2019 Honda Insight Hybrid

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 27 (Jidosha Shinbun) -- The Honda Passport originally debuted for the 1994 model year was created from a partnership with Isuzu and was related to the Isuzu Rodeo. Like the Rodeo, the Passport was a 5-door mid-size SUV. There were two generations of the original Passport and was replaced in 2002 with the Honda Pilot. Fast forward to present day, sales of sedans are slowing down. Ford has announced they are discontinuing sedans in the United States and GM has announced they are discontinuing several nameplates. It's hit Honda as well, both Accord and Civic, while quite strong in their respective classes, are showing lower sales compared to prior years. With consumers steadily buying SUVs, Honda has decided to plug a hole in its SUV lineup, and reintroduce the Passport as a two row crossover that sits in their lineup between the CR-V and Pilot.

The front of the Passport shares some design elements with the larger Pilot. Differences are with the lower fascia and fog lamps. Styling is pretty conservative and while the design isn't offensive, it doesn't really stick out from the pack either. The trend continues to the rear of the vehicle, where it looks so conservative, it looks bland. The smaller CR-V seems have to have a more exciting styling in our opinion. The conservative styling continues to the interior, but fortunately shares more with the Pilot. If you've driven a Pilot before, the cockpit of the Passport will be very familar.

Like the Pilot, the Passport comes standard with a 3.5-liter V6 engine mated to a 9-speed automatic transmission. In the Passport, the V6 produces 280 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque. Honda claims the Passport has a "best-in-class' 115.9 cu.-ft of passenger space. Honda will offer the Passport in Sport, EX-L, Touring, and Elite trims. All trims are available in FWD or AWD, except for the Elite trim, which is available only with AWD. Standard on all trims are 20-inch alloy wheels. EX-L and higher trims feature 8-inch Display Audio with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Passport will be manufactured at Honda's Lincoln, Alabama plant.

Honda Passport Crossover SUV
5-Door SUV
Main Competitors: Nissan Murano, Toyota Highlander