[SF Biotech]

We bought new 2021 Honda Passport because of three reasons: Space, Space and Space with 1-kid family!!! Did not care or want 3-row Pilot.

We evaluated the following competition: BMW X5, Subaru Outback XT, Toyota Highlander, Honda Pilot, Jeep Cherokee, Ford Explorer, Mazda CX9 and Honda Passport of course.

Of all the above, Honda Passport seems to have the best space, massively efficient storage, very good looks only to be second to Ford Explorer (in my opinion) and great cosmetics/feel with the Gray Leather/Gray Cloth interior. Although purely from driving standpoint, BMW X5 and Mazda CX9 were the best. But we needed to make decision based on: Engine Reliability/History, Drivability, Price, Safety, Off Road Ability and Space.

I feel Honda Passport has strong Engine Reliability/History with V6, menacing Looks, decent Price, great Safety, average off-road ability and best-in-class Space.

If Honda improves drivability and makes it more like Mazda CX9/BMW X5, then it would be unstoppable flagship that can even surpass CRV!!! That in addition to making All-Wheel Drive common for all trims and improve its off-road ability for future models.

What do you guys think?

 

[stevenD]

Agree, still loving mine...!

 

[Steveg203]

The Passport does have a few quirks, but with a little tweaking it could be perfect. It was a no brainer for me, I wanted a non turbo engine and it had to be a 6 cylinder and no third row.

 

[stevenD]

The Passport does have a few quirks, but with a little tweaking it could be perfect. It was a no brainer for me, I wanted a non turbo engine and it had to be a 6 cylinder and no third row.

exactly the same feelings as this "steve"...lol

 

[Flyboyrls]

The Passport does have a few quirks, but with a little tweaking it could be perfect. It was a no brainer for me, I wanted a non turbo engine and it had to be a 6 cylinder and no third row.

Same here, I'm on my second PP having traded in my 19 Touring for a 21 Elite. Of course them offering $32k trade value for my 19 didn't hurt the decision. Even my wife likes the PP and that definitely makes life much sweeter. A great vehicle which could be "Most Excellent" with a few tweaks.

 

[RkFast]

Agreed with this for the most part. But in general, in terms of drivability you're not ever gonna beat BMW and Mazda. They are hands down the best, across their entire fleet.

 

[XLR337]

Lazy throttle mapping plays a huge part in the lack of drivability IMO. I’ve found several instances where I give it a bit of throttle expecting a downshift but get nothing, so I have to give it more resulting in a sloppy shift and sudden surge of acceleration. I thought it was the transmission but then I drove a Cherokee with the same transmission and it surprisingly was shifting faster and kicking down gears more readily.

Many manufacturers “topload” the accelerator pedal to give the car a more responsive feeling- others dull it downd for fuel economy or to maximize VCM activity maybe. It’s the reason many cars feel peppy around town but when you floor it they disappoint. The PP feels the opposite.

To test the theory I drove a 9spd Ridgeline with a Sprintbooster installed which remaps throttle inputs. It was set on a mild setting and made the car’s throttle mapping feel much more appropriate. As I speculated- with the sprintbooster the downshifts happened when you want/expect them to and the throttle was still easy to modulate. It feels as though the pedal/throttle ratio is much closer to 1:1 with a sprintbooster and the drivetrain behaves much more appropriately.

Would be an easy fix for Honda.

 

[14v6]

Yes, downshifts can be slow and the PP can be sluggish in certain instances. By contrast our RAV4 feels lively but that's most likely because the ECU gives it more throttle than what your foot is giving and then it all falls flat on its face. I find with the PP, S mode helps to liven things up a bit not necessarily with downshifts. It's typical throttle mapping to get the best MPG's. My 14 Accord V6 is dumbed down too but it's still a rocket by comparison with no weight. When I drive the RAV and the Passport it's a total contrast between smooth, creamy refinement and quick, darty, noisy responsiveness. Sometimes you want one, sometimes you want the other. However, the 8 speed is better and the suspension is well sorted in the RAV something that the next gen PP should be able to solve. PP is a great all around cruiser a nice compromise would be for Honda to have made S mode even more responsive. IMO, It's close though to being a perfect package as long as.it holds up

 

[Tadakatsu]

If Honda improves drivability and makes it more like Mazda CX9/BMW X5, then it would be unstoppable flagship that can even surpass CRV!!! That in addition to making All-Wheel Drive common for all trims and improve its off-road ability for future models.

What do you guys think?

A few things:

1. The Honda Passport is not a CX9 or X5, there are reasons why people buy each vehicle I would daresay that the enthusiast crowd that might be into driving dynamics that CX9 and X5 offer... that is simply not Honda's target audience. The Passport is nowhere near the price range of an X5 if comparably equipped and Mazda does not have the same long term track record as Honda for cost of ownership, long term reliability, etc. There are different reasons why people buy different vehicles.

