The Toyota 4Runner has carved out an attention-grabbing area of interest for itself. The truck-based, adventure-bound SUV isn’t fairly as brawny because the Jeep Wrangler or Ford Bronco, but it delivers the identical degree of off-road prowess. And it does so whereas being extra comfy and extra dependable. 

The 4Runner doesn’t actually have a real rival. Its nearest opponents are both full-on, off-road machines or soft-core mall crawlers. However Honda hopes to bridge the hole—each actually and figuratively—with its new Passport TrailSport.

Greater than only a dolled-up model of the corporate’s mid-size SUV, the Passport TrailSport will get a number of actual, usable, trail-ready upgrades for the brand new yr. That offers it a combating probability towards the 4Runner—or at the very least, that’s what Honda needs you to suppose. 

We wished to search out out for ourselves, so we took the SUVs to the Northeast Off-Street Driving Faculty & Journey Excursions (NORA) facility in upstate New York on a wet spring day to present them a real side-by-side shakedown. 

Toyota 4Runner: The Off-Roading Legend

Picture by: Brian Silvestro / Motor1

Toyota 4Runner TRD Off-Street
Execs: Environment friendly, Torquey, Critical Off-Street Capabilities, A lot-Improved Cabin
Cons: Unsophisticated Journey, Too-Huge Touchcreen, Costly

Now in its sixth technology, the Toyota 4Runner makes large strides in livability. It’s simpler to include into on a regular basis life with out giving up the unimaginable rock-crawling efficiency that made previous variations so wonderful. Like earlier 4Runners, this one makes use of a body-on-frame chassis borrowed from the Tacoma pickup, so it nonetheless seems like a truck from behind the wheel, however in a captivating means.

The most important evolution for this sixth-gen 4Runner is below the hood. Gone is the archaic V-6, changed by a turbocharged inline-four making 278 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque. Spend a bit extra money, and you will get a hybrid model, like our tester. It’s our most well-liked powertrain alternative, delivering a wholesome 326 hp and 465 lb-ft. That’s sufficient for a 0-60 mph time of below 7.0 seconds within the TRD Off-Street—not dangerous for an overlanding rig.

The gearbox, beforehand an historical five-speed unit, has additionally been upgraded with three further ahead gears. Mixed with the engine, the powertrain brings the 4Runner into the twenty first century. Except for the shimmy that comes from being a body-on-frame automobile, the 4Runner drives like most fashionable SUVs—which is to say: comfortably.

Mixed with the engine, the powertrain brings the 4Runner into the twenty first century.

It’s the identical on the within. The 4Runner’s complete cabin overhaul consists of huge screens, wi-fi Apple CarPlay, and obtainable wi-fi cellphone charging. The obtainable 14.0-inch touchscreen completely dominates the expertise, casting a vibrant, lovely glow over the middle console. 

Whereas there aren’t many luxurious appointments, we admire the bevy of bodily controls for issues like local weather management and quantity. Most significantly, the inside—like in most Toyotas—feels prefer it’ll outlast all the things else on the highway. There is a cause the 4Runner is so beloved. This new one is not any exception.

Honda Passport TrailSport: The Up-and-Comer

Picture by: Jeff Perez / Motor1

Honda Passport TrailSport
Execs: Brawny Seems, Clean V-6 Powertrain, Luxe Cabin Area
Cons: Seems Extra Succesful Than It Is, Not Very Gasoline-Environment friendly

If the 4Runner is an off-roader with on-road chops, the Passport Trailsport is an on-roader with off-road chops. Not like the Toyota, the Honda is extra pedestrian in nature, with a unibody chassis holding all the things collectively. In essence, meaning it drives nearer to your common sedan than a pickup truck, all different issues equal.

That doesn’t imply the Passport is completely hopeless off the pavement, although. In our authentic take a look at, we discovered the Trailsport way more succesful than anybody anticipated, capable of traverse extra obstacles than the outgoing model thanks to a couple main engineering updates.

The Trailsport will get its personal suspension setup, retuned by Honda for higher efficiency off-road. There’s 8.3 inches of floor clearance to play with, and a better-than-expected 23-degree strategy angle. Whereas these numbers are worse than the 4Runner, they’re nonetheless sufficient to have some enjoyable.

If the 4Runner is an off-roader with on-road chops, the Passport Trailsport is an on-roader with off-road chops.

