks more aggressive that’s because it is.

Inside you will find the new Passport makes the most of its cavern, its huge inside with lots of special spaces to put smaller items. Seats are good but I would like softer. Maybe they are designed for more rougher transport, but the ride is so good, I don’t know if rougher is in the Passport’s vocabulary. But those seats are well shaped and supportive and the leather is nice in my Elite tester.

Under the hood it the familiar Honda 3.5L slightly under square SOHC, 24 valve V-6 with direct injection now with the Pilot’s 280 hp at 6,000 rpm and 262 pounds of twist at 4,700 rpm and an improved Pilot nine-speed automatic that shifts smoothly and positively. I am still not used to the console-mounted push-button shifter, but the paddle shifters work as advertised. And these nine speeders are standard on all Passports, whereas with the Pilot only the Touring and Elite get the nine-speeder.

Performance for the Passport is world class and improved over the already super quick Pilot with 0-60 mph arriving in 5.86 seconds and that was on an engine with about 200 miles on it. That’s an improvement of four-tenths of a second. Passport is about 100 pounds lighter than the Pilot. Passing performance is also improved with 50-70 mph simulated passing times of 3.04 and 3.77 seconds respectively on a level highway and up to a 6-7 percent grade. The Pilot numbers were 6.25/3.21/4.36 seconds. You can feel the improvement and additional thrust.

Throttle response was exemplary with perfect modulation and linearity only found in normally aspirated engines.

Fuel economy is also improved although the EPA numbers are slightly down from the Pilot. With the Passport being slightly lighter and with identical gearing it actually returned better numbers than the Pilot as I expected it would. EPA says expect 19/24/21 mpg city/highway/combined, but my Passport delivered 28.4 mpg at 70 mph in a two-way test, about 2 mpg better than the Pilot. Passport also averaged 26.8 mpg in my 200-mile run over the Sierras to Carson City, a bit better than the Pilot. Overall in about 500 miles of driving, the Passport delivered about 23-24 mpg. Both vehicles were AWD models with nine-speed trannies. The fuel tank is a large 19.5 gallons.

Handling was the best. Steering was perfectly weighted and accurate. My only comment it could be a bit quicker as it is 3.1 turns lock to lock. As mentioned above new suspension tuning has really hit its mark along with giving the Passport big, beautiful 20X8 inch alloys shod with mammoth 265/45 series rubber. Good stuff. Track is an extremely wide 67 inches front and rear. Turn in is very crisp, tracking is perfect as well as on and off-center feel. It reacts intuitively to your inputs. It simply goes where you point it and willingly so almost begging you to push it harder, I can do it. It is a delight to drive in the twisties.

Ride quality is firm but in a compliant manner, perfect for my tastes. But then there is the super smoothness of the drivetrain and the overall feel of the Passport. It is uncannily quiet, too, with no wind, road or tire noise. The quiet is noticeable. It makes the Passport a great chamber for music. Engine speed at 70 mph is a very low 1,750 rpm, the exact same as the Pilot, but that detail was not unexpected. Overall, I found the Passport more fun to drive, looking for places to go with the more time in the saddle, the better.

Safety is complete with the Passport. It is equipped with all the latest safety acronyms and Honda, thank goodness, makes them easily defeatable like the lane keep assist. Auto high beam is one of the best new systems that improve nighttime visibility and the Honda’s LED headlights are among the best. Brakes were excellent with a strong linear pedal.

Inside is a great Passport interior with mostly soft-touch materials. Instrumentation looks like it is taken right out of the Pilot down to the gas and brake pedal. Remember this Passport is based on the same chassis. That is good as instrumentation is complete and legible, a tach and speedo separated by a trip computer and a more complete trip computer is located in the electronic display at the top of the center stack.

Honda’s radio system while still requiring too many steps is getting much easier to use. At least there are no mice to deal with. The rest of the controls are excellent to use. Rear seating is voluminous with over 100 cubic feet behind the first row and over 50 cubes behind the second row with a flat cargo floor and some storage beneath it.

Pricing starts at a sawbuck below $32K plus $1,045 for the train from its Lincoln, Alabama assembly plant. An AWD very well equipped Sport model is $33,890 plus the $1,045. My fully loaded AWD Elite stickered for $44,725 with destination. There is nothing wrong with the AWD Sport and it is a bargain. So it only comes with 245/50X20 inch tires instead of the Elite’s 265/45X20 inch rubber. You will be hard pressed to notice the difference. But you might miss the leather interior. This is the new best in class SUV/CUV beating out all comers including the new Hyundai Sante Fe Ultimate 2.0T and the Mazda CX-5 turbo. That’s a giant leap forward. Honda has become your ultimate Passport to fun motoring anywhere.

Specifications
Price $33,005-$44,725
Engine
3.5L SOHC, 24 valve V-6 280 hp @ 6,000 rpm
262 lb.-ft. of torque @ 4,700 rpm
Transmission
Nine speed torque converter automatic (Touring and Elite)

Configuration
Transverse front engine/FWD/AWD

Dimensions
Wheelbase 111.0 inches
Length 190.5 inches
Width 78.6 inches
Height 72.2 inches
Ground clearance 8.1 inches
Track (f/r) 66.7/66.7 inches
Fuel capacity 19.5 gallons
Curb Weight 4,237 pounds
Weight distribution (f/r) 56/44 %
Tow capacity 5,000 pounds
Steering lock to lock 3.14 turns
Turning circle 39.3 feet
Wheels 20X8 inch alloys
Tires 245/50X20//265/45/20 inch
Vehicle volume (Behind 1st row/2nd row) 100.5/50.5 cubic feet

Performance
0-60 mph 5.86 seconds
50-70 mph 3.04 seconds
50-70 mph (up a 6-7 % grade) 3.77 seconds
Top speed Plenty fast
Fuel economy EPA rated 19/24/21 mpg city/highway/combined. Expect 22-23 in rural suburban driving. 28 mpg on the highway at legal speeds.