I saw my first new Honda Passport

"Chuckles" (chucklesw37) 03/12/2019 at 13:18 • Filed to: Honda Passport

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Also I washed my car for the first time in 4 months and wanted to show it off.

Someone that works with me sprang for the Elite trim Passport. I actually like it quite a bit, but I couldn’t see myself spending $43,000 on a Honda (or any car if I’m being honest).

Ash78, voting early and often > Chuckles 03/12/2019 at 13:26

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I would totally buy some old Isuzu Rodeo badges for this.

Chuckles > Ash78, voting early and often 03/12/2019 at 13:26

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That is a brilliant idea.

HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute > Ash78, voting early and often 03/12/2019 at 13:27

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Whoo that’ll piss off the “purists” if there’s even such a group  for those

Ash78, voting early and often > HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute 03/12/2019 at 13:28

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I actually call fancy Honda owners “Elitists”

(no, I didn’t just make that up...they’re the upper class people who buy overpriced Honda trimlines just to act like they’re commoners.)

HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute > Ash78, voting early and often 03/12/2019 at 13:29

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I see what you did there.... *Elite*ists cuz thats the highest trim....lol

HammerheadFistpunch > Chuckles 03/12/2019 at 13:41

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for 43 grand you can get a loaded 4runner off-road premium, or pretty well equipped grand cherokee limited.  (or a kinda poorly equipped 4 door wrangler).  I just have a hard time trying to figure out why buy this.  I mean you could get a pretty well equipped pilot for less.  I don’t know, I guess I don’t see the point of buying a slightly smaller version of the same vehicle for the same price.  Are people really THAT insecure about being seen in a 3 row version of the same vehicle?

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > Chuckles 03/12/2019 at 13:47

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Saw one for he first time yesterday as well. Since it’s based on the pilot and lifted and shortened, it looks seriously jacked up .

There was a Durango and Cx-9 next to it and I kid you not the Passport actually made a CX-9 look small.

HoustonRunner > HammerheadFistpunch 03/12/2019 at 13:49

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Not everyone . (Checks current fleet: Suburban, Pathfinder [the newer CUV version], Chrysler T&C minivan - all have three rows)

Chuckles > HammerheadFistpunch 03/12/2019 at 13:50

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It certainly isn’t a value proposition, but I kind of get it. A slightly smaller Pilot should have a better power to weight ratio and get slightly better gas mileage by virtue of those weight savings, right? Plus I think it looks better because they ditch all of the gaudy chrome trim that the Pilot has.

You could almost think of the Passport and Pilot as 2 different variants of the same vehicle. Need the 3rd row, get a Pilot. If not, take the one with slightly better performance and better ground clearance.

As for cross shopping against a 4runner or grand cherokee, some people just like Hondas and are never going to do much offroad driving anyway.

HammerheadFistpunch > HoustonRunner 03/12/2019 at 13:53

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both my vehicles are 3 row.  I have no problem with it.  

HammerheadFistpunch > Chuckles 03/12/2019 at 13:54

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I guess what I’m getting at is why make a 2 row version at all? I guess I just don’t understand the 2 row midsize crossover market very well.

As for weight...there isn’t much in it

77-82 lbs.  Hardly seems worth the tradeoff of being able to carry way more people and stuff as needed.  

Chuckles > HammerheadFistpunch 03/12/2019 at 13:58

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I’m not opposed to 3 rows, as I started out driving a pair of minivans. But I have no use for that third row. I hardly ever need a second row. If you have kids, great, get seating for 6 or 7. But for me that’s just a lot of empty seats.

I would absolutely buy a Pilot at the right price but if the Passport and Pilot were the same price and I had to choose one, give me the one without chrome every time.

HammerheadFistpunch > Chuckles 03/12/2019 at 14:00

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I appreciate the chrome delete. Seems like Honda could have saved themselves a lot of trouble by just making an adventure trim of the pilot with the slight bump in clearance, the 3rd row as optional and all the appearance package details of the Passport.

Chuckles > HammerheadFistpunch 03/12/2019 at 14:04

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I feel the same way about the chrome trim on the Civic. I think that the new Civic sedans may have even adopted the non chrome bumper from the hatch.

I live in PA. I'm sure that most people who buy a Passport here are doing it because they want AWD for the snow and not to drive offroad. The choice between Pilot and Passport will be dictated by how often they have passengers.

MUSASHI66 > HammerheadFistpunch 03/12/2019 at 14:12

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This will be way more comfortable than the 4Runner, and more than likely would be better for luggage. Not everyone needs 3 rows. 

Chuckles > HammerheadFistpunch 03/12/2019 at 14:13

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Also, it's worth mentioning that while a base Passport is a few dollars more than a base Pilot, the Elite Passport is $43,680 while the Elite Pilot is $48,020. So there's some incentive to not get that third row if you don't need it. 

E92M3 > Chuckles 03/12/2019 at 14:20

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I’m actually considering one to replace my 2009 MDX. One thing most reviews don’t mention is the Passport has dual valve shocks. In the normal setting they have a stiffer rebound/compression setting providing sportier handling on road than the Pilot. If you switch to one of the terrain settings it utilizes the other valve and softens the suspension to absorb bumps, and provide more wheel travel. While $43k seems like a lot, to get a Pilot with ven tilated seats, heated rear seats, a heated stee ring wheel, wireless charger you’re looking at $50k. I would have to f ind different wheels though. I’m not digging these 20 inch wheels. It’s a toss up between the Passport, or the Ridgeline. I can get a Ridgeline how I want it for around $35k, but no ventialted sea ts are available. Another nod to the Ridgeline is the proven   6 spd trans vs the ZF 9 spd in the Passport.

