2025 Lexus RX Hybrid vs 2024 Honda Passport

The 2024 Honda Passport retained much of its previous-generation design, despite Honda's recent updates to other models like the Civic and Accord. The Passport's design included a more upright grille and squared-off corners from its 2022 tweaks, but it still echoed older Honda aesthetics. The Passport offered three trim levels: EX-L, TrailSport, and Black Edition, all featuring leather seats, a power moonroof, identical touchscreens, and all-wheel drive. The TrailSport trim, tested for its rugged appeal, came with all-terrain tires, roof rails, and LED fog lights, but lacked true off-road enhancements like metal skid plates or recovery points. Inside, the Passport featured traditional controls and an 8-inch touchscreen, with the TrailSport trim adding black leather upholstery with orange stitching. The interior was simple, with durable materials and ample storage, emphasizing a utilitarian design.

The 2025 Lexus RX Hybrid, particularly the RX 500h Black Line Special Edition, was priced at $75,000 and featured a unique Incognito paint job and orange brake calipers. Despite these touches, the RX's design was considered unremarkable, with a large front grille and a dramatic rear haunch swell. The RX lineup included three models: RX 350h, RX 500h, and RX 450h+, each offering different power and efficiency levels. The RX 500h, with its turbocharged engine and sport-tuned suspension, was the most powerful but least fuel-efficient. Inside, the RX offered a contemporary design with quality materials and ambient lighting. However, the controls were a mix of intuitive and baffling, with Lexus avoiding the single curved display trend. The RX's interior focused on comfort and practicality, with ample room for adults and optional features like power-reclining rear seats.

The 2024 Honda Passport was equipped 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 adequate acceleration and smooth gear shifts. The Passport's fuel economy was rated at 19 mpg city, 24 highway, and 21 combined. The TrailSport trim featured wider tracks, 18-inch wheels with all-terrain tires, and a suspension tuned for off-road driving. All Passports came with Honda's torque-vectoring iVTM4 AWD system and a traction-management system with various settings. The Passport's steering was well-balanced, and its towing capacity maxed out at 5,000 pounds.

The 2025 Lexus RX Hybrid offered three models with varying performance. The RX 350h, with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid powertrain, produced 246 hp and 233 pound-feet of torque, focusing on efficiency. The RX 450h+ PHEV delivered 304 hp and a 6.2-second 0-60 mph time. The RX 500h, with a turbocharged 2.4-liter engine and a six-speed automatic transmission, produced 366 hp and 406 pound-feet of torque, offering quick acceleration but lower fuel economy. The RX 500h featured a sport-tuned adaptive damping suspension, 21-inch wheels, and Lexus's Direct4 AWD system. Despite its power, the RX 500h's drivetrain occasionally hesitated, and its adaptive suspension produced unnatural sensations. The RX 500h excelled in straight-line acceleration but lacked dynamic communication.

The 2024 Honda Passport excelled in cargo space, offering 41.2 cubic feet behind the rear seats and 77.7 cubic feet with the rear seats folded. The Passport's interior was spacious, accommodating five adults comfortably, with ample cupholders and a redesigned center console for more storage. The Passport's rear seats folded flush with the trunk floor, making it easy to load long items.

The 2025 Lexus RX Hybrid focused on occupant comfort and practical cargo space. The RX 500h's front seats were snug due to enhanced bolstering, but the rear seats were comfortable and spacious. The RX offered 29.6 cubic feet of cargo space, expandable to 46.2 cubic feet with the rear seats folded. The RX's interior featured practical storage locations, but some compartments lacked lining, causing potential noise issues. The RX's hands-free power liftgate revealed hooks for grocery bags and a small amount of underfloor storage.

The 2024 Honda Passport featured an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, which felt small compared to competitors. Standard features included Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Bluetooth connectivity, and a wireless charging pad. The system's navigation software pushed turn-by-turn directions to the driver's display, which could be annoying in city driving. The TrailSport trim's seven-speaker audio system was considered thin, with better options available in competitors.

The 2025 Lexus RX Hybrid met luxury expectations with high-tech features, though some expected items were optional. The RX 500h featured a 12.3-inch digital instrumentation panel and a 14-inch touchscreen display. The Lexus Interface infotainment system included a volume knob, climate control dials, and a conversational digital voice assistant. Standard features included wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and SiriusXM satellite radio. The RX offered a cloud-based navigation system and a Wi-Fi hotspot. The optional 21-speaker Mark Levinson audio system sounded great, but steering wheel controls were distracting.

The 2024 Honda Passport came standard with Honda Sensing, which included forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring, cross-traffic monitoring, and adaptive cruise control. Despite these features, the Passport received mixed crash test ratings, with an "Acceptable" rating from the IIHS and a five-star overall rating from the NHTSA.

The 2025 Lexus RX Hybrid featured Safety Connect, offering automatic collision notification, an SOS emergency assistance button, and roadside assistance. Lexus Safety System+ 3.0 included forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, lane-centering assist, and adaptive cruise control. The RX also had blind-spot monitoring and Predictive Driving Assist. The RX received a five-star overall safety rating from the NHTSA but a Poor rating from the IIHS in a frontal-impact test.