Honda Files ‘Type-Trail’ Trademark, Hinting at Hot Passport
Trademark records suggest Honda is developing a performance version of its best-selling Passport TrailSport SUV.
Honda has filed a trademark application for the name “Type-Trail,” according to records discovered by CarMoses. The move points toward a performance-oriented variant of the Passport TrailSport, which currently accounts for more than 80 percent of total Passport sales.
The filing contains no technical specifications. Honda previously registered the TrailSport trademark in 2020, two years before the first Passport TrailSport reached dealerships for the 2022 model year. That timeline suggests any Type-Trail production vehicle remains months or years away.
2026 Honda Passport
HRC
A high-output Passport would target buyers cross-shopping the Civic Type R, the only Type R model sold in the United States, priced from roughly $48,000. That figure sits within a few thousand dollars of the Passport TrailSport’s sticker price.
Could A Type R Engine Survive The Dirt?
The Civic Type R uses a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing 315 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque, with peak torque available between 2,600 and 4,000 rpm. The Passport TrailSport relies on a 3.5-liter naturally aspirated V6 making 285 horsepower and 262 lb-ft, peaking at 5,000 rpm. Swapping the Civic’s K20C1 powerplant into the SUV would increase output while reducing front-axle weight. Adapting it requires solving a drivetrain mismatch: the Civic is exclusively front-wheel drive with a manual transmission, whereas off-road SUV buyers expect an automatic paired with Honda’s i-VTM all-wheel-drive system.
2017 Honda Civic Type R
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HRC Parts Hint At The Whole Recipe
HRC
At last year’s SEMA show, Honda Racing Corporation displayed a Passport TrailSport HRC concept featuring a 2.4-inch suspension lift, retuned dampers, 32-inch all-terrain tires, and functional skid plates. The 2027 TrailSport already incorporates chassis revisions that push ground clearance to 9.65 inches, matching figures typical of ladder-frame trucks. A factory Type-Trail could combine those HRC hardware upgrades with increased powertrain output, applying a badge that has never appeared on an SUV. The trademark registration is the only confirmed step taken so far.
