Head-to-Head: 2026 GMC Terrain AT4 versus 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport – What size would you like your softroader – small or medium?

by Greg Karpinski

Having a serious off-road trim on your traditional truck or sport utility is very en vogue right now with many automakers – we’re seeing an explosion of new trims and models – Bison, Raptor, TRD Pro, Trailhunter, TRX – believe it or not, I could go on. Automakers have found that a large percentage of their customers like to live active lifestyles and enjoy going beyond where the pavement ends, and the rest of them, well, they at least want to look like they have an active lifestyle.

The models and trims listed above are largely very serious off-roaders with capabilities well beyond what 99% of their owners will subject them to, so a few other automakers have decided to give their crossover an off-roady trim, creating another market for the customers who want to look active, but still prioritize on-road comfort without compromising daily usability (we’re looking at you, glorious Tacoma TRD Pro seats). But, the real question is, should you get your off-roady crossover in small or medium-sized?

The Fine Print: Our producers wanted us to see which softroader is best in this growing segment, so they reached out to the fine people at GMC and Honda, who sent us a Terrain AT4 and Passport TrailSport for a week, with full tanks of gas.

The burgeoning softroader segment is absolutely on fire right now and almost every automaker has jumped in – Hyundai has their XRT trim, Kia has X-Pro, Subaru has Wilderness, GMC has AT4 and now Honda has TrailSport. Our producers down at TDL headquarters thought it would be great to represent a thick slice of the segment by comparing the compact GMC Terrain AT4 with the mid-size Honda Passport TrailSport, new for 2026, with Honda taking a big step to finally differentiate it from its larger Pilot sibling.

Many years ago, the original Passport was a badge-engineering exercise with the Isuzu Rodeo, and this arrangement lasted through the model’s first two generations, before dying after the 2002 model year followed by Isuzu quietly exiting the North American market just a few years later. The Passport reemerged in 2019 as a smaller variant of the successful Pilot, ditching the third row and filling the gap where the awkward Accord Crosstour once resided. For 2026, the fourth-generation Passport is essentially all-new and Honda specifically focused on separation from the Pilot to allow the boxier, more rugged-looking new Passport to stand alone.

Honda debuted the TrailSport trim on the Passport back in 2022, mostly as an appearance package, but now for 2026, it actually means something with skidplates, orange recovery hooks and some very chunky 31-inch General tires, developed specifically for the Passport TrailSport. It’s also grown a bit compared to the previous generation, now 191.5 inches long with a 113.6-inch wheelbase, nearly 80 inches wide and over 73 inches tall. That’s up over two inches in wheelbase, with much of the additional space translating directly to the interior. TrailSport trims get 8.3 inches of ground clearance and the previous generation’s polished dual exhaust finishers are now tucked up and hidden out of site. Our tester’s Sonic Grey Pearl suits the car nicely, but Honda has reserved the two best colors for the TrailSport in particular – Sunset Orange and Ash Green Metallic. Overall, the look is purposeful and much improved over the previous Passport.

The third-generation GMC Terrain debuted in 2025 with a much-improved refresh, featuring a more rugged and truck-like exterior that better aligned with the rest of GMC’s lineup with the C-shaped lighting signatures in the headlights and taillights and grille design. For 2026, GMC expanded the Terrain lineup to include both the mid-level AT4 and top-spec Denali trims, both which come standard with all-wheel-drive. The AT4 features knobby General tires, gloss black cladding and red recovery hooks further enhancing the truck-like appearance of the standard Terrain. Our tester’s Riverstone Metallic paint was offset with a contrasting black roof, resulting in a very stylish look and handsome vehicle.

Compared to the Terrain AT4, the Passport TrailSport is longer, wider and taller – more SUV like and less crossover. This is unsurprising given that the Terrain operates in a class below the Passport, and the numbers bear this out – the Terrain has an overall length of 181 inches and a 107-inch wheelbase with a 74.5-inch width and 66-inch height.

Above: Honda Passport TrailSport, Below: GMC Terrain AT4

Inside, those dimensions carry over for both vehicles with the Passport offering 41 inches of legroom up front and a class-leading 40.9 inches in the back. Surprisingly, despite being ten inches shorter, the Terrain manages to offer more front legroom at 43.9 inches and nearly the same legroom in the back at just under 40 inches. GMC’s engineers might have used their wizardry to give the cabin the space of a larger vehicle, but that magic runs out in cargo capacity. The Terrain offers 29.8 cubic feet behind the second row and 63.5 cubic feet with the rear seats folded flat. Conversely, the Passport offers 44 cubic feet behind the second row which balloons to 83.8 cubic feet with those seats folded flat. The higher roof and midsize roots pay dividends in cargo space for the Passport.

Honda continues their strong performance in the interior game with the Passport – when you step inside it’s all comfort, space and thoughtful design. The 2026 redesign results in a nice horizontal layout, soft touch surfaces wherever you hand naturally lands and cool orange stitching throughout on the TrailSport. Our tester came in the Elite trim, which includes well-cushioned and supportive leather thrones, heated and cooled up front while rear seat passengers make due with outboard heating only. All passengers are kept comfortable with tri-zone automatic climate control and the panoramic sunroof and tall windows make the interior feel light and airy, despite our tester’s black interior.