2. There is no conceivable way I can see the Passport surpassing the CR-V in popularity. I sell six CR-Vs for every one Passport and would sell more CR-Vs if more were available.

Many manufacturers “topload” the accelerator pedal to give the car a more responsive feeling- others dull it downd for fuel economy or to maximize VCM activity maybe. It’s the reason many cars feel peppy around town but when you floor it they disappoint. The PP feels the opposite.

To test the theory I drove a 9spd Ridgeline with a Sprintbooster installed which remaps throttle inputs. It was set on a mild setting and made the car’s throttle mapping feel much more appropriate. As I speculated- with the sprintbooster the downshifts happened when you want/expect them to and the throttle was still easy to modulate. It feels as though the pedal/throttle ratio is much closer to 1:1 with a sprintbooster and the drivetrain behaves much more appropriately.

Would be an easy fix for Honda.

Now more than ever auto manufacturers are doing everything they can to be compliant with CAFE standards and while many people are inclined to believe that it is for fuel economy savings, the reality is that it is actually to reduce carbon emissions. I learned when working for Subaru that the environmentalists are exerting incredible pressure of the EPA and US government to minimize carbon emissions as much as possible, should a vehicle benefit by improving their fuel economy as well that is simply a benefit on the side. I could speak at length on the drastic changes that have been forced upon internal combustion engines over the past decade to contribute to this effort.

 

[exOC_Kook]

Tree huggers irk to no end. Their daily lives are a complete hypocritical fairytale.

Nothing more than control freaks.

Thankfully, there are always entrepreneurs waiting to exploit opportunity. You know, American ingenuity and all.

"There are no problems, simply opportunity for solutions."-Unknown

 

[SF Biotech]

A few things:

1. The Honda Passport is not a CX9 or X5, there are reasons why people buy each vehicle I would daresay that the enthusiast crowd that might be into driving dynamics that CX9 and X5 offer... that is simply not Honda's target audience. The Passport is nowhere near the price range of an X5 if comparably equipped and Mazda does not have the same long term track record as Honda for cost of ownership, long term reliability, etc. There are different reasons why people buy different vehicles.

2. There is no conceivable way I can see the Passport surpassing the CR-V in popularity. I sell six CR-Vs for every one Passport and would sell more CR-Vs if more were available.



Now more than ever auto manufacturers are doing everything they can to be compliant with CAFE standards and while many people are inclined to believe that it is for fuel economy savings, the reality is that it is actually to reduce carbon emissions. I learned when working for Subaru that the environmentalists are exerting incredible pressure of the EPA and US government to minimize carbon emissions as much as possible, should a vehicle benefit by improving their fuel economy as well that is simply a benefit on the side. I could speak at length on the drastic changes that have been forced upon internal combustion engines over the past decade to contribute to this effort.

But if CAFE standards were the case for EPA/gas requirements, then why are they still allowing Land Cruiser (12 mpg) and Lexus LX570 (12 mpg) to be released in the market? Most V8s give atrocious mpg.

 

[Tadakatsu]

But if CAFE standards were the case for EPA/gas requirements, then why are they still allowing Land Cruiser (12 mpg) and Lexus LX570 (12 mpg) to be released in the market? Most V8s give atrocious mpg.

I think you are making my case for me, my point (and I apologize because I have a weird way of explaining things sometimes) is that CAFE has become more about lowering emissions rather than being about fuel economy. A vehicle can get bad fuel economy and be great with emissions and vice versa.

 

[exOC_Kook]

But if CAFE standards were the case for EPA/gas requirements, then why are they still allowing Land Cruiser (12 mpg) and Lexus LX570 (12 mpg) to be released in the market? Most V8s give atrocious mpg.

My 2004 Dodge Durango w/ 5.7L Hemi pushing 375HP, is currently getting 17.7mpg on my current tank of gas.

The 2004 Honda RL w/ a V6 that I recently sold was only getting 16mpg combined.

Doesn't prove anything, I just wanted to chime in with my personal experience. 😉

 

[Tamak44]

We bought new 2021 Honda Passport because of three reasons: Space, Space and Space with 1-kid family!!! Did not care or want 3-row Pilot.

We evaluated the following competition: BMW X5, Subaru Outback XT, Toyota Highlander, Honda Pilot, Jeep Cherokee, Ford Explorer, Mazda CX9 and Honda Passport of course.

Of all the above, Honda Passport seems to have the best space, massively efficient storage, very good looks only to be second to Ford Explorer (in my opinion) and great cosmetics/feel with the Gray Leather/Gray Cloth interior. Although purely from driving standpoint, BMW X5 and Mazda CX9 were the best. But we needed to make decision based on: Engine Reliability/History, Drivability, Price, Safety, Off Road Ability and Space.

I feel Honda Passport has strong Engine Reliability/History with V6, menacing Looks, decent Price, great Safety, average off-road ability and best-in-class Space.

