New Honda Passport mid-size SUV launched

Honda has unveiled its new Passport five-seat SUV at the Los Angeles motor show. 

The Passport will sit between the Honda CR-V and three-row Pilot in Honda’s American SUV line-up and is pitched as a more capable, rugged model suited to active lifestyles. It has a more purposeful look than the CR-V, with oversized arches that accentuate its 20in alloy wheels and greater ground clearance than the Pilot.

It will arrive with a 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine as standard, making it something of an outlier in a category dominated by entry-level four-cylinder engines - but one that will surely appeal to American customers. The i-VTEC powerplant produces 280bhp and 262lb ft and is mated to a nine-speed automatic gearbox.

As standard on top-end Elite models and optionally on Sport, EX-L and Touring models, the Passport features Honda’s i-VTM4 torque-vectoring four-wheel drive system, which is able to send up to 70% of torque to the rear wheels.

Four-wheel drive models can also switch between multiple driving modes for different weather and terrain, including snow, mud and sand, while front-wheel-drive models have a dedicated snowy conditions mode.

Honda claims the Passport delivers best-in-class passenger space and luggage capacity, with push-button folding seats and a segmented underfloor cargo compartment.

EX-L models and above receive an 8.0in touchscreen infotainment system as standard, complete with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring and a multi-angle rear-view camera. Touring and Elite trims add a premium 10-speaker stereo system, front and rear parking sensors and blindspot monitoring.