2020 Honda Passport vs 2021 Honda CR-V Hybrid

The 2020 Honda Passport was a quintessential Honda, featuring familiar parts and aesthetics that appealed to loyal Honda buyers. Its exterior resembled a scaled-down Honda Pilot but with a more rugged and athletic appearance, fitting snugly between the Pilot and CR-V in terms of size, capability, and price. The Passport's design included a scratch-resistant matte black grille, 20-inch black alloy wheels, and black-rimmed LED headlights, giving it a robust look. The interior was sophisticated, with a mix of durable and soft-touch materials, and featured perforated, heated, and ventilated front seats in the Elite trim. The design emphasized spaciousness and comfort, with a layout that was practical and familiar to Honda enthusiasts.

The 2021 Honda CR-V Hybrid, while visually similar to its gas-only counterparts, had subtle distinctions like "Hybrid" badges and blue Honda logos. The interior featured unique instrumentation to display battery charge and power distribution, and the paddles on the steering wheel managed regenerative braking. The CR-V Hybrid came in EX, EX-L, and Touring trims, all with standard all-wheel drive. The Touring trim, tested with Platinum White Pearl paint and ivory leather, offered a rich two-tone contrast. However, the fake wood trim detracted from the otherwise high-quality interior. Despite these minor drawbacks, the CR-V Hybrid provided a comfortable and spacious cabin, with ample rear seat room and practical cargo space.

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. AWD models performed slightly worse. The Passport excelled in off-road conditions, thanks to its higher ground clearance and torque-vectoring AWD system, which could send 70% of engine torque to the rear axle and 100% to either rear wheel. The Passport could tow up to 5,000 pounds, outperforming rivals like the Nissan Murano and Chevrolet Blazer.

The 2021 Honda CR-V Hybrid featured a two-motor hybrid system, combining a 2.0-liter gasoline engine with an electric assist motor, generating a total of 212 horsepower and 232 pound-feet of torque. The CR-V Hybrid offered three driving modes—EV Drive, Hybrid Drive, and Engine Drive—automatically selecting the most appropriate one. It also had three driver-selected modes: Econ, Sport, and EV. Despite the added weight of the battery pack, the CR-V Hybrid maintained good handling and ride quality. However, its real-world fuel economy of 33.7 mpg fell short of the EPA rating of 38 mpg combined and lagged behind competitors like the RAV4 Hybrid.

The 2020 Honda Passport was a practical midsize SUV, offering ample space and comfort for four adults. Its size provided good visibility and spacious seats, with height-adjustable seatbelts and three full LATCH connections in the second row. 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 featured thoughtful storage solutions, like a large center console and secondary shelf space in the front doors. The available tri-zone automatic climate control and second-row sunshades added to passenger comfort.

The 2021 Honda CR-V Hybrid offered impressive interior space, with supportive front seats and remarkable rear seat room. The driver's seat provided 12-way power adjustment, while the rear seats offered cross-your-legs levels of space. The CR-V Hybrid's cargo space was slightly reduced due to the battery pack, with 33.2 cubic feet behind the rear seats and 68.7 cubic feet with the seats folded. Despite this, it remained practical for carrying people and cargo. The Touring trim's wireless smartphone charger took up significant space on the center console, but the overall interior storage was still commendable.

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 larger screen was responsive and easy to navigate, though the center-stack design looked somewhat outdated. 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 2021 Honda CR-V Hybrid's infotainment system, redesigned in 2017, featured a seven-inch touchscreen with a power/volume knob. While the system supported Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, it lacked a tuning knob and had slow startup times. The voice-recognition technology was subpar, and the navigation map display was cluttered. The Touring trim included a nine-speaker premium audio system, wireless smartphone charging, and integrated Pandora internet radio. However, the HondaLink connected services were limited, and the front USB ports were less powerful than the rear ones.

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 Honda CR-V Hybrid also came standard with Honda Sensing, featuring adaptive cruise control, forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane-keeping assist, and road departure mitigation. It included blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert. The CR-V Hybrid earned a five-star overall rating from the NHTSA and a Top Safety Pick rating from the IIHS. However, it lacked advanced features like automatic collision notification, SOS emergency calling, and safe teen driver settings.