There are four trims available with the 2019 Honda passport. The base trim, which cost $31,990, has all the necessary features, but it sucks in the infotainment department. You have the EX-L trim which fills up the holes in the Sport trim and is friendly towards your pockets. The Touring is the high-tier trim that has almost all the features available on the Passport lineup, but the topmost Elite trim sits on the throne with some trim-specific features.

Some standard features given on the Passport include cloth seats, manual-tilt and telescopic steering wheel, remote ignition, Three-zone automatic climate control, 20-inch alloy wheels, LED taillights, 7-speaker sound system, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Honda Sensing safety package which includes forward collision mitigation warning, lane departure alert, adaptive cruise control, and lane-keep assist.

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There is no doubt that Elite trim is the most alluring trim of all with all the bells and whistles, but we would suggest you go with the best value-for-money EX-L trim. It does lack some features which are reserved for the Touring or Elite trim. However, you get blind-spot monitoring, rear-cross traffic alert features, and leather seats.

Inside all the trims of the 2019 Passport, you will find a 3.5 Liter naturally aspirated engine betrothed to a 9-speed automatic transmission. It churns out 280 hp and 262 lb-ft of torque, and power gets sent to the front wheels as standard, but AWD is an option as well. Elite is the only trim which has AWD as standard.

With the above arrangement, the 2019 Passport sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 6.2 seconds, which is a quirky acceleration for a midsize SUV. This makes it the second-fastest SUV in the competition because the top spot has been stolen by the Blazer with just 0.1 seconds difference. Blazer also has the highest power figures among the rivals.

The top spot might have been stolen by the Blazer, but in terms of top speed, the Grand Cherokee is the winner. However, the Grand Cherokee has the worst acceleration as it crosses 0-60 mph in 7.7 seconds. Meanwhile, the Edge is the only SUV in the competition with a different engine configuration and a turbocharger. That said, it reaches 60 mph from the standstill 0.1 seconds earlier than the Grand Cherokee.

Ride and Handling

The 2019 Honda is nimble on the road despite facing the high air resistance because of the height. The throttle response is smooth, and you can feel the punchy acceleration as you go hard with the gas pedal. The ride is stable, and the steering response is great. It is easy to change the lanes, and the Passport poses no problem on the sharp turns. The transmission is in great sync with the engine, and you can enjoy your ride over long distances.

Honda lacks the hill descent control, but it still offers a comfortable drive and gives a decent off-road experience. But as compared to rivals, it is still lacking. You also have off-road driving modes if you are driving on sand, snow, or muddy terrain. There is a color-changing light strip on the gauge cluster which shows how good you’re driving the passport. It can tow up to 5,000 lbs, which is significantly higher than the other SUVs in the competition.

Braking:

The 2019 Honda Passport has the smallest front brake rotors, but it has the biggest pair of rear brake rotors which are also shared by the Grand Cherokee. The Passport requires 130 feet to come to halt from 60 mph, which is close to average for the midsize SUV. The brakes are responsive, but the brake pedal can be sloppy under hard braking. 

Despite having the highest curb weight, the Grand Cherokee takes just 124 feet to go from 60-0 mph, which is the least braking distance in the competition. The Blazer has the smallest rear brake rotor, same as the Edge, and it stops 2 feet further than the Grand Cherokee. Lastly, the Edge has a braking distance that is one feet less than the Passport. 

As per the EPA estimates, the 2019 Passport with the AWD returns a fuel economy of 19 mpg in the city, 24 mpg on the highway, and 21 mpg combined. However, if you select the FWD, you will get 20/25/22 mpg in city/highway/combined. Passport has a modest fuel capacity of 19.5 gallons, which is one gallon more than the Edge. However, Edge has the better range. 

Ford Edge has the least thirsty engine in the segment, but it has the smallest fuel tank. The Grand Cherokee and Blazer share the same fuel economy figures, but since Grand Cherokee has the biggest fuel tank in the competition, it has a significantly higher range as compared to Blazer or any other SUV in the competition.

The interior is very spacious, but the quality of the material is not very high. On the door panels, you have gloss black trim which is also present throughout the cabin in various places that will collect the dust and leave fingerprints. The dash has a soft-touch material, and the armrest is covered in leather. You get the cloth upholstery as standard on the base trim, but as you move up in the trim range, leather upholstery is offered for more comfort. A ton of head and legroom is given in the rear row. Even a person over 6.4 feet will have no problem sitting in the back. The steering wheel is wrapped in leather for the Touring and higher trims. 

The driver seat has a standard 6-way manual adjustment, but an 8-way power adjustment with power lumbar support and memory function is available as well. The passenger seat has a 4-way manual adjustment on the Touring and higher trims. Heated front seats are not given on the base trim, while the heated rear seats are only offered for the Touring and Elite trim. The Elite trim also adds the ventilation function for the front seats. On the 2019 Passport, you have 60/40 split-folding rear seats which can increase the cargo space from 41.2 cu-ft to 77.9 cu-ft.

After a detailed evaluation, Honda comes out as the most spacious SUV in the segment despite having a shorter wheelbase than any other rival. It also has the biggest trunk, while the smallest trunk is given on the Chevrolet. Ford has the best legroom in both rows, but it still falls short on passenger volume by 2 cu-ft as compared to the Honda. The most crampy car is the Jeep that has 105.4 cu-ft of passenger volume, even though it has the biggest wheelbase. That said, in terms of passenger volume, the Chevrolet sits in between the Ford and Jeep. 

