My tester was the 2024 Honda Passport Black Edition. You know it’s something special upon first glance. The Passport Black Edition stands out even from the other Passport family with a snazzy appearance that includes black-painted 20-inch alloy wheels, blackout treatments for the grille, headlight trim, side trim, door handles, window trim and fog light accents and Black Edition badges on the grille and tailgate.
All trims of the Passport have the same powertrain. The Passport features a 3.5-liter V6 engine with all-wheel drive (AWD) standard along with a nine-speed automatic. Kudos to Honda for keeping all that standard down the entire product line. It makes for less consumer confusion. And with 280 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque the Passport is capable and potent enough.
Lance Woelfer, assistance vice president of Honda National Auto Sales said the Passport “builds on our legacy of adventure and off-road performance, while retaining excellent on-road dynamics.”
That summarizes the performance well. It’s confident, capable, has good ground clearance but is also well-behaved on the road. Far too often “overland-type” SUVs forego on road performance for more rugged ability. That’s not the case here with the Passport.
Overall the performance is well-balanced, enjoyable and adapted as a daily driver or weekend warrior.
Inside, the Black Edition continues its standout personality that was already on display on the outside. The upscale look is highlighted with red contrast stitching on the steering wheel, seats and door panels and red accent lighting on the dash, doors and center console. This look is exclusive to the Black Edition trim. You’re not quite used to this type of extra refinement in a Honda or vehicle like the Passport, so clearly Honda intends to fill a niche in this market.
The Passport Black Edition has a refined, upscale look overall and has exclusive features (for this trim), including ventilated front seats, heated rear seats and an embossed Black Edition logo on the seats and floor mats.
The cargo room is amazing for a vehicle of this size as there is 41.2 cubic feet of space behind the back seat. With that second row fold down, the cargo area expands to 77.5 cubic feet.
Honda’s infotainment system is simple to use and has enough technology to integrate with smart phones. There’s no wow factor when it comes to the infotainment system, but that also means it’s not overengineered.
There are three trims for the Passport, EX-L, TrailSport and Black Edition. The EX-L has a starting MSRP of $41,900 while the Black Edition starts at $47,970.
EPA rating for all trims, including the Black Edition is 19 mpg/city and 24 mpg/highway. In a week’s worth of suburban driving I averaged nearly 21 mpg.
Honda has done well with the Passport. It’s a great name, with a great focus on off-roading; but now with the Black Edition, it also gets a well-mannered, capable SUV for the highway. This is an SUV that has just enough refinement and tons of personality to make it feel like a totally different vehicle than other Honda SUVs. So let’s call the Passport Black Edition a sub-species of this successful SUV line.
Jimmy Dinsmore is a freelance automotive journalist. Email him at jimmydinsmore73@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @driversside
2024 Honda Passport Black Edition
Price/As tested price................................................ $47,970/$47,970
Mileage.......................................... 19 mpg/city; 24 mpg/hwy
Engine............................................. 3.5-liter turbocharged V6
Horsepower................................. 280 hp/262 lbs./ft.
Transmission................................. 9-speed automatic
Drive Wheels................ All-wheel drive
Final Assembly Point................ Lincoln, AL
About the Author