For the second time ever, last month I flew to North Carolina to do some off-roading in the gritty southern mud. But in this case, the media program was not specifically aimed to demonstrate the off-roading capability of a new vehicle.
Yes, I would be driving the new Honda Passport TrailSport, and I learned plenty about this mildly upfitted crossover. But more importantly, Honda wanted to provide a primer on the specific kind of off-road training that the company’s own engineers undergo before even working on vehicles like the Passport TrailSport.
Dubbed “Honda Foundational Training,” the program’s origins trace back to 2016. This time around, the wide range of media invited to attend spanned from total off-road newbies all the way to me, at the other end of the spectrum.
The whole point was to assemble a crew that might match a typical group of Honda engineers, as lead instructor Pete Langseth explained to me.
“They’re engineers who went to engineering school to become, a lot of times, just designers,” Langseth admitted. “So we need to give them the instruction and the foundation to understand this market, and also how these things are going to be used. But a lot of times, they have never even been out on a dirt road.”
I asked Langseth how he got started and earned enough off-roading cred to lead the course. “I’m a tree hugger, I love nature,” he laughed. “But I got interested in off-roading when I started at Honda of all places, back in 2000. We were starting on the MDX, and it was going up against pretty off-roady competitors, right? The original Explorer, the 4Runner, the Montero, and the Trooper, things like that. People were going to take this thing off-road. So we developed a whole system of requirements, we took cars all over the US, and we tested them.”
Classroom First
Just as a group of Langseth’s internal pupils might, we started in a classroom learning the basics from a handbook. Well, not quite a classroom, more like a barn, and with a filthy Passport on a lift behind us. But the lessons carried over much of my prior experience off-roading, while also introducing a few new concepts. Principles from on-road and high-performance track driving also fit into the curriculum.
In this case, Langseth started out by going over the Passport’s powertrain, but also every kind of off-roading setup. He explained how transfer cases work for all-wheel drive, two-wheel drive, four-high, and four-low. We even played with little toy differentials.
Pop quiz: Bonus points for anyone who can correctly identify the kind of vehicle this diff might power (answer at bottom).
This included a quick briefing on modern EV layouts and more advanced power units that are becoming increasingly popular, as on the rear axle of the Passport.
Super Handling–All Wheel Drive
What I would have called the Passport’s rear differential isn’t actually a differential at all. Instead, the housing uses two clutches to divide axle speeds and torque delivery between the rear wheels. This makes up a critical part of Honda’s Super Handling–All Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) system.
Sensors measure engine speed, body speed, wheel speed, gear, pitch, roll, and yaw — but not suspension stroke input — and then the ECU plays with the clutches to divvy out power. The center driveshaft from the front diff always spins, but if both rear clutches open all the way, the Passport can run in full front-wheel drive for optimized fuel economy.
AWD Limitations
Langseth also repeatedly admitted that the advantageous on-road dynamics and efficiency standards do result in a few limitations while off-roading. It’s great to hear a company man not stay strictly on-brand, and this openness pervaded the program — precisely because Honda engineers need to understand and acknowledge the pros and cons of building an off-roader out of a commuter crossover like the Passport.
So no, the Passport does not have a transfer case or four-low, and driveline protection protocols mean you can’t even lock it in first gear with the paddle shifters. Same for the TrailSport’s lack of lift versus the rest of the Passport lineup: This saves CV axle wear due to forced articulation.
Instead, the limitations for off-road performance mostly center around ground clearance and the four-wheel independent suspension. Traction disappears when the tires can’t articulate enough.
Armored Up
And Langseth needed to spearhead the development of seriously beefy underbody protection.
On the lift, we checked out the Passport’s drivetrain. And I hefted a front-engine skid plate, which is built out of 590 steel measuring 4 mm thick. Not easy to pick up by hand, to say the least!
The fuel tank skid measures 2.3 mm thick, too, and the rear drive unit’s housing can handle the weight of the vehicle — purposefully. The rock sliders, as we soon learned, can also take a beating without showing too much wear.
Outdoor Basics
Understanding the Passport TrailSport helped once we moved out of the classroom and into the North Carolina terrain. Honda uses a facility owned by OEX, an acronym for Overland Experts. OEX trains military, law enforcement, private citizens, and corporate clients. It also hosts enthusiast meetups such as the Jeep Jamboree.
Honda has been coming regularly to this location for 5 years, after realizing that holding Langseth’s initial training courses on public trails actually caused too much inconvenience.
Ratings for Vehicle & Trail
“As a team, we created an off-road evaluation rating method,” Langseth explained, “So that you can use objective measurements and tests to objectively evaluate the off-road performance of a vehicle and then rate it, using 30-some different categories.”
“We created that, and then we created a way to rate terrain,” he continued. “So we could say this is a level whatever terrain, and this is level whatever car. So that’s how I got involved, I helped develop the initial program and those systems to help elevate the understanding and ability of our company to make off-road vehicles.”
