So basically, your problem is that the Passport isn't a 4Runner. Got it. It's not intended to be, and it's not "the offroad version of the Pilot". Yes, the platform should have a lot more potential, and I'd also love to see them do something meaningful with it.
@@SubUrbanNinja-EDCIt competes with the highlander. It looks waaaaaaay better than the highlander. The exploder is garbage. The 4runner is 10g more. it’s a capable car.
the 4runner has horrid gas mileage... you can do better than a 4runner with almost any other option including a bunch of trucks if you want decent gas mileage.
Coming from a 4Runner TRD Off Road, the Passport felt like a race car. It also felt about 15 years ahead of it in refinement. But maybe that's just me.
Honda nailed it with the Passport in Elite or Trailsport trims; they were designed for most of us who use our vehicles to drive to work and get outdoors on the weekends without the need for a heavy off road MOAB adventure. I traded my 2017 4Runner Limited on a Passport Elite because it; was lousy to drive on the highway above 70mph even after I replaced the stock Toyo's with Michelin's [that short Toyota wheelbase and extra ground clearance work against each other regardless of the e-nannies Toyota baked in- I got tired of constant corrections and fighting the wheel at 80mph], the seats were poorly designed and positioned especially for the driver, I could write a dissertation on this but others have already. The tech is archaic but I knew that going in...still, ditto for gas mileage which was 14mph in the city on a good day, it was a dog getting to 60mph- the Passport is 1.5 sec faster and that makes a difference. Compare a 4Runner to a Jeep Grand Cherokee or Bronco but not a Passport. A better comparison to the Passport would be the Subaru Ascent or Outback. I have zero issues with the arm rest but that is a personal thing ... bottom line the vehicle is more than fit for purpose and that is just the point.
I have one too. Only problem I had with it is the Continental wheels all went flat within a year. So I two sets and those went flat too. Bought Pirellis. Honda did a recall on the tires in 2021 but did not recall them in 2022. That was ridiculous but other than that, I love my Passport.
Glad I watched this video! With the things you chose to nit-pick and the way in which you presented them, I can now gladly skip over anything further from this channel. Thanks for not wasting any more of my time.
Hey Ben. I'm a 21 Passport Elite owner. Just a few comments, nothing big. 1. Acceleration: is pretty on par with most SUV/CUV's. I've avg'd about 6.9-7 sec 0-60. That was in sequential mode. Honestly that's really is not bad for a heavy vehicle. I have also driven the eco-boost Ford Explorer and in my opinion the Honda is a better rig. Ford is faster but not as comfortable, IMO, and the trans doesn't shift as nice as the Honda's. 2. Arm rest issue. My passenger arm rest does ratchet like the driver's side. Go to Honda and get that fixed. 3. Ground clearance: 8.1 is not bad. Not great. But not horrible. It's not a 4Runner at all. And you have one sitting right behind you. So drive that for extreme off-road. I agree with the chin spoiler. That's for MPG. Aero is very important for MPG. You lift the Honda too high, MPH goes down. They got to market MPG. Now, I did put after market skid plates covering the sensitive stuff underneath. I do wish the Passport came with those. I used a company called No-Lo Designs. I love the plates. Check them out if interested in putting anything underneath. 4. Cruise control. This I 100% agree with you. I've experienced all the same issues with that system. I think with software adjustments they could soften up the slamming of the breaks feeling. 5. Marketing, no comment there. We have all seen the same reviews and know the pros and cons with those. I know Honda has tried to use comparisons between Jeep and the 4Runner as measurement of abilities. Not even close. But, with that said, I have had this on the sandy beach, in the desert, and in the mountain trails. The Honda did fantastic. The AWD is awesome. It's not a 4x4 like the 4Runner or my old Xterra 4x4 but it is very capable of getting through some pretty questionable terrain and elements. Just go slow and pick the right line. OR drive your dedicated off-road toys and use the Honda for family visits. lol. I did just put on some Nitro Nomad Grapplers to replace the stock all-seasons on the stock rims. So, we'll see if traction improves in the snow this year. Good review. Get that arm rest fixed.
