2019 Honda Passport – Automotive Review
Equipped with traveling appendages, I decided to put the Passport to the ultimate test. However, to really test this Passports limits, I figured I would get three friends to accompany me. Four grown size adults on a four-day road trip, let’s see how this goes.
Oddly enough, with a companion having an expired passport, our journey was going to be limited. We decided to head to the interior of beautiful British Columbia, with our stops being Logan Lake, Kamloops, Falkland, and Shuswap Lake as our final destination.
Not to be confused with the Honda Pilot, the Passport sits in that sweet spot between the sub-compact CRV and the Pilot. However inside you would never notice. It’s incredibly spacious; however, there is a big difference, not having that third row of seating.
Scrambling to pack my gear and items, I managed to include everything you can imagine to the very last tee. I brought games, I brought bug spray, and I even brought a roll of duct tape because- you just never know.
This Honda Passport Touring featured a Thule(R) ski-rack for extra storage capacity. While the trunk measured at 1,430 (L) cargo volume; this was more than efficient for our gear, the extra storage made it even more comfortable. We were able to utilize the over 1500 millimeter shoulder room in the rear seats and 1000 millimeter headroom in the front. With seating capacity at five grown adults, the comfortability was entirely optimal.
While we had a three-hour journey ahead of us before our first stop, equipped inside the Honda Passport Touring edition was WiFi capability thanks to HondaLink. Having WiFi is an excellent feature, especially on road trips.
Once we arrived at Logan Lake, we decide to go slightly off the beaten path. Taking a minor detour onto a dirt path demonstrated that the Passport handles it with ease. The tight wheel to body clearance navigates the rocks and body sway particularly well. The overall ride comfort is one of the best in the Honda Lineup. However taking the Passport on any more than dirt mixed with a couple rocks and you might be in for a rough ride due to the low clearance and sway. With a firm suspension I was pleasantly surprised by the control throughout nevertheless.
After spending the night lakeside, we quickly made our way toward Kamloops. Powering the drivetrain is a 3.5-litre V6 engine. The acceleration is smooth and quick. The Passport registers a 0-100 at 6.8 seconds. Accompanied with a nine-speed transmission the shifting is fast and seamless. There are also steering wheel paddles to offer that manual shift feel. With the 280 horsepower we made excellent time on our journey- not to insinuate that I was speeding. Once our brief stop at Kamloops was complete, we were off towards the small town of Falkland. Driving aids like the blind spot detection and lane-keeping assist were quite the assets on our trek. The multiple drivability technology was important when driving through some fog on the highways were visibility is limited. The adaptive cruise control worked well on lengthy straightaways in combination with blind-spot detection in limited visibility weather.
In Falkland, we optimized our fishing reels and only managed to catch a cold. Wasting 7 hours of casting and reeling, the scenery of the mountains was a nice consultation. We needed to fuel up for our second time here, which I must say wasn’t the most impressive fuel efficiency. At 11L/100km the Honda Passport is deemed average in comparison to its mid-size crossover competitors. At long last we reached our final destination of Shuswap.
While in Shuswap, we got to utilize the boat that we had been towing throughout the trip. Oh, did I not mention that we were pulling a small boat and trailer? Yes, that’s because with the towing rating at 5,000lbs our boat was weightless enough I barely would notice it.
We had a great trip, and we recommend the Honda Passport for those looking for that middle ground of size, comfortability, and utility. Equipped with a plethora of features and extras, the Passport is suitable for any family getaway.
Key Features:
- V6 24-Valve SOHC i-VTEC®
- 280 hp @ 6000 rpm and 262 lb-ft torque @ 4700 rpm
- City 12.5 L/100KM
- Highway 9.85 L/100KM
- Available Intelligent Variable Torque Management™ (i-VTM4®) AWD System
- Ground Clearance (2WD/AWD,) 7.5 in / 8.1 in
- Towing Capacity (2WD/AWD) 3500 lbs / 5000lbs
- Seating Capacity 5
- Headroom (front/rear) 40.1 in / 40.1 in
- Legroom (front/rear) 40.9 in / 39.6 in
- Cargo Volume
- behind 2nd-row 41.2 cu ft
- behind 1st-row 77.9 cu ft
- Apple CarPlay™/ Android Auto™
- Available AT&T Wi-Fi hotspot
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