[DaveG]

I can only speak for myself and say I have 13,000 trouble free miles on my 19 Passport Touring. I did replace the backup camera shortly after purchase, but it and everything else has been just fine since. As a brand, the article placed Honda at 12th, moving up 2 spots from the previous year. As comparison for vehicles made on the same platform, the Pilot scored a 51, Ridgeline a 48 and the Odyssey minivan a 22. Keeping it sort of in the family, Acura got blasted by the article.

Is there bias in the article? Maybe, maybe not. We could argue either way, but I can just say over the years that my family has owned numerous Hondas from SUVs to Sedans and everyone one of them was trouble free and easy to own and maintain. Right now sitting in the driveway is the 19 Passport, a 17 CR-V and an 05 Accord. No matter what CR says, I think I'll keep them.

 

[MattyNice]

Wow... I had a 2017 Honda Ridgeline and I find my 2019 Passport to be equally refined and I've had zero problems since my purchase in March. Number 115 off the assembly line.

Mine is a late September build. I haven’t had “problems” pers se but some annoyances let’s call it. Nothing that would leave me stranded I don’t believe.This may be my first year model car ever so that may be it. Pressing the pedal and hearing that v6 makes me grant forgiveness. I loved their their high strung motors of yesterday (Vtec yo!) but I’ve always love this silky smooth tiger purring v6 too.

 

[elder prep]

Consumer Reports' February 2020 edition "Road Report" on page 61 shows our PP with a "much worse" Predicted Reliability rating in the Midsize SUV's (2-Row) category. Looks like they are still working from the early issue vehicles or they are not surveying the entire production fleet. Do we have to wait until we have a complete year's production to get a fair and accurate report? Or are they just reading those owners who reported problems? Just wondering. . . . . Ken in PA

 

[carpayments4life]

Since 2006 CR has been anti-Honda/Acura. I think that it's because of the price vs the Domestics.
In the last 14 years, when Honda or Acura had a top selling vehicle, with no negatives, CR would just leave it out of their publication.
If you ask me about my 2006 Civic EX w/auto I'd tell you that I sold it in 2016 and it never went to any repair shop, but CR showed (shows) it as un-reliable.
The same is true for my 2008 Civic Si and 2007 Acura MDX.

I have been reading about a oil control ring issue on the 2010-2013 Acura MDX and fuel in the oil on the 2018-2019 1.5L Turbo Honda engines, but CR has been crying wolf, for so long that people just don't believe them like they once did.

CR says that "domestic" vehicles are better than ever. That's not saying much, when CR leaves them off of their mid term (5-8 year old) & long term (8-12 year old) recommended lists. CR has a "buy this old car" list, for cars 3-5 years, 5-8 years old, and 8-12 years old, but you only find Toyotas, Hondas, Madzas on the older lists.

Recently, CR rented a 2019 Honda Passport and made a short YouTube video, where there staff bragged that they would find lots wrong, when they got one for a full year. In a separate video, within the past couple of weeks, they rented the new 2020 Toyota Highlander, for a week, and made a short video bragging on how great it was going to be after they got one for a full year.

 

[mcrimm]

Everyone seems to have an agenda. Their recommendation means as much to me as mine does to them.

 

[MattyNice]

Toyota does make a very good vehicle ya know. But anyhow, does it give any brief summary as to why it has such a low rating or it just gives the rating?

 

[Gray_Beard]

I'm sorry but CR is like the fake news networks, they have an agenda to push regardless of how blatant they appear.

 

[qwikz]

Honda stopped "greasing" magazine publications years ago all all of sudden went from the most recommended to the least recommend,same with there motorcycles! CR has always been and always will be a trash of a rag and people usually take whatever they say with a grain of salt unless your a millennial, because they seem to think that if they read it online then it must be true!

Funny that every review/article I've read about the Passport so far has been positive.

 

[MattyNice]

I don’t really buy into CR having bias but not denying it doesn’t exist either. Honda has been hit with infotainment issues and the oil dilution issues the last few years. Personally, I think Honda has lost ground since the industry has gone to turbo/hybrid power and more technology centered infotainment systems inside the vehicle. Their claim to fame came form the NA 4-cylinders and for whatever reason, they just can’t seem to get the new technology right. They need to change up some of their management and engineering teams or I think they will only continue to fall.

 

[Drummer]

My take on CR is that often their system of rating includes factors that mean nothing to me as a consumer. Such as the adaptive cruise control to them means a great deal of safety. To me it is a royal pain in the lower posterior. I NEVER use the ACC but CR thinks it should be mandatory on all vehicles.

 

[herothedog]

Edmunds gives the 2019 Passport a 8.1/10 and consumer rating of 4.1/5.0

Kbb gives 4.6/5 and consumer rating of 4.4/5.0

It would seem CR is talking to a different group of people when doing their surveys.

 

[elder prep]

My take on CR is that often their system of rating includes factors that mean nothing to me as a consumer. Such as the adaptive cruise control to them means a great deal of safety. To me it is a royal pain in the lower posterior. I NEVER use the ACC but CR thinks it should be mandatory on all vehicles.