Chuckles > E92M3 03/12/2019 at 14:26

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I suppose it depends on your cargo/passenger needs.

I’m not really in the market for either (my largest car is the Fiat in the picture), but it looks nice. When it is time to replace my other half's car, I will be looking for something larger and more comfortable. The Passport looked like a nice place to be, but I'll be looking for something sub-$10,000.

Chuckles > MUSASHI66 03/12/2019 at 14:36

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3 rows is excessive for a lot of people. I only use my second row a few times a year, and at 33 years old it's not like I'm suddenly going to have a bunch of friends that all need rides. That third row would just collect dust.

MUSASHI66 > Chuckles 03/12/2019 at 14:46

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I had a 2013 Pilot. Never used the third row , not even once. I just liked the space behind the 2nd row for dogs.

Chuckles > MUSASHI66 03/12/2019 at 14:51

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My dog doesn’t need too much space.

Nibby > Chuckles 03/12/2019 at 15:12

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if you can’t see yourself spending $43,000 on a car for yourself, you should buy me a $43,000 car

Chuckles > Nibby 03/12/2019 at 15:16

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Tempting, but no. I couldn't even if I wanted to. That Fiat in the picture is the most expensive car I've purchased in my 17ish years of driving, and I paid $7,500 for it.

Nibby > Chuckles 03/12/2019 at 15:21

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:(

Manny05x > Chuckles 03/12/2019 at 20:08

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I would take an RDX over this.

Chuckles > Manny05x 03/12/2019 at 20:14

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That's fair. I haven't really looked at the specs side by side but that I wouldn't blame you for taking the Acura.

DuckHunter71 > Chuckles 03/12/2019 at 22:33

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We were waiting for the Passports to come out, but when my wife saw that they were strictly blacked out trim with dark wheels and gray/black interiors, she decided the Pilot was more her style. We got a Touring AWD in White Diamond Pearl with the tan interior and really like it. We don’t have kids yet, but liked the idea of it being a long time before we outgrow this vehicle.

I would still like to check out a Passport for kicks.

Chuckles > DuckHunter71 03/12/2019 at 22:43

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I like the Pilot, but the chrome- free Passport is much more my style. Plus we don't plan on having children so we probably won't ever need that third row.

someoneatacura > E92M3 04/22/2019 at 16:39

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The dampers are “Amplitude Reactive”, not switchable. It means they use 2 valves, one for small bumps, another for large. It lets them be a bit more firm for handling while still compliant enough to absorb large impacts. Acura has been using these since 2013/2014. The ZF9 speed was updated for the 2019 model year, with software and hardware changes, It’s a much better box than the previous years.

someoneatacura > HammerheadFistpunch 04/22/2019 at 16:54

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The Passport has more space in it’s second row because of the lack of a 3rd row. It also has all the storage under the floor that is protected because of the lack of that row as well.

HammerheadFistpunch > someoneatacura 04/22/2019 at 17:07

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hardly seems worth the effort of an entirely new model though doesn’t it?

someoneatacura > HammerheadFistpunch 04/22/2019 at 17:26

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The amount of work required to make this car is similar to making a slightly smaller batch of cookies as far as H onda is concerned. Same ingredients, slightly less of each. Even the wheel base is the same, so the running gear is pretty much identical.

HammerheadFistpunch > someoneatacura 04/22/2019 at 17:28

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not...really. It’ s a new chassis in that a unibody cut down is still a new vehicle. To say nothing of having to certify and federalize a new model. It means new sheet metal stampings, it means production line utilization it means crash testing, EPA certification, etc etc.  to say nothing of marketing and selling a new model.  This wasn’t cheap.  Cheaper than a new model, yes, but I can’t really see the benefit.  

someoneatacura > HammerheadFistpunch 04/22/2019 at 17:49

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It’s nothing like producing a fully new car. Again, all running gear is identical. Suspension is slightly different but even then I think it’s only the springs that changed (need to confirm, I read that somewhere). A pillars forward is identical sans for the bumper treatment and grill , Interior trim in the first row is the same etc etc. If you consider how much H onda was losing a year in sales, versus how much this cost them to produce, the answer is easy.

HammerheadFistpunch > someoneatacura 04/22/2019 at 17:50

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Yes...It’s a new chassis, it has to be built differently than the pilot and it has still has to be treated as a new car from the standpoint of federalization. This won’ t be a huge seller for Honda.  Obviously they think it has a business case, but they also thought the previous and current gen ridgeline do/did.  We’ll see.  

someoneatacura > HammerheadFistpunch 04/22/2019 at 18:14

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Y es, the Unibody had to be remade and certified, but the parts attached to it are largely identical. Remember, Manufactures survey owners, and if enough people said they wish they had a car in between the P ilot and CRV, the business case is already made. I personally am one of those buyers, as the CR-V doesn’t have the towing capacity I want, and the Pilot has a row of seats I’ll never use. I am still holding off however as I want a Hybrid/PHEV version (Not sure if that’ll neuter the tow rating though). There is a Pilot out there with a Charging port on it’s front fender, but not much else is known at this time.

E92M3 > someoneatacura 04/23/2019 at 18:34

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Oh ok, I guess I misunderstood. D o you know if the Ridgeline uses a similar shock?

someoneatacura > E92M3 04/23/2019 at 20:08

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it does not appear so, they stated it on the Passport specifications, but not the ridgeline.