Going official on November 27th, Honda is bringing back the Passport for the 2019 model year. To be launched early next year, the Passport joins the HR-V, CR-V, and Pilot as the fourth SUV and sixth light-truck vehicle in the lineup.
Introduced in 1993, the first generation was nothing more than a badge-engineered Isuzu Rodeo. For the second generation, Honda did it again, but this time around, an estimated 150,000 vehicles were recalled because of severe rust issues with the frame.
To make a long story short, Honda put the Passport to rest in March 2002 because the collaboration with Isuzu was getting troublesome. Sales were dropping too, with Honda selling 21,892 units of the mid-size SUV in 2000 then 17,448 the next year.
The third generation was “designed for adventure” by the automaker’s American division, with production confirmed to take place at Honda Manufacturing of Alabama in Lincoln. This facility is where the Odyssey minivan, Pilot mid-size crossover utility vehicle, and Ridgeline sport utility truck are manufactured, which means the Passport will share underpinnings with these three.
Henio Arcangeli, Jr., the senior vice-president of American Honda Motor Co., says “the new Passport is a more personal, powerful, and off-road-capable SUV that hits the sweet spot between daily driving comfort and weekend off-road, all-weather adventure capability.” To be frank, what Arcangeli wants to say is that the Passport will slot between the CR-V and Pilot, filling a gap in the lineup as demand for utility vehicles continues to grow.
Light-truck sales account for more than half of the automaker’s sales in the United States of America, so don’t be too surprised that Honda is reviving the nameplate for the 2019 model year. Of course, Honda Sensing will be featured with standard systems such as Traffic Sign Recognition, Lane Keeping Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control with Low-Speed Follow, Road Departure Mitigation, and Collision Mitigation Braking.
Similar to the eight-seat Pilot, the Passport will feature 280 horsepower from the 3.5-liter V6 we know from the Pilot. All-wheel drive with Intelligent Variable Torque Management (i-VTM4) will be offered, and all configurations will feature the ZF 9HP nine-speed automatic transmission.
Pricing remains to be revealed after the world premiere, but bear in mind it should start at under $30,000. The CR-V and Pilot, for reference, kick off at $24,350 and $31,450.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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