The 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport is all-new this year, and it boasts impressive capability. To prove it, Honda flew me to North Carolina to get firsthand experience at the company’s off-road training course. Located at Overland Experts in Troy, North Carolina, the 200-acre property includes truly challenging terrain.
9/10
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Passport
- Engine
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3.5-Liter V-6
Initially, it was a way for engineers to test prototypes safely. Over time, it grew into a company-wide initiative that trains everyone from engineers to executives. I spoke with Pete Langseth, Principal Engineer at Honda, about how the program started and how it’s a key part of Honda’s commitment to developing off-road vehicles.
Consistency In Testing
The Overland Experts property hosts everything from one-on-one classes to training for the military, with trails that are ever-changing from this constant and varied use. It proved the perfect place for Honda to start its off-road vehicle testing. “We were getting more and more into the off-road market,” said Langseth. As the scope of Honda’s off-road development increased, so too did the need to get everyone on the same page.
“We knew that testing needed to be done more safely and controlled. Not just people with whatever background they have, just going out and doing things.”
– Pete Langseth, Principal Engineer, Honda
As time went on, Langseth and a team of engineers put together a curriculum to set safety standards for the whole company. It’s training that helps Honda employees not only learn what vehicles like the Passport TrailSport can do today, but also helps give them ideas about what they might do in the future.
Designed For The Novice And Expert Alike
While some vehicles target only hardcore off-roaders, the Honda Passport TrailSport customer is more diverse. It includes those who spend most of their time on the pavement with only an occasional off-road adventure and those who put a higher priority on off-roading.
“You have to test it twice. You have to test it with different mindsets each time and make sure that it’s going to satisfy both of them.”
– Pete Langseth, Principal Engineer, Honda
It’s not just about how the vehicle handles. The off-road features that let customers enjoy off-roading can’t be overwhelming and complicated, especially for the novice. “You want it to be helpful but not intrusive and make both people feel comfortable and confident in what they’re doing,” said Langseth.
Training For Everyone
While it might seem that only the engineering team needs off-road experience to design better vehicles, there was a good reason to expand the opportunity to the whole company. Executives who’ve had time to drive trails themselves can more fully understand why off-road features need to be a priority in development.
“We’re doing this with as many executives as possible so that they understand why we’re pushing for these features.”
– Pete Langseth, Principal Engineer, Honda
This focus shows in recent Honda commercials, too, with a shift to showing real technical driving. It may look cool to see a vehicle blasting through the desert, kicking up sand or taking a jump, but that’s not the reality of off-roading. The training Honda employees receive helps ensure the company captures off-roading the right way.
“We teach PR people. We teach marketing people. We’ve even been teaching some of the contract companies,” said Langseth. “The commercials that you see, especially over the past two years, we worked heavily with them so they wouldn’t just take a car blowing through sand and snow and throwing things in the air. That’s not off-roading.”
Unique Honda-Only Features
The front recovery hooks are a stand-out feature on the Passport TrailSport. “They’re designed so that in tension, when you’re pulling a vehicle out, they’re ridiculously strong,” he said. “But in compression, if the vehicle were to hit something, they could hurt you or a pedestrian, so they’re made to crumple away in a crash.” This is a unique feature of Honda and a point of pride for the engineering team. There’s also Trail mode, which pulls up the TrailWatch camera automatically to show tire paths and more easily navigate technical terrain. The system also adds trail gauges to the instrument cluster with pitch, roll, and elevation displays.
“I developed those trail gauges that come up automatically when you go into trail mode. We had to find the sensors to run them, create the electrical connections to make sure that they get the signals they want, and then figure out how to display it so that it makes sense,” said Langseth. It’s all about helping create the best possible off-road experience.
“When you make a vehicle that’s capable, customers, families, or just a bunch of friends can go do things,” said Langseth. “Driving the trail to get to a destination is exciting, and the more they feel confident, the more they can do, and the more enjoyment they get from the vehicle and the experience.”