Compared: 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport vs. 2026 Subaru Outback Wilderness

Redesigned rivals battle for dirt-road dominance while also providing everyday utility.

Josh Jacquot | 

Jul 9, 2026 | 8 min read

Honda | Subaru

The 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport and 2026 Subaru Outback Wilderness are two-row SUVs with standard all-wheel drive (AWD) and trail-ready aspirations, and both are redesigned for 2026 with tougher looks and smarter traction systems. They represent their respective brands' best efforts to build a family-friendly, trail-capable SUV that seats five.

• Price and features
  
• Infotainment and safety
  
• Power and efficiency
  
• Reliability and warranty
  

Honda's Passport gains an extra 2.6 inches between its wheel centers in this year's redesign, while track width also increases. It's the bigger of these two SUVs, offering an additional 5.5 inches of wheelbase over the Outback. Its smooth and powerful V6 has been a hallmark of Honda's SUVs for years and is one of the Passport's biggest selling points, even if it's not the most efficient engine in the segment. 

The Passport TrailSport model featured here comes with 32-inch all-terrain tires, which are bigger than those on the Outback Wilderness. They also contribute to the Passport's 3-degree advantage in approach angle.

The Outback, for its part, is still clinging to its wagon-based roots, despite Subaru's continued effort to move it into the realm of SUVs. Its body is boxier than ever, and in Wilderness trim, it wins the ground-clearance game in this comparison by 1.2 inches. It comes standard with electronically controlled adaptive dampers and has a very slight departure-angle advantage over the Passport.

Honda

2026 Honda Passport TrailSport vs. 2026 Subaru Outback Wilderness: Price and Feature Comparison

The Honda Passport is sold in two main trims with variations on each. It ranges in price from about $46,000 to about $55,000. The RTL is the lowest trim, and it's available in three versions: base, Towing, and Blackout. The TrailSport trim comes in base, Blackout, Elite, and Elite Blackout versions. 

Stepping up to any TrailSport trim adds wider all-terrain tires and an off-road-tuned suspension. TrailSport trims trade the RTL's leather and cloth upholstery for either full leather or synthetic leather with contrast stitching. They also add a panoramic moonroof, LED fog lights, a heated wiper zone on the windshield, and a few other helpful features. I like the value represented by the base version of the TrailSport trim, which costs just above $50,000. 

Every Passport uses Honda's i-VTM4 AWD system, which is capable of altering the torque split between the front and rear axles as well as across the rear axle when it is engaged. It includes six driver-selectable drive modes, each suited to different conditions. 

The Outback comes in six trims, with the Wilderness being the most trail-focused of the bunch. Outback trims range in cost from about $36,000 to nearly $50,000, with the Wilderness trim starting at about $46,000. The Wilderness comes with 17-inch wheels fitted with all-terrain tires. It also sits 0.8 inch higher than other Outback trims, thanks to a lifted suspension. And it gets Wilderness-exclusive electronically controlled dampers. 

The Outback's Wilderness trim gets dual-function X-Mode, which is a driver-selectable feature allowing for more even torque split between the front and rear axles. It also uses brake-based torque vectoring from the left to right side across each axle. If you're shopping Outbacks for their off-road capability, the Wilderness trim is the obvious choice.

Both the Passport TrailSport and the Outback Wilderness offer features that enhance their capability over other trims in their lineups. However, the Outback's better ground clearance and more off-road-oriented design give it an advantage over the Passport in many scenarios. That it costs less helps seal the deal if off-road capability is critical in your decision.   

Inside, there's little reason to be concerned about comfort. The base Passport TrailSport offers standard heated front seats. Stepping up to the Elite and Elite Blackout trims adds heated rear outboard seats and a heated steering wheel. All of those features come standard in the Outback Wilderness.

Both of these SUVs provide ample front and rear passenger space, though the Passport does offer slightly more rear legroom. But the Passport gets an easy win in cargo space, offering more room with its second-row seats upright and beating the Outback by nearly 24 cubic-feet when the rear seats are folded down.

Honda | Subaru

2026 Honda Passport TrailSport vs. 2026 Subaru Outback Wilderness: Infotainment and Safety Comparison

The TrailSport delivers an intuitive tech experience with an off-road camera system, while the Wilderness offers solid connectivity and safety tech but lacks the Passport's ease of use. 

Every Passport comes standard with a 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster and a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Google built-in, which includes Google Maps, Google Assistant, and other apps offered through the Google Play Store. The infotainment system features wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, and a nine-speaker audio system is standard with a 12-speaker Bose system on the top two TrailSport trims.