I love my '21 Passport in Sport trim. I drove 800 miles in one day recently and I have never done that in a car before. The damn thing even steers around bends on the freeway by itself! 80+mph, quiet and comfortable. I had to build my own catalytic converter anti theft cage and a tool to put the transmission in neutral in case I ever needed to put it on a tow truck. Apart from that its an outstanding vehicle and is now pushing 26mpg at 80mph. Really can't complain. Its not a4WD offroading vehicle but it will get you down any trail I intend to go down.
Not the best acceleration??? Idk about you but I buried my foot to the floor in my 2019 and it threw me back in my seat more than my turbo Focus ST with a Stage 1 tune or my Nissan Titan with the 5.6L V8. How much more acceleration do you need from a SUV?!
“It’s still kinda rugged, but actually drives good on the road”, could have summed it up. I think it’s a matter of personal preference. I’ve been research shopping for a few months between a 4runner and the passport. Drove both and ultimately decided on the passport. The forerunner is definitely more suited for off-road, but it drives like it is. The passport was much smoother driving, (and much better looking, just my opinion) and I really don’t have a lot of off-road obstacles to contend with. And I’ve got to say, as an Element owner for the last 20 years, I don’t recall ever having any acceleration issues, and this Passport would absolutely smoke my element. I’m not street racing. I’m just driving my family around.
I have a passport and I’m not quite sure what you’re talking about with the power. as far as I know it’s the quickest in its segment. 0-60 in 6 seconds. It’s no slouch. I’m sure if it gets electrified it will be a bit quicker but it’s not the type vehicle to be throwing around lol
let's see, your complaints are: it doesn't accelerate like a Ferrari (buy a Corvette if you can't afford the Ferrari), the arm rests are not comfortable to you (OK, personal preference, I get that), It isn't a dedicated rock crawler (hmm, how many Jeep Wrangler or Grand Cherokee or 4Runner owners really take their vehicles off road? 10% maybe?). Cruise Control is a little quirky - maybe but all the adaptive cruise controls I've been in are a bit quirky it's not unique to this vehicle. Lastly the marketing placement isn't clear (I agree with that). Overall, those are pretty minor nits to be picking at. My wife has a Passport and it is a pretty solid vehicle. Compromises? Yes but that is the nature of the beast. All vehicles have compromises and this one is no different. In the areas that are important (comfort, reliability) it is quite good.
@@rebeccalankford9810 Not objectionable at all. We just did a 300 mile trip in it and no worries. Everyone has different points of view on road noise and on what is too loud or vault-like silent. Best thing I can offer would be to take one out on a test drive and see how it feels/sounds to you. It is a LOT quieter than the Subaru Outback she had before this.
I’ve never had any issues with the power of my Passport. For a vehicle of its size and weight it accelerates just fine. I also do not consider the Passport to be a serious off roader and did not buy it for that reason. I don’t think anyone who does serious off roading would consider this car in the first place. I will say the crash warning system does need some tuning by Honda. Beyond that, I love my Passport.
I don't think Honda is really going for the total off road package. They are trying to get in on the "Adventure Vehicle" craze. These are people who think a gravel or fire road is off-roading. I think they are trying more to take business from Subaru.
I had a 4Runner then an Xterra Pro 4X now a Passport. Nowadays I go off road about 5% of the time. I prefer the Passport, handling, comfort and interior. The adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist are useless. All it needs is 2 more inches of ground clearance. That's all
this guy loves his widdle wadder. I had an Element with significantly less ground clearance that I took on the truck trails and did fine (my buddies ranger not so much). My wife’s tahoe is harder to get down trails than my passport… and it has better ground clearance and was 80k. They both pull our trailer. I really wanted to get the highlander but it’s just so much uglier. And the 4 runner trd pro (widdle wadder) is so much more expensive and not really practical for 99% of the driving I do. I’m happy with mine. I got smaller diameter wheels with bigger tires (should be standard). I loved my element. It was so fun to show so many hardcore offroaders what a stock awd element was capable of. The passport is nowhere near as impressive per dollar but having kids makes suicide doors impossible and I need to pull the trailer occasionally. It’s a pretty good dirt road vehicle (not necessarily offroad).
The first 2 issues aren't issues at all. When you floor it, it does lag at first, but then it has quick and powerful acceleration for an SUV and it's great that it even offers armrest that are very rare, but if you don't like them then just flip them up out of the way.
