Compare the2023 Subaru OutbackVS 2023 Honda Passport

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Subaru Outback have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Honda Passport doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Subaru Outback has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Passport doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Outback has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Passport doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Outback (except Base/Premium) offers optional Reverse Automatic Braking that use rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. The Passport doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Outback’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Passport doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

The Outback’s optional driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Passport doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

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

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

	Outback	Passport
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	26%	28%
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.6 inches
Neck Compression	51 lbs.	69 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	161/137 lbs.	478/436 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 and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Subaru Outback is safer than the Honda Passport:

	Outback	Passport
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	28	109
Chest Movement	.5 inches	.6 inches
Abdominal Force	101 lbs.	101 lbs.
Hip Force	247 lbs.	269 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	116	233
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	14 inches	15 inches
HIC	146	406
Spine Acceleration	43 G’s	45 G’s
Hip Force	674 lbs.	838 lbs.

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

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Subaru Outback is much safer than the Passport:

	Outback	Passport
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
Structure	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	69	206
Neck Tension	156 lbs.	335 lbs.
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Pelvis Force	1026 lbs.	1339 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Neck Tension	67 lbs.	178 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Torso Max Deflection	1.42 in	2.05 in
Torso Deflection Rate	9 MPH	12 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Outback its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 29 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Passport is not even a standard “Top Safety Pick.”

Reliability

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the Outback’s engine. A rubber cam drive belt that needs periodic replacement drives the Passport’s camshafts. If the Passport’s belt breaks, the engine could be severely damaged when the pistons hit the opened valves.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Outback has a standard 150-amp alternator (190-amp - Outback XT). The Passport’s 130-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Honda With 4 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Subaru higher than Honda.

Engine

The Outback XT/Wilderness’ standard 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder produces 15 lbs.-ft. more torque (277 vs. 262) than the Passport’s 3.5 SOHC V6.

As tested in Motor Trend the Outback XT/Wilderness 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Honda Passport:

	Outback	Passport
Zero to 60 MPH	5.9 sec	6.6 sec
Quarter Mile	14.6 sec	15.1 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	95.9 MPH	89.2 MPH

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Outback lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability (That’s why Porsche uses boxer engines.). The Passport doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Outback gets better mileage than the Passport:

			MPG
Outback
	AWD	2.5 DOHC flat-4	26 city/32 hwy
		XT 2.4 turbo flat-4	22 city/29 hwy
		Wilderness 2.4 turbo flat-4	21 city/26 hwy
Passport
	AWD	3.5 SOHC V6	19 city/24 hwy

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Subaru Outback higher (6 to 7 out of 10) than the Honda Passport (3). This means the Outback produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Passport every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

The Outback has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Passport doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

The Outback’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Passport are solid, not vented.

The Outback stops much shorter than the Passport:

	Outback	Passport
60 to 0 MPH	125 feet	135 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

The Outback Wilderness/Onyx XT has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Passport; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

Suspension and Handling

The Outback Limited handles at .79 G’s, while the Passport Elite pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Outback Wilderness executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Passport Elite (27.2 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 28.1 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Outback’s turning circle is 3.2 feet tighter than the Passport AWD’s (36.1 feet vs. 39.3 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Outback has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Passport (8.7 vs. 8.1 inches), allowing the Outback to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Outback Wilderness’ minimum ground clearance is 1.4 inches higher than on the Passport (9.5 vs. 8.1 inches).

Chassis

The Subaru Outback may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 300 to 600 pounds less than the Honda Passport.

The front grille of the Outback 2.5i uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Passport doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

The Outback has .6 inches more front headroom and 1.9 inches more front legroom than the Passport.

Cargo Capacity

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the Outback easier. The Outback’s trunk lift-over height is 28.4 inches, while the Passport’s liftover is 32 inches.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Outback is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Passport. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because there are no rear spark plugs and the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

The Outback’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Passport’s parking brake has to be released manually.

The Outback Limited/Wilderness/Touring/Onyx Edition’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Passport’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Outback’s available exterior PIN entry system (not available on Outback Base). The Passport doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its HondaLink Assist can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Outback has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Passport doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The Outback’s power mirror controls are mounted on the armrest for easy access. The Passport’s power mirror controls are on the dash where they are possibly hidden by the steering wheel and are awkward to manipulate.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Outback owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Outback will cost $725 less than the Passport over a five-year period.

The Outback will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Outback will retain 52.14% to 55.07% of its original price after five years, while the Passport only retains 50.47% to 51.56%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Subaru Outback will be $8233 to $12361 less than for the Honda Passport.

Recommendations

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

The Subaru Outback outsold the Honda Passport by almost four to one during 2022.