What's the Matter? You Barely Touched Your Expensive Honda: Vibe Check
Is this the new normal? Do my eyes deceive me or does the window sticker really list that price for a Honda? The 2026 Passport commands an eye-watering price, prompting me to raise an alternative that will never cost more than it.
In other news, a plan is in the works for the State Department to buy armored Cybertrucks, and Nissan’s ego causes a potential merger with Honda to fall apart. Welcome to the Feb. 14 edition of Vibe Check.
1st Shift: This will cost at least $46,200
Honda just announced that the redesigned 2026 Passport is hitting dealerships now. The bad news for people diverting from a Subaru is that it comes at a price.
The 2026 Honda Passport starts at $46,200, or $2,350 more than the 2025 model. That gets you an RTL with 18-inch wheels, power liftgate, and oh, ummm. Well, white paint is a $455 option.
At least Honda skips the turbocharged route and slots a V-6 under the hood with a ten-speed automatic. All-wheel-drive is standard, regardless of interior features. There is a massive 12.3-inch center display with wireless phone connectivity and Google built-in, along with seat warmers and leather inserts. Roof racks are also included to cater to outdoorsy folks.
The trouble is in tailoring to outdoorsy folks, there are cheaper alternatives out there that don’t come close to the price of a new Passport. Subaru sells an Outback that tops out at $44,330 for a Touring XT. But that’s not what I will recommend after driving both.
Mazda sells a dedicated off-road wagon to offer alongside the more urban-esque CX-5, dubbed the CX-50. It’s a handsome affair with a low roofline and a bag of tricks that won’t compromise its on-road prowess. The Zoom-Zoom tagline may be long gone from the commercials, but it remains very much present in any Mazda sold today.
The best part? Mazda added a new Cypress green paint color for 2025, making it enticing to pair with the brown leather seats. Hell yes.
The most expensive CX-50, in Turbo Premium Plus guise (It’s a good turbo engine, I promise) offers luxury features not available in some contemporary rivals, and still manages to undercut the Passport at $44,720.
For this, it gets a perfect score. This calls for a Plug!
2nd Shift: Nissan just shot itself in the foot
Okay, this normally doesn’t happen. Normally when a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) is signed, it’s a significant step that all but guarantees that a merger is going to happen.
Initially, it seemed that Mitsubishi was removed from the conversation. Now a potential deal is off the table entirely. Sources claim because the Nissan bigheads believe they are as valuable as Honda — they’re not — and wanted to merge as an equal partner. The thing is, mergers never result in equal partners, at least at first. So effectively, Nissan just threw away its biggest lifeline.
And that’s a shame because it has the most enticing lineup it’s ever had. The 2025 Armada is the best ever, as is the latest Kicks, Murano, Pathfinder, Rogue, and Z sports car. It’s a decent lineup that’s left without a backing partner.
As it seeks a miracle, let us reminisce of a Nissan brand that is finally coming into its own, just as Saab was attempting to pull off the same fate. The only difference is Saab didn’t move 924,000 cars in annual U.S. sales which might prove to be a talking point to save Nissan.
Here’s hoping someone with enough cash flow is willing.
3rd Shift: Somehow, the Tesla Cybertruck fights to stay relevant
Let me applaud first the audacity that Tesla had to first mull the concept, and then put into production what is the worst vehicle on U.S. roads. It has a likeness to the DeLorean and is just as impractical. Doc Brown wouldn’t fathom this for another time machine.
And now, it looks like the new government won’t either. There’s a $400 million contract that’s been shelved by the State Department to purchase and armor a fleet of Teslas. While the vehicle was unspecified, it was likely to be the Cybertruck which boasts appeal of durable stainless steel and the lamest attempt of a pickup truck design.
Of course, the document was edited and removed any use of the word ‘Tesla’, with Elon himself claiming to Rachael Maddow on Twitter, “Where’s the lie?” This despite it being public information and very much the truth, no matter how much he tries to spin it.
I have no doubt that $400 million of taxpayer money is going to be wasted in some other useless way like plastic straws. But at least it won’t go to an EV that just doesn’t compete in the market.
Weekend Getaway: Hit the slopes
You don’t need to ski or snowboard. Hell, there probably isn’t that much snow wherever you read this. But the chance is good there is a mountain near you.
Go to it. Enjoy the drive up and down the winding spaghetti roads mountains are entitled to. Some of you might even have a Miata, the perfect ingredient to the asphalt recipe.