[mcrimm]

I like my Passport. It has a lot of features that are very well thought out. It has its share of flaws like the lame ACC and unusable Auto High Beams. I have 25,000 miles on my Elite and have found it looks like new with good paint that doesn't chip easily and the factory rubber is at about 50%. I recently broke my second windshield. Most of my driving is highway and I've averaged 22.78 MPG since day one. I do my own service and oil changes are very easy to do.

So, if I were buying today, what would I choose. Simple. I'd either choose a Mazda CX-9 or a Toyota Highlander Hybrid. I passed on the Mazda because we don't have a dealer within 150 miles and I thought I didn't need a third row seat. I passed on the Toyota because it lacked the safety features that the Passport had.

All that has changed in 2 years. I'd like a third row seat now and our Daughter just bought a new Toyota Highland Hybrid a week ago. It would be my first choice if I were buying today. They trumped Honda on features and implementation. Both my choices are a little more money than my Elite was, $40,500 OTD, but you tend to get what you pay for.

I'll probably make a move in the next year to something different.
Mike

 

[stevenD]

I tend to keep my vehicles a long time and my Passport still impresses me every time I drive it, of course I've only been averaging 545 miles per month. I bought my to take camping and cruise around town and even though I have only taken it once, I'm looking forward to many more trips in the future. I upgraded to AT tires and new 18" wheels, and I'm about to pull the trigger on a $3000+ stereo upgrade, so I'm ALL IN...!

There is no other vehicles out there that I would rather have...

 

[NorthernPassport]

We drove the Mazda CX9, the Subaru Ascent, the Hyundai Santa Fe plus the Passport. The CX9 was the only one I wouldn't buy. We live in Canada, and test drove the lot during a snow storm, that likely influenced the decision.

Hindsight being 20-20, I wish we had looked more seriously at a new or gently used MDX. My largest complaint with our Passport (2019 Elite AWD [Canada]) is the ride quality and the 20" low profile tires on the upper models are just fucking stupid (my wife has curbed every one of the rims in less than a year and they likely contribute to the rough ride). Found the Acura to be a much more comfortable ride, and the base model is comparable money to what we took the Elite home for (would miss the Blind Spot Information System though, note for Honda - BLIS should be a standard safety feature on ALL MODELS!)

The i-VTM4/SH-AWD system is incredible in the snow, would stick with Honda just for that. That said, our original dealership experience with Honda was awful but as a previous Acura owner, I didn't enjoy getting soaked at the Acura dealer either. The Passport was purchased just before the birth of our daughter as we needed something safer to replace a 15 year old SUV, but I think this will be my one and only new vehicle purchase.

 

[Werlyb23]

Passport all day...
Had a TRD Sport Sequoia before the Passport but it was just too big/expensive and horrific gas mileage so I wanted to downgrade.
The only thing I considered was the 4Runner...but the rollover crash rating and lack of backseat was the deal breaker.

 

[14v6]

Still Passport as it's a great value. I'm skeptical if that will be the case long term versus a Highlander though. Highlander definitely more expensive in base price for what you get but over the long term, no timing belt, and probably fewer of the pricey transmission fluid changes so in the end it's probably cheaper. Also, tires less expensive as no 20's to deal with (on the trims I was looking at). Also, it's narrower negating the likely broken mirror exiting the garage. Honda's weak spot IMO is for anything coming out of Alabama where the Passport is built so that's a concern. Overall though IMO when you look at a Passport it's like a value MDX. (I don't consider a HIghlander or MDX a true seven seater and when the third row is folded down they are all similar. If it holds up I'll be happy and get another one when it gets the 10 speed but any issues and I'll just pay up for the Toyota and start replacing the fleet with Toyotas. Currently we have a 15 CRV, POS will replace with a RAV4, 14 Accord V6 LOVE IT but can't be replaced with a Honda so would get a V6 Camry. I got the PP to replace my Ridgeline.

