2027 Honda Passport TrailSport Gains Nearly 1.4 Inches of Ground Clearance

• Honda has reengineered nearly 70% of the Passport TrailSport’s suspension for 2027, raising ground clearance to 9.65 inches, 1.38 inches more than before.
• The TrailWatch camera system and a heated steering wheel move from the range-topping Elite trim to standard equipment on every TrailSport.
• The updated Passport TrailSport reaches dealerships later this month and now clears more ground than the Toyota 4Runner TRD Off-Road and Ford Bronco Sport Badlands Sasquatch.

Honda’s Best-Selling Passport Trim Gets a Real Suspension Overhaul

Honda has rebuilt the suspension on the 2027 Passport TrailSport rather than simply lifting it, and the numbers back that up. Ground clearance climbs to 9.65 inches, up 1.38 inches from the outgoing model’s 8.27 inches. Approach and departure angles each improve by two degrees to 25 degrees, and the breakover angle jumps three degrees to 23 degrees.

Honda engineers redesigned nearly 70% of the suspension’s major components to reach those figures, including the springs, dampers, control arms, stabilizer bars and knuckles. The front driveshafts and front subframe were also redesigned to accommodate the taller ride height and additional wheel travel. In total, 28 suspension and chassis parts are new or reengineered for 2027.

More Ground Clearance Than Key Off-Road Rivals

The new clearance figure puts the Passport TrailSport ahead of several direct competitors, including the Toyota 4Runner TRD Off-Road, Subaru Outback Wilderness and Ford Bronco Sport Badlands Sasquatch, according to Honda. That comparison counts in a segment where buyers cross-shop heavily on off-road specification sheets before ever leaving pavement.

Luis Guerra, assistant vice president of Honda National Auto Sales, said: “Our team of passionate engineers is taking the Honda Passport TrailSport and making it even more capable and confident for 2027. By enhancing both the driving experience and off-road capability, Honda Passport offers our customers an SUV for their daily life.”

Elite-Only Features Become Standard

Two features that used to require stepping up to the range-topping TrailSport Elite trim are now standard across the TrailSport line. The TrailWatch camera system offers front, rear, side and 360-degree views along with tire placement graphics that help drivers spot blind crests, deep ruts and the trail’s edge. A heated steering wheel also moves down to every TrailSport trim.

Styling changes reinforce the tougher stance, with more pronounced fender flares, a resculpted lower front fascia and a pair of amber LED hood scoop lights that join the Passport’s existing amber daytime running lights. The Blackout Package, available on all TrailSport trims, gains new black front and rear fascias to match its 18-inch alloy wheels. A new Smoke Blue Pearl color replaces Obsidian Blue Pearl across the range.

Honda has not published pricing for the 2027 Passport TrailSport, which typically arrives closer to the on-sale date. The outgoing TrailSport trim carried a premium over the standard Passport RTL, a gap Honda has justified with hardware unavailable elsewhere in the lineup, a case that gets stronger now that the suspension itself has changed rather than just the badge and styling.

The TrailSport treatment has become one of Honda’s more successful recent moves, spreading from the Passport to the Pilot and CR-V and giving the brand a rugged-styled alternative to Toyota’s TRD and Subaru’s Wilderness sub-brands. Passport remains the flagship of that lineup, and the scale of this suspension redesign signals Honda wants to keep that position rather than let rivals catch up on paper specifications alone.

Riding on Strong Sales of the Current Model

The changes arrive on the back of unusually strong demand. TrailSport models have accounted for more than 80% of Passport sales as of June 2026, and Honda says the fourth-generation Passport has posted multiple sales records after it launched in early 2025. Honda will also export the Passport TrailSport Elite to Japan early next year, expanding the model’s reach beyond North America.

Honda builds the Passport and Passport TrailSport exclusively at its plant in Lincoln, Alabama, alongside the Ridgeline pickup and Odyssey minivan, using domestic and globally sourced parts. The Alabama plant has produced more vehicles ranked in the top 10 of the Cars.com American-Made Index than any other plant over the index’s 21-year history, and marks 25 years of operation next month.

An App Built Around the Trail, Not Just the Truck

Honda has paired the hardware changes with the Honda Trail Experience app, launched this summer for owners of TrailSport-badged Passport, Pilot and CR-V models. The free app tracks elevation, pitch, roll, brake pressure, throttle position, speed and other real-time data on off-road drives, and lets owners export video overlaid with that information. Honda developed the tool with input from more than 1,500 owners of the 2026 Passport TrailSport, a level of owner involvement that shows the company treating off-road capability as an ongoing feature rather than a one-time spec upgrade.

The 2027 Passport TrailSport and TrailSport Elite begin arriving at dealerships later this month, giving buyers cross-shopping the segment a genuine hardware upgrade to evaluate rather than a styling refresh dressed up as one.