Honda’s all-new fourth-generation Passport is having its papers checked one last time before it can make its global debut this fall. But here’s a camo-clad prototype of the dirt-focused Trailsport variant to give us a taste of what’ll be on sale in Honda dealerships early next year. Honda released a slew of images and a video of a disguised Trailsport being put through its paces, showing the SUV tackling both sand and rock trails, wading through deep water, and climbing and descending steep slopes. Though Honda didn’t release any technical details like the ground clearance and approach, breakover, and departure angles, we can see that the prototype is at least wearing a suitable set of General off-road shoes. And it appears to be coping well with the terrain considering the Passport has traditionally been a road-biased SUV and not a serious rival to crawlers like the Ford Bronco and Jeep Wrangler.

Text accompanying the teaser video confirms good news for those who are fed up with downsizing. It tells us that the Passport continues with 3.5-liter V6 power, though not whether that V6 makes more than the 280 hp delivered by today’s SUV, and also reveals that the current nine-speed automatic transmission is being upgraded to a “high-strength” 10-speed unit. Power is sent to all four corners through a second-generation i-VTM4 all-wheel drive system with torque vectoring, according to the video.

 

Honda describes the new Passport Trailsport as “the most adventure-ready and capable Honda SUV ever,” claiming its engineers have tested the SUV everywhere from the rocks of Moab to the muddy trails of Appalachia by way of Western Michigan’s Sand Dunes. The automaker’s designers, meanwhile, have been rediscovering their love of straight lines. The new Passport is the boxiest yet, squarer even than the 1993 original and its 1997 successor, whose sloping C-pillars the incoming SUV has adopted.

And although the prototype doesn’t give a lot away in terms of finer design details, an earlier teaser sketch showing the 2026 SUV’s front end, including prominent “Passport” lettering, a “Trailsport” badge, intriguing hood ornamentation, and horseshoe-shaped DRLs let us know what to expect.