 

[CaptainGreyBeard]

I feel like I have literally test driven every competitor to determine whether an upgrade is worth-it. I absolutely hate the see-saw boat like ride of my Touring on some of the Colorado roads. But every other things about the vehicle --- size, engine power, looks, technology, seat comfort, AWD --- I like better than anything from Toyota, Hyundai, Kia, Lexus, Acura, and Subaru. If I can figure out how to get rid of the see-saw --- or if anyone knows then please tell me --- I will have a keeper for sure. So, I don't plan on changing and I am getting new 18" wheels and Defender tires put on this week PLUS I am replacing my broken windshield ... all of which I was going to avoid doing by buying a different car last week, but found the other cars to be not impressive enough to give up on the PP.

 

[14v6]

I feel like I have literally test driven every competitor to determine whether an upgrade is worth-it. I absolutely hate the see-saw boat like ride of my Touring on some of the Colorado roads. But every other things about the vehicle --- size, engine power, looks, technology, seat comfort, AWD --- I like better than anything from Toyota, Hyundai, Kia, Lexus, Acura, and Subaru. If I can figure out how to get rid of the see-saw --- or if anyone knows then please tell me --- I will have a keeper for sure. So, I don't plan on changing and I am getting new 18" wheels and Defender tires put on this week PLUS I am replacing my broken windshield ... all of which I was going to avoid doing by buying a different car last week, but found the other cars to be not impressive enough to give up on the PP.

I found my Ridgeline to be wallow side to side in certain conditions and I found the ride a bit too soft and bouncy with rough roads.. I find the PP to be much better, buttoned down and firmer overall which I like but with passengers it can bet bouncy front to back.

 

[Yankeezone]

To the OP - can you expound as to how the Highlander trumps the Passport on “features and implementation”. I would love to hear the specifics of this claim. Thank you

 

[mcrimm]

To the OP - can you expound as to how the Highlander trumps the Passport on “features and implementation”. I would love to hear the specifics of this claim. Thank you

I dislike the ACC that jams on the brakes as I approach a slower moving vehicle on the hwy. My F150 anticipates the speed differential and adjusts speed accordingly. Very smooth. The auto hi-beams are virtually worthless. Roadside reflectors are sufficient to switch to low beams. Again, my truck works perfectly. Many have complained about the false ‘brake’ notification when approaching an oncoming car. This is most apparent on sweeping right curves. Ford does a better job. My daughter’s experience with a new Highlander Hybrid shows the features are well refined. I have driven a CX5 and again these features are well refined. Sometimes owning a refined vehicle spoils you.
I do like much about my Passport and don’t want to dump it yet. I wish reviews by experts reveled flaws rather than telling me how wonderful a vehicle is.

 

[Yankeezone]

Mr mcrimm - I can see how the ACC and the auto high beams are weak on the PP. However i don’t see these as deal beakers. The ACC - is this really important? I would rather control my cruise distance. I have never thought this is a useful system. The auto head lights is the same for me. I use the “brights” when necessary and turn them off when required. I would rather have this control than have a system tell me when they are appropriate. As far as the false brake signals - that is a problem Honda needs to address it seems. No one wants the brakes applied for a false reading. I appreciate your input. I also understand you are paying for theses systems - but the first two aren’t important to me. These are not deal breakers to me. I would be interested to see if others agree or not.

 

[14v6]

There is a way to set the cruise the conventional way, they demonstrated it for me at delivery when I asked. Adaptive cruise control is useless to me as everyone will just cut in front of you with the large gaps.

I'm just happy to have headlights that put out light. Coming from a Ridgeline this is great, who even needs high beams? I do notice though that on 90 degree turns in the neighborhood I can't see much until the vehicle straightens out but the fogs solve that. When I had the Ridgeline my wife once told me to turn the lights on and they were on, that's how bad it was.

I have to read the manual about the sensing though. We have a lot of runners, bikers and dog walkers here so I usually exaggerate and go a whole lane over so no one has to guess. These are country two lane 40-50 mph roads with a double yellow line. The other day I did this and the nannies gave me the warnings and vibrated the wheel and tried to steer me back in lane but then it applied the brakes when I went a a full lane over, basically driving against oncoming traffic (no other cars on the road though). I didn't expect it to apply the brakes.. My guess is that the system was doing what it's supposed to do but my wife's CRV with sensing never does this.