The 2019 Passport is brimming with creature comforts. Some of these include manual Tilt and telescopic steering column, tri-zone automatic climate control, Power door and liftgate locks, HomeLink, a single 115-volt power outlet, two 12-volt power outlets, available Blue ambient LED lighting and front courtesy door lights, day and night rear-view mirror, overhead console with mirror and sunglass holder, eight cup holders, available rear Integrated sunshades, rear window defroster, and rear AC and heater vents. The highlights of the interior are:

• Cloth seats 
• Leather seats (available)
• Heated leather-wrapped steering wheel (available)
• Tri-zone automatic climate control
• Heated front seats (available)
• Ventilated rear seats (available)
• Front row power windows
• Rear window defroster
• Push-button ignition
• HomeLink (available)

Infotainment System:

The base trim does not have a touchscreen but a 5-inch LCD screen which can be controlled with the buttons. On the higher trims, you can get the 8-inch touchscreen. The infotainment screen is not angled properly which is a bit disconcerting. The standard features offered on the 2019 Passport are Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, a 7-speaker sound system, two USB ports, HondaLink, Siri-eyes free, Wi-Fi, and auxiliary media jack. You can also get a 10-speaker premium sound system, wireless charging, SiriusXM, HD radio, and navigation on the higher trims. The highlights of the infotainment system are:

• 5-inch non-touch LCD 
• 8-inch touchscreen with navigation (Available)
• Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• SiriusXM (available)
• Wireless charging (available)
• 7-speaker sound system

As per Honda's claim, the Passport is a rugged SUV, but we are not really digging it. It does have an off-road charm, but opponents such as Jeep and Chevrolet have more off-road feel. At the font, you have a black grille with a gloss black surround. The headlight housing is huge which fits the LED headlights and LED DRLs, but despite the big setup, fog lights and turn signals are in the front bumpers. On the hood, you have a V-shaped bump which makes the front design a bit distinctive. Coming to the side, the profile is very similar to the big brother Pilot. On the backside, you have the roof spoiler, LED tail lights, and dual exhaust pipes with the chrome tips top to make the Passport look more sporty and aggressive.

On the top, you have available roof rails but crossbars are standard. The base trim lacks what other trims have, which is a more convenient liftgate. The Touring trim has the remotely controlled power liftgate, while Elite trim has the hands-free power liftgate. The 2019 Honda runs on 20-inch alloy wheels and has the power outside mirrors with manual-folding as standard, but you can get power heated outside mirrors with memory function and turn signal indicators on the higher trims as well. The one-touch power tilt and slide moonroof is given on all the trims except the base one.

Jeep tilts the weight scale more than any other car in the competition which directly affects its performance. On the other hand, the lightest one in the bunch is Ford. That said, Chevrolet has the least ground clearance, but it is the longest and widest one among the rivals. With the biggest wheelbase and ground clearance, Jeep offers a better off-riding experience. The Passport has the shortest wheelbase, which gives it more agility and stability on the ground. The highlights of the exterior are:

• 20-inch alloy wheels
• LED headlights and fog lights 
• Hands-free power liftgate (available)
• Dual-chrome exhaust tips
• Rear roof spoiler
• One-touch power tilt and slide moonroof (available)
• Acoustic windshield (available)
• Walk away door lock
• Acoustic front and rear door windows (available)
• Rain sensing wiper (available)

The 2019 Passport lineup is filled with an array of active safety features which along with the ‘3-bone structure’, Ultra-High-Strength Door Rings, and Cast Magnesium Steering Hanger Beam contributes the high level of safety in event of a crash or avoiding such incidents from happening. The 2019 Passport has received an overall 5-star safety rating from the NHTSA and ‘Good’ ratings in almost all crash tests by the IIHS. It has also managed to earn the ‘Top Safety Pick’ title for the 2019 midsize SUV segment from the IIHS.

Apart from the awe-inspiring safety ratings, the 2019 Passport has the Honda Sensing Safety package standard on all the trims. It includes features such as collision mitigation braking system, road departure mitigation, lane departure alert, adaptive cruise control, and more. You also get features such as lane to keep assist, hill start assist, and trailer stability assist. The rear cross-traffic alert and blind-spot monitoring features are available on every trim except the Sport. The highlights of the safety features are:

• Adaptive cruise control
• Forward collision alert
• Lane departure alert
• Road Departure Mitigation
• Trailer Stability Assist
• Lane-keep assist
• Front and rear parking sensors (available)

2019 Honda Passport Vs Ford Edge

In terms of power and acceleration, the Passport surpasses the Edge, but when you consider the fuel efficiency, Edge performs much better than the Passport. The 2019 Ford Edge also has high mileage, but Passport counters with the more spacious interior which puts odds in its favor. Both Passport and Edge have received the same ‘Top Safety Pick’ title from the IIHS, but in terms of ratings, the 2019 Edge has the edge.

2019 Honda Passport Vs Jeep Grand Cherokee

The Grand Cherokee not only weighs 528 lbs more than the Passport but is also 1.5 seconds slower in terms of acceleration. However, the 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee has better off-road capabilities, whereas the Passport is more practical with its roomy interior, better standard features, and a bigger trunk. Therefore, the 2019 Passport is a much better choice against the Grand Cherokee which has unimpressive safety ratings. 

2019 Honda Passport Vs Chevrolet Blazer

The 2019 Chevrolet Blazer not only has a better engine output, but it also has slightly quicker acceleration than the Passport. There is no safety title given to the 2019 Chevrolet Blazer, but in the crash prevention tests conducted by IIHS, it has better ratings. In terms of exterior look, the Blazer is much more seductive than the 2019 Passport.

If you want something cooler but less practical than the Honda Pilot, you can go with the 2019 Honda Passport. Moreover, if you are really looking for SUVs that offer a great off-roading experience, then Jeep or Durango have better options that you can explore. However, if you want to have the newest model in the Honda family which is an all-rounder, perfect for the normal daily commute, and is quick on its feet, then the 2019 Honda Passport is your right pick.