2021 Ford Escape vs 2021 Honda Passport

The 2021 Honda Passport was essentially a shortened version of the Pilot, featuring two rows of seats instead of three. This similarity was evident in its design, making it look like a sportier version of the Pilot. Inside, the Passport's dashboard layout was nearly identical to the Pilot's, including the awkward "button shifter" design. Despite this, the Passport boasted a spacious interior with high-quality materials throughout.

Trim levels for the 2021 Passport included Sport, EX-L, Touring, and Elite. The base Sport trim came with features like 20-inch alloy wheels, LED fog lights, and a seven-speaker audio system. The EX-L added leather upholstery and a power moonroof, while the Touring trim included front-and-rear parking sensors and a hands-free liftgate. The top-tier Elite trim offered heated and ventilated front seats and a heated steering wheel.

The 2021 Ford Escape, in its fourth generation, straddled the line between SUV and hatchback. Its curved snout and sleek roofline gave it a less truck-like appearance compared to rivals like the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4. For 2021, the Escape introduced new appearance packages for three of its four trim levels, including the SE Sport Appearance Package and the Titanium Elite Package.

Inside, the Escape's design choices were less cohesive, with an angular instrument cluster that didn't match the exterior's sleek look. Interior materials were considered low-rent, even in the top Titanium model, which lacked standard leather upholstery. The SEL trim level was required for dual-zone automatic climate control.

The 2021 Honda Passport came standard 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 standard front-wheel drive (FWD) and optional all-wheel drive (AWD). The V6 provided strong acceleration, and the automatic transmission managed power well. The Passport's ride was a blend of comfort and refined handling, with 8.1 inches of ground clearance and drive modes for Snow, Sand, and Mud. FWD models could tow up to 3,500 pounds, while AWD models could tow up to 5,000 pounds.

The 2021 Ford Escape offered two gasoline powertrains, as well as hybrid and plug-in hybrid options. The base engine was a 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder producing 181 horsepower and 191 pound-feet of torque, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. An upgrade to the 2.0-liter turbo-four engine increased output to 250 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque, available only with AWD. The hybrid and plug-in hybrid models used a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with electric assist, producing a total of 200 horsepower. The plug-in hybrid's larger battery allowed for significant electric-only driving. The Escape's chassis tuning was criticized for 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 2021 Honda Passport offered a generous 100.8 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats folded, and 50.5 cubic feet with the second row in use. An additional 2.5 cubic feet was available in an under-floor storage tray. The EX-L trim featured a power liftgate, while the Touring and Elite trims included a hands-free power liftgate. The upright seating position provided excellent visibility, and the center console had a deep bin and an open cargo tray. The rear seats offered ample headroom and legroom, with the ability to recline and slide.

The 2021 Ford Escape, despite its car-like styling, compared well against more traditionally-styled compact SUVs in terms of interior space. The first and second rows offered near top-of-segment headroom and legroom, with a standard sliding rear seat to adjust legroom or cargo space. Non-hybrid models had 40.7 inches of rear legroom, while hybrid and plug-in hybrid models had slightly less due to battery placement. The gasoline Escape had 33.5 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seat up, expandable to 37.5 cubic feet by sliding the seat forward. Folding the rear seat provided 65.4 cubic feet of cargo space in gasoline models and 60.8 cubic feet in hybrid and plug-in hybrid models. Competitors like the Nissan Rogue and Subaru Forester offered more cargo space.

For 2021, the Honda Passport made Android Auto and Apple CarPlay standard, included with the newly-standard 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system. This was a distinct advantage over the three-row Pilot, which required a higher trim level for these features. However, the Passport's infotainment system had dated graphics, a confusing menu layout, and a volume dial that felt like an afterthought.

The 2021 Ford Escape used Ford’s older Sync 3 infotainment system, with the base Escape 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 Escape SE added an 8-inch touchscreen with pinch-and-zoom capability and SiriusXM satellite radio. The Titanium trim level included a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system. Sync 3 was user-friendly, but the Escape lacked the wireless versions of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto available with the newer Sync 4 system.

The 2021 Honda Passport came well equipped with advanced safety features such as automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, and adaptive cruise control. Optional features included blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and front-and-rear parking sensors. The Passport received a five-star overall rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and top "Good" scores in most crash tests from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). However, it received "Acceptable" ratings for headlights and child-seat anchor ease of use, and a second-tier "Advanced" rating for front crash prevention tech.

The 2021 Ford Escape earned a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the IIHS, with top “Good” scores in all crash tests and for LATCH child-seat anchor ease of use. It also received high marks for front-crash prevention tech, but only “Acceptable” and “Marginal” ratings for headlights. The NHTSA gave the Escape a five-star overall safety rating, with five stars in frontal and side crash tests, and four stars in rollover crash tests. Standard safety features 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.