I had my heart set on a 2023 Forerunner Limited - until we sat in one and man it was tight. Our tall family would never be comfortable in that back seat. Felt crowded. A total deal breaker for me unfortunately. The Passport feels very spacious in comparison and hope it will be the right choice!
You don’t like the Lane Departure System - got it. But, to be brutally honest, a person should be concentrating on DRIVING - not day dream driving and expecting the car to correct an inattentive driver. I rode with one such driver; his reliance on Tech had him crash head-on into another vehicle. He lived ( and so did the other driver ) but was in Hospital for 6 months. All this Tech is doing nothing but breeding Dumb drivers.
Picking up our white 2023 Passport Trailsport tonight…this vehicle was just what we were looking for and then some…hopefully it impresses the hell outta me…stay tuned!!!
I have the Passport Elite. Can't really find anything wrong with it. I am an aging camper and cannot rough it anymore so this vehicle is perfect. It is elegant too.
22 Trailsport here. Agree the armrest are annoying, I just stopped using them. It’s not an off roader, it’s an easy trail roader. LKAS works decent for me, don’t use adaptive cruise control. My pet peeve are the auto heated seats. I usually never use them but I can’t disable them from automatically coming on. Seems to me I should be able to default my heated seat off just like my seat memory position when I use my remote. But overall I love the passport for size and drive ability. This is my wife’s daily driver and really won’t be seeing much off road, but for winter driving is when it will shine with the i-vtm4. If I had my druthers though I would have waited for the 2023 Trailsport.
Where did you get the idea that a Passport is the off road version of the Pilot? There is already and off road Pilot, the Trailsport (as you know.) The Passport is the 2 row version of the 3 row Pilot and has nothing to do with off roading. Both have off road versions in the Trailsport trims. And their marketing plan seems to be working. I'm going to buy a Passport.
The biggest complaint for this car is its transmission and throttle response. The ZF9 is very goofy, whereas the ZF8 is buttery and unnoticeable. Brands keep shoving more and more gears into trannies to avoid CAFE fines, and frankly, jerks, clunks, hesitations, shudders, and starting in 2nd gear isn't worth 1mpg gain over ZF8. I've also heard of this car having infotainment crackling and cutouts from a design flaw in the amp connectors being under severe tension. Also heard reports of suspension popping in the joints, and whistling AC ducts. The car is assembled in Alabama btw. Not exactly Japanese level IQ assembly workers.
Why did you buy it and still have it ? Sell it and get another 4runner. If it did everything the 4runner does why buy essentially the same vehicle? Now let’s hear the 5 things you hate about the 4runner. I will start you off with 3. Gas guzzler, slow acceleration,very uncomfortable ride.
I agree with the front arm rests, but the rest I think you’re off-base. My other dislikes would be as follows: 1. I don’t like the auto stop/start feature although this has become standard in many vehicles. I do like the fact I can turn it off, but it’s a bit annoying having to do it every time I start the car. 2. I’m not sure what the other feature is called, maybe collision avoidance, but I live in an area with winding roads and many times, while in a turn, a flashing orange light will come on telling me to brake while my steering vibrates in my hand.
My wife and i both have the 2021 Passport and i will compare my opinions vs yours: 1. Acceleration is awesome with the vtec v6! 2. The driver side arm rest is totally adjustable with many set points. How can you not find one that fits your physic? 3. You are trying to compare the Passport to a true off roader with a truck like suspension? The passport has more ground clearance than most of the competition in it's class. And the AWD is one of the best systems in the market. 4. The ACC and LKAS in both of ours work great, you should take yours to the dealer and have it calibrated. 5. You need to do way more research, Honda was not going after market share's of the Toyota 4 runner, two totally different class of vehicles. I always thought Toyota's to be boring and ugly, just my opinion. Grand Cherokee's are very nice looking for sure if you don't mind paying 20k more than the Passport. Our friends purchased a loaded Cherokee a few years ago, they said it's the biggest pos they have ever owned.
