2023 Honda Passport Performance

No one buying a Honda Passport will expect it to stick with a Challenger Hellcat; in fact, most owners will be satisfied with an SUV that can get up to sixty in under ten seconds and comfortably stick to highway cruising speeds. The good news is that the Passport can do both. The entire lineup is powered by a silky smooth, naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V6 engine producing 280 hp and 262 lb-ft of torque. That is more than enough to motivate this SUV and allows for a 0-60 mph sprint time of around six seconds (as fast as a 1965 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray).

This robust engine also allows the Passport to haul up to 5,000 pounds of stuff. The SUV also comes with Honda's Intelligent Traction Management system, which has Snow, Sand, and Mud modes.

Under the hood of the Honda Passport hides a tried and trusted 3.5-liter naturally aspirated V6 engine that features the company's acclaimed i-VTEC variable valve timing system. This engine develops a healthy 280 hp and 262 lb-ft of torque, which it sends to all four wheels via a nine-speed automatic transmission. The same setup is used in the Pilot, but with its smaller size, the Passport naturally performs better and feels nippy around town. On the highway, it will overtake slow-moving cars with ease. The nine-speed auto was recalibrated a few years ago, but we still find that it can hunt for gears when instant acceleration is required. For those wanting a more hands-on experience, there are manual shifter paddles mounted to the steering column.

Hauling around a big SUV with a large-capacity naturally aspirated V6 engine isn't exactly the perfect recipe for excellent gas mileage, but we were pleasantly surprised by the Honda Passport. According to the EPA, the SUV can get up to 19/24/21 mpg city/highway/combined. There aren't any more frugal options, considering all models are AWD only.

With a gas tank size of 19.5 gallons, the Passport should be able to travel as far as 409 miles before refueling.