Honda Passport

Honda Passport Models

The Honda Passport is available in two trim levels: LX and EX. The EX can also be ordered with a Luxury Package.

All Passports come standard with Isuzu's 3.2-liter, DOHC 24-valve V6. LX buyers can choose between a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic; EX's get the automatic only. Four-wheel-drive models have four-wheel disc brakes and a limited-slip rear differential, but all Passports come with 4-wheel antilock brakes and dual air bags.

The feature-packed LX comes with a ton of standard equipment: air conditioning, power windows, power locks, variable speed intermittent windshield wipers, illuminated vanity mirrors, tinted glass, cargo area side boxes, alloy wheels (with 4WD), skid plates under the radiator and fuel tank (4WD Passports also get a skid plate under the transfer case), cruise control, and a tilt steering wheel.

You get more luxury and convenience in EX models: leather-wrapped steering wheel, fog lights (optional on LX), wood-grain interior trim, remote keyless entry with theft alarm, power moonroof, and alloy wheels with 2WD or 4WD.

The Luxury Package adds color-keyed moldings and fender flares, exclusive two-tone paint choices, leather trimmed seats and door panels and an 8-speaker AM/FM/cassette/6-CD changer stereo.

Driving the Honda Passport

Our Passport EX-Luxury was nimble and responsive as we traveled around Los Angeles. It had enough power to move in and out of traffic with ease. On the freeway the ride is smooth and sure. It handled the open road well, too. The 3.2-liter V6 is a little hummer, and it will tackle most highway grades without faltering. Regardless of the conditions, the steering was precise.

Leaving the wilderness of urban Southern California, we headed north to the Owens Valley on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. The new seats were comfortable. We spent the week with our Passport exploring the Owens River and poking around the foothills at the base of the Coyote Mountains. It rained much of the week we spent there, and the Passport handled muddy dirt roads as effortlessly as it handled the mean streets of Los Angeles.

The Passport did well on the dirt tracks at the base of the Coyotes, too. Shifting into 4WD High is effortless when the going gets rough. And the 16" tires and 8.5" of ground clearance gave us ample undercarriage room to explore some fairly rocky roads.

We also had a chance to try out the transmission's Winter mode on a side trip to the nearby Mammoth Mountain ski resort. The 16" wheels couldn't get a bite on the icy surface until we engaged the Winter mode. Then the Passport literally walked out of its parking space.

Back on paved (and ice-free) mountain roads the Passport was agile and sure. In radical transient maneuvers the rear-end loses traction before the front-end-just the way it should. The 4-wheel ABS system works as expected and keeps the vehicle straight and true in emergency stops. In fact, the ABS system even works well on rough dirt roads where other systems are lacking.