2023 Toyota 4Runner vs 2024 Honda Passport

The 2023 Toyota 4Runner, especially in its 40th Anniversary Special Edition (40 ASE), was a visual homage to the rugged truck-based SUVs of yesteryears. It exuded a nostalgic charm, accentuated by retro body stripes, a heritage grille design, and 17-inch bronze wheels. Priced at $48,455, this variant added a sense of exclusivity with its numbered plaque and was available only in black, white, or red paint. The interior's artificial leather with bronze stitching combined durability with a stylish retro theme. While the 4Runner's exterior had a California surfer vibe, its interior prioritized functionality with easy-to-use controls. However, the interior did incorporate plenty of plastic, although its purposeful design and robust feel made it appealing. The 2024 Honda Passport, despite being part of Honda’s lineup refresh, retained much of its traditional look. Honda offered three trims: EX-L, TrailSport, and Black Edition. Notably, the Passport avoided a base model with cloth seats, ensuring leather seats, a power moonroof, and AWD across all trims. The TrailSport variant appeared the most rugged, featuring genuine all-terrain tires and additional styling elements like roof rails and LED fog lights. Nevertheless, some design aspects like plastic skid plates signaled that the TrailSport's off-road capabilities were more cosmetic. Inside, the TrailSport had utilitarian features like black leather upholstery with orange stitching and high-quality plastic integration, but it lacked some sophisticated design elements seen in other Honda models.

The 2023 Toyota 4Runner came with a 4.0-liter V6 engine producing 270 horsepower and 278 pound-feet of torque, paired with a five-speed automatic transmission. It had a towing capacity of 5,000 pounds. Fuel economy was rated at 17 mpg combined, and we experienced slightly lower at 16.9 mpg. Various 4Runner trims catered to different driving preferences, from on-road sports suspension to off-road enhancements like locking differentials, Crawl Control, and Multi-Terrain Select. Off-road, the 4Runner remained impressive, with the ability to handle thick mud and standing water, although its on-road manners included subpar acceleration, heavy steering, and a less-than-ideal braking feel. For the 2024 Honda Passport, Honda stuck with its reliable 3.5-liter V6 engine, delivering 280 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque via a nine-speed automatic transmission. The Passport accelerated aptly for its size, though its peak torque at higher RPMs required more aggressive driving under certain conditions. Fuel economy was slightly better than the 4Runner, at 21 mpg combined. The TrailSport edition introduced mechanical tweaks for off-road driving, including wider tracks and off-road tuned suspension. Capable of towing up to 5,000 pounds, the Passport excelled over some competitors but fell short of heavier-duty SUVs like the Jeep Grand Cherokee. Despite elevated road noise at higher speeds, the Passport had well-balanced steering and a comfortable ride around town.

The Toyota 4Runner had unique form and function elements such as a power-down tailgate window, sunroof, and automatic windows that enabled a refreshing flow-through ventilation system. Accessibility could be challenging due to its height, but once inside, the seats were comfortable. The 40 ASE version offered heated front seats covered in SofTex artificial leather. Rear seats were spacious, with plenty of legroom and headroom, air vents, and USB ports. Although a third-row seat was available, it compromised cargo space and comfort. With the third row, cargo space shrank to a paltry 9 cubic feet. Without the third row, it boasted an ample 46.3 cubic feet, expanding to a substantial 89.7 cubic feet with seats folded. By comparison, the 2024 Honda Passport was the leader in cargo capacity for two-row midsize crossovers. Behind the rear seats, it provided 41.2 cubic feet of space, complemented by additional underfloor storage. The 60/40-split rear seats folded flat, increasing the total cargo space to 77.7 cubic feet. While rear-seat legroom wasn't the most generous in its category, it remained competitive and comfortable for passengers. The front-seat area saw updates with a redesigned center console offering deeper storage. This change slightly reduced the open feel but increased practicality, making it more functional.

The 2023 Toyota 4Runner employed traditional technology, with analog gauges, an 8-inch touchscreen, and tactile buttons and knobs which made it user-friendly, even with gloves on. The infotainment system included features like Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, SiriusXM, and Amazon Alexa compatibility. Navigation and a JBL premium sound system were available upgrades. Despite dated graphics, the interface displayed multiple functions simultaneously, unlike newer Toyota models. Voice recognition was notably effective, although limited by the manual climate controls. In contrast, the 2024 Honda Passport’s infotainment system was limited to an 8-inch touchscreen, which seemed undersized for such a spacious vehicle. Standard features included Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Bluetooth, and a wireless charging pad. The system displayed turn-by-turn navigation directions on the driver’s display, which could be annoying in city driving. While a 10-speaker audio system was available on the Black Edition, the seven-speaker system on our TrailSport test vehicle felt lacking compared to competitors.

For safety, the 2023 Toyota 4Runner included a comprehensive suite of features such as forward-collision warning, pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning, automatic high beams, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert. While adaptive cruise control functioned smoothly, the lane-departure warning's incessant beeping was bothersome. Unfortunately, crash-test ratings revealed the vehicle’s age, with a four-star overall rating from NHTSA and marginal scores in frontal-impact and rollover tests. The 2024 Honda Passport matched the 4Runner with an impressive array of standard safety features, including forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring, cross-traffic alert, and adaptive cruise control. These features enhanced driver assurance, especially for family transport. However, crash-test performance was mixed; it received an "Acceptable" rating for passenger-side small overlap crashes and a "Marginal" rating in side-impact tests from IIHS. NHTSA awarded the Passport a five-star overall rating but only four stars for frontal and rollover assessments.