2022 Honda Passport Facelift Debuts With Adventure-Oriented TrailSport

For the mid-cycle refresh, the adventure-oriented crossover also introduces “a new halo for Honda light trucks.” I can’t really understand how the Japanese automaker considers the unibody Passport a light truck other than the somewhat misleading U.S. classification for light trucks, but nevertheless, it’s not an isolated case. Case in point: Mercedes calls the GT 4-Door Coupe a four-door coupe even though it’s a five-door liftback sedan.

The first-ever TrailSport is the halo in question, a trim level that combines independent front and rear suspension with available torque-vectoring AWD and exclusive design cues. From the front grille to the skid garnish, orange badges, and unique wheels, the TrailSport certainly stands out from other variants of the Passport. An increase of 10 millimeters for the front and rear tracks also have to be mentioned, along with 245/60 by 18-inch rubber shoes that incorporate sidewall tread and one-touch folding mirrors.

A heated windshield wiper parking area, orange stitching, lots of TrailSport logos, black chrome for the gauge cluster surround, amber ambient lighting, and an extensive range of safety and driver-assistive technologies pretty much seal the deal. Every single trim level of the 2022 model year Passport flaunts Rear Seat Reminder as standard, along with a 280-horsepower V6.

The free-breathing motor is connected to a nine-speed automatic transmission whereas i-VTM4 all-wheel drive with torque vectoring is only standard on the TrailSport and plush Elite. To whom it may concern, 70 percent of the engine’s 262 pound-feet (355 Nm) of torque can be channeled to the rear wheels. Those 70 percent are then channeled between either of the rear wheels as dictated by the Intelligent Traction Management system.

With 8.1 inches of ground clearance with AWD and a 5,000-pound (6,779 kilograms) towing capacity when properly equipped, the Passport is a pretty interesting pick in this particular segment. Be that as it may, the pricing difference between it and the rear-/all-wheel-drive Ford Explorer is too small to pose a threat to the Blue Oval’s best-selling sport utility vehicle.