2024 Honda Passport vs 2023 Toyota Sienna

The 2023 Toyota Sienna aimed to dispel the notion that minivans are inherently unstylish. Toyota endowed the Sienna with a front-end that brought to mind the sleekness of a Japanese bullet train. The minivan offered an array of trim levels, from the base LE to the top-shelf Platinum, ensuring something for various tastes and budgets. One noteworthy variant for 2023 was the 25th Anniversary Special Edition, which provided an additional choice for consumers. Toyota made the XLE trim particularly appealing with features like standard LED fog lights, power-sliding doors, and a power liftgate. Inside, the Sienna impressed with high-quality materials like the brown leather upholstery and wood-grain accents found in the Platinum trim. The minivan also provided seating for seven or eight passengers, depending on the trim level chosen.

The 2024 Honda Passport largely retained its previous design language, with minor tweaks like an upright grille introduced in the 2022 update. It remained available in three trims: EX-L, TrailSport, and Black Edition. Each Passport trim came with standard leather seats, a power moonroof, and all-wheel drive. The TrailSport version featured rugged touches like all-terrain tires with the three-peak mountain snowflake emblem for better snowy surface performance. Despite its rugged appearance, some details, like plastic skid plates, suggested that it was more show than go. Inside, the TrailSport sported black leather upholstery accented with orange stitching and an "TrailSport" emblem, maintaining a utilitarian but refined look.

When Toyota unveiled the fourth-generation Sienna in 2020, it embraced hybrid-only powertrains. The Sienna featured a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine paired with front-mounted electric motors, and in AWD models, an additional rear-mounted electric motor. This setup resulted in a combined output of 245 horsepower. While this figure lagged behind some competitors, the Sienna made up for it with a nimble chassis and easy maneuverability, particularly around town. However, the CVT left something to be desired in terms of sound and responsiveness. Toyota provided several drive modes, though only the Normal mode seemed genuinely useful.

In contrast, the 2024 Honda Passport opted for a traditional approach with a naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V6 engine producing 280 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. This engine, paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission, provided smooth and unobtrusive gear changes. Its performance was competent for its class, albeit with a slight fuel economy penalty—21 mpg combined as rated by the EPA. The TrailSport trim received some suspension tweaks and wider tracks to enhance off-road capabilities. Honda's iVTM4 AWD system and multiple traction settings added to its versatility. Despite some elevated road and wind noise at high speeds, the Passport offered balanced and accurate steering, surprising for its size. Towing capacity maxed out at 5,000 pounds, a figure competitive in its segment.

Minivans like the 2023 Toyota Sienna shined in interior functionality. The Sienna featured numerous storage solutions, including a large cubby below the center console and a long shelf spanning the dashboard's middle. With a generous 200-inch length and 120.5-inch wheelbase, the Sienna offered substantial cargo space: 33.5 cubic feet behind the third row, 75.2 cubic feet with the third row folded, and up to 101 cubic feet in total. However, the middle-row seats weren’t removable, unlike in some competitors, which limited ultimate cargo flexibility. The second row's captain’s chairs, however, provided ample functionality and comfort, with features like extendable ottomans and adjustable sliding tracks.

In the two-row midsize crossover segment, the 2024 Honda Passport was king of cargo capacity. It offered 41.2 cubic feet of space behind the rear seats, expandable to 77.7 cubic feet with the rear seats folded. This spacious capacity was further enhanced by underfloor storage. Although narrow backseat legroom was noted compared to the Hyundai Santa Fe, it was competitive within its class. Cupholders were abundant, with six available in the back alone. The front cabin saw a significant design change with a deeper center console featuring a flip-up armrest. Despite this, the overall storage capability was enhanced.

The 2023 Toyota Sienna didn't benefit from Toyota's latest tech updates seen in other models like the Tundra and Sequoia. It featured an older infotainment system with essentials like Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, SiriusXM, and seven USB ports. Despite its age, the system included useful physical buttons, but it required wired connections for smartphone integration and had a slightly clunky interface. The 9-inch touchscreen, while not particularly impressive on paper, was functional and didn't seem undersized in person.

Similarly, the 2024 Honda Passport eschewed the trend towards larger screens found in rivals, sticking with an 8-inch display. This felt small given the Passport's spacious interior. Standard tech included Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Bluetooth connectivity, and a wireless charging pad. However, the navigation push alerts to the driver’s information display could be overly persistent in city driving. Audiophiles might find the seven-speaker system thin and prefer the Black Edition’s 10-speaker upgrade or competitors with more premium sound systems.

Safety was a strong point for the 2023 Toyota Sienna. It came loaded with advanced safety features such as automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning with steering assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, automatic high beams, and adaptive cruise control. It earned a 5-star rating from the NHTSA and a Top Safety Pick+ from the IIHS for its mechanically similar 2022 model. Toyota’s approach emphasized substantial safety without flashy gimmicks.

The 2024 Honda Passport also came well-equipped with safety features, collectively known as Honda Sensing. Forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring, cross-traffic monitoring, and adaptive cruise control were all standard. However, it didn’t perform as well in crash tests, receiving marks below top ratings from both the IIHS and NHTSA. These ratings suggested some room for improvement in crashworthiness.