Honda seems to have knocked it out of the park with the new Passport... really like the shape, styling, and tried-and-true V6. The upper trims are a bit cheaper than the 1958 (which I have now), too. I haven't sat in one yet but saw one at a dealer yesterday. Just curious if anyone else here is eyeballing them as closely as me.
Anyone else looking at the new '26 Passport?
- Thread starter stec06
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If you are speaking from a comparative point of view - this is like comparing a Bronco to a Bronco sport.
The Honda is a unibody “car” with a crossover suv body and some bells and whistles to make it look off road.
The Land Cruiser is an off road utility based body on frame vehicle that’s been adapted to ride “ok” on pavement.
I do not say this with any sneering or tone - I got rid of my Gladiator for a Ridgeline 3 years ago (same differences) when some life changes meant I needed a commuter “truck” not a truck-truck.
If you ever want to test the actual off road capabilities of a real 4WD system and the articulation of a body on frame - stay away from the Honda.
If your vibe is road manners and a cool look, there’s nothing wrong with any of the Honda products - just don’t take them beyond fire roads for your off roading.
The Honda is a unibody “car” with a crossover suv body and some bells and whistles to make it look off road.
The Land Cruiser is an off road utility based body on frame vehicle that’s been adapted to ride “ok” on pavement.
I do not say this with any sneering or tone - I got rid of my Gladiator for a Ridgeline 3 years ago (same differences) when some life changes meant I needed a commuter “truck” not a truck-truck.
If you ever want to test the actual off road capabilities of a real 4WD system and the articulation of a body on frame - stay away from the Honda.
If your vibe is road manners and a cool look, there’s nothing wrong with any of the Honda products - just don’t take them beyond fire roads for your off roading.
I think the Passport will be a great option for people cross shopping base model 4Runners that they don’t intend to off-road. I will admit this though, the interiors of the upper Passport trims look really nice and Honda did a much better job with their factory wheel and tire options for people who want a little more capable setup without having to drop an extra $2k on aftermarket options. Wish I could have gotten something like this for my wife’s LC LC instead of the horrible 20s with trash Geolanders.
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Yeah, I get the chassis differences. I probably represent the 90% of Land Cruiser owners who aren't going to do any serious offroading and can get away with something like the Passport. Don't get me wrong, I love the LC. If it had a bigger fuel tank it'd be just about perfect.
No.
It seems that all the criticism of the LC comes from buyers that are not using it for what it was built for? What's up with that?
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My only real gripe with the car is shared by people who take it off-road. I think the fuel tank size is a pretty reasonable issue regardless of how you use the vehicle.
Just saying that I like the looks of the new Passport and am curious to see how it drives compared to the LC, fully knowing it's not as capable on the trails.
Just saying that I like the looks of the new Passport and am curious to see how it drives compared to the LC, fully knowing it's not as capable on the trails.
The passport is not a competitor to the Land Cruiser.
they def. did a nice job with the design and I do love Honda’s (my old Honda Accord was a rock). But as others have said, these are two different classes of vehicle. LC is way more capable. Also i wouldn't trust honda’s “off-road” capabilities until its proven. This is definitely a bronco sport competitor.
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Best direct comparison is a Highlander. But you cant buy one of those because they are too in demand. 6 month wait right now for a Hybrid Highlander if you have any color or other requirements. My point? The passport segment has much higher demand than the LC segment, because it is a more reasonable vehicle for most people. I think the overall sentiment of members on this forum is that if we wanted a highlander or passport we would have bought one to start. We arent eyeing different class vehicles. LC is a significant off road rig, if you use it for that or not. The Passport will chew up highway miles and city driving more comfortably with room to spare, reliably and looking sharp. If that floats your boat then by all means..... but a higher percentage of LC owners will take them to places the passport would never go than most other high end off road vehicles. So the answer is no. LC owners generally are not eyeing the passport.
I think the Passport makes a lot of sense of the type of buyer that prioritizes interior features over exterior. You get A LOT of interior features in the passport for far less money than equivalent 2025 Land Cruiser or 2025 4Runner. But you get A LOT more exterior features (Body-on-Frame / 4WD / Lockers / MTS) on the Toyota's.
A lot of people I talk too just want the Off-road look & nice features with a good drive. Most are never going to truly off-road these (past something like a rocky/dirt trail).
Hot Take: All of us here are enthusiasts, not the mass market. We know what we signed up for. And the mass-market does not care about Body-On-frame as much as we do.
The Passport will be a real winner for Honda, it'll be interesting to compare sales number next year between it and the 4Runner. I don't think the Land Cruiser is good comparison.
