The 2019 Honda Passport is surprisingly likeable. Based on the Honda Pilot, and Ridgeline, the Passport has very similar dimensions to the Honda Pilot. The main difference is the Passport is 6″ shorter between the rear wheels to the rear bumper thus removing the 3rd-row seats. There’s also a small lift in the vehicle’s overall ride height to increase some of its off-road capabilities.

Looks wise, the Passport has updated front end to make it look a bit more rugged, but the standard 20″ wheels say anything but mall-crawler. I’m sure for the 1% of owners who would want to take their brand new Passport off-road they can equip it with some aftermarket 17″ or 18″ wheels, along with some nobbly off-road tires to make it a bit more capable than the 20″ offerings that are offered by Honda.

Moving on the inside, it’s the same as the Pilot or Ridgeline. Not that it’s a bad thing, as the Pilot’s simple interior is easy to use and feels well put together and there’s excellent visibility throughout. Infotainment wise the new radio works well, and there’s plenty of oomph, with 550 Watts of audio through 10 speakers. There’s even Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for all your connectivity needs.

The seats are comfortable with plenty of support, and there’s more than enough room for the rear occupants to stretch out. What’s even more surprising is behind the rear seats there’s plenty of space for cargo. Look under the load floor, and you’ll find three different compartments to hold even more.

Under the hood, the Passport shares the 3.5L V6 with some other Hondas with 280 hp and 262lb-ft of torque there plenty of power when needed. Mated to a 9-speed automatic, shifts are smooth. With plenty of gears, there are times where the transmission goes hunting for the perfect gear before accelerating making the Passport a bit sluggish at times. Rated at 12.5L/100km in the city and 9.8L/100km on the highway it’s not as fuel efficient as some other turbo-charged offerings, but they also don’t sound as smooth and glorious as an excellent old-fashion v6.

Overall the Passport is really made for someone who thought the Pilot was just too big and the CR-V was just too small. While it’s not a brand new chassis, it’s still an excellent choice for those who are looking to travel with 5 and all of their luggage.