2021 Toyota Venza vs 2020 Honda Passport

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 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 spacious cabin and practical design choices made it a comfortable and functional vehicle.

The 2021 Toyota Venza, on the other hand, was shorter and closer to the ground than the RAV4 but shared the same wheelbase. Critics noted that the Venza's design closely resembled a Lexus, with a sleek grille and elongated profile. The Venza came in three trim levels: LE, XLE, and Limited, with a variety of paint colors. Standard features included LED headlights, dual chrome-tipped exhaust, and 18-inch alloy wheels. The interior was unique, with premium appointments and a deep center console featuring a wireless charging pad and heated and ventilated seat buttons. The Venza's cabin was spacious and comfortable, with more headroom than the RAV4 and a maximum of 55.1 cubic feet of 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 an EPA-estimated 20 mpg city, 25 mpg highway, and 22 mpg combined for front-wheel-drive models. All-wheel-drive models achieved slightly lower figures. The Passport excelled in off-road conditions, with Snow, Sand, and Mud drive modes, and could tow up to 5,000 pounds with the available towing package.

The 2021 Toyota Venza featured a 2.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine paired with a lithium-ion battery pack and electric motors, delivering a combined 219 horsepower and 163 pound-feet of torque. The hybrid system was paired with an electronically-controlled continuously-variable transmission (eCVT). While the Venza's acceleration was smooth, it was not rapid, and the engine noise was noticeable during acceleration. However, the Venza's handling was confident, and it achieved impressive fuel economy figures of 40 mpg highway, 37 mpg city, and 39 mpg combined. Toyota backed its hybrid powertrain with a 10-year/150,000-mile hybrid battery warranty and an eight-year/100,000-mile Hybrid System warranty.

The 2020 Honda Passport was practical, with a right-sized design that provided good visibility and spacious seats for four adults. The interior featured height-adjustable seatbelts, three full LATCH connections, and available tri-zone automatic climate control. The Passport offered 41.2 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats and the most under-floor storage in its class. The center console and secondary shelf space provided ample small-item storage, and the hard plastic surfaces were easy to clean.

The 2021 Toyota Venza's interior was practical and unique, with premium appointments and a deep center console. The cabin was spacious, with comfortable seating for five adults and more headroom than the RAV4. The Venza offered 55.1 cubic feet of cargo space with the second-row seats folded, which was less than the Passport but sufficient for daily driving needs. The quick-flip releases on the 60/40 split-folding rear seatbacks made arranging the cargo space easy.

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 navigate, with a manual power button and volume knob. Other standard features included 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 hot spot.

The 2021 Toyota Venza LE and XLE had an 8-inch infotainment system, while the Limited trim featured a 12.3-inch touchscreen. The Entune infotainment system included Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Amazon Alexa. The larger screen was responsive but not user-friendly, requiring multiple menu trips for simple functions. Standard features included AM/FM/HD Radio, Bluetooth, and a six-speaker audio system. A nine-speaker JBL premium audio system was available on the XLE and standard on the Limited. Toyota connected services, including Safety Connect, Remote Connect, and Service Connect, were also standard.

The 2020 Honda Passport prioritized safety, earning good scores from the IIHS and NHTSA and being named an IIHS Top Safety Pick. The Honda Sensing suite of safety and driver-assist technology was standard, including collision mitigation braking, 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 Toyota Venza came with the Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 suite of safety and driver-assist technologies, including a pre-collision warning system with pedestrian detection, lane-departure alert with steering assist, lane-tracing assist, automatic high beams, adaptive cruise control, and road sign assist. Standard safety features also included eight airbags, a rearview camera, hill start assist, parking distance sensors, and blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert. The Venza XLE and Limited offered additional safety features like automatic braking.