[Armanius]

Hello everyone! I'm seriously considering a Passport. Recently got interested in doing some mild off roading and outlanding. But I also have a daily commute including lots of traffic to deal with. We have a kiddo still in a rear facing seat and love to take him on road trips.

Other than the Passport, I have also test driven the Forester Sport, Grand Cherokee Trailhawk, Wrangler Unlimited Sahara, Land Rover Discovery Sport, and even an Atlas with 4Motion. I have yet to test drive the 4runner.

Passport seems to be the best compromise of on road/off road performance as well as interior space. Biggest con for the Passport for me is the look. It looks too much like a Pilot, which screams minivan to me. Second concern is the cost of having to get tires and wheels more suited for off roading than the stock low profile 20 inchers. Third is the cost of adding a hitch and maybe doing a mild lift. Adding stuff wouldn't be bad if the vehicle wasn't pricey, but the Elite will likely run at least $40-41K out the door.

GCT is super capable off road in its stock form, as comfortable inside as Passport, drives great on road (but not as good as Passport), but the cargo capacity is small. Loved loved the Wrangler, but too small for the family and would annoy the heck out of me during my daily 30 mile commute to work. Forester was nice and inexpensive, but lacks power. No remedy for that. Discovery Sport is small inside and still pricey. It would need different wheels and tires too. Love the Atlas for its look and space. But not too sure about the all wheel drive capability and aftermarket support for more adventurous endeavors. 4runner (likely a TRD) seems like a spacious very capable vehicle, but would lack the interior comforts and tech of a Passport (or any other of the vehicles mentioned).

I've been reading up on the various threads in the forum about tires and wheels, and getting inspired by David's thread regarding his adventures in his Passport.

If anyone has thoughts, recommendations, I am all ears. Honda dealer is waiting to hear back from me today. I probably should go check out the 4runner before making a final decision.

Thanks for reading and for any thoughts you may have!

 

[HPWJR]

Passport’s strongpoints compared to the others you mentioned are mostly in the direction of your on-road commutes and interior space. Interior space and view in the Passport’s greenhouse are unsurpassed. So your five or six days a week that you’re driving in town will tell you the Passport was the right choice. When you do have the opportunity to do some light off roading you’ll be glad you got the Passport instead of some less capable SUVs. But whenever you have the urge to do some more serious off-roading you’ll either wish you had a Jeep or 4Runner (it’s ride can be pretty stiff) or be willing to lift the Passport with JSport’s kit and get new rims and tires. That’s my assessment.

 

[Armanius]

Passport’s strongpoints compared to the others you mentioned are mostly in the direction of your on-road commutes and interior space. Interior space and view in the Passport’s greenhouse are unsurpassed. So your five or six days a week that you’re driving in town will tell you the Passport was the right choice. When you do have the opportunity to do some light off roading you’ll be glad you got the Passport instead of some less capable SUVs. But whenever you have the urge to do some more serious off-roading you’ll either wish you had a Jeep or 4Runner (it’s ride can be pretty stiff) or be willing to lift the Passport with JSport’s kit and get new rims and tires. That’s my assessment.

Thanks for your thoughts. It seems that JSport is the only shop offering Passport off-road parts for the Passport?

 

[stevenD]

With all due respect to the American auto makers, since 1975, I have owned 1 Ford, 1 General Motors and 1 Chrysler vehicle, and in comparison, they were the worst three vehicles (reliability-wise) I have ever owned and would NEVER take the chance on any of them ever again.

Including my wife, we have driven Honda's (26 years), Toyota/Lexus (29 years) and BMW's (18 years). Add in that I worked in the Automotive Industry for 19 years, I have formed some VERY strong opinions on what I will and won't buy.

So, for my 2 cents, Armanius, I'd say go with the Passport, if you are only going to do moderate off-roading and not stress about the wheels and tires, they will be fine.

But, if you really want to have more off-road capabilities, the 4Runner might be the way to go. We (actually it was my wife's daily driver) had a 1998 4Runner for 17 years and 217k miles and it was extremely reliable.

However, if you go with the 4Runner, you will ge a tried-and-true 6-cyl engine and 5-speed tranny that have NOT been changed since 2010! And if you don't mind a louder interior, and a more truck-like ride, since it is on a truck chassis. And if you don't mind horrible gas mileage (17 city and 20 highway). But, I would at least wait for the 2020 4Runner as Toyota is (finaly) adding a bunch of safety features that have been on other vehicles for 4 and 5 years! Lastly, I encourage you to read some of the on-line professional reviews and comparisons of the current 4Runner...

Best Wishes

 

[Armanius]

With all due respect to the American auto makers, since 1975, I have owned 1 Ford, 1 General Motors and 1 Chrysler vehicle, and in comparison, they were the worst three vehicles (reliability-wise) I have ever owned and would NEVER take the chance on any of them ever again.

Including my wife, we have driven Honda's (26 years), Toyota/Lexus (29 years) and BMW's (18 years). Add in that I worked in the Automotive Industry for 19 years, I have formed some VERY strong opinions on what I will and won't buy.

So, for my 2 cents, Armanius, I'd say go with the Passport, if you are only going to do moderate off-roading and not stress about the wheels and tires, they will be fine.

But, if you really want to have more off-road capabilities, the 4Runner might be the way to go. We (actually it was my wife's daily driver) had a 1998 4Runner for 17 years and 217k miles and it was extremely reliable.

However, if you go with the 4Runner, you will ge a tried-and-true 6-cyl engine and 5-speed tranny that have NOT been changed since 2010! And if you don't mind a louder interior, and a more truck-like ride, since it is on a truck chassis. And if you don't mind horrible gas mileage (17 city and 20 highway). But, I would at least wait for the 2020 4Runner as Toyota is (finaly) adding a bunch of safety features that have been on other vehicles for 4 and 5 years! Lastly, I encourage you to read some of the on-line professional reviews and comparisons of the current 4Runner...

Best Wishes

Thank you Steve. I have yet to test drive the 4runner, but rented one a few years ago. I was not too crazy about its on road handling and feel. But as of lately, I have been watching way too much YouTube of people offroading with 4runners and Wranglers! I have a Mazda CX9, and that thing handles like a sports car on smooth paved surfaces. On non smooth surfaces ... yikes!!