Honda raised the 2027 Honda Passport TrailSport by 1.38 inches and redesigned roughly 70% of the suspension to do it. That’s my case for waiting on the new one instead of taking a discount on a leftover 2026.
Quick answer: The 2027 Passport TrailSport gains 1.38 inches of ground clearance, for a total of 9.65 inches. Approach and departure angles each improve to 25 degrees, and breakover goes to 23. TrailWatch cameras and a heated steering wheel are now standard on every TrailSport. Power is unchanged at 285 hp.
2027 Honda Passport ground clearance: what 9.65 inches actually buys you
Clearance climbs from 8.27 inches to 9.65, and Honda didn’t get there with spring spacers. Its September 2026 release lists redesigned springs, dampers, control arms, stabilizer bars and knuckles, plus reworked front driveshafts and subframe.
Here’s the part most launch coverage skipped. Lift a unibody crossover on its original hardware and the control arm angles change at static ride height, which parks the suspension near the top of its travel and turns washboard into a hammer. New arms and knuckles reset that geometry, so a wheel still has droop travel when it drops into a rut. That’s the difference between a lift that works and one that only raises the headlights.
| Spec | 2027 TrailSport | 2026 TrailSport | Change |
| Ground clearance | 9.65 in | 8.27 in | +1.38 in |
| Approach angle | 25 deg | 23 deg | +2 deg |
| Breakover angle | 23 deg | 20 deg | +3 deg |
| Departure angle | 25 deg | 23 deg | +2 deg |
| Power | 285 hp / 262 lb-ft | 285 hp / 262 lb-ft | No change |
At 9.65 inches the Passport clears the Toyota 4Runner TRD Off-Road at 9.1 and the Subaru Outback Wilderness at 9.5. It’s still a unibody crossover with no low-range transfer case, so you’re buying confidence on rutted forest roads, not a rock crawler. Honda has never claimed one.
The two standard features that change ownership more than the lift
TrailWatch was Elite-only on the 2026 car. For 2027 it’s standard on every TrailSport: front, side, rear and 360-degree views on the 12.3-inch touchscreen, with graphics that show where your tires point. The heated steering wheel came down from the Elite too.
Spend a day on a two-track and you’ll use that front camera more than anything else on the screen. The fourth-generation Passport’s hood is flat and high enough to hide anything shorter than a milk crate for the first eight feet or so. Tire-placement graphics turn a three-point guess into one clean line.
What changed in the new Passport interior
Not much, and that’s fine. The new 2027 Honda Passport interior carries over the 12.3-inch touchscreen, the 10.2-inch driver display and 44.0 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second row, 83.8 with the seats folded. Want the 115-volt outlet or ventilated seats? You’re still shopping Elite.
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Where the V6 still holds the TrailSport back
The powertrain is untouched: the naturally aspirated 3.5-liter J35Y8, rated at 285 hp and 262 lb-ft, with a 10-speed automatic and torque-vectoring all-wheel drive. Some launch coverage has listed 280 hp. It’s 285.
Peak torque lives high in the rev range, which is the honest limitation off pavement: at a crawl you’re asking the 10-speed to hold a low gear while the engine works at revs it would rather not use. MotorTrend measured 7.1 seconds to 60 mph in a Passport RTL, and about half a second longer in the pre-update TrailSport.
Fuel economy says the same thing. The TrailSport is rated 18/23 mpg city/highway against 19/25 elsewhere in the lineup, and an 18.5-gallon tank gives you roughly 370 miles. A 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee V6 carries 23.0 gallons and goes about 506 miles. That gap will bother you long before the clearance saves you.
Should you wait for the 2027 or take the discount on a 2026?
Honda says the updated TrailSport reaches dealers this month; one outlet reported next month, so confirm before money moves. Pricing isn’t announced. The 2026 TrailSport starts at $50,145 with the $1,495 destination charge, and I’d expect the 2027 above that.
Here’s the decision. If your Passport will live on pavement with a gravel campground twice a summer, buy an RTL, or a leftover 2026 at whatever the dealer takes off it. Those 1.38 inches won’t pay you back. If you’ll use the hardware, wait, because Honda hasn’t offered the new suspension as a retrofit.
The mistake I keep seeing on TrailSport lots: buyers pay the trim premium for the look, then add the Blackout Package, which darkens the fascias, wheels, badges and skid garnishes and does nothing for capability. Honda said TrailSport made up more than 80% of Passport sales as of June 2026. The 2026 car took a Top Safety Pick+ from IIHS (iihs.org), and the 2027 is structurally unchanged. Trading something in? Our car buying guidance at xmotocars.top is worth ten minutes.
Questions buyers are asking before they sign
When will the 2027 Honda Passport be available?
Honda puts the updated TrailSport at US dealers in late September 2026, though some coverage said October. The rest of the lineup follows the usual schedule. Pricing isn’t published. The 2026 TrailSport opened at $50,145 with destination, so budget above that.
How much ground clearance does the 2027 Passport TrailSport have?
9.65 inches, up 1.38 from the 2026 model’s 8.27. Approach and departure angles are 25 degrees each, breakover is 23. That clears the Toyota 4Runner TRD Off-Road at 9.1 inches and the Subaru Outback Wilderness at 9.5, though clearance alone can’t replace a low-range transfer case.
Is the TrailSport worth it over the Passport RTL?
Only if you leave pavement. The TrailSport adds all-terrain tires, steel skid plates, the revised suspension and TrailWatch cameras, and costs you 1 mpg in the city and 2 on the highway. Stay on asphalt and the RTL is quieter and cheaper.
What’s new inside the 2027 Passport?
A heated steering wheel is standard across TrailSport trims instead of Elite-only. Everything else carries over: the 10.2-inch driver display, the 12.3-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and 44.0 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second row.
The 2027 Honda Passport is the same roomy midsize SUV it was last year, with one grade that got measurably better at the job it advertises. Buy it for the geometry. For more verdicts before you walk into a showroom, read our full car reviews at xmotocars.top
