2021 Toyota Venza vs 2021 Honda Passport

The 2021 Toyota Venza was a sleek and stylish SUV, shorter and closer to the ground than the Toyota RAV4, yet sharing the same wheelbase. Critics noted its resemblance to a Lexus, with a design that blurred the lines between the brands, especially from the grille to the elongated profile. The Venza was available in three trim levels—LE, XLE, and Limited—and offered seven paint colors, though not all were available on every trim. Standard features included LED headlights and taillights, a wireless charging pad, and an 8-inch infotainment touchscreen, among others. The top-tier Limited trim added a digital rearview mirror, a 12.3-inch infotainment screen, and an optional Star Gaze panoramic roof.

The 2021 Honda Passport, essentially a shortened version of the Pilot, featured two rows of seats instead of three. Its styling was nearly identical to the Pilot, both inside and out, including the awkward "button shifter" design. The Passport's interior was spacious and used high-quality materials. It came in four trim levels: Sport, EX-L, Touring, and Elite. The base Sport trim included 20-inch alloy wheels, LED fog lights, and a seven-speaker audio system. Higher trims added features like leather upholstery, a power moonroof, and a hands-free liftgate. The Elite trim offered heated and ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, and wireless device charging.

The 2021 Toyota Venza came standard with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine paired with a lithium-ion battery pack and electric motors, resulting in a combined 219 horsepower and 163 pound-feet of torque. The hybrid system used an electronically-controlled continuously-variable transmission (eCVT) with a sequential-shifting feature for regenerative braking. While the Venza's acceleration was smooth, it was not particularly rapid, and the engine noise was noticeable during acceleration. However, the Venza excelled in fuel economy, achieving an EPA-estimated 40 mpg on the highway, 37 mpg in the 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 2021 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. The Passport offered standard front-wheel drive (FWD) and optional all-wheel drive (AWD). The V6 provided strong acceleration, and the automatic transmission managed power well, though the stop-start system could be abrupt. The Passport's ride was a blend of comfort and refined handling, with 8.1 inches of ground clearance and AWD models featuring Intelligent Traction Management with Snow, Sand, and Mud drive modes. FWD Passports could tow up to 3,500 pounds, while AWD models could tow up to 5,000 pounds.

The 2021 Toyota Venza offered a practical and well-appointed interior, with premium materials and a unique cabin design. The center stack featured piano black capacitive buttons for climate and infotainment controls, and the deep center console included resizable cup holders, a traditional stick shifter, and a wireless charging pad. The Venza's seating was comfortable for both front and rear passengers, with more headroom than the RAV4. However, its cargo space was limited to a maximum of 55.1 cubic feet, less than the Murano, Passport, and Blazer. The 60/40 split-folding rear seatbacks made arranging the cargo space easy.

The 2021 Honda Passport provided 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 of under-floor storage was available. The EX-L trim and higher included a power liftgate, with the Touring and Elite trims offering a hands-free power liftgate. The upright seating position provided excellent visibility, and the center console featured a deep bin and an open cargo tray. The rear seats offered ample headroom and legroom, and they could both recline and slide for added comfort.

The 2021 Toyota Venza LE and XLE featured an 8-inch infotainment system, while the Limited trim had a 12.3-inch touchscreen. All screens ran the Entune infotainment system, which, despite improvements, was not the best in the industry. The larger screen allowed for three separate sections of information but required multiple menu trips for certain functions. Standard technology included Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Amazon Alexa, a Wi-Fi hotspot, and a six-speaker audio system. The Venza XLE and Limited offered a nine-speaker JBL premium audio system. Toyota connected services included a one-year trial of Safety Connect and Remote Connect, and a 10-year trial of Service Connect.

The 2021 Honda Passport made Android Auto and Apple CarPlay standard with its 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system. However, the system had dated graphics, a confusing menu layout, and a volume dial that felt like an afterthought. Despite these drawbacks, the inclusion of smartphone connectivity features as standard was a significant advantage over the three-row Pilot.

The 2021 Toyota Venza came with the Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 suite, which included eight airbags, a rearview camera, hill start assist, parking distance sensors, and a tire pressure monitoring system. Additional features included 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. Blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert was standard, with an upgrade to automatic braking available on the XLE and Limited trims. The Venza had two full sets of LATCH connections on the rear outboard seats.

The 2021 Honda Passport was 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, child-seat anchor ease of use, and front crash prevention tech.