What an honour it was getting to Test Drive the 2022 Honda Passport Touring over the Holidays. This gorgeous SUV combines an aggressive cutting-edge style with utility. The Holidays were about taking these challenging circumstances we’re all facing right now across Ontario and making the most of them, attending a few events and seeing friends and family. And of course, stocking on essentials as the province enters Stage Two restrictions. We appreciate the Passport being there for us ensuring we got everywhere safely.
The super-powerful Passport is powered by a 3.5-litre, 24-valve, Direct Injection, SOHC, i-VTEC® V6 engine, operating at 280 @ 6000 horsepower. Our vehicle came in a gorgeous Obsidian Blue Pearl with black leather-trimmed seats. We were impressed by the Driver’s Seat’s 10-way adjustable seat with lumbar support. Driver and front passengers also get an adjustable armrest and get this, all seats front and back have seat warmers and a climate control vents! The Passport is a real people pleaser, seating five very comfortably, understanding the intrinsic needs of both Driver and Passenger. And did we mention the spacious trunkspace? This came in handy as we loaded gifts, essentials and groceries as we stocked-up seeing how we plan to stay in a lot over the next bit in a effort to curb these rising case counts.
The SUV comes with a 550-watt AM/FM Premium audio system with MP3/Windows Media® Audio playback capability and 10 speakers including subwoofer. We are big on having Sirius XM™ Hits 1 blaring in our drives or just our Holiday Spotify Playlists from our phone so we appreciated the fantastic sound. The system is navigated via a Display Audio System and syncing to our phone was a breeze with Bluetooth Streaming Audio. It also is Apple CarPlay®/ Android Auto™-ready. You also can tether Wi-Fi, read and respond to text messages via the display.
We recognize that staying charged and connected is important and the Passport comes with a total five charging options including a Wireless Charging Plate. We did have some issues with our phone sliding during our drives though, going on and off the charge. Instead, we opted to plug our phone into one of the USB outlets which charged a lot more efficiently.
The Passport also is loaded with subtle features which improve the driver experience. Things like Ambient Lighting, Maintenance Minder, Tire Pressure Monitor (with Tire Fill Assist too!), Proximity Entry, Active Noise Cancellation, Acoustic Windshields, Rain-Sensing Wipers and just having Rear-Windshield Wipers are things we definitely notice when a car doesn’t come with them. The Passport has all of these.
While this is a rugged SUV, don’t be misled. It nails all the marks in style too. We love its 20″ aluminum-alloy wheels, front and rear splash guards and let’s take a moment to appreciate that beautiful one-touch Moonroof. The Passport is just as obsessed with performance, utility and power as it is looks, and we’re here for it.
Safety during the Holidays always is a concern as we continue to experience of the most erratic winters yet. One week it feels like Spring, one week it’s unmistakably the dead of winter. The SUV‘s rear-view camera is a dream backing-out of parking spots downtown or at the mall, and while it often gets splashed with slush in these conditions, it is important to give it a good wipe so that you reverse with a clear line of site.
We did have to visit the country over the Holidays and might not have made it through as smoothly if it weren’t for the Passport‘s Hill Start Assist which was a lifesaver and sometimes when there’s so much snow, its 4-wheel Anti-lock Braking System, Forward Collision Warnings and Lane/Road Departure Warnings are an undisputable asset. The Passport is armed with SmartVent™ side airbags and Side Curtain Airbags with rollover sensor system in the event they are ever needed. These are the things that both save our lives and the lives of loved ones.
We’re just going to talk about some of our smaller personal challenges with the Passport, though there weren’t many. The Passport runs on Regular gas, has a Fuel Economy of 12.5/9.8/11.3 litres/100 km, hence if you are used to the outstanding value that Honda‘s Sedans give you, this takes a bit of getting used to. We recall on average having to put in about $30-$40 of gas a day in our Holiday travels, whereas for a Honda Civic, that same amount of money could last you a few days of driving. This can add-up quickly but if you favour power and performance, and aren’t concerned as much with more frequent visits to the gas station, the Passport is right up your alley.
Another thing is that I live in a Condo with underground parking. The Passport is rather wide at 2279/2115.8 mm width, including mirrors unfolded/folded and we had a few close calls with the pillars in the parking lot, though the Passport‘s intuitive sensors and alerts ensured we stayed out of damage’s way. Having an automatic folding side mirrors would definitely eliminate some of the worry.
The 2022 Honda Passport Touring starts at $52,170 and you can learn more about it here.
Let’s revisit our Holidays, courtesy of the 2022 Honda Passport Touring!
Wishing you all an amazing New Year ahead! We can’t wait to make new memories in 2022. Thank you, Honda Canada!
Riding shotgun in the 2022 @HondaCanada Passport! pic.twitter.com/geuan8Zl5h
— MR. WILL WONG 📸 (@mrwillw) December 28, 2021
(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)
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