Honda CR-V vs Honda Passport: Which Honda SUV Is Best?
John Goreham is a life-long car nut and recovering engineer. John’s focus areas are technology, safety, and green vehicles. In the 1990s, he was part of an academic team that built a solar-electric vehicle from scratch. His was the role of the battery thermal control designer. After earning his engineering degree, John also completed a marketing program at Northeastern University. For 20 years, he applied his engineering and sales talents in the worlds of semiconductor manufacturing, biopharmaceutical production, and automotive electronics supply chain. Always a writer, John has published numerous articles in technical journals such as Chemical Processing Magazine. In 2008 he retired from that career and dedicated himself to chasing his dream of being an auto writer. In addition to online publications such as Car Talk, John’s work has appeared in print in dozens of American newspapers, and he provides reviews to many vehicle shopping sites.
Honda offers shoppers looking for a roomy five-passenger SUV two great choices.
The CR-V is a mainstay in the American family car market, often being among the top sellers in the country overall. We know that the CR-V defines that segment, but what is this reborn Passport all about?
I tested both the Honda CR-V and the Passport to see how the two compare. In this comparison and contrast, I won’t tell you which fits your lifestyle better, but I can break down the differences and similarities so you can decide.
Table of Contents
Honda CR-V vs. Honda Passport Comparison
| Model | Passenger Volume | Cargo Volume Seats Up/Down | HP | Annual Fuel Cost | Towing Max Rating |
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Tale of the Tape
We like to construct the tale of the tape charts that accompany these stories because they separate fact from fiction. Honda markets the Passport as a larger vehicle with more off-road capability than the CR-V offers. We don’t argue that point. However, how much more room, and how much more capability does the Passport really offer?
The CR-V has been updated for the 2023 model year with a larger interior space. However, this improvement in interior space size still falls short of the Passport. Overall, the cargo space for the 2023 Honda CR-V measures 76.5 cubic feet behind the first row. The 2023 Honda Passport comes in at 100.8 cubic feet of space.
The Takeaway: The Passport is bigger than the CR-V, but not by much.
What Is the Honda CR-V & Passport Designed For?
Honda has many peers that offer more and better off-road, soft road, and slippery road capability than its CR-V. The Subaru Forester is a beast compared to the tame CR-V in snow or when the kayak launch beckons. Subaru offers multiple snow modes for goodness sake. The RAV4 has two dedicated off-road trims. Mazda is launching an all-new model to take its CX-5’s ruggedness up a notch.
Rather than play this one-upmanship game with its CR-V, Honda opted out and created a new model to handle all of the off-road adventure duties that its brand’s shoppers might want to tackle. The job went to the Passport.
The Passport has a standard V6 engine, every trim has a spare tire (unlike the CR-V hybrids), and the Passport has multiple drive modes for snow and trail. Then there is ground clearance. Honda took away a bit to make the Passport better off-road than the CR-V. Wait, what? Yes, the Passport has less ground clearance than the CR-V. It doesn’t add up.
The Takeaway: Honda markets the Passport as a lifestyle vehicle with better off-road capabilities than the CR-V. However, it is no Wrangler or 4Runner.
Performance & Capabilities
Under the hood of the Passport is a stout V6 engine. Every Honda owner knows and loves these great V6 engines until they try Honda’s great new turbocharged four-cylinder engines. Honestly, having driven both, I think both are quick enough and fast enough for the duties they are asked to perform.
One huge advantage of the CR-V hybrid compared to the Passport is that it has a 10-year fuel cost savings of a whopping $11,000. That is hard to ignore if you are a family shopper that just needs an SUV for occasional snowy roads. Additionally, the Honda CR-V has updated the CVT transmission and the all-wheel-drive configuration to make it a better overall road performer.
The one area the Passport stomps the CR-V is towing. The Passport can tow up to 5,000 pounds. The CR-V’s max rating is 1,500 pounds, and the CR-V Hybrids max rating is zero. So if you tow a small boat, a pair of snowmobiles, or a landscape trailer occasionally, the CR-V is likely less SUV than you really need.
The Takeaway: If you’re planning to tow, get the Passport.
Safety
The bigger Passport has a lower IIHS safety rating than the smaller CR-V does. The CR-V is a Top Safety Pick, an award the Passport missed due to a small frontal overlap crash test that didn’t meet the “Good” level.
If you are shopping for the Passport over the CR-V for safety reasons, think again.
Reliability
Both the Passport and CR-V average out to a ⅘ rating from Consumer Reports with regard to reliability. There is no advantage in this comparison.
Current Honda CR-V Deals & Incentives
| Year | Make | Model | Cash Incentives (up to) | Best Avail. APR | Lease Offers | Expiration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Honda | CR-V | ||||
| 2024 | Honda | CR-V | 3.90% | $319/month for 36 months, $3,399 due at signing | 1/2/24 |
You may qualify for additional deals and incentives, check out this month's Honda deals and average prices paid.
Current Honda Passport Deals & Incentives
| Year | Make | Model | Cash Incentives (up to) | Best Avail. APR | Lease Offers | Expiration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Honda | Passport | ||||
| 2023 | Honda | Passport | 2.90% | $369/month for 36 months, $4,599 due at signing | 1/2/24 |
You may qualify for additional deals and incentives, check out this month's Honda deals and average prices paid.
Honda CR-V or Honda Passport, Which One Is Better?
The Honda CR-V and Honda Passport are roomy five-passenger SUVs that perform very well on-road.
Those towing may wish to consider the Passport with its 5,000-pound rating.
The Honda CR-V will appeal more to those looking for general family duties, and the Honda CR-V Hybrid is the green choice in this family.
