Honda has finally taken wraps of their new 5-seater SUV- the Passport, at the 2018 LA Auto Show. While not a completely new name, the SUV is unlike its Isuzu Rodeo-based predecessor as it is developed in-house by Honda and will be produced at their Lincoln, Alabama plant.
2019 Honda Passport: Segment and release date
The new Passport is positioned between the CR-V and the Pilot. It will go on sale next year as a 2019 model.
Prices have not been revealed yet.
Design and tech
Honda has worked extensively on the front fascia of the Passport so that it can be clearly distinguished from the CR-V or even the Pilot. Instead of tinkering with the familiar ‘Honda’ face, they have tried to make it flatter and more SUV-like, which is good. Sides and rear are typically Honda with expected diversions here and there.
Interior is a nice place to be with Honda promising best-in-class passenger as well as overall volume (115.9 cubic feet and 157.1 cubic feet respectively). Boot capacity is 41.2 cubic feet which can be expanded to 77.9 cubic feet if needed.
Coming to infotainment, lower trims get 215-watt system with a five-inch display while higher trims get eight-inch one with 590 Watt system. Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and mobile WiFi are provided.
Safety is accentuated by a host of Active and Passive equipment in addition to segment-standard.
2019 Honda Passport- Specification
Power for the Passport comes from a 3.5-liter V6 delivering 280-horsepower (209-kilowatt), mated to a nine-speed automatic, While Front Wheel Drive is standard, we expect a fair majority to opt for the i-VTM4 all-wheel-drive system. The latter comes with electronic, torque-vectoring which can send up to 70% to rear wheels, even specify the wheel.
| Model | Towing Capacity |
| Front Wheel Drive | 5,000 pounds |
| All Wheel Drive | 3,500 pounds |
That’s all for now, more details will be updated in 2019.