It's one thing for a manufacturer to have features and check off boxes but the execution of these features can be an issue and I can understand consumers being frustrated with not getting what they paid for. The false brake alarms definitely an issue with the PP.

 

[Moab Junky]

Wow, great info in this thread guys. Thanks to all 4 taking the time to contribute.

 

[storm303]

I'd buy a Kia Sorento or Telluride in a heartbeat if they fixed their engine issues (or Hyundai). Only a V6 though and Sorento foolishly has gone with V4 turbo. Brand depriciation of Hyundai/Kia still sucks, but they have very refined and feature rich cars.

Besides that, probably still strongly consider the Passport. No one makes a model that feels perfect to me right now. Going with ~2019/20 models last I tested anything:

Toyota interior and tech is boring and old, and the ride of the Highlander is mushy and annoying in exchange for marginally quieter and soft. Their seat position and infotainment position killed me in both Highlander and 4runner, but I haven't driven the latest iteration. Highlander feels like driving a station wagon. 4Runner like an old truck- I'd rather buy a new truck for comfort and would only consider 4runner if I used that level of off road ability often.

Subaru and Kia are going all in on turbos and/or CVT so I won't go there (maybe I'd consider a V6 Telluride one day). Jeep is still unreliable but you can get a decked out Grand Cherokee that checks a lot of boxes. Ford, Chevy, Dodge? Pass, again reliability sucks and the ergonomics is just a bit off last time I looked. Mazda CXx feels cramped and a bad ride when I checked a few years ago, and seems like it would be terrible off road in comparison to Passport. Acura, Lexus, BMW, etc. to me are a waste of money for not much gained.

The Passport has many flaws, but it is one of the best overall design compromises in the semgent and price range right now- its strikes a good balance of power, features, ride, capability, and comfort. I wish it had the refinement and deeper comfort of the Sorento SXL I had previously, with Honda or Toyota reliability. It has decent comfort and power and great AWD though, and the features are good enough. The Sorento SXL I had possessed just about every feature available for its model year, and was refined in all respects except engine longevity and mediocre off road. Very thought out and well implemented features down to the fine details. The ride was not that different than the Passport, but it was a step up in refinement of features and systems. Where Honda fails, is offering half baked features and clinging to certain sub systems across too many models for too many years like Toyota does. (tiny pushbutton AC controls for example, or bad Sensing package). The 4 year refresh is kind of sad in a competitive market and while it may boost profit and reliability, a lot is changing in 4 years with cars right now.

When I get to at least 50-60K, maybe I will trade if something is released in the segment that is both reliable, powerful, as good off road, and addresses my major gripes with Sensing or other weak features, or greatly improved ride or comfort, but I prefer to get at least 100K out of cars unless there is a great reason to change.

 

[JRJ]

Even with the mentioned flaws, I'd buy the passport again at this point. We were able to keep a Highlander (non hybrid) for the better part of a day, while test driving, and we preferred the Passport. We thought the ride was better, seats more comfortable and seemed to have less road noise. A couple months before we purchased we rented a Sorento (probably base model) for a few days while on a trip and it was ok, but didn't do it for us. Test drove several others as well, Nissan, Kia, Subaru. Hoping the PP to hold up well and not have any big reliability issues and if so, expect resale value to be good, similar to Ridgeline.

 

[Nipper Dog]

No regrets here. I'd buy it again in a heartbeat. The only thing I'd change if I could is the silly placement of the blind spot indicator. I wish they were on the mirrors instead.

 

[Moab Junky]

Even with the mentioned flaws, I'd buy the passport again at this point.

We too drove the Highlander. It drove fine and has a little more power, but my wife and I didn't think it was near as sexy as the Passport.

We didn't need or like the third row of seats. I actually crawled back there and had trouble getting out. The salesman thought I was an idiot, perhaps he was right??
I think a 10 year old would be miserable back there. It's not just that, it's horrible having a row of folded down seats back there instead of a spare tire, jack, jumper cables, tow strap, tools, blankets, emergency supplies, a shotgun etc....
I love that space back there.

