Honda Created This High-Performance Trail-Ready Pilot to Educate Its Employees on Off-Road Driving.

      Andrew P. Collins

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      Last month, the 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport was unveiled to the media, including myself, for its first test drive. Honda arranged a demonstration course through some undeveloped land in Puerto Rico to exhibit the SUV's off-road capabilities, and parked nearby was an especially impressive Honda Pilot with steel bumpers. I took a closer look and learned more about its development from Honda representatives because, let’s be honest, this vehicle is impressive.

      Honda's foray into producing off-road vehicles and the inception of the TrailSport subbrand are relatively new developments. The brief version of how this came about involves enthusiastic engineers equipping some of Honda’s AWD SUVs with rugged tires, which led to successful test drives with executives in the passenger seats, showcasing Honda's powertrains. In 2022, I had the opportunity to drive a Pilot TrailSport prototype in Colorado and was quite impressed.

      Consumers appear to appreciate these vehicles as well, prompting Honda to rapidly expand the TrailSport lineup to include exciting versions of the Ridgeline pickup and, of course, the new Passport.

      These bumpers enhance the Pilot’s approach and departure angles while providing extra protection from trees. Andrew P. Collins

      The existence of this aggressive-looking Pilot prototype was driven by two main factors: Honda's engineers' aspiration to continually test the limits of the brand’s platforms off-road, and the company's objective to educate more staff about off-road driving.

      Honda's off-road performance development involves several departments working simultaneously. Its powersports division consistently develops enhancements for dirt bikes, adventure bikes, and UTVs, while its Baja racing team, led by Jeff Proctor and J Sport, pushes vehicle engines to their limits, bringing Honda to the forefront of desert racing. Insights gained from these realms have contributed to improvements in features like driving mode calibrations and skid plate thickness standards.

      Pete Langseth, a key person at Honda, is responsible for gathering information and insights from various departments to determine what can be effectively transferred to production models. He also provides off-road driving training for Honda employees. I spoke with him briefly at the Passport launch, where he shared that his role is diverse, but his primary title is “Project Leader for Off-Road Development.” The Pilot depicted in the photos, along with at least one other similar vehicle, is utilized for his driving tutorials, which he mentioned are quite popular.

      Check out that fantastic swing-out tire carrier! Andrew P. Collins

      Unfortunately, he did inform me to not expect steel bumpers, winch mounts, or swing-out tire carriers available as factory options anytime soon. However, the new Passport TrailSport does include a more extensive range of accessories than ever before, and Honda intends to keep expanding customer options. This fully outfitted vehicle is exciting to see, and it’s not out of the question that something this extreme could become available through the aftermarket.

      The powertrain appears to be standard; the only notable modifications are those visible on the exterior.

      The company J Sport is already providing lift kits, roof racks, heavy-duty skid plates, and more for the Honda Passport, Ridgeline, Pilot, and even CR-V. Given their close collaboration with Honda, it seems reasonable to believe that owners may soon be able to assemble a package like this for themselves using J Sport’s product catalog.

      Andrew P. Collins

      The elements on this particular Pilot prototype were crafted by Honda’s internal fabrication team, who did an excellent job. The fit is impressive, and they even integrated the OEM parking sensors.

      I'm curious about how much the weight of those bumpers impacts the factory suspension and what effect they have on fuel economy. Honda representatives didn’t have details on that.

      A concealed winch mount for the new Passport and Pilot would certainly be appealing, but personally, I would be most excited to see a rear tire carrier option. While most consumers may not want to deal with the inconvenience of opening two components just to access the trunk, for off-road enthusiasts, a rear tire carrier is an excellent way to conserve space taken up by a full-size spare, which is important for off-roading.

      At any rate, for now, I hope you enjoy these images of what must be the toughest Honda Pilot on the planet.

      It’s a Pilot, not a Passport. The banner was just there because these photos were taken at a Passport event. Andrew P. Collins

      Have you seen other extreme car-based crossover SUVs? Share them with us at [email protected]!