Honda Passport vs Jeep Compass

The 2024 Jeep Compass boasted an exterior that was notably unremarkable. In Michigan, we tested the Compass Altitude, showcasing a lively red two-tone paint job and blacked-out trim. However, the excitement quickly turned into confusion when the key fob failed to unlock the vehicle. It turned out that we were looking at the wrong car; our actual test vehicle was a white Compass with black plastic door handles and small wheels, reminiscent of a utility vehicle.

In its Sport trim, the Compass lacked any distinctive features other than the iconic seven-slot grille. The body shape and taillight design were generic, resembling many other compact SUVs from the past two decades unless upgraded to the Trailhawk. The Trailhawk stood out with red tow hooks, revised bumpers, and an elevated body, but without these, the vehicle was indistinguishable.

The interior of the Compass, particularly from the 2023 Limited we tested previously, shined significantly in higher trims. The updated models from 2022 onwards featured a thoroughly revamped cabin with larger screens and superior materials. Even in its base trim, the Compass had commendable interior design, with supportive cloth seats that included blue stitching and crosshatch inserts. Despite some plastic accents, the overall quality felt appropriate for its price range. However, the exterior design left much to be desired in terms of uniqueness, which is crucial for the Jeep brand.

Meanwhile, the 2024 Honda Passport retained much of its previous-generation look despite Honda's updated design language evident in other models. The Passport's styling changes stopped at minor tweaks in 2022, such as a more upright grille and squared-off corners. It came in three trims: EX-L, TrailSport, and Black Edition, each equipped with leather seats, power moonroof, identical touchscreens, and AWD as standard.

We tested the mid-tier TrailSport, which aimed to be rugged. It featured genuine all-terrain tires with a three-peak mountain snowflake emblem, indicating superior performance on snowy surfaces. Roof rails and LED fog lights were also standard on the TrailSport.

The Passport TrailSport appeared rugged but fell short in functional off-road capabilities. Unlike the metal skid plates commonly found in true off-road vehicles, the Passport's skid plates were plastic, and it lacked recovery points in the bumpers. However, its 21.1-degree approach and 24.4-degree departure angles were commendable for a crossover in its class. On the inside, the Passport offered straightforward physical controls and a reasonably sized 8-inch touchscreen. Though the interior design was simple, the Passport integrated soft and upscale materials well, providing a utilitarian yet refined cabin atmosphere.

The 2024 Jeep Compass replaced its underwhelming 2.4-liter engine with a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four. This engine produced 200 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque, matched with an eight-speed automatic transmission and standard all-wheel drive. This setup transformed the Compass's performance, significantly reducing engine noise and offering capable acceleration for both city driving and highway merging.

Driving modes included auto, snow, and sand/mud, with a feature to lock torque distribution 50-50 front to rear. The Compass's rear-axle disconnect mechanism saved fuel by normally driving the front wheels, but its slow response under hard acceleration sometimes led to wheelspin. Nevertheless, pressing the 4WD Lock button engaged the rear wheels permanently. The Compass Trailhawk trim added a low-range transfer case for steep and slippery surfaces, although it was $7,000 pricier than the Sport trim. The maximum towing capacity for all trims was 2,000 pounds.

Steering and handling were the Compass's downsides. The steering lacked precision and had too much play off-center, while the handling was mushy with limited grip. While the ride was comfortable, it did not provide the expected car-like driving experience, especially compared to models like the Chevrolet Equinox and Toyota RAV4.

Fuel economy for the Compass was EPA-rated at 24 mpg city, 32 mpg highway, and 27 mpg combined, comparable to most of its competitors.

Conversely, the 2024 Honda Passport eschewed turbocharging and hybrids, sticking with a naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V6 engine. This engine produced 280 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque, managed by a nine-speed automatic transmission. The V6 delivered smooth acceleration, with the nine-speed gearbox providing unobtrusive shifting. However, peak torque occurred at 4,700 RPM, requiring higher revs for maximum power, unlike turbocharged engines.