Love your white Passport! Looks so pretty! I have owned the 2019 Elite and now own a 2021 Elite. I do think the 2021 drives better and at first I thought the air conditioner was more efficient. However, now that I've owned the 2021 for two years I think the air conditioner isn't any better than the 2019. My biggest complaint with the Passport is the air conditioner, it really doesn't cool very well. My mother says it's the hottest car she's ever been in and wouldn't have it. I've had it serviced and there is no improvement....just seems to be the way it is. HOT! and the other thing I don't love is the seats. IMO, I think they are too firm and they hit the back of my leg right just right to aggravate a vein I have. After a long trip your bum may feel like you've been sitting on a bleacher at a high school football game. Other than these two things there are many things to love about the Passport. I have considered the 2023-4 CRV. I like the exterior and think the seats are more comfortable? Something to think about. I welcome any insight to this post. Thanks!
The thing w Honda is reliability and price point if you want to complain and whine about all those other features go pay 10g or more for those features I’m totally happy with my passport
My Passport Elite 2021 does 0-60 in 5.8 sec. in sport mode which is better than most comparable SUV’s. Not sure what you were expecting. Front row arm rest are lousy just like my 2016 Pilot Elite. Definitely not built for big guys. The great thing about all my Hondas is reliability and resale.
Lol. I understood, Ben. This was a very strange, soft launch for the Transport badge, given the 2023 Pilot is much improved over the 2022 Pilot and Passport versions. I can’t wait to see the 2023 Passport since it is the “off-road version of the Pilot.” I’m between those two vehicles. The 2023 versions are worth waiting for and will hit the sweet spot. Better than the “off-roady” versions of Explorer (Timberline), Pathfinder (Rock Creek) or the Korean offerings from Hyundai and Kia. Those lack credible off road features like skid plates or capable AWD. The 2023 Hondas will compete with Subaru- not Toyota and Jeep off road flagships. Like most people, that capability is overkill and comes with on-road compromises.
This is like watching a Subaru Wrx guy critiquing a GTI. “It’s not loud and it’s pretty efficient and look how boring it looks”. Yeah, okay. I’ll take the faster, more comfortable, more efficient, cheaper passport, thanks.
So the fact that Honda isn't doing BOF vehicles is a reason to avoid buying it? Whoever uses that as a reason to avoid a brand is a very insecure person, because it is very similar to that shopper that says "Mercedes or BMW over Acura or Mazda because of prestige/cachet"
It needs to have 2.5 bumps on it for height, Geez also a little more on the MPH 350hp would be awesome, and the gas mileage needs to go up to 30mpg they could do it, Geez , if honda is going to try to compete with jeep or toyo they're going to have to put some 33 1/2 tires on their vehicles! It's a perfect size with either a 2 inch lift or 4 inch one! and a ton of options of camping gear, like a tent on top and a 170 surround tarp, with either a 20 gallon water tank. Come on they could do all that.
You are right on with your critique. I wanted to get this car so much as it is similar to the previous generation of the Pilot. (The current generation Pilot is basically a mom/dad car minivan) I was so hopeful but so disappointed in my test drives. The arm rests were my biggest disappointment. People with a belly will instantly hate those useless banana shaped arm rests. The lane keeping seemed to work only half the time but would also swerve into the exit lanes as the painted line turned with the exit lanes. Dangerous. When I tested it, the Safety Sense and Android Auto cost extra as well. Booo.
Enjoy your Toyota. The Passport is not for you. The passport has better acceleration in Sport mode than the Toyato, rides more comfortable, looks better and is higher rated. 😮Perhaps you may need a 4x4 truck or Jeep Wrangler. Wast of video resources! 🤬
Honda quality in general has gone down the drain just like Nissan. Oh yeh- Honda fan boys here, but most of them never had older Hondas or Acuras. New Hondas are garbage & nothing more than break your wallet machines.
What a total disappointment. Honda really screwed up with the Passport. It is basically a Honda Pilot without a 3rd row seat. The original Passport was a truck based suv made by Isuzu (Rodeo). Honda should have made fhe passport totally different looking than the Pilot. It should have a rugged boxy look like the 4runner with a proper 4x4. I love Honda but their larger suv designs look too sissy and have that soccer mom look. Amd what they don't know is even soccer moms dont like that soccer mom look. That is why the 4runner is bought by women as much as men.
