Compare the2023 Honda PassportVS 2022 Toyota Highlander

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
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 Highlander’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Passport. But it costs extra on the Highlander.

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. Only the Highlander LE/XLE/XSE/Limited/Platinum offers a blind spot warning system.

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. Only the Highlander LE/XLE/XSE/Limited/Platinum has a rear cross-path warning system.

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

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 Toyota Highlander:

	Passport	Highlander
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	149	292
Neck Injury Risk	28%	38.2%
Neck Stress	189 lbs.	347 lbs.
Neck Compression	36 lbs.	55 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	46/243 lbs.	321/243 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	216	328
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.6 inches
Neck Stress	116 lbs.	179 lbs.
Neck Compression	69 lbs.	90 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 Toyota Highlander:

	Passport	Highlander
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	269 lbs.	300 lbs.

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

Reliability

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

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Passport third among midsize suvs in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The Highlander isn’t in the top three in its category.

Engine

As tested in Motor Trend the Honda Passport is faster than the Toyota Highlander:

	Passport	Highlander
Zero to 60 MPH	6.2 sec	7.4 sec
Quarter Mile	14.7 sec	15.7 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	94 MPH	90.7 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 Highlander doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

The Passport has 1.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the Highlander (19.5 vs. 17.9 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 Highlander doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Transmission

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Honda Passport, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Highlander.

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Passport has larger standard tires than the Highlander (245/60R18 vs. 235/65R18). The Passport EX-L/Elite’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Highlander (265/45R20 vs. 235/65R18).

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 Highlander L/LE/XLE’s standard 65 series tires. The Passport EX-L/Elite’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Highlander XSE/Limited/Platinum’s 55 series tires.

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 Highlander 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 Highlander doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Passport is 1.6 inches wider in the front and 1.5 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Highlander.

For greater off-road capability the Passport has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Highlander (8.1 vs. 8 inches), allowing the Passport to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The Passport is 5.8 inches shorter than the Highlander, making the Passport easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

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

Passenger Space

The Passport has 1.9 inches more front hip room, 3 inches more front shoulder room, .6 inches more rear headroom, .3 inches more rear hip room and 3.2 inches more rear shoulder room than the Highlander.

Cargo Capacity

The Passport has a much larger cargo volume than the Highlander with its rear seat up (41.2 vs. 16 cubic feet).

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

Ergonomics

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 Highlander doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

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 Highlander’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Consumer Reports rated the Passport’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Highlander’s headlights, which were rated “Good.”

The Passport’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Highlander offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

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. Only the Highlander XLE/XSE/Limited/Platinum offers wireless charging.

Recommendations

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

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