Fuel economy was less favorable at 19 mpg city, 24 highway, and 21 combined. The TrailSport trim featured mechanical tweaks, including wider front and rear tracks and off-road suspension tuning, enhancing its rugged appeal.

The Passport excelled in steering performance, offering well-balanced and accurate steering with minimal play off-center, a rarity in vehicles of its size. The towing capacity topped out at 5,000 pounds, superior to the Subaru Outback Wilderness and Hyundai Santa Fe but not as high as the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Utility and ease of use were highlights for the 2024 Jeep Compass. The driver's seat featured clear analog gauges with a central color display for various information panels. Steering wheel buttons allowed for easy adjustment of stereo functions. The central control area included a regular PRNDL gear selector, a row of buttons beneath the touchscreen, and physical climate controls. However, the lack of actual temperature readouts, replaced by blue and red gradient bars, was a notable oversight.

Visibility was good, with ample headroom and legroom in both front and rear seats, even without a sunroof. Rear passengers also benefited from vents, USB ports, and a fold-down center armrest. Storage compartments were relatively small, but cargo space was reasonable with 27.2 cubic feet behind the rear seats, expanding to 59.8 cubic feet when folded. Additionally, trims with a manual front passenger seat allowed for easier transport of longer items by folding down the seat.

The 2024 Honda Passport dominated in cargo capacity. Offering 41.2 cubic feet of storage behind the rear seats and additional underfloor storage, it outperformed rivals like the Outback (32.6 cubic feet), Santa Fe (36.4), Grand Cherokee (37.7), and Ford Edge (39.2). With the 60/40-split rear seats folded, the capacity expanded to a massive 77.7 cubic feet, and the flat floor made loading long items simple.

Comfortably seating five adults, the Passport provided generous rear-seat legroom and a plethora of cupholders, with six available in the back seat alone. The center console saw a design change for 2024, transforming from a long, low storage unit to a taller, deeper one with a flip-up armrest, thus increasing storage.

The 2024 Jeep Compass came with a standard 10.1-inch touchscreen integrated with the Uconnect 5 software. This system was lauded for its slick performance, clear visuals, and ease of use. However, the home screen's design, which did not allow direct app switching, was a minor drawback. Standard features included wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, SiriusXM, 4G Wi-Fi, and USB-C ports. Optional features included factory navigation, a wireless charging pad, and a semi-automated driving system called Active Driving Assist.

The top High Altitude trim and optional packages for other trims offered a 10.3-inch digital instrument panel, navigation, live traffic updates, remote start, Alexa, and an enhanced stereo system. These additions enhanced the overall tech package significantly.

In contrast, the 2024 Honda Passport's tech felt somewhat outdated with an 8-inch touchscreen, even though it included Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Bluetooth, and a wireless charging pad as standard. While the screen itself had good resolution and response, its size was underwhelming for the spacious cabin. The in-dash navigation and turn-by-turn directions pushed to the driver’s info display could be annoying, especially in city driving where it dominated the screen.

The TrailSport model we tested came with a seven-speaker audio system, which did not impress, especially compared to upgraded audio options in competitors. The Black Edition offered a better 10-speaker system, but it still lagged behind premium offerings from McIntosh, Harmon Kardon, and Bose available in other vehicles.

The 2024 Jeep Compass had yet to be rated by the NHTSA at the time of this writing. However, the identical 2022 version received four out of five stars, with mixed results across different crash tests. Similarly, the 2023 Compass earned an IIHS Top Safety Pick, scoring top ratings in all six crash tests.

Standard safety features for the Compass included forward emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, and a driver attention monitor. Optional features like adaptive cruise control, parking sensors, and 360-degree cameras added another layer of safety.

In the 2024 Honda Passport, Honda Sensing bundled comprehensive safety features like forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring, cross-traffic monitoring, and adaptive cruise control. These features were standard across all trims.

Despite these features, the Passport did not fare as well in crash tests. The IIHS rated it “Acceptable” for passenger-side small overlap crashes and “Marginal” for updated side-impact tests, keeping it off the Top Safety Picks list. The NHTSA awarded the Passport five stars overall but with four out of five in frontal and rollover crash tests.