Honda Off-Road Courses
Honda divides the courses into four sections, OR1 and OR2, that serve as introductions to basic off-road principles. Anyone at Honda needs to participate in OR1 and OR2 to earn the ability to drive a Honda off-road in an official capacity. OR3 and OR4 are then pass/fail courses required to lead a group while off-roading for Honda.
OEX’s facility outside of Greensboro can host all levels, thanks to a wide range of trails with varying difficulty. Just watch out for fire ant hills and snakes — there are both copperheads and rattlesnakes in these here hills!
Driver Ergonomics
We started out learning a bit about seat and body position, scooting up probably a bit higher than most drivers are used to. This improved visibility over the Passport’s boxy hood, but also arm ergonomics to keep from tiring out over long days of learning.
Surprisingly, Honda advised looping the seatbelt’s shoulder strap behind my torso — something I regularly do, but wouldn’t consider exactly proper safety protocol. But Langseth assured us we would not be doing anything high-speed. Keep all hands and feet inside the ride at all times, of course.
The Passport’s pedal box let me jam my right heel into the transmission tunnel, as usual, to better modulate throttle inputs. And I like to keep my hands low on the steering wheel, at 9 and 3 o’clock or below, but that’s more a matter of preference, really.
After a quick module on spotting instructions, we then proceeded to practice and adjust to off-road driving by traversing a series of ditches and hillocks, some purposefully placed logs, a sharp ridge, and watery elephant tracks.
Adjusting to the Passport TrailSport
I can admit that I struggled to adjust to off-roading something with so little ground clearance. The first few laps, I constantly scraped on minor obstacles that never even registered in my field of vision. I’m more accustomed to driving big trucks and body-on-frame SUVs with 33- or 35- or even 37-inch tires. But that’s what the sliders and skids are for.
The tires also scrabbled for grip more often than I expected. I needed to acclimate to the Passport’s throttle response and left-foot brake very often. But this was my first time in the car, ever!
Honda also keeps the tires, a set of lightweight General Grabber all-terrains, fully inflated to more accurately reflect what a customer might experience. Plus, airing down would only further exacerbate our ground clearance challenges.
Finishing Out Day 1 Strong
We spent the rest of the day on more typical trails, learning how to judge speed for small hillclimbs and focusing on power braking. The Passport’s ECU will allow left-foot braking, which can prevent wheelslip while helping to settle the suspension down.
But doing so requires almost fooling the ECU, so sometimes I needed to step off both pedals entirely. Try again. Plus, the transmission kept shifting from first to second at the worst possible times despite me using the paddle shifters properly.
We learned how to balance the car while teetering with a wheel (or two) in the air. How to avoid sharper obstacles that might puncture tires. How to judge speed and expect suspension rebound. Remember not to hook thumbs in the steering wheel!
In reality, nothing we attempted on the first day risked too much feedback that might injure anybody’s hands. But the goal was to instill proper techniques on an easy day, before the going got tough.
As the sun started sinking low, we went back to the classroom to debrief. A night’s sleep would probably help many of my fellow students process, too, after a full day of new experiences.
Day 2: A Whole New Level
The next morning, Langseth promised some more hardcore driving experiences. But before graduating to the next level, we went over recovery gear and how to use it. Most importantly, how to use it safely.
Walk around the ropes or cables, or always step on them if you must go over (to prevent cutting open femoral arteries). Langseth explained the way that static and kinetic recovery ropes operate, and how to avoid the radius of rope should anything snap or give way. The team showed how to properly hook up pulleys, soft shackles, winches, static ropes, kinetic ropes, and more.
The Passport TrailSport’s recovery hooks can handle twice the vehicle’s weight. But only while towing away from the body. They’re purposefully engineered to break and slide out in a crushing accident or passenger collision. But this meant that we needed to focus even more on the vector of forces being exerted in the event of an extraction.
Again, this was all stuff I’d learned before — and repeatedly witnessed other people doing absolutely wrong, which means dangerously.
New Concepts
But I also learned some new concepts. Using a soft shackle, for example, the loop should always be at 90 degrees from the ball knot to create a perpendicular load path. Makes sense, but I had never even thought about it before. For a screw-pin bow shackle, tighten to hand tight, and then back off ¼ turn to prevent it from self-tightening under load.
Langseth also showed off a cool “Rescue 8” device (or R8) adapted from rock climbing, which can shorten a strap. I need one. And, the idea of using a tree strap to spread the load between two recovery points had also never even occurred to me.
I’ll Be Your Huckleberry
To better demonstrate, we then strolled over to undertake a staged recovery, pulling a car out of a ditch. I wound up as sort of the guinea pig. Anytime we needed a demo — let that guy do it.
So I accidentally yanked the kinetic rope perfectly on the first try, freeing the stuck car immediately. Okay, the point was to go slow and fail first, and then build up to a successful recovery. Whoops.
