Honda Finally Brings Back Deep Cut Fan Favorite Hidden Feature

The car market used to be full of fun little secrets; hidden features that most car buyers today have long forgotten. Honda, more than many other manufacturers, was all about these fun little add-ons. One of the most famous of these strange features was the Honda Motocompacto, the weird folding scooter that Honda offered as a factory add-on from 1981 to 1983.

Fast forward to the ‘90s, and Honda started offering customers another, albeit not quite as fun as a scooter, fun added feature to the original Honda CR-V; a picnic table. Yep, many CR-V owners might not have known that the original version came with a built-in picnic table that unfolds from the cargo area. Now, after all these years, Honda is bringing the picnic table back for the 2026 Honda Passport.

The Honda Picnic Table Returns

The 2026 Honda Passport, a brawnier, bolder, trail-hungrierer SUV that’s bringing the picnic table back—only this time, you’ll know it’s there. It’s no longer standard fare but a $425 accessory known officially (and bureaucratically) as the Tailgate Table Shelf. Unlike its CR-V predecessor, which required a full cargo unload to free, this version is right there, front and center every time the hatch opens. It can sit flat on the cargo floor or lift up into a shelf position, holding up to 44 pounds of whatever your weekend throws at it.

The legs—no longer tucked into a clever fold-out design—screw in manually, and live in a drawstring pouch nestled in the underfloor storage bin. A little more labor, sure, but a lot more surface: the new table clocks in at a beefy 42 by 36 inches, eclipsing the old 31×25 and 34×30 CR-V versions. That’s room for a campsite buffet or a four-person dinner under the pines. The composite tabletop is rubberized for grip and etched with a topographic map of the California desert near Barstow—a quiet homage to where Honda Racing Corporation trains for the Baja 1000.

2026 Honda Passport Specs

It’s not just about the table, though. The new Passport, especially in its TrailSport trims, is Honda’s most off-road-capable vehicle yet.

The 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport does more than just take you to the trailheads. According to Honda, it’s built to run them. Under the hood, you’ve got a trusty 3.5-liter V6 pumping out 285 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque, all fed through a 10-speed automatic that knows how to hustle. The real party trick, though, is Honda’s i-VTM4 all-wheel-drive system, which shuffles power around with smarts and grip for days. Throw in a set of 275/60R18 all-terrain tires and off-road-tuned suspension, and you’ve got yourself a rig that doesn’t flinch when the asphalt runs out. Skid plates underneath help protect the important bits when the trail starts throwing elbows.

Inside, the TrailSport’s got just enough rugged charm to match the outside. The seats are a leatherette-and-cloth combo with orange stitching, while the tech suite keeps things civilized. A 12.3-inch touchscreen and a 10.2-inch digital gauge cluster run the show, complete with wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Alexa, and even built-in Google apps with unlimited data for three years. Honda also packed in its full Sensing safety suite—lane keeping, auto braking, and cruise control that doesn’t freak out in traffic. In short, it’s a do-it-all, go-anywhere crossover that actually feels like it wants to go somewhere, and can provide the picnic table for when you get there.

TopSpeed’s Take

So yes, the picnic table is back. It’s bigger, brasher, and it costs extra. But it’s also a symbol—a callback to an era when practical features came standard and the party always seemed to start in the trunk of your car.

Source: Honda, MotorTrend