Despite its hardy intentions, the Outback Wilderness is anything but basic inside. There's a 12.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality. Unlike Honda, however, Subaru uses its own operating system, which our expert automotive reviewer didn't find as intuitive as the Passport's Google-based system. It responded well to voice commands in our testing, but lacks the Google-based system's ease of use. A 12-speaker Harman Kardon audio system is standard.

TrailSport Elite trims add the TrailWatch system, which provides forward and overhead views of the trail to help with hazard avoidance. It includes tire-path guidelines designed to make off-roading safer. That feature is unmatched on the Outback Wilderness. Standard safety and driver-assistance features are included under the Honda Sensing suite. They include adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keeping assist, and Traffic Jam Assist. The latter offers hands-on assistance with steering, braking, and acceleration below 45 mph.

The Outback includes ample safety and driver-assistance features under Subaru's EyeSight suite. The most significant features are adaptive cruise control, lane-centering assist, and front cross-traffic braking. You'll pay extra on the Wilderness trim for a surround-view monitor, and it lacks off-road-specific features like tire-path guidelines that are found in the Passport TrailSport's system.

Subaru

2026 Honda Passport TrailSport vs. 2026 Subaru Outback Wilderness: Power and Efficiency Comparison

The Passport's stronger towing and driving experience are points in its favor, and though the Outback is more efficient, it's arguably less refined.

The Passport TrailSport's V6 is rated at 285 horsepower (up 5 horsepower over the year before) and 262 pound-feet of torque at 5,000 rpm. Every Passport uses a 10-speed automatic transmission and is rated to tow 5,000 pounds, significantly more than the 3,500-pound tow rating of the Outback Wilderness.

The Outback Wilderness comes with the turbocharged version of Subaru's 2.5-liter four-cylinder, rated at 260 horsepower and 277 lb-ft of torque. One advantage of turbocharging is a low peak torque rating at 2,000 rpm.

The EPA rates the Passport TrailSport at 20 mpg in combined city and highway driving. The Outback Wilderness does better, earning 23 mpg combined. The Subaru also has a longer predicted range: 414 miles compared with the Honda's 370 miles. 

With 10 gears to choose from, the Passport's transmission might seem busy. And sometimes it is. But I've found it's also quite smooth, shuffling silently through gears without disturbing its occupants. There are shift paddles should you need to hold a gear for towing or to control engine braking when descending a hill. And the V6 engine hums seamlessly all the way to its 6,500-rpm redline. 

Subaru's engine, even with more torque at low rpm, always seems to be working harder. And the Outback's continuously variable transmission (CVT) feels less enthused — in my experience — about moving this SUV around, whether it's up a steep incline or down a flat freeway. It, too, offers paddle shifters to actuate simulated shifts. But ask it to accelerate for a pass, and there's ample wind-up and wind-down time as the CVT decides how to best accomplish the job.

Bottom line: I prefer the smooth-operating V6 and traditional-feeling transmission in the Passport to the boosted but less enjoyable setup in the Outback.

Honda

2026 Honda Passport TrailSport vs. 2026 Subaru Outback Wilderness: Reliability and Warranty Comparison

The Passport and Outback have similar warranty coverage, though Subaru outranks Honda on Consumer Reports' list of predicted reliability. 

The Passport comes with a three-year or 36,000-mile basic and five-year or 60,000-mile powertrain warranty. The basic warranty includes 24-hour roadside assistance. Honda ranks fourth on the Consumer Reports list of predicted reliability.

The Outback's basic and powertrain warranties are the same length as the Passport's, but Subaru ranks second on the Consumer Reports list of predicted reliability.

Subaru

Key Takeaways

Both of these SUVs can give you enough confidence to tackle rugged dirt roads without breaking a sweat. If the going gets rougher, the Outback may have a slight advantage, but that's not likely to be the deciding factor for most people — although the Subaru's lower price might be. 

That said, most of us drive far more miles taking kids to soccer practice, picking up groceries, and going on road trips than we do twisting through backcountry two-tracks. And even though the Passport is slightly less efficient, its smoother powertrain and bigger cargo space might make it better at those everyday tasks. 

All vehicle pricing includes MSRP plus destination charges - set at the time of publication - and will be rounded to the nearest thousand.

Josh Jacquot

Josh Jacquot has covered cars from every angle. Over the course of his nearly 30-year career, he has conducted instrumented testing on thousands of vehicles and provided clear, data-driven insight for enthusiast and mainstream audiences alike. His work has appeared in leading outlets including Car and Driver, Motor Trend, and Edmunds. Known for blending driving rigor with clever analysis of real-world usability, he loves nothing more than a long powerslide in a car with usable cupholders. Equally comfortable discussing chassis dynamics and ownership costs, Josh brings credibility earned through decades of hands-on experience. But he‘s most excited by the emotional connection that only the right car can deliver.