If Honda improves drivability and makes it more like Mazda CX9/BMW X5, then it would be unstoppable flagship that can even surpass CRV!!! That in addition to making All-Wheel Drive common for all trims and improve its off-road ability for future models.

What do you guys think?

I like it! The only thing is being a 'drivers' SUV and a 'off-road' SUV don't always coexist. Maybe Air suspension? but then we are looking at more expenses.

 

[storm303]

There are many tradeoffs for driving experience, road comfort, and off road, all of which have different design needs. I think Honda has one of the better balances and decent reliability.

On a future passport, I'd like to see better sensing package, better transmission, slightly softer ride, 18 inch wheels as default option on all trims, a panoramic sunroof, and slightly lusher interior. I think Honda already drives better than most other brands in this class of SUV, but can't expect leading sporty handling if you want any off road ability.

If Honda would pay attention they have a chance to cut into a lot of others sales with some refinements.

 

[SF Biotech]

There are many tradeoffs for driving experience, road comfort, and off road, all of which have different design needs. I think Honda has one of the better balances and decent reliability.

On a future passport, I'd like to see better sensing package, better transmission, slightly softer ride, 18 inch wheels as default option on all trims, a panoramic sunroof, and slightly lusher interior. I think Honda already drives better than most other brands in this class of SUV, but can't expect leading sporty handling if you want any off road ability.

If Honda would pay attention they have a chance to cut into a lot of others sales with some refinements.

Add to your great points, default AWD. I am sure Honda can figure that out without going way too cheap, nickle-and-diming cheap-a$$, flimsy interior, trash plastic Toyota company (I mean the newer Toyotas after 2010).

 

[Pass/Denv]

We bought new 2021 Honda Passport because of three reasons: Space, Space and Space with 1-kid family!!! Did not care or want 3-row Pilot.

We evaluated the following competition: BMW X5, Subaru Outback XT, Toyota Highlander, Honda Pilot, Jeep Cherokee, Ford Explorer, Mazda CX9 and Honda Passport of course.

Of all the above, Honda Passport seems to have the best space, massively efficient storage, very good looks only to be second to Ford Explorer (in my opinion) and great cosmetics/feel with the Gray Leather/Gray Cloth interior. Although purely from driving standpoint, BMW X5 and Mazda CX9 were the best. But we needed to make decision based on: Engine Reliability/History, Drivability, Price, Safety, Off Road Ability and Space.

I feel Honda Passport has strong Engine Reliability/History with V6, menacing Looks, decent Price, great Safety, average off-road ability and best-in-class Space.

If Honda improves drivability and makes it more like Mazda CX9/BMW X5, then it would be unstoppable flagship that can even surpass CRV!!! That in addition to making All-Wheel Drive common for all trims and improve its off-road ability for future models.

What do you guys think?

The BMW X5 Is not in the same class as the Passport or any of the other vehicles you compared. It is a refined luxury crossover. The Passport and the others you mentioned are common mainstream midsize crossovers.

 

[G2_ITM]

We bought a barely used (2800 miles) 2019 Sport AWD last July to be my wife's main vehicle instead of her '13 Volvo C30 R-Design and be a vehicle for us to vacation in. On the criteria my wife and I were selecting, the Passport rose to the top. We don't like all the safety nannies and engine start/stop that we immediately disable and the pushbutton shifter and the fact that it's a slight bit minivan-ish but we love it otherwise. We specifically sought out a Sport because we didn't want a touchscreen.

The list of what we considered was:

1. Honda Passport Sport
2. Toyota Highlander SE
3. Toyota 4Runner
4. Toyota RAV4 TRD
5. Volvo XC40 R-Design T5
6. Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring/Signature Turbo
7. Mazda CX-9
8. Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk
9. Jeep Compass Trailhawk
10. Kia Sportage SX Turbo

We liked the Volvo the best but as a former technician I was concerned about maintenance (I already have one Volvo) and it's value proposition compared to the rest. The Volvo along with Mazdas definitely drove the best and had the best vehicle dynamics. I think the CX-5 with the turbo is the best overall of the smaller SUVs depending on one's intended use. I like the 4Runner for lots of reasons but it was to much of a truck for my wife. The Highlander was fine but I can't leave my house without seeing twenty of them in the first 15 minutes of driving. The rest I don't have much to comment on.

The key things on the Passport I liked are the NA V6, a real transmission instead of a CVT, a great AWD system, it's capability to tow and it has tons of room. Had the new 2022 Nissan Pathfinder been out at the time, I don't know which we would have chosen. There's a lot of things I like about the new Pathfinder, I think it will be quite competitive with the Passport. There are some things I would like to see improved or changed on the Passport but I feel it delivers a great value and we are happy with our purchase so far.

 

[14v6]

Interesting fact, Pathfinder can hold a sheet of plywood.

 

[Pass/Denv]

WOW!!! A sheet of plywood? Gets me excited😁