2021 Cadillac XT6 vs 2020 Honda Passport

The 2020 Honda Passport was a quintessential Honda, featuring familiar parts and aesthetics that appealed to loyal Honda buyers. Its exterior design suggested a blend between the Honda Pilot and CR-V, offering a rugged and athletic look. The Passport came in four trim levels: Sport, EX-L, Touring, and Elite, with the Elite trim being fully loaded. Standard features included a scratch-resistant matte black grille, 20-inch black alloy wheels, and black-rimmed LED headlights. The interior was sophisticated, with a mix of durable and soft-touch materials, and featured perforated, heated, and ventilated front seats, a leather-trimmed heated steering wheel, and a moonroof.

The 2021 Cadillac XT6 exuded sophistication, sharing styling cues with the XT4 and XT5 crossovers. The XT6 Sport trim featured darkened accent pieces and 20-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, giving it a premium look. The interior was similar to the XT5 but slightly larger, with three color options: Jet Black, Cirrus, and Maple Sugar. The seats were luxurious, especially with the available Platinum Package, which added semi-aniline leather upholstery and a microsuede headliner. However, some interior elements like stitching and buttons appeared less premium. The XT6 offered seating for seven, with the option to upgrade to captain’s chairs in the second row.

The 2020 Honda Passport was equipped with a 3.5-liter V6 engine producing 280 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque, paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission. It offered front-wheel drive as standard, with all-wheel drive available. The Passport's fuel economy was 20 mpg city, 25 mpg highway, and 22 mpg combined for FWD models, and slightly lower for AWD models. The Passport excelled in various driving conditions, including high elevations and off-road trails, thanks to its torque-vectoring AWD system and drive modes like Snow, Sand, and Mud. It could tow up to 5,000 pounds with the available towing package.

The 2021 Cadillac XT6 Sport featured a 3.6-liter V6 engine with 310 horsepower and 271 pound-feet of torque, paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission. The base XT6 Luxury model had a 2.0-liter turbo-four engine with 237 horsepower. The XT6 offered standard FWD and available AWD, with the Sport model exclusively AWD. The XT6's driving dynamics were less impressive, feeling heavy and less agile compared to competitors. Fuel economy for the V6 engine was 19 mpg city, 26 mpg highway, and 21 mpg combined for FWD models, with slightly lower figures for AWD models. The XT6 could be equipped with a Smart Towing package on midgrade and higher trims.

The 2020 Honda Passport was practical, offering ample space and comfort for four adults. It featured height-adjustable seatbelts, three full LATCH connections, and available tri-zone automatic climate control. The Passport excelled in cargo space, with 41.2 cubic feet behind the rear seats and the most under-floor storage in its class. The interior had thoughtful storage solutions, including a large center console and secondary shelf space in the front doors. The Passport's heating and cooling functionalities were effective, and the materials were easy to clean.

The 2021 Cadillac XT6 offered seating for seven, with the option to upgrade to captain’s chairs in the second row. While the seats were comfortable, they were less plush compared to competitors like the Acura MDX. The XT6 had less head-, leg-, shoulder-, and hip room than many rivals. Small-item storage in the front row was limited, and the wireless phone charger was not easily accessible. The XT6 excelled in rear cargo space, with power-folding third-row seats and an available hands-free power liftgate. However, cargo space behind the third row was limited.

The 2020 Honda Passport featured a 5.0-inch display monitor in the base Sport model, with an 8.0-inch Display Audio infotainment system in higher trims. The larger screen supported Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and was responsive with easy-to-navigate options. Standard features included Bluetooth, a USB port, and a seven-speaker audio system, with higher trims offering a 10-speaker audio system, satellite radio, additional USB ports, a wireless phone charger, and a Wi-Fi hotspot. The dashboard design was functional but slightly outdated.

The 2021 Cadillac XT6 came with an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system, tri-zone automatic climate control, an eight-speaker Bose audio system, satellite radio, a WiFi hotspot, and six USB ports. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto were standard, along with remote start and Teen Driver monitoring. Upgrades included a 14-speaker Bose audio system, navigation, and enhanced wireless charging. The infotainment screen was smaller than competitors and could appear crowded or lacking information.

The 2020 Honda Passport prioritized safety, earning good scores from the IIHS and NHTSA, and was named an IIHS Top Safety Pick. It came standard with the Honda Sensing suite, including collision mitigation braking, forward-collision warning, lane departure warning, lane-keeping assist, automatic emergency braking, and adaptive cruise control. Higher trims offered dynamic gridlines for the rearview camera, blind-spot monitoring, parking sensors, and rear cross-traffic detection.

The 2021 Cadillac XT6 came with a comprehensive list of standard safety features, including automatic emergency braking, forward-collision alert, lane-keep assist, lane-departure warning, a high-definition rearview camera, and IntelliBeam headlights. Premium Luxury and Sport models added blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert. The XT6 struggled with lane-keep assist and lane-departure warning accuracy. Optional packages included adaptive cruise control, enhanced automatic emergency braking, and a rear-camera mirror. The XT6 received a five-star frontal crash test rating from the NHTSA and was named an IIHS Top Safety Pick+.