We only have 2,000 miles on our PP and my WIFE has put most of them on it, so far, so I'm really not the one to be giving out too much feedback, But we are loving it. I bought the extended warranty so we are in it for the long haul. I will say, that if has the same reliability as our previous Hondas, I would certainly buy again .

Next time I go to my Uncles house I'll see if he'll race me with his new Highlander. Lol.

 

[stevenD]

Subaru and Kia are going all in on turbos and/or CVT so I won't go there (maybe I'd consider a V6 Telluride one day). Jeep is still unreliable but you can get a decked out Grand Cherokee that checks a lot of boxes. Ford, Chevy, Dodge? Pass, again reliability sucks and the ergonomics is just a bit off last time I looked. Mazda CXx feels cramped and a bad ride when I checked a few years ago, and seems like it would be terrible off road in comparison to Passport. Acura, Lexus, BMW, etc. to me are a waste of money for not much gained.

My thoughts are aligned 100% with you here...!

 

[mcrimm]

I would guess that if I lived in a populated area, both the ACC and high beams wouldn't be important. We live in NW Montana where highway traffic is sparse. Night driving down deer alley is hard enough without the darn reflectors screwing with my high beams. So....I control them manually. In much of the year, we get lots of tourists. They like to rubber neck at the beauty of our area. We see folks farming the whole road driving 50 in a 70. ACC isn't a big deal at a couple mph differential, but it is on a fairly large speed differential.

My understanding is that these features work perfectly on other Honda SUV products. Honda may not be alone in ignoring the complaints from owners, but they haven't done a thing about this in 2 model years. Take a look at the CRV problems with fuel dilution in the crankcase. Big problem for some with turbo charged engines.

 

[14v6]

I would guess that if I lived in a populated area, both the ACC and high beams wouldn't be important. We live in NW Montana where highway traffic is sparse. Night driving down deer alley is hard enough without the darn reflectors screwing with my high beams. So....I control them manually. In much of the year, we get lots of tourists. They like to rubber neck at the beauty of our area. We see folks farming the whole road driving 50 in a 70. ACC isn't a big deal at a couple mph differential, but it is on a fairly large speed differential.

My understanding is that these features work perfectly on other Honda SUV products. Honda may not be alone in ignoring the complaints from owners, but they haven't done a thing about this in 2 model years. Take a look at the CRV problems with fuel dilution in the crankcase. Big problem for some with turbo charged engines.

If it isn't safety related odds are Honda won't do anything until the next generation. It's disappointing how little Sensing has improved over 5 model years. You could go the NHTSA complaint route and if there's enough complaining perhaps something will be done. With the 1.5 Honda was mum on the oil dilution only until the Chinese govt. made Honda do a stop sale. You sound like an owner that should rent or take an extended test drive before purchase. That's been my experience with Honda if it isn't good out of the box due to design and it's not safety related you got what you got.

 

[Inthe253]

I would guess that if I lived in a populated area, both the ACC and high beams wouldn't be important. We live in NW Montana where highway traffic is sparse. Night driving down deer alley is hard enough without the darn reflectors screwing with my high beams. So....I control them manually. In much of the year, we get lots of tourists. They like to rubber neck at the beauty of our area. We see folks farming the whole road driving 50 in a 70. ACC isn't a big deal at a couple mph differential, but it is on a fairly large speed differential.

My understanding is that these features work perfectly on other Honda SUV products. Honda may not be alone in ignoring the complaints from owners, but they haven't done a thing about this in 2 model years. Take a look at the CRV problems with fuel dilution in the crankcase. Big problem for some with turbo charged engines.

I'm with you on this. I feel ACC and the auto high beam features are important to those whose driving environment makes them so. For me, I live in a populated area and I rarely drive on the freeway, so ACC is more of a novelty and not a necessity. (Although, for the record the ACC in my previous 2017 CRV was much smoother in operation and the low speed follow was well integrated. I don't see a reason why Honda hasn't upgraded this in the current Passport.) I also don't drive very much after dark and being in a populated area most of the streets have adequate lighting, so auto high beams isn't a must-have for me. In fact, it was a feature I deactivated right away in my Passport and when I had the CRV too. Turning on/off the high beams is something I prefer to have control over and it only takes a second to flip the lever.