Photo: Honda
It’s not uncommon for automakers to hike up the starting price of a popular vehicle such as a crossover with each and every model year by increments of a few hundred bucks. Honda chose not to do it for 2020 with the Passport, the five-seater sibling of the Pilot that promises best-in-class interior volume.
Re-introduced to the Honda roster for 2019, the MSRP stays put at $31,990 excluding $1,095 for destination and handling. This makes the Passport only $440 more expensive than the Pilot, and given the extensive list of standard equipment, it’s pretty good value as well for a mid-size crossover.
Both nameplates share the i-VTEC V6 engine, a 3.5-liter relying on natural aspiration to develop 280 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. Front- and all-wheel-drive options are mated to a 9-speed automatic transmission - and speaking of which, i-VTM4 with torque vectoring retails at $2,000.
Four trim levels are available for the 2020 model year, starting with the Sport. The EX-L sets off from $36,410, Touring costs $39,280, and the all-wheel-drive Elite will set you back $43,780 excluding freight. Honda expects the Passport to receive the Top Safety Pick rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which would mirror the award for the 2019 model year. The reason there’s no plus in the rating comes in the guise of “acceptable” and “poor” performances in the small overlap front passenger-side test, as well as the headlights test.
20-inch wheels, the Honda Sensing suite, more ride height than the Pilot, a basement cargo area under the trunk’s floor, there’s a lot to like about the Passport even in bargain-basic flavor. Available features include an 8.0-inch infotainment system that Honda calls Display Audio, a Wi-Fi hotspot, wireless phone charging for Qi-enabled devices, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto.
Like the Pilot, the third generation of the Passport is manufactured with pride in the United States. The Lincoln plant in Alabama also makes the Ridgeline, a unibody pickup truck that undercuts both crossovers with a starting price of $29,990.
Both nameplates share the i-VTEC V6 engine, a 3.5-liter relying on natural aspiration to develop 280 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. Front- and all-wheel-drive options are mated to a 9-speed automatic transmission - and speaking of which, i-VTM4 with torque vectoring retails at $2,000.
Four trim levels are available for the 2020 model year, starting with the Sport. The EX-L sets off from $36,410, Touring costs $39,280, and the all-wheel-drive Elite will set you back $43,780 excluding freight. Honda expects the Passport to receive the Top Safety Pick rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which would mirror the award for the 2019 model year. The reason there’s no plus in the rating comes in the guise of “acceptable” and “poor” performances in the small overlap front passenger-side test, as well as the headlights test.
20-inch wheels, the Honda Sensing suite, more ride height than the Pilot, a basement cargo area under the trunk’s floor, there’s a lot to like about the Passport even in bargain-basic flavor. Available features include an 8.0-inch infotainment system that Honda calls Display Audio, a Wi-Fi hotspot, wireless phone charging for Qi-enabled devices, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto.
Like the Pilot, the third generation of the Passport is manufactured with pride in the United States. The Lincoln plant in Alabama also makes the Ridgeline, a unibody pickup truck that undercuts both crossovers with a starting price of $29,990.
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