The Passport also receives a 10.2-inch configurable digital gauge cluster and a 12.3-inch touchscreen running Honda’s latest interface. Menus are thoughtfully organized, and the system operates with zero lag with crisp displays. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, and Honda also includes a wireless charging pad plus four USB-C ports to keep every device in the car fully charged up.

Above: GMC Terrain AT4, Below: Honda Passport TrailSport

In the Terrain, GMC strikes the balance between rugged and refined, with the layout centering around a large 15-inch portrait touchscreen integrated with an 11-inch digital driver display. Materials lean a bit more towards the durable end of the spectrum versus the Passport, but are largely soft touch and feel high quality. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard on the Terrain, with a wireless charging pad for the driver and passengers are kept comfortable with standard heated seats and automatic dual-zone climate control. Materials are just as nice as what you find in the Passport – there is hard plastic hidden here and there, but where your hands naturally fall is generally the soft-touch stuff, but the passenger volume is what really sells the Terrain as it’s roughly on par with the larger Passport, despite a smaller footprint.

On the road or off it – it’s all Passport, and that’s almost entirely a function of how excellent the naturally-aspirated 3.5L V6 feels with its 285hp and 262lbft of torque. With that delightfully old school powerplant hooked up to Honda’s new ten-speed automatic, throttle response is immediate and power is linear with zero lag. The ten-speed automatic is new for 2026 and replaces the old nine-speed slushbox and Honda has nearly tuned it perfectly – the new automatic is much smoother and smarter with gear selection than the old box. On-road, the ride quality is also superb – soft enough for comfort, but firm enough to avoid feeling floaty, which isn’t as easy as you’d think with the chunky 31-inch General all-terrain tires.

The chassis of the Terrain is fine as is the suspension tuning and ride and handling. What is decidedly not fine is the 1.5L turbo four under the hood, producing a meager 175hp and 203lbft of torque, as the GMC leans more towards relaxed comfort over anything that could be misconstrued as performance. All AT4 trims come standard with all-wheel drive and the power is routed through an eight-speed automatic transmission. It’s enough grunt for daily driving, but it won’t pin you in the seat and might cause a bit of panic if you’re trying to merge onto a busy highway. On road, the ride is smooth and forgiving, thanks to the chunky 17” all-terrain tires soaking up bumps and shrugging off potholes.

Heading off-road at the Uwharrie National Forest, we stuck to the fire roads as we didn’t want to get the Terrain AT4 stuck, and this is largely representative of the most off-road use its owners will eventually subject it to. That said, the Terrain handled the rough, rutted fire roads with aplomb, aided by 8.1-inches of ground clearance and a unique “Terrain” drive mode to the AT4, which slows throttle response under 30mph and allows drivers to use the one-pedal method and easily maneuver around or over obstacles.

For 2026, Honda has continued to build their TrailSport badge into something meaningful and is using the Passport as the primary means to make that happen. Ground clearance is the same as the outgoing model at 8.3 inches, but they have added the 31-inch General tires that were specifically developed for the Passport and at a 275-section width, they’re the widest and tallest tires ever fitted to a production Honda. Skidplates protect all the delicate oily bits on the bottom of the vehicle and Honda has also fitted recovery hooks front and rear that are capable of holding twice the weight of a Passport (Honda did a cool PR video dangling a few Passports from a crane that’s worth a look).

The TrailSport is also riding on a revised suspension setup for better articulation and stability over uneven ground and the i-VTM4 AWD system can now send up to 70% of torque to the rear and actively vector up to 100% of that twist left or right. On the off-road tech front, Honda has also added Snow, Sand and a Trail drive mode that reduces throttle response for low-speed obstacles, increases rear torque bias, activates the new trick off-road gauges and turns on the second generation TrailWatch system, providing forward, wheel and overhead visibility with wheel placement graphics. It’s a serious bit of kit, and the fire roads around Uwharrie didn’t even begin to challenge the Passport TrailSport.

We’re going with the Passport TrailSport in this comparo because it delivers much more of what really matters when you’re balancing off-road capability and everyday usability. The Honda comes with more interior room, smarter tech and better handling dynamics both on and off-road. It’s wider stance, longer wheelbase and beefier suspension tuning help it stay composed and stable, even with the chunky 31-inch Generals. The Terrain AT4 is primarily held back by it’s wheezy 1.5L turbo four – the 175 horses are not even remotely enough to move its nearly two tons, let alone anything else, clearly borne out by the Terrain’s 1500-pound tow rating, well below the 5000 pounds the Passport can pull. Despite starting roughly $7,000 more than the Terrain AT4, the Passport TrailSport is the value here as it brings a true blend of rugged readiness and everyday comfort. Until GMC can put a proper drivetrain in the AT4, it’s going to be fighting an uphill battle against its peers much less a bigger, brawnier competitor like the Passport. But that’s okay, if it gets stuck at the bottom of that hill, we can pull it out with the TrailSport’s fancy orange tow hooks.