Compare the 2020 Honda Passport Sport and the 2020 Honda Passport Elite

The Honda Passport nameplate was resurrected with success. The new model doesn't resemble the old one at all. It's a modern, well-equipped crossover laden with standard features. Its interior borders on luxurious, and its driving appeal is also a big selling point. The base trim designated the Sport is anything but bare-bones, and the top trim, the Elite, comes with the full plate load of features.

Performance

Both the Sport and Elite trims are powered by a 3.5L V6 engine rated at 280 horsepower. The transmission is a nine-speed automatic. The Sport comes with standard front-wheel drive, but all-wheel drive is optional. The Elite trim gets all-wheel drive as standard.

The V6 engine delivers quick, punchy acceleration. The transmission is smooth-shifting, and there's good shift response at low speeds. Acceleration is good for this vehicle class, with the Passport going from a full stop to 60 mph in just under seven seconds. Handling characteristics are noteworthy. The steering is nicely weighted, and drivers take the sharp corners and freeway turns with ease.

Appearance

The 2020 Passport is designed much like the Honda Pilot, but there's no third row. Even so, this vehicle is one of the largest in the mid-size SUV class. The roofline is gently sloping, and the front end, although a bit squarish, presents a nice appearance thanks to the beautifully designed grille and front fascia.

The Sport trim comes with LED headlights, and the Elite trim adds on a power liftgate and sunroof. Both trims are offered with the same choices of exterior colors.

Features

The 2020 Honda Passport Sport trim has keyless entry and ignition, three-zone automatic climate control, and a 60/40-split rear bench seat. It also features most of the Honda safety suite of driver aids. Lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, and forward-collision warning with automatic braking are all standard. The 5-inch screen display is easy to navigate, and the seven-speaker audio system is of very high quality.

The Elite trim is quite luxurious on the inside. Leather upholstery, power-adjustable front seats, driver-seat memory settings, ventilated front seats, and a heated steering wheel are all standard features. It gets an 8-inch screen display, a 10-speaker audio system, navigation, and a wireless smartphone charging pad. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone app integration are included, and the safety suite includes blind-spot monitoring and parking sensors.

Both the Sport and Elite trim have the same seating arrangement, and passengers will enjoy a good deal of headroom and legroom. Most of the forward control panel layout is physical knobs and buttons, and this makes it easy to change settings without having to hunt around for an on-screen icon. The Passport's shifter is also push-button style touch-control.

The Honda Passport Sport and Elite trims offer buyers plenty of standard features for an affordable price. See them both at Delray Honda, and contact the dealer ahead of time to ask about current inventory, package specials for the Elite trim, and seasonal price incentives. Take them for a test drive to see how they stack up against the competing models from other automakers.