Honda Passport 2019 revealed

The Honda Passport nameplate has been revived and attached to an all-new SUV to sit above the CR-V.

The Passport name was previously applied to a badge-engineered Holden Frontera / Isuzu MU, which was sold in the US and Canada, and built in Indiana. That vehicle was a ladder-frame chassis off-roader, and while the new model is a monocoque design for better passenger comfort, it still has adventure in mind. 

The new model will only be built in left-hand drive, ruling it out for Australia and other RHD markets, but in markets like North America the all-new Passport will slot below the Ridgeline pick-up and Pilot large SUV.

The Passport measures 4839mm long, 1996mm wide and 1818mm.

1 / 8

The Passport is designed to be sold as a five-seater only.

2 / 8

Under the bonnet of the Passport is a 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine producing 206kW of power and 355Nm of torque.

3 / 8

The new model will only be built in left-hand drive, ruling it out for Australia.

4 / 8

The Passport has a 1109L boot behind the second row, plus a further 71L under the boot floor.

5 / 8

Boot capacity jumps to 2205L with the back row folded down.

6 / 8

The Passport gets Honda's latest ‘Display Audio’ as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

7 / 8

The AWD versions have up to 2268-kilogram towing capacity.

8 / 8

The Passport is designed to be sold as a five-seater only, because the Pilot seven-seater fills the role of family off-roader. That’s despite the fact it is about the size of a Toyota Kluger, measuring 4839mm long, 1996mm wide and 1818mm. 

But Honda is pitching the Passport as offering class-leading practicality, with a huge boot behind the second row - 1109 litres. That jumps to 2205L with the back row folded down. Plus there’s a further 71L of space under the boot floor. 

The interior of the Passport shows up a few familiar elements from the existing models in Honda’s range, but with a fresher design to the dashboard and Honda's latest ‘Display Audio’ interface with an 8.0-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration, and sat nav on some trims. 

Under the bonnet of the Passport is a 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine producing 206kW of power and 355Nm of torque, which utilises a nine-speed automatic transmission to propel all four wheels through a variable torque management system, which is capable of sending up to 70 per cent of grunt rearwards if that’s what’s called for, or 100 per cent to either side. There’s a front-wheel drive version, too, of course.

And Honda is also aiming to get adventurous buyers in on the act with up to 2268-kilogram towing capacity on the AWD versions. 

It may be called Passport, but it won't travel outside of North America. Do you wish Honda could offer larger models in Australia? Tell us what you think in the comments below