Less Recovery Gear, More Use of Armor
Next, we drove down into a more serious gully-washer trail, with lots of off-camber and slick dirt, lean angle, and tire slippage. Everyone in our group did pretty well, trying not to have to reverse and start over.
Eventually, the team started choosing harder lines to challenge communication and trust in our spotters. But the morning never got so bad that we needed to pull out the recovery bag.
The afternoon introduced a few more treacherous trails, not as deeply rutted but more technical. We needed to keep a close eye out for sharp rocks to avoid in the contrasty wood lighting. A few small shelf climbs required a bit of momentum and plenty of left-foot braking. This was the fun stuff, but also my spine still clenched every time I heard the skids and rock sliders just grinding away.
At the end of the day, I checked the underbody for damage. The TrailSport impressed me! I only saw one torn-up end of a slider and just a few scratches on the skids. Not bad, given the inherent limitations of the vehicle. Honda’s focus on protection goes a long way.
Honda Passport Off-Road
And, the SH-AWD system does do much better in the Trail mode — even if I still believe it should be able to lock into first gear. The difference between Trail mode and Normal showed up best when Langseth prodded me into attempting the hardest rutted trail section only in Normal with the whole group watching. More guinea pig fun.
I needed to pick a much more conscientious line, with far more focus on throttle, steering, and braking. The Passport made it through, but it was way more sketchy. There was so much wheelslip, I needed to reverse for a few feet once, and carry more speed throughout.
There’s just no way to escape the fact that the Passport platform is still a low crossover without true trail capability. Honda does the best job possible, but also takes into consideration on-road driving — as I experienced while driving back to the hotel.
How Off-Road Training Leads to Vehicle Development
In reality, 99% of customers do 99% of their driving on asphalt. They just want mild capability for weekend family adventures, plus the style points.
Senior Vehicle Product Planner Jody Suzuki, on hand for the fun, explained just how much effort Honda puts into recognizing this customer and the vehicle’s needs simultaneously. She first attended the off-roading classes in 2023 while developing the new Passport model lineup that launched for 2026.
“I wasn’t really into off-roading personally until I came to the training class,” Suzuki told me. And, I was like, “Wow, we’re gonna drive these Hondas like through this?”
“Going through the class and building confidence in the product itself and learning the capabilities, that kind of developed my own passion,” she replied.
I asked Suzuki who she envisions as the ideal Passport TrailSport customer. Funny enough …
“I’ll joke about it, but I’m not really joking,” she replied, “When I say I’m the target TrailSport Elite customer. Like, I want to have the features so I feel safe if I do go somewhere, my vehicle is going to be capable enough to handle that. But I also want creature comforts. So think ventilated seats, I want the TrailWatch 360 camera, I want the speakers.”
“Understanding that background helped me kind of understand how intentional the company is being about doing things properly, doing things the right ways to help the Honda customer. I think in development, the team is very conscious about developing a vehicle that the customer can be confident and comfortable in.”
For his part, Langseth understands the vehicle’s needs, while balancing purpose and budget too. But I had as much fun checking out some of the team’s more radical homegrown projects. Including a badass lifted Pilot TrailSport that Langseth hopes to take over the Rubicon Trail in Northern California. Sure, I chuckled. And sure enough, the first attempt didn’t get too far.
Noobs Learn the Ropes
But building a Passport or Pilot that can conquer absurd Jeep trails isn’t the goal for Honda’s customer vehicles. And not really the goal of this program either, even if the engineers do also get to experience some competitor vehicles. Again, Langseth focuses more on bringing absolute newcomers up to speed — and that’s a challenge every time, all in itself. Language barriers come into play for Japanese colleagues, too.
“Most of the time, we get absolute noobs,” he said. “We have to assess the person’s individual learning style. We’ll try different things. First, we’ll try to explain something and let them do it. If they don’t feel comfortable based on the verbal explanation, we’ll demonstrate it first and show them. With them in the car. Or maybe we’ll ride side seat and tell them step by step how to do something. So we adapt, each class is different.”
The further OR3 and OR4 courses focus more on aggressive terrain, including mountain passes or desert dunes, to give the engineers a taste of the real world, but also even more on communication, leadership, recovery techniques, and safety. And Langseth continues to ideate how to improve the courses, too, to make learning more effective and enjoyable simultaneously.
“After every class, we meet together and reflect on how it went and how we can make things better. We’ve gotten to a point now with our current system of the basic and advanced classes that after the season is complete, I’m gonna reevaluate the curriculum and then add some steps between there. It’s pretty extensive, and what you get exposed to is very relevant for the industry, and the market.”
Pop quiz answer: The differential’s input shaft mirrors another prop shaft, meaning this must be a center diff in a six-wheel drive truck (or more than four-wheel drive, anyway).
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