The price of the 2022 Honda Passport has risen as a result of the loss of the base trim level

 The formerly midlevel EX-L trim is now the Passport's entry point



The Honda Passport SUV, a shorter, two-row variant of the Honda Pilot, was released for the 2019 model year and will be updated from the windscreen forward for 2022. The updated five-passenger Passport has a new vertical grille, sculpted hood, revised front fenders, and an aggressive rear bumper, resulting in a sportier, more athletic-looking midsize SUV that Honda claims is more adventure-ready than ever.


With that emphasis on toughness and off-road prowess comes a brand-new TrailSport model for 2022. The Passport is the first Honda SUV to receive the TrailSport treatment, however it is possible that it may be extended to the smaller CR-V and bigger Pilot in the future. So, how much will this new Trailsport, and the new Passport in general, set you back?


The 2022 Honda Passport starts at $39,095, which is a significant increase above the $34,015 starting price of the 2021 Honda Passport. Aside from the common perception that everything is becoming more costly, there is a (legitimate) justification for the $5,080 price increase for the beginning MSRP. We'll clarify afterwards.




Bye-Bye Sport Trim: EX-L Is The New Base Model

The base Sport trim from last year, as well as the upmarket Touring trim, have been reduced for 2022. (There were four model levels for the 2021 Honda Passport: $34,015 Sport, $38,035 EX-L, $40,905 Touring, and $45,405 Elite.) Essentially, the off-road-oriented TrailSport trim was added in place of the Touring. The elimination of the existing basic trim leaves a higher-end entry-point trim for 2022: the formerly midgrade EX-L standard.


The 2022 Honda Passport is offered in three trim levels: EX-L ($39,095), TrailSport ($43,695), and Elite ($46,665). The TrailSport and Elite come standard with all-wheel drive, however the EX-L comes standard with front-wheel drive and can be fitted with AWD for an extra $2,100, bringing the price of an EX-L with AWD to $41,195.


The updated EX-L includes the entire suite of Honda Sensing assistive technologies, leather-trimmed power adjustable heated front seats, high-contrast stitching on the inside, a one-touch power moonroof, 20-inch pewter grey aluminium wheels, power tailgate with remote, 8.0-inch display, Apple CarPlay, wireless smartphone charging, and front and rear parking sensors. A rear seat reminder and rear seatbelt reminder are now standard.


The Passport Elite comes standard with 20-inch wheels with gloss black inserts, rain-sensing windshield wipers, a hands-free access power tailgate, a 540W audio system with 10 speakers, Wi-Fi hotspot capability, heated and ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, second-row climate control system controls, white ambient LED lighting, front row courtesy door lights, and a heated steering wheel.




TrailSport Trim: Not An Athlete, But An Aesthete

The TrailSport trim's original edition reflects a relatively lacklustre variety of aesthetic modifications rather than any meaningful off-road upgrades. 18-inch wheels with "rugged" 245/60R18 tyres, a unique grille, aggressive bumpers with skid plate designs, roof rails, LED fog lights, orange TrailSport badges, other gloss black badges, orange contrast stitching inside, amber interior lighting, rubber floor mats, TrailSport embroidered logos on the headrests, gloss-black power-folding mirrors, and a heated windshield wiper "parking area" are among them.


The Rugged Roads Project 2.0 concept foreshadows some more substantial off-road upgrades that would catapult the TrailSport closer to competition like the Subaru Outback Wilderness: improved ground clearance, beefier all-terrain tyres, a full-size spare tyre, underbody armour, skid plates, recovery hooks, adjustments to the all-wheel-drive system, and unique off-road-oriented suspension tuning. While we admire the Passport TrailSport's "rugged look," seeing the idea and other raced-out Passports makes us want more right now.


Unfortunately, for the time being, the 2022 Passport TrailSport has the same 8.1 inches of ground clearance as the other AWD Passports, the same approach and departure angles, the same suspension, the same tiny spare tyre, the same 280-hp, 262-lb-ft 3.5-liter V-6 and nine-speed automatic...basically, the same everything, including fuel economy (19/24/21). Okay, we won't begrudge the last one.


The 2022 Honda Passport is slated to hit the market this winter.


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