Peek beneath, and also you’ll discover a metallic skidplate defending the engine, the fuel tank, and the brand new 10-speed computerized transmission. The tires, Common Grabber all-terrains, are literally extra aggressive than the Michelin Defender LTX rubber discovered on the 4Runner TRD Off-Street. 

There’s additionally some helpful tech on the Trailsport too, like front- and side-facing cameras for recognizing the SUV on tight trails. Hill-descent management—the primary such system applied in any Honda—can be customary.

Make no mistake, this Passport does have actual off-roading chops.

How Do the Two SUVs Stack Up on a Actual Off-Street Course?

Picture by: Brian Silvestro / Motor1

Picture by: Jeff Perez / Motor1

NORA gives a slew of various courses and coaching modules for off-roaders of all ability ranges, and with every kind of kit. Whether or not you’re a veteran with a kitted-out Wrangler or a brand new adventurer with a bone-stock Subaru Crosstrek, there’s a course so that you can take pleasure in right here. 

Realizing the 4Runner’s capabilities, we decide a number of of the more durable obstacles on the property to flex its muscle; traversing sheer cliff faces, tip-toeing down slippery inclines, fording by means of deep river passes, and so forth. After flipping the drivetrain into four-wheel-drive low, the TRD Off-Street shrugs off all of it. 

The rear locking differential makes undulations a stroll within the park, whereas the adjustable-speed descent management permits me to cruise down hills with out even touching the pedals. Because of the 4Runner’s 9.1 inches of clearance, you’ll barely contact any rocks over an hour of hardcore crawling. And whereas visibility isn’t precisely stellar, the gathering of exterior cameras makes inserting the truck easy. 

Realizing the 4Runner’s capabilities, we decide a number of of the more durable obstacles on the property to flex its muscle… after flipping the drivetrain into four-wheel-drive low, the TRD Off-Street shrugs off all of it. 

The one factor holding it again from pushing by means of the actually pro-level areas is the truck’s aspect steps—with out them, this rig will go wherever.

As a result of we’re true, devoted journalists obsessive about in search of the reality, we gave the Passport the chance to sort out lots of the identical obstacles. As a result of the Trailsport makes use of a unibody body, there isn’t practically as a lot articulation, making some sections far more durable to beat. There’s no low vary or locking differentials, both, which suggests now we have to rely solely on Honda’s torque-vectoring i-VTM4 all-wheel drive system.

Props to Honda, although—we by no means truly acquired caught as soon as within the Passport. Patrick George, Editor-In-Chief of our sister website InsideEVs, did an impeccable job wielding the Trailsport’s restricted gear by means of a difficult array of rock-lined paths and sharp drops. The all-terrain tires do a lot of the work, however the AWD system additionally does its job valiantly. 

However the act of off-roading the Honda is way extra traumatic. No low vary means now we have to make use of the SUV’s momentum extra typically to clear obstacles, which suggests much less precision and some scary moments. The dearth of floor clearance additionally means we’re testing that skidplate nearly always, with the metallic protector coming into contact with sharp rocks each jiffy or so. We winced in ache because the scraping noises grew louder and louder. 

So whereas the Passport Trailsport will go off-road, you definitely gained’t be having fun with your self.

Props to Honda, although—we by no means truly acquired caught as soon as within the Passport… The all-terrain tires do a lot of the work, however the AWD system additionally does its job valiantly. 

In the event you plan to spend any actual time tackling true off-road obstacles, get the 4Runner. The hybrid system’s immediate torque makes it simple to modulate over more durable sections, whereas the bottom clearance and suspension articulation far outclass the Honda’s extra road-oriented setup. 

The Passport’s 285-hp V-6 is a pleasant factor to make use of on the highway; it’s easy and greater than succesful sufficient for working errands or merging onto the freeway. However peak torque is within the rpm vary, so energy just isn’t precisely simple to modulate if you’re crawling at below 1 mph. 

In the event you solely plan to do delicate off-roading, prefer to a campsite or on overlanding trails, the Passport Trailsport is a superb alternative. On customary dust roads, it’s the extra comfy of the 2 SUVs. The Honda’s inside is a nicer place to spend time, and whereas it gained’t be as fuel-efficient, it’s a bit cheaper, beginning at $49,900 versus the Toyota’s $53,440.

Consider the Trailsport trim as an insurance coverage coverage for that final mile of journey, the place you’re undecided should you’re going to make it up that unkept driveway or to the bottom of your favourite climbing path. Whereas it’s definitely succesful, it’s nonetheless no 4Runner.