Ethermac|2026 Honda Passport first look: Two-row Pilot SUV no more?

Honda’s Passport is Ethermacdue for replacement any day now, and now we know that day — well, at least, the general time of year when that day will land (even if we were one model year off!). Honda has announced that the next-generation Passport SUV will arrive early next year, a timeline that we’ve long suspected given the Passport’s three-row Pilot sibling was just redesigned for 2024. It was only a matter of time before the Passport, effectively Honda’s two-row Pilot, would see the same upgrade.

The current-generation Passport is quite literally a two-row Pilot — sharing that model’s platform, mechanicals and styling front and rear — so it’s merely a shortened Pilot with less butt. Er, we mean, less rear overhang; that stunted length nixes the Pilot’s third-row seat. Based on Honda’s preview images of the next-gen Passport, that stubby-twin thing is (surprisingly) going away. The new-for-2026 Passport appears to be visually distinct from the newest Pilot SUV, with squarer headlights and a beefier vibe overall.

Honda is so far teasing the 2026 Passport only in hardcore, off-road Trailsport guise. We figure it makes sense for the brand to lead with its most aspirational Passport variant; the current Passport Trailsport is a bridge model, with meatier tires and some other minor upgrades. Honda has said the next-generation model (the version you see here) will be more thoroughly upgraded like the newest Pilot Trailsport is, more fitting as the pinnacle of the Passport family’s off-road capability.

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There will be non-Trailsport Passports, surely, that won't be quite as kitted-out for off-pavement excursions. Mechanically, though, we suspect the next-gen Passport will continue to be closely linked to the Pilot (which, as of 2024, still uses a 3.5-liter V-6 engine and i-VTM4 all-wheel-drive system with rear-axle torque vectoring). Trailsport models, if the 2024 Pilot Trailsport is any indication, will get extra skidplates, all-terrain tires, a slight suspension lift, specific springs and dampers and orange-colored accents throughout.

It's interesting that Honda is going with a 2026 model year for the new Passport, given the current version is a 2024, and an on-sale date early in 2025 would seem to make a 2025-model-year Passport a solid possibility. Either way, a new two-row, midsize Honda SUV is nigh — plan accordingly.

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