2020 Honda Passport vs 2021 Nissan Armada

The 2020 Honda Passport was a quintessential Honda, featuring 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 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. The additional ground clearance compared to the Pilot made it more off-road capable.

Inside, the Passport was more sophisticated than rugged, with a well-appointed cabin featuring a mix of durable and soft-touch materials. The Elite trim boasted perforated, heated, and ventilated front seats, a leather-trimmed heated steering wheel, and a moonroof. The design emphasized spaciousness and comfort, with a button-heavy shifting mechanism that saved space. Lower trims offered various packages to enhance features, and Honda Sensing safety technology was available on the Touring grade.

The 2021 Nissan Armada underwent a significant facelift, aligning its looks with Nissan's new signature design. The redesigned exterior featured a new grille, fenders, bumpers, and LED headlights and taillights, giving it a modern yet traditional beefy look. The Armada was available in S, SV, SL, and Platinum grades, with the Midnight Edition Package exclusive to the SL. The Platinum trim, tested in prototype form, came with body-color over fenders, dark-painted roof rails, and an acoustic windshield and front side windows.

The Armada's interior, while upgraded in tech, remained dated in design. The new 12.3-inch touchscreen was a standout feature, but other design choices, like rouched material on the door panels and abstract patterned hard plastic inlays, made the SUV appear past its prime. The Armada offered a range of exterior colors, including the new Coulis Red Pearl, and featured Nissan's new logo prominently on the grille, rear, steering wheel, and wheel caps.

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 a weak point, with FWD models achieving 20 mpg city, 25 mpg highway, and 22 mpg combined, while AWD models achieved slightly lower figures. The large 19.5-gallon 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's torque-vectoring all-wheel drive provided a planted feel on the road, with Snow, Sand, and Mud drive modes enhancing its off-road capability. The Passport could tow up to 5,000 pounds when equipped with the available towing package, outperforming rivals like the Nissan Murano and Chevrolet Blazer.

The 2021 Nissan Armada featured a 5.6-liter V8 engine, delivering 400 horsepower and 413 pound-feet of torque with premium fuel, paired with a seven-speed automatic transmission. The Armada came standard with rear-wheel drive, with automatic four-wheel drive available. Despite its weight, the Armada was a capable off-roader, with a skid plate, double-wishbone suspension, and Hitachi twin-tube shock absorbers. It offered 9.2 or 9.1 inches of ground clearance, depending on the trim level.

Fuel economy was a downside for the Armada, with RWD models achieving 14 mpg city, 19 mpg highway, and 16 mpg combined, while 4WD models achieved slightly lower figures. The Armada's handling had improved over the years, but it still felt like a large SUV. It had a best-in-class towing capacity of 8,500 pounds when properly equipped, with standard trailer sway control and an available Trailer Brake Controller.

The 2020 Honda Passport was practical, offering good visibility and spacious seats for four adults. It lacked a third row but featured height-adjustable seatbelts and three full LATCH connections in the second row. The Passport's seats were comfortable, with cloth upholstery standard and perforated leather available. The tri-zone automatic climate control and second-row sunshades added to passenger comfort.

Cargo space was a strong point, with 41.2 cubic feet behind the rear seats and the most under-floor storage in its class. The high load floor was a minor drawback, but the power liftgate and ample small-item storage made up for it. The Passport's interior featured easy-to-clean hard plastic surfaces and piano black trim pieces that required occasional dusting.

The 2021 Nissan Armada offered practicality and functionality for families, with standard running boards and in-cabin handles for easy access. The broad dashboard featured a new 12.3-inch touchscreen, but some controls were hard to reach. The front seats were power-adjustable, with power lumbar support, and the second row offered optional captain's chairs, reducing seating capacity from eight to seven.

Cargo space was limited by the high load floor, with 16.5 cubic feet behind the third row, 49.9 cubic feet behind the second row, and 95.4 cubic feet with both rows folded. The power liftgate and power-folding third-row seats were available, but the high load floor made loading and unloading challenging. Small-item storage was limited, with the center console storage bin being the exception.

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 integration, 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 offered a 10-speaker audio system, satellite radio, additional USB ports, a wireless phone charger, and a Wi-Fi hot spot.

The 2021 Nissan Armada boasted a 12.3-inch infotainment touch screen, the largest in its class, with navigation, a six-speaker stereo system, satellite radio, Bluetooth, USB Type-A and Type-C ports, a WiFi hot spot, NissanConnect Services, keyless entry with push-button start, Android Auto, and wireless Apple CarPlay as standard. Available features included a wireless device charging pad, a 13-speaker Bose audio system, a rearview camera mirror, and a second-row entertainment system. The Platinum trim came with all these features as standard.

The 2020 Honda Passport prioritized safety, achieving good scores from the IIHS and NHTSA, and earning an IIHS Top Safety Pick. It came standard with the Honda Sensing suite, including Collision Mitigation Braking System, 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 Nissan Armada had not been fully rated by the IIHS and NHTSA, but it received a three-star rollover rating from the NHTSA. It came standard with Nissan Safety Shield 360, including automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure warning, automatic high beams, and rear automatic braking. Additional standard features included adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, blind-spot monitoring, and rear door alert. Advanced driving assist technologies like Nissan ProPilot Assist were not available.