A lot of people I talk too just want the Off-road look & nice features with a good drive. Most are never going to truly off-road these (past something like a rocky/dirt trail).
Hot Take: All of us here are enthusiasts, not the mass market. We know what we signed up for. And the mass-market does not care about Body-On-frame as much as we do.
The Passport will be a real winner for Honda, it'll be interesting to compare sales number next year between it and the 4Runner. I don't think the Land Cruiser is good comparison.
They're not even playing the same sport.
Agreed that they're two very different vehicles, but when I was shopping I was also considering the Pilot Trailsport (new Passport wasn't out or announced yet). I knew I knew I wanted something I could go off road in, sleep in, and was reliable. Wasn't really interested in domestic brands, and the 5th Gen 4Runner is awesome,but i didn't want to get a car that's already that dated. Pilot (and now Passport) are the only things that are remotely close. Very happy i ended up with my LC though
I don't need a passport bruh my LC takes me anywhere I damn please.
Not quite apples to apples… chassis are different, suspensions are different, the differentials are different, the build quality is different, the resale value will be different… did I miss anything? 
I’ve owned a 2019 Honda Passport and I will, in all likelihood, never go back to a Honda. Transmission was overfilled at the factory and caused my vehicle to have engine shutdown at highway speeds three times with less than 1k miles. Wife and I were on a roadtrip and had to have the vehicle towed an hour and a half away to the nearest dealership. Not only that but Honda roadside service let us wait an hour before calling us back saying that we had to find our own tow service as they were closing for the day… I had to pay the $500 tow fee before getting reimbursed a few months down the line. Furthermore, there were a number of fit and finish issues that Honda had a dealership show me were affecting other vehicles on their lot and called the defects design features
. Dealing with Honda customer affairs was such a painful experience that I gave up trying to get them to fix the issues… So glad we sold that vehicle during Covid. After that experience, don’t really ever want to go back to another Honda.
I’ve owned a 2019 Honda Passport and I will, in all likelihood, never go back to a Honda. Transmission was overfilled at the factory and caused my vehicle to have engine shutdown at highway speeds three times with less than 1k miles. Wife and I were on a roadtrip and had to have the vehicle towed an hour and a half away to the nearest dealership. Not only that but Honda roadside service let us wait an hour before calling us back saying that we had to find our own tow service as they were closing for the day… I had to pay the $500 tow fee before getting reimbursed a few months down the line. Furthermore, there were a number of fit and finish issues that Honda had a dealership show me were affecting other vehicles on their lot and called the defects design features
. Dealing with Honda customer affairs was such a painful experience that I gave up trying to get them to fix the issues… So glad we sold that vehicle during Covid. After that experience, don’t really ever want to go back to another Honda.
I can see people taking a second look at them before pulling the trigger on a LC, if they know they’re not the type to use the full LC capabilities. As has been pointed out, a Bronco Sport competitor. They’ll probably be quite decent off road while offering enough looks & capabilities for fire roads as has also been pointed out.
I’ll have a look at one myself. Honda’s larger car platform has great space efficiency & isn’t a bad choice at all for the way most will use these. Oddly enough though Honda seems to be removing SiriusXM from their vehicles. So in the end the 26 Explorer (Tremor or Timberland or whatever their forthcoming ‘off road’ version will be called) would be a choice.
It certainly won’t replicate the BOF feel though which truck guys may miss (or at least I certainly do). Ultimately though, even for those who don’t venture off gravel/dirt roads, the LC should retain the best resale as it seems all Toyotas do. & if the LC is the right vehicle, it should also go for as may hundreds of thousands of miles as you’d want.
I’ll have a look at one myself. Honda’s larger car platform has great space efficiency & isn’t a bad choice at all for the way most will use these. Oddly enough though Honda seems to be removing SiriusXM from their vehicles. So in the end the 26 Explorer (Tremor or Timberland or whatever their forthcoming ‘off road’ version will be called) would be a choice.
It certainly won’t replicate the BOF feel though which truck guys may miss (or at least I certainly do). Ultimately though, even for those who don’t venture off gravel/dirt roads, the LC should retain the best resale as it seems all Toyotas do. & if the LC is the right vehicle, it should also go for as may hundreds of thousands of miles as you’d want.
Kinda looks a bit like a cross between a bronco sport and a sequoia and not in a good way… too much going on imho…
This has to be a sh**post.
Much better technology. I mean c'mon what's the attraction of another plain jane SUV. The LC is so much more advanced and unique
