2024 Honda Passport vs 2025 Honda Pilot

The 2024 Honda Passport retained much of its previous-generation design, despite Honda's recent updates to other models like the Civic and Accord. The Passport's exterior featured a more upright grille and squared-off corners, but it still echoed older Honda designs. The Passport offered three trim levels: EX-L, TrailSport, and Black Edition, all equipped with leather seats, a power moonroof, identical touchscreens, and all-wheel drive. The TrailSport trim, designed for rugged appeal, included all-terrain tires, roof rails, and LED fog lights, but lacked true off-road enhancements like metal skid plates or recovery points. Inside, the Passport maintained a simple, utilitarian design with physical controls, an 8-inch touchscreen, and black leather upholstery with orange stitching in the TrailSport trim.

The 2025 Honda Pilot, available in multiple trims including the Black Edition, featured a more rugged design introduced in 2023. The Black Edition stood out with black wheels, blacked-out trim, and red accents inside. While the Pilot's interior design was thoughtful and used quality materials, the digital displays appeared dated compared to rivals. The Pilot's cabin offered practical storage solutions but lacked a significant "wow factor." The Black Edition's custom look was more suited for suburban environments, despite the TrailSport trim's off-roading capabilities. Overall, the Pilot was an attractive SUV, but its interior technology and design did not impress as much as some competitors.

The 2024 Honda Passport was powered by a naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V6 engine, producing 280 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. This engine, paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission, provided adequate acceleration and smooth gear shifts. The Passport's fuel economy was rated at 19 mpg city, 24 highway, and 21 combined. The TrailSport trim featured wider tracks, 18-inch wheels with all-terrain tires, and a suspension tuned for off-road driving. All Passports came with Honda's torque-vectoring iVTM4 AWD system and a traction-management system with multiple settings. The Passport's towing capacity was 5,000 pounds, surpassing some competitors but falling short of others like the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

The 2025 Honda Pilot also used a 3.5-liter V6 engine, but with a 10-speed automatic transmission, generating 285 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. The Pilot offered various driving modes, including Normal, Econ, Snow, Tow, Sport, Trail, and Sand. The AWD system featured torque vectoring and hill descent control, with up to 7.3 inches of ground clearance (8.3 inches for the TrailSport). The Pilot's fuel economy was less impressive, averaging 20 mpg on evaluation, below the EPA rating of 21 mpg combined. The Pilot's handling was predictable and secure, but the transmission occasionally felt slow to downshift. The Black Edition's 20-inch wheels contributed to a soft ride quality, and an adaptive-damping suspension system would have been beneficial.

The 2024 Honda Passport excelled in cargo capacity, offering 41.2 cubic feet behind the rear seats and 77.7 cubic feet with the rear seats folded. The Passport's interior was spacious, accommodating five adults comfortably, with ample cupholders and a redesigned center console for more storage. The Passport's rear-seat legroom was comparable to most competitors, and the overall design emphasized practicality and utility.

The 2025 Honda Pilot offered three rows of seating, with the Black Edition featuring comfortable and supportive front seats with heating and ventilation. However, the front passenger seat lacked adjustability, which was a drawback for long trips. The second-row seats were roomy, with a removable center section for easier access to the third row. The third row was suitable for adults for short periods, while younger children fit comfortably. The Pilot's cargo space was 18.6 cubic feet behind the third row, expanding to 48.5 cubic feet with the third row folded, and 86.5 cubic feet with both rear rows down. The Pilot also featured a hands-free power tailgate and a large storage well under the load floor.

The 2024 Honda Passport's technology included an 8-inch touchscreen, standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth connectivity, and a wireless charging pad. The infotainment system had sharp resolution and quick response, but the screen size felt small for the cabin's dimensions. The TrailSport and Black Edition trims included native navigation software, but the turn-by-turn directions on the driver's display were sometimes intrusive. The TrailSport's seven-speaker audio system was underwhelming compared to competitors' offerings.

The 2025 Honda Pilot's technology featured a 10.2-inch digital gauge panel and a 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system. The Black Edition included wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, SiriusXM satellite radio, and a 12-speaker Bose audio system. However, the wireless CarPlay function was problematic, and the voice recognition system often required multiple attempts to work correctly. The Pilot's CabinTalk feature allowed the driver to communicate with passengers over the stereo speakers, and a small head-up display was included. Overall, the Pilot's technology met basic expectations but did not stand out in the segment.

The 2024 Honda Passport came standard with a comprehensive suite of safety features under the "Honda Sensing" umbrella, including forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring, cross-traffic monitoring, and adaptive cruise control. However, the Passport's crash test ratings were less impressive, with the IIHS rating it "Acceptable" in the passenger-side small overlap crash test and "Marginal" in the updated side-impact crash tests. The NHTSA awarded the Passport five stars overall but gave it four stars in frontal and rollover crash tests.

The 2025 Honda Pilot also included a full array of Honda Sensing safety features, with additional parking sensors and a multi-view camera system with TrailWatch technology. However, the adaptive cruise control system had issues in traffic, and the lane-centering assist system affected the steering feel. The Pilot's road sign recognition system was often inaccurate. Despite these issues, the Pilot earned high marks in crash tests, with the IIHS naming it a Top Safety Pick+ and the NHTSA giving it an overall rating of five stars.