2025 Honda Passport

Our top-ranked midsize SUV, the 2025 Honda Passport marks time for the lineup as Honda puts the finishing touches on a new-generation model for 2026. The Passport carries over unchanged, but that's not a bad thing. Larger than the compact CR-V but not as bulky as the three-row Pilot, the Passport fits a just-right niche. The lack of a third row means more room for passengers, gear and cargo, making the Passport a great pick for small families and part-time adventurers — even more so in the off-road-oriented TrailSport trim. The Passport's robust V6 engine, itself an increasing rarity, also gives it an edge with buyers needing power and efficiency.

Those Passport praises out of the way, let's look at where it falls short. In our testing, we found the Passport's panic braking a little soft. Not unsafe but a bit jittery during panic stops. But that's a small complaint compared to the SUV's often overly sensitive driver aids. Our biggest, and admittedly unfair, gripe is the Passport's creaky bones. Launched seven years ago, on Honda's already-few-years-old light truck platform, the Passport is feeling and showing its age relative to its Pilot counterpart, which was significantly overhauled in 2023. Even if you don't need a three-row SUV, the Pilot offers a smoother ride and newer tech for about the same price as the Passport. That's likely to change with the forthcoming redesigned Passport, which could make it worth the wait.

In standard trim, the Passport hashes it out with midsize rivals such as the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport, Mazda CX-70, Toyota Venza, Nissan Murano and Chevrolet Blazer. Only the Mazda and Chevy also offer a six-cylinder option, but neither matches the Passport's towing capacity though they're a little more spirited and fun to drive on pavement. And while the Passport TrailSport offers some off-road bona fides — high ground clearance, fortified suspension, beefier tires — its capabilities aren't as advanced as competitors like the Subaru Outback, Ford Bronco or Jeep Grand Cherokee with their more sophisticated suspensions and all-wheel-drive systems.

Edmunds added a Honda Passport to its One-Year Road Test fleet when it first came out in 2019. Over the course of a year and 20,000 miles, we got a good sense of what worked (versatility and cargo space) and what didn't (safety aids, infotainment). You can read all about our experiences in our Honda Passport road test. Note that while we tested a 2019 model, most of our observations still apply to the 2025 model.