2027 Honda Passport TrailSport gets serious off-road upgrades

Honda went to work on the 2027 Passport TrailSport, and this isn't a badge shuffle. The company redesigned roughly 70% of the suspension for the new model year, adding a 1.38-inch lift that brings total ground clearance to 9.65 inches. That's a real number, not marketing smoke.

The angles matter too. Approach and departure angles each gained 2 degrees, and breakover angle climbed 3 degrees—the kind of tweaks that keep you from high-centering on a rock or a log. Combined with the extra lift, you're looking at a truck that can actually handle what the "TrailSport" badge promises.

Get it: General Grabber All-Terrain Tires 275/60R18 on Amazon (The exact tire Honda fitted to the 2027 TrailSport for mixed terrain performance)

Honda fitted the 2027 model with 275/60R18 General Grabber All-Terrain tires, a solid choice for mixed terrain. The styling got a refresh too: a redesigned lower front fascia and amber light strips in the hood scoop give it a meaner face without looking like a mall crawler.

If you're serious about rocks and ruts, rock sliders run $865 and are worth every penny for protecting the undercarriage. Honda tested the whole package at Overland Experts, a 200-acre facility in Troy, North Carolina near Uwharrie National Forest—real terrain, not a parking lot.

One note: sources split on whether the suspension changes make a difference on pavement. Jalopnik reported they couldn't tell much difference between the 2026 and 2027 on-road, while other outlets didn't dig into that question. If you're planning to spend most of your time on asphalt, this might not be the upgrade that changes your life. But if you're actually taking it into the dirt, the numbers say Honda listened.

The Radazoid take

The original Passport was a real deal—a proper compact SUV built on the Isuzu Rodeo platform back in the day, the kind of thing you could actually take places. Over time it became more of a city truck, all image and no teeth. This TrailSport redesign feels like Honda remembering what the Passport was supposed to be: a do-it-yourself rig that doesn't need a garage full of aftermarket parts before you can use it.

That's good news. Factory support for real off-road work—not "adventure package" theater—is getting harder to find. If Honda is serious about putting the trail back in TrailSport, and the numbers suggest they are, this is worth paying attention to.