2020 Honda Passport vs 2021 Ford Escape

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 appearance, fitting neatly between the Pilot and CR-V in size, capability, and price. The Passport's design included a scratch-resistant matte black grille, 20-inch black alloy wheels, and increased ground clearance, making it suitable for off-road adventures.

Inside, the Passport offered a sophisticated cabin with a mix of durable and soft-touch materials. The Elite trim featured luxurious amenities like perforated, heated, and ventilated front seats, a leather-trimmed heated steering wheel, and a moonroof. The interior design emphasized spaciousness and practicality, with ample storage options and comfortable seating for five. Lower trims offered various packages to enhance the vehicle's features, including Honda Sensing safety technology and navigation.

The 2021 Ford Escape, on the other hand, straddled the line between SUV and hatchback with its curved snout and sleek roofline. It had a less truck-like look compared to competitors like the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4, but its design was more generic than the latest Hyundai Tucson or Kia Sportage. For 2021, the Escape introduced new appearance packages for three of its four trim levels, including the SE Sport Appearance Package, SEL Stealth AWD Package, and Titanium Elite Package, which added features like 19-inch alloy wheels and leather-wrapped steering wheels.

The interior of the Escape didn't match the cohesive theme of its exterior, with odd design choices like an angular instrument cluster and low-quality materials. Even the top Titanium model lacked standard leather upholstery, although it did offer ambient lighting. The Escape's interior design and materials left much to be desired compared to its competitors.

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. While the engine provided sufficient power for various driving situations, its fuel economy was less impressive, with FWD models achieving 20 mpg city, 25 mpg highway, and 22 mpg combined, and AWD models slightly lower. The Passport's large fuel tank allowed for over 400 miles of range.

The Passport performed well in various driving conditions, including high elevations and off-road trails. The Elite trim came standard with torque-vectoring AWD, enhancing its stability and capability on challenging roads. The Passport also offered Snow, Sand, and Mud drive modes for off-road adventures and could tow up to 5,000 pounds with the available towing package, outperforming rivals like the Nissan Murano and Chevrolet Blazer.

The 2021 Ford Escape offered a range of powertrains, including two gasoline engines and hybrid and plug-in hybrid options. The base 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine produced 181 horsepower and 191 pound-feet of torque, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and available in FWD or AWD. The upgraded 2.0-liter turbo-four engine delivered 250 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque, available only with AWD.

The Escape's hybrid and plug-in hybrid models used a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with electric assist, producing a combined 200 horsepower. The plug-in hybrid's larger battery allowed for significant electric-only driving. However, the Escape's chassis tuning left much to be desired, with sloppy suspension and steering making it less enjoyable to drive. The 2.0-liter engine models could tow up to 3,500 pounds, but towing figures for the hybrid and plug-in hybrid were not provided.

The 2020 Honda Passport was a practical midsize SUV with ample interior space and comfort. Its size allowed for good visibility and spacious seating for four adults, with no third-row option. The Passport featured height-adjustable seatbelts, three full LATCH connections in the second row, and comfortable seats similar to those in the Honda Pilot and Odyssey. Cloth upholstery was standard, with perforated leather available.

The Passport offered tri-zone automatic climate control and second-row sunshades, enhancing comfort for rear passengers. It provided 41.2 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats, with the most under-floor storage in its class. The high load floor was expected given its elevated stance, and a power liftgate was standard. The Passport excelled in small-item storage, with a large center console and additional shelf space in the front doors.

The 2021 Ford Escape, despite its car-like styling, offered competitive interior space for a compact SUV. It featured near-top-of-segment headroom and legroom in both rows, with a standard sliding rear seat to adjust legroom or cargo space. Sliding the rear seat back provided 40.7 inches of rear legroom in non-hybrid models, though hybrid and plug-in hybrid models had reduced legroom due to the battery pack.

The Escape's cargo space varied by powertrain, with gasoline models offering 33.5 cubic feet with the rear seat up and 65.4 cubic feet with the rear seat folded. Hybrid and plug-in hybrid models had slightly less cargo space. While the Escape's cargo capacity was lower than some competitors, it still provided adequate space for most needs.

The 2020 Honda Passport came with a 5.0-inch display monitor in the base Sport model, while higher trims featured an 8.0-inch Display Audio infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration. The larger screen was responsive and easy to navigate, with pinch, swipe, and tap functionality. Standard features included Bluetooth, a USB port, a seven-speaker audio system, push-button start, and keyless entry. Higher trims added a 10-speaker audio system, satellite radio, additional USB ports, a wireless phone charger, and a Wi-Fi hotspot.

The 2021 Ford Escape used Ford's older Sync 3 infotainment system, with the base S model featuring a 4.2-inch touchscreen. Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and a built-in 4G LTE WiFi hotspot were standard. Upgrading to the SE trim added an 8-inch touchscreen with pinch-and-zoom capability and SiriusXM satellite radio. The Titanium trim included a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system. While Sync 3 was user-friendly, the Escape lacked some standard tech features offered by competitors and missed out on the wireless versions of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto available with Sync 4.

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 additional features like dynamic gridlines for the rearview camera, blind-spot monitoring, parking sensors, and rear cross-traffic detection.

The 2021 Ford Escape received a "Top Safety Pick" rating from the IIHS, with top scores in crash tests and for LATCH child-seat anchor ease of use. It also earned high marks for front-crash prevention but had mixed ratings for headlights. The NHTSA gave the Escape a five-star overall safety rating. Standard safety features under Ford Co-Pilot360 included automatic high beams, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keep assist, forward collision warning, and automatic emergency braking. The optional Co-Pilot360 Assist+ package added adaptive cruise control, traffic-sign recognition, park assist, and Evasive Steering Assist.