2019 Honda Passport tackles the snow

On a holiday trip home, our long-term 2019 Honda Passport saw a little bit of the white stuff.

Although we weren't able to put dedicated snow tires on the Passport, the combination of all-wheel drive and the Continental CrossContact all-season tires proved adequate.

The all-wheel-drive system has a terrain management function, which adjusts various vehicle parameters for different conditions: Normal, Snow, Mud and Sand. In Snow mode, the Passport's adjusted throttle settings made it easier to manage in the sloppy stuff.

However, even though we put low-temperature washer fluid in the reservoir, the washer nozzles froze and refused to work.

During the 3,800-mile trip, the 3.5-liter V6 engine, which produces 280 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque and is mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission, returned 22.7 miles per gallon.

That's not too bad, considering the mountain climbs, winter weather and my notorious lead foot. For reference, the EPA rates the 2019 Passport at 19 mpg city, 24 mpg highway and 21 mpg combined.

I drove 1,000 miles the first day of my trip. The Passport's lane-keeping assist and adaptive cruise control do the heavy lifting -- and they both come standard in the Honda Sensing safety suite. 

The Passport is comfy, with heated and cooled seats, the former helping me to stay toasty as temperatures plummeted.

Because there aren't any big option packages to add to the Elite -- just some dealer-installed accessories like running boards, fender flares and a tow hitch -- our Passport comes in at $44,775, including $1,095 for destination.

Stay tuned for the further adventures of our long-term 2019 Honda Passport.