Drummer, I've been subscribing to CR for years and always are interested in their car sections and reviews. I've noticed a growing trend in their evaluations of an increased weighting on safety which shifts the overall score that has marginalized other evaluation areas, which for the PP is surprising with all the digital and physical safety features the PP has.

 

[Dro1984]

CR is using safety more and more. Head lighting quality is another reason PP didn't get great ratings. The lower models do not get the full LED headlamps and are downgraded. Even our Touring and Elite trims with full LED lamps only did average I believe... CR wasn't impressed. It's gotten to the point where they will only like it if we had self driving vehicles (read as: boring transportation appliances) shaped in a donut and foam filled were our only choices. CR is not an "Enthusiast" magazine car review publication and it shows.
Their podcasts, some on YouTube are some of the most boring... with the endless pontificating over the most tedious small things you have ever seen. It may put you to sleep if you suffer from insomnia. "the ride is too hard... I don't like sports cars"..." the ride is too soft, it's dangerous for emergency maneuvers"... I believe they too, hate on our Passports for the sloppy overly firm harsh yet marshmellowy uncontrolled ride??!? LOL

 

[PAULinMA]

It would seem CR is talking to a different group of people when doing their surveys.

Whenever I visit my in-laws in their Florida retirement community, I see a CR on every coffee table. A few years ago CR recommended Audi over Lexus. Soon the parking lot was filled with white and silver Q5's instead of RX350's.

Today CR recommends whichever vehicle has the most standard driver assist ("safety") features standard at the lowest trim level. Soon the Q5's should be replaced by RAV4's.

 

[AcuraFanBoy]

Correct - Consumer Reports primary concern is safety tech - a few months ago they did a write-up about it - basically any car that doesn't come with standard driver safety aids, like Honda sensing, immediately gets lower scores. For the most part they report on consumer feedback, and surveys which I can appreciate, but always make your own conclusions. Technology in cars is still relatively new, and a lot of car buyers are relatively old, so they're much slower to adapt. Why Toyota/Lexus will always be on top. none of the buttons ever change, or change location in the car. When they release those guesstimates of a car's reliability they should be more specific as to what they expect to fail. I know at least once a year they do a very comprehensive report on several makes/models/years and what issues plagues them. I doubt most will have drive-train issues with the passport, but I could see the electronics failing. I don't consider that part of a vehicle's reliability to get me from point a to point b, but as our generations continue to evolve with technology, the younger buyer is more concerned with the tech in the car, than what its primary purpose is

 

[Dro1984]

I agree and am making my own conclusions and I feel people are too pampered with most of these "safety" devises in a way that they (the vehicle owners) are making driving more dangerous every year that goes by! Here's an idea; Learn how to actually drive!
People don't want to "drive" a vehicle anymore... they want everything done for them including the steering, the parking and hitting the brakes. Now people use these so called safety features that CR LOVES and have made people in general, really poor drivers...
Rhetorical question: So all this better? Or would forcing everyone to a higher level of Drivers Training / accident avoidance be better?! I think we all know the answer and publications aren't helping anyone in reality.

 

[gregc]

Since 2006 CR has been anti-Honda/Acura. I think that it's because of the price vs the Domestics.
In the last 14 years, when Honda or Acura had a top selling vehicle, with no negatives, CR would just leave it out of their publication.
If you ask me about my 2006 Civic EX w/auto I'd tell you that I sold it in 2016 and it never went to any repair shop, but CR showed (shows) it as un-reliable.
The same is true for my 2008 Civic Si and 2007 Acura MDX.

I have been reading about a oil control ring issue on the 2010-2013 Acura MDX and fuel in the oil on the 2018-2019 1.5L Turbo Honda engines, but CR has been crying wolf, for so long that people just don't believe them like they once did.

CR says that "domestic" vehicles are better than ever. That's not saying much, when CR leaves them off of their mid term (5-8 year old) & long term (8-12 year old) recommended lists. CR has a "buy this old car" list, for cars 3-5 years, 5-8 years old, and 8-12 years old, but you only find Toyotas, Hondas, Madzas on the older lists.

Recently, CR rented a 2019 Honda Passport and made a short YouTube video, where there staff bragged that they would find lots wrong, when they got one for a full year. In a separate video, within the past couple of weeks, they rented the new 2020 Toyota Highlander, for a week, and made a short video bragging on how great it was going to be after they got one for a full year.

I'm still driving my 2006 Civic EX, it has been one of the best cars I have ever owned.

 

[draiken78]

I'm still driving my 2006 Civic EX, it has been one of the best cars I have ever owned.

That's the exact model I traded in when I bought the Passport.

 

[carpayments4life]

CR has a Dodge in its best truck list. That's how believable CR has become.

 

[MattyNice]

Dodge has come a long way in recent years. Friend has one that is about to hit 300k of hard miles pulling a loaded cargo trailer, a big one, a majority of the time. Full-size trucks in general have become more luxurious and GMC and Dodge are the stand outs imo. Almost looked at the Ram over the passport but they get expensive quickly and just can’t swallow the low mpg.