Compare the2022 Honda PassportVS 2022 Subaru Outback

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Recommendations

Safety

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Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Passport deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Passport’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Outback’s airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

The Passport has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the Outback’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Passport has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Rear cross-path warning costs extra on the Outback and isn't available on the not available.

Compared to metal, the Passport’s plastic fuel tank can withstand harder, more intrusive impacts without leaking; this decreases the possibility of fire. The Subaru Outback has a metal gas tank.

Both the Passport and the Outback have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras and available all wheel drive.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Honda Passport is safer than the Subaru Outback:

	Passport	Outback
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	149	158
Neck Stress	189 lbs.	281 lbs.
Neck Compression	36 lbs.	57 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	46/243 lbs.	230/249 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	216	241
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.6 inches
Neck Injury Risk	35%	43%
Neck Stress	116 lbs.	147 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH, results indicate that the Honda Passport is safer than the Subaru Outback:

	Passport	Outback
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	42 G’s	51 G’s
Hip Force	304 lbs.	635 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Passport is 1.1% to 1.6% less likely to roll over than the Outback.

Warranty

There are over 68 percent more Honda dealers than there are Subaru dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Passport’s warranty.

Reliability

The engine in the Passport has a single overhead cam for simplicity. The engines in the Outback have dual overhead cams, which add to the number of moving parts and the complexity of the cylinder heads.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Honda 17th in initial quality. With 18 more problems per 100 vehicles, Subaru is ranked 24th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Subaru vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 3 places higher in reliability than Subaru.

Engine

The Passport’s 3.5 SOHC V6 produces 98 more horsepower (280 vs. 182) and 86 lbs.-ft. more torque (262 vs. 176) than the Outback 2.5i’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Passport’s 3.5 SOHC V6 produces 20 more horsepower (280 vs. 260) than the Outback XT/Wilderness’ standard 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Honda Passport is faster than the Outback 2.5i 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder:

	Passport	Outback
Zero to 60 MPH	6.2 sec	8.7 sec
Quarter Mile	14.7 sec	16.6 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	94 MPH	86.1 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Passport’s fuel efficiency. The Outback doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

The Passport has a gallon more fuel capacity than the Outback (19.5 vs. 18.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Passport has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Outback doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Passport’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Outback:

	Passport	Outback
Front Rotors	12.6 inches	12.4 inches
Rear Rotors	13 inches	11.8 inches

The Passport stops shorter than the Outback:

	Passport	Outback
60 to 0 MPH	130 feet	132 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Passport has larger standard tires than the Outback (245/60R18 vs. 225/65R17). The Passport EX-L/Elite’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Outback (265/45R20 vs. 225/65R17).

The Passport TrailSport’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Outback’s standard 65 series tires. The Passport EX-L/Elite’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Outback Onyx Edition XT/Limited/Touring’s 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Passport TrailSport has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Outback. The Passport EX-L/Elite’s 20-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels on the Outback Onyx Edition XT/Limited/Touring.

The Passport has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Outback doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

The Passport has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Outback doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Passport’s wheelbase is 2.8 inches longer than on the Outback (110.9 inches vs. 108.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Passport is 4.9 inches wider in the front and 3.9 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Outback.

The Passport Elite AWD handles at .79 G’s, while the Outback Limited XT pulls only .75 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

Chassis

The Passport uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Outback doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Passport has 5.9 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Outback (114.9 vs. 109).

The Passport has 3.6 inches more front hip room, 3.9 inches more front shoulder room, .9 inches more rear headroom, .1 inches more rear legroom, 2.5 inches more rear hip room and 4.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Outback.

Cargo Capacity

The Passport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Outback with its rear seat up (41.2 vs. 32.5 cubic feet). The Passport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Outback with its rear seat folded (77.7 vs. 75.7 cubic feet).

The Passport’s cargo area is larger than the Outback’s in almost every dimension:

	Passport	Outback
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	42.5”/76”	42”/75”
Max Width	52”	51”
Min Width	45.5”	43.3”
Height	30”	32.1”

Pressing a button automatically lowers the Passport’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Outback doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Towing

The Passport’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Outback’s (3500 vs. 2700 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Subaru Outback is only 3500 pounds. The Passport AWD offers up to a 5000 lbs. towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Stability Assist on the Passport uses the Vehicle Stability Assist sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Outback doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Ergonomics

The Passport has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Outback doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The Passport’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Outback doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

If the windows are left open on the Passport the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Outback can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Passport’s standard speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Outback’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted. The Passport Elite’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield.

The Passport’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Subaru only offers heated mirrors on the Outback Premium/Limited/Wilderness/Touring/Onyx.

The Passport has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Outback Premium/Limited/Wilderness/Touring/Onyx.

Both the Passport and the Outback offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Passport has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Outback doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Honda Passport has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the Outback and isn’t available on the Outback Base.

The Passport TrailSport/Elite has a 115-volt a/c outlet, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Outback doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Model Availability

The Passport is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Outback doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Honda Passport and the Subaru Outback, based on reliability, safety and performance.