2020 Honda Passport vs 2021 Lincoln Corsair

The 2020 Honda Passport was a quintessential Honda, embodying the brand's familiar design and functionality. Its exterior resembled a smaller Honda Pilot but with a more rugged and athletic appearance, bridging the gap between the Pilot and the CR-V. 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. Inside, the Passport Elite trim featured a sophisticated cabin with a mix of durable and soft-touch materials, heated and ventilated front seats, and a leather-trimmed heated steering wheel. The interior design emphasized spaciousness and practicality, with a layout that would be comforting to loyal Honda buyers.

The 2021 Lincoln Corsair, introduced as a replacement for the Lincoln MKC, rode on the new C2 platform shared with the Ford Escape. Lincoln succeeded in differentiating the Corsair from its Ford counterpart, giving it a refined and upscale look. The exterior featured slab sides, blacked-out rear pillars, and straight belt- and rooflines, making it appear larger than it was. Inside, the Corsair's cabin shared design elements with the Aviator and Navigator, including a flowing dash and floating center touchscreen. However, the fit and finish were not as high-end as its more expensive siblings, with more hard-touch materials. The Reserve trim added genuine leather upholstery, a panoramic moonroof, and a 14-speaker Revel premium stereo system.

The 2020 Honda Passport was powered by a 3.5-liter V6 engine producing 280 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque, paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission. This setup provided sufficient power for various driving situations, though its fuel economy was less impressive. The FWD model achieved an EPA-estimated 20 mpg city, 25 mpg highway, and 22 mpg combined, while the AWD model achieved slightly lower figures. The Passport excelled in off-road conditions, with its torque-vectoring AWD system and drive modes for Snow, Sand, and Mud. It could tow up to 5,000 pounds, outperforming rivals like the Nissan Murano and Chevrolet Blazer.

The 2021 Lincoln Corsair offered two engine options: a 2.0-liter EcoBoost turbocharged four-cylinder with 250 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, and an optional 2.3-liter EcoBoost turbocharged four-cylinder with 295 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. Both engines were paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission, with the 2.0-liter available in FWD or AWD and the 2.3-liter exclusively in AWD. The Corsair's drive modes included "Conserve" and "Excite," with the latter providing a sportier driving experience. The Grand Touring trim added a plug-in hybrid powertrain with a combined 266 horsepower and an efficiency rating of 78 MPGe in electric mode.

The 2020 Honda Passport was a practical midsize SUV with ample interior space and comfort. It offered spacious seats for four adults, with height-adjustable seatbelts and three full LATCH connections in the second row. The Passport provided 41.2 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats, the most in its class, and featured a power liftgate. The interior included tri-zone automatic climate control, second-row sunshades, and plenty of small-item storage. The center console was large, and the interior had easy-to-clean surfaces.

The 2021 Lincoln Corsair had a spacious cabin with comfortable seats and plenty of storage space. However, the large lip when stepping in or out of the vehicle was a notable downside. The rear seats could recline and slide, providing impressive legroom for a compact SUV. The Corsair offered 27.6 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats and 57.6 cubic feet with the rear seats folded. It came standard with a power liftgate and was available with a hands-free power liftgate.

The 2020 Honda Passport's base Sport model came with a 5.0-inch display monitor, while higher trims featured an 8.0-inch Display Audio infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration. The system was practical and easy to use, with a manual power button and volume knob. Other standard features included Bluetooth, a USB port, and a seven-speaker audio system. Higher trims added a 10-speaker audio system, satellite radio, additional USB ports, a wireless phone charger, and a Wi-Fi hotspot.

The 2021 Lincoln Corsair came standard with an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system running the SYNC 3 system, with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Reserve trim added wireless device charging, a 14-speaker Revel premium audio system, and a head-up display. The infotainment system was user-friendly, with a logical menu layout and easy-to-read graphics.

The 2020 Honda Passport prioritized safety, achieving 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 added features like dynamic gridlines for the rearview camera, blind-spot monitoring, parking sensors, and rear cross-traffic detection.

The 2021 Lincoln Corsair came standard with forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, automatic high beams, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and rear parking sensors. The Lincoln CoPilot360 Plus suite added features like adaptive LED headlights, surround-view parking cameras, front parking sensors, speed-limit sign recognition, stop-and-go adaptive cruise control, reverse automatic braking, and automatic parking assist. The Corsair was an IIHS Top Safety Pick Plus when equipped with high-feature headlights.