The 2021 Honda Passport Remains the Company’s Worst SUV
Honda is known for its reliability in the vehicles it sells. It produces plenty of excellent cars, trucks, and SUVs, but there’s one that lands at the bottom of the list, and that’s the Honda Passport. When it comes to getting a sport utility vehicle, the Passport is the least liked.
Consumer Reports ranks it in the middle of all the SUVs they tested, but it’s still the worst when it comes to Honda. Let’s see what they didn’t like about it and what things actually impressed them.
What is up with the Honda Passport?
Consumer Reports doesn’t recommend the Honda Passport when there are two other Honda SUVs that perform better. The Honda CR-V and the three-row Pilot have better specs and offer more for your money than what you get with Honda’s Passport SUV.
One of the areas that turned Consumer Reports off from this SUV is the way it rides. They felt it was too rigid and didn’t absorb imperfections in the road very well. It also didn’t handle well either during CR’s tests. Its rivals had more agile handling than the Passport.
The infotainment system also failed to impress Consumer Reports reviewers. The slow startup of the screen doesn’t offer much confidence in the equipment, but it gets even worse when you try to use the display. The organization of the apps makes it difficult to access what you want through the menus it offers.
In the end, there’s not much to the Passport to warrant buying it over other, more reliable SUVs.
Is there anything good about the Honda Passport?
Despite its blandness, the Honda Passport has a few good things to write home about. It has decent roominess in the cabin, and the seats are comfortable to use for both short and long trips.
The driver’s seat sits up high enough so that you can see above and over the hood. Even the visibility is good, making it easier to see all around the vehicle while you’re driving.
Another thing Consumer Reports liked about the Passport is the powertrain. Under the hood is a 3.5-liter V6 engine that can produce 280 hp, which is plenty of capability to move it along at a good speed when you need it to. The only drawback about it is the nine-speed transmission, which had moments of hesitation when downshifting.
How well does it stand up to its competitors?
Consumer Reports gave it a score of 64 out of 100, which is pretty much the middle of the road. However, when you look at some of its competitors, it lags behind quite significantly. The Kia Telluride received a 97 from Consumer Reports for having high marks in the interior and performance aspects. Even Kia’s reliability was a 5.0 out of 5.0 rating.
The closest rivals were the Toyota 4Runner, which also received a 64 rating, and the Jeep Grand Cherokee that got a 67. The Jeep has a more comfortable interior space and better fit and finish than the Passport. The only areas that Honda beat it out in are the fuel economy and acceleration times.
The Grand Cherokee only gets about 12 mpg on city roads and 24 mpg on the highway. The Passport gets 14 mpg in the city and 28 mpg when traveling on the highway. The Toyota 4Runner gets the same as the Jeep Grand Cherokee.
When it comes to acceleration times, the Passport could do a 0 to 60 mph run in 6.4 seconds, while the 4Runner did it in 7.7 seconds. The Jeep Grand Cherokee was the slowest at 8.0 seconds.
The Honda Passport is a decent SUV, but there are so many other options out there that cost just a little more money. If you’re bent on getting a Honda, that’s fine, but the CR-V and the three-row Pilot still offer more for your money.
