Honda says nearly 70 percent of the major suspension components on the 2027 Passport TrailSport have been redesigned, and it is about to find out whether that holds up in the desert. Two of the company’s Ohio engineers, Abby Connolly and Amy Hein, are entered in the 2026 Rebelle Rally in a Passport that has not been modified in any way, for more than 1,500 miles of navigation by map and compass.
The 70 percent figure is the manufacturer’s own description of its own hardware. No outside body has counted the parts, and the rally, which has not started, cannot yet confirm anything about them.
Honda’s count of the new suspension
In its release announcing the competition debut, Honda wrote that nearly “70% of the major suspension components have been redesigned,” listing springs, dampers, control arms, stabilizer bars and knuckles, and said 28 suspension and related chassis parts were redesigned, reengineered or newly developed. Autoblog’s report repeats the claim in slightly different words, that roughly 70 percent of the major suspension hardware is new.
The words around the number carry weight. It is a share of the major pieces, not of every bracket and bushing, and it describes what changed against the previous Passport, not how well the new parts perform. The Drive adds that the changes are bolt-on components rather than a new chassis, which makes the figure a statement about parts replaced and not about a ground-up redesign.
Clearance and angles
The visible result is height. The TrailSport now has 9.65 inches of ground clearance, which is 1.38 inches more than the 2026 model’s 8.27 inches, according to The Drive, which put the new figure beside a base Jeep Wrangler’s 9.7 inches. The same reporting says the front driveshafts and front subframe were changed to cope with the added ride height and wheel travel, and that the tires are unchanged General Grabber AT Sports in 275/60R18.
Geometry moved too. Kelley Blue Book reported approach and departure angles of 25 degrees, up from 23, and a breakover angle of 23 degrees, up from 20, after Honda redesigned 28 suspension components, which it listed as front driveshafts, front subframe, dampers, control arms and stabilizer bars, and it quoted the company saying engineers comprehensively redesigned the suspension to make this the most off-road capable SUV Honda has built.
Ford Authority’s report on the redesign adds that the new clearance exceeds that of the Toyota 4Runner TRD Off-Road, the Subaru Outback Wilderness and the Ford Bronco Sport Badlands with the Sasquatch package, and that the TrailWatch camera system, once limited to the Elite trim, becomes standard on the TrailSport. Those are specification comparisons from the press materials, and the rally will test only the suspension and the vehicle’s durability, not the spec sheet.
The Bone Stock entry
Honda’s release puts Connolly and Hein in team number 208, called Good TrailSports, in the X-Cross Bone Stock class. Connolly is a senior design engineer in powersports and Hein is a senior test engineer in battery electric development, and both work out of Raymond, Ohio. Autoblog notes that both are rookies at the event. The Rebelle Rally’s own FAQ describes the Bone Stock award as going to the team and manufacturer with the highest score in a completely stock vehicle, so the SUV competes exactly as it would leave a showroom.
That is the point of the entry. A suspension that was redesigned for off-road use and then run without modification is a durability argument that can be checked against a scoreboard.
Rebelle Rally route and rules
Honda lists the event as running October 8 to 17 across Nevada and California desert, with teams finding checkpoints using only maps and compasses, no GPS or cell phones. The organiser’s own page gives the full window as October 7 to 17, starting from Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the first time, and says the route covers California, Nevada and Utah in the 11th edition, with nine days of off-grid competition after the prologue.
Honda has history there. According to Honda, 2026 is its eighth year at the Rebelle Rally, and Autoblog reports that a 2026 Passport finished sixth in last year’s X-Cross class while a Ridgeline placed seventh. Neither placing says anything about the 2027 suspension, which is why this year’s result is the first measurement of it in this event.
Honda will not be alone in the class. Ford Authority reported in July that Ford is returning as a Silver Partner with Bronco Raptor and Ranger Raptor entries in the Bone-Stock category, so the Passport’s finishing position will be read against rivals that also arrived without modifications. The 70 percent claim and the 28 redesigned parts are Honda’s to state; the leaderboard, from the first checkpoint to the finish on October 17, belongs to the organiser.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Morning Overview editors prior to publication.
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