2020 Honda Passport vs 2021 Chevrolet Traverse

The 2020 Honda Passport was a quintessential Honda, featuring familiar parts and aesthetics that appealed to loyal Honda buyers. Its exterior resembled a smaller Honda Pilot but with a more rugged and athletic look, fitting neatly between the Pilot and CR-V in size, capability, and price. The Passport Elite trim came loaded with features like a scratch-resistant matte black grille, 20-inch black alloy wheels, and black-rimmed LED headlights, enhancing its off-road appeal. The interior was sophisticated, with a mix of durable and soft-touch materials, and included perforated, heated, and ventilated front seats, a leather-trimmed heated steering wheel, and a moonroof.

In contrast, the 2021 Chevrolet Traverse had a more generic SUV exterior but relied on styling details to differentiate its trim levels. The RS model featured blacked-out trim, while the High Country model had chrome accents. The Traverse shared its platform with the Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia, and Cadillac XT6 but aimed for a more blue-collar feel. The interior was restrained, with an optional Dual SkyScape two-panel sunroof and materials that were good but not exceptional for its price. The Traverse's design emphasized practicality over flash, with a focus on comfort and utility.

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 modest, achieving 20 mpg city and 25 mpg highway with FWD, and slightly less with AWD. The Passport excelled in various driving conditions, from the flats of Fresno to the peaks of Yosemite, and its torque-vectoring AWD system provided stability on winding roads. It also featured Snow, Sand, and Mud drive modes and could tow up to 5,000 pounds, outperforming rivals like the Nissan Murano and Chevrolet Blazer.

The 2021 Chevrolet Traverse came with a 3.6-liter V6 engine generating 310 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque, paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission. While the Traverse's V6 powertrain didn't feel particularly strong off the line, it provided sufficient power for highway merging and overtaking. The Traverse impressed with its highway road manners, offering a quiet cabin and comfortable ride. However, its AWD system, which required manual activation, lacked the agility of some competitors. The Traverse could tow up to 5,000 pounds, which was average for the segment but less than the Nissan Pathfinder and Ford Explorer.

The 2020 Honda Passport was practical, with a right-sized design that provided good visibility and spacious seating for four adults. It featured height-adjustable seatbelts, three full LATCH connections, and comfortable seats similar to those in the Honda Pilot and Odyssey. The Passport offered 41.2 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats and the most under-floor storage in its class. It also had a power liftgate, tri-zone automatic climate control, and second-row sunshades. The interior had ample small-item storage, with a large center console and secondary shelf space in the front doors.

The 2021 Chevrolet Traverse offered seating for seven or eight, with above-average headroom and legroom in all three rows. Heated front seats were standard on the RS trim, with ventilated front seats and heated outboard rear seats available on higher trims. The Traverse excelled in cargo space, offering 23.0 cubic feet with all seats in place, 57.8 cubic feet with the third row stowed, and 98.2 cubic feet with all rear seats folded. A power liftgate was optional on lower trims and standard on higher trims. However, the Traverse was less generous with interior storage options compared to minivans.

The 2020 Honda Passport's base Sport model came with a 5.0-inch display, while higher trims featured an 8.0-inch Display Audio infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration. The system was practical, with pinch, swipe, and tap functionality, and included features like Bluetooth, a USB port, and a seven-speaker audio system. Higher trims offered a 10-speaker audio system, satellite radio, additional USB ports, a wireless phone charger, and a Wi-Fi hotspot. The dashboard design, borrowed from the Pilot, looked a bit dated but was functional.

The 2021 Chevrolet Traverse's standard infotainment system included a 7-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, and Bluetooth. Higher trims offered an 8-inch touchscreen, navigation, a 4G-LTE WiFi hotspot, and a Bose 10-speaker audio system. The Traverse's infotainment system was user-friendly, with large icons and analog controls for audio and climate. The Traverse also featured a rearview camera mirror and an optional HD surround-view camera system. USB ports were standard for all rows, but wireless phone charging was only available on higher trims.

The 2020 Honda Passport prioritized safety, earning good scores from the IIHS and NHTSA and being 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 additional features like dynamic gridlines for the rearview camera, blind-spot monitoring, parking sensors, and rear cross-traffic detection.

The 2021 Chevrolet Traverse received top scores from the IIHS in crash tests and a five-star overall safety rating from the NHTSA. However, it had lower ratings for headlights and LATCH ease of use. The Traverse offered less standard driver-assist tech than competitors, with features like adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, forward-collision warning, lane-keep assist, lane-departure warning, automatic high beams, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert available as optional extras.