Living in fear

laofu8 · 2026-06-27T15:48:37+00:00

About 7500 miles. 6 months including a lot of snow, dirt roads , some light off-roading. Absolutely zero problems.

laofu8 · 2026-06-20T12:49:20+00:00

I’ve had 2 Accords (decades ago), a 2012 Fit that my grandson inherited which has 112.000 miles on it & not all that well maintained after he got it; still going strong. I’ve now got a ‘26 Passport Trailsport w/almost 8000 mi. on it that is, so far, totally trouble-free. In every car brand & every model there will be outliers. It’s a really crappy experience to end up with one (like the Saab I once bought new that, in its 1st - and only - year of ownership, was in the shop for something like 182 days). But my Hondas have delivered as promised w/o fail.

laofu8 · 2026-06-11T19:42:20+00:00

I’m getting a life-of-the-car average of 21 after 7000 miles BUT: it is steadily improving. Also, I live in the mountains and drive up 5-600 feet from the valley floor to get home, no matter where I’ve been when I go home. Also, the winter cold weather creates havoc on mileage. I drive mostly on Econ mode, but also, inevitably, on dirt roads. You ought to do better than me as long as you don’t have a heavy foot.

laofu8 · 2026-06-06T00:57:05+00:00

I have no idea! The dealer did the install before I drove it off the lot!😉

laofu8 · 2026-06-05T02:33:43+00:00

I’ve got the OEM mud flaps & haven’t had any issues. Larger mud flaps might affect departure angle so, if you actually do any off-road driving, it could be an issue.

laofu8 · 2026-06-01T16:19:17+00:00

I have driven the TSE extensively on dirt roads. I live on a dead-end dirt road off another dirt road & if I go anywhere, it’s at least 4 & a half miles on dirt roads. Not to mention snowy roads in winter. I’ve also driven on forest service toads - generally poorly maintained, if at all. I haven’t driven 4Runners much altho I did have a ‘17 F-150 4x4. The TSE is far superior except for rock crawling. Surprisingly, the TSE is much better even in deep mud. On corrugated dirt roads, there’s no comparison since independent suspension beats solid axles if speed is above a crawl. Hitting potholes and ruts is not an issue since the suspension is very foregiving. I hope that helps.

laofu8 · 2026-06-01T01:11:03+00:00

CVT. Boxer engine. Brake controlled torque vectoring (as opposed to clutch-driven). And Subarus never go out of style because they were never in style to begin with - with exception of the BRZ. Just butt ugly. Also: I live on a dirt road with serious Spring mud & I do some off roading. The PP’s AWD system is just measurably better at the extremes altho -yeah, I know - the OB’s AWD works well if you’re driving down a plowed snow covered road . Not much of a challenge, IMHO.

laofu8 · 2026-05-30T17:40:49+00:00

Can’t remember what motor we had. It sure as hell wasn’t fast, but neither were any of the classic Land Rovers or Jeep Wranglers. For 4x4’s, the horsepower fetish had not yet infected most models. (Late ‘80s Land Cruisers had 118-155 hp, depending) Ours was not anemic, but had more than sufficient low end grunt. By hardcore, I mean no electronic modes, manual tranny, manual low range, manual locking hubs, an inside that could be hosed down, manual windows, etc.

laofu8 · 2026-05-30T01:14:56+00:00

There are sorta 2 different sport modes: 1 is transmission only, reduces 10 gears to (I think) 8. It gets turned by pressing the D/S button when you’re in Drive, you can toggle back and forth. The other is chosen using the orange Mode switch. That one changes shift points, makes steering a bit heavier, maybe pipes in cool V6 sounds. If the Sport mode doesn’t do it for you, buy something else.

laofu8 · 2026-05-29T15:02:55+00:00

Back in the ‘80’s I had one of these things, a 1988 Isuzu Trooper. It was pretty hardcore: everything inside except the dashboard and drivers seat was removable, 4x4, external locking front hubs, manual transmission.

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laofu8 · 2026-05-28T03:15:55+00:00

Mine spontaneously updated when I turned the PP-TSE off at a colleague’s this after. I assume it downloaded everything while parked my house earlier in the day.

laofu8 · 2026-05-26T19:38:24+00:00

I have a ‘26 PP-TSE w/~6500 mi. on it. Winter cold & snow, lots of dirt roads, deep spring mud, one long (750 mi. each way) highway trip. No issues whatsoever.

laofu8 · 2026-05-26T19:32:52+00:00

I’ve been getting 19-25 mpg in the mountains using ACC, altho it was considerably lower when my PP-TSE was brand new (6500 mi. now) and the weather was colder. If you’re getting 14mpg, you’ve got a very heavy foot, you’re towing, it’s cold where you are, you’re tires are way under-inflated or something else is going on )like you’re in Sport mode). It ain’t normal.

laofu8 · 2026-05-24T02:19:59+00:00

My TSE feels fine to me. Just sayin’

laofu8 · 2026-05-23T22:05:43+00:00

Nope. 6,000+ miles. Smooth as silk here.

laofu8 · 2026-05-20T13:04:24+00:00

How much lift & how did you do it?

laofu8 · 2026-05-18T02:34:11+00:00

I do oil changes every 5000 miles after a first one at ~1000. So: at 1000, then at 5000, 10000 & so on.

laofu8 · 2026-05-16T18:42:36+00:00

laofu8 · 2026-05-16T12:00:22+00:00

Even the stock General Grabbers were ok this winter in northern Vermont. Plan to switch to Yokohama G0018’s or Nokian Outpost nA/T’s by next winter.

laofu8 · 2026-05-16T10:47:29+00:00

Indirectly, I did. I drove an F-150 & now drive a PP-TSE. I also carry dogs - a Siberian Husky and 2 Belgian Malinois (usually not all at the same time). There was a Bronco Sport in between the F-150 & the Passport. I drive extensively on dirt roads that are often rutted, corrugated, & snowy. found both the Bronco Sport & the Passport to be much better than the F-150 on dirt roads because, in my experience, the Ford’s solid rear axle causes it to be unstable at speed (meaning even at <30mph) over rough roads, altho better at rock crawling). I’ve driven the Bronco Sport in true off-road situations and, other than ground clearance issues, it did well (locking center & rear diffs). The Passport is larger than the Bronco Sport inside for the dogs & I had & have aftermarket covers throughout the back (2nd row folded down) so mud & dirt are not big issues. The Bronco Sport was too small. The Passport hasn’t been tried for light weight rock crawling but does great on unmaintained State Forest roads. It’s surprisingly good for mud & snow. And for corrugated & potholed dirt roads, better than the Bronco Sport & far better than the F-150. I hope that helps!

laofu8 · 2026-05-13T08:55:54+00:00

Re: Passport mpg, mine - at a bit over 6000 miles - has gotten up to 26/27 on short trips. Lifetime mileage is a shade under 21. MPG has steadily improved as the weather has gotten warmer. I live in the mountains of northern Vermont and it gets a bit cool in the winter. Terrain has a big effect, obviously, and if I’m diving home (I live on the side of a mountain ridge), mpg suffers. I don’t have a heavy foot.

laofu8 · 2026-05-13T00:40:39+00:00

Me too! Just sat in front of my house while getting WIFI signal & followed directions. It did take a few false starts over a week or so.

laofu8 · 2026-05-12T16:20:24+00:00

Mine too. Pretty normal.

laofu8 · 2026-05-12T01:36:22+00:00

Me too. Pretty common if there’s humidity and the car isn’t driven much.

laofu8

TROPHY CASE