Compare the2023 Honda PassportVS 2023 Mercedes GLB

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Passport are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The GLB doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

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 GLB’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 GLB.

The Passport’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the GLB.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Passport’s standard rear cross-path warning system uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The GLB doesn’t offer a cross-path warning system.

Both the Passport and the GLB 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, blind spot warning systems and rearview cameras.

Honda’s powertrain warranty covers the Passport 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Mercedes covers the GLB. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the GLB ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

Honda pays for scheduled maintenance on the Passport for 2 years and 24,000 miles. Honda will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Mercedes doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the GLB.

There are almost 3 times as many Honda dealers as there are Mercedes dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Passport’s warranty.

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

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Passport’s reliability 41 points higher than the GLB.

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

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Mercedes vehicles. With 6 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Honda higher than Mercedes.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 19 places higher in reliability than Mercedes.

The Passport’s 3.5 SOHC V6 produces 59 more horsepower (280 vs. 221) and 4 lbs.-ft. more torque (262 vs. 258) than the GLB’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Honda Passport is faster than the Mercedes GLB:

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

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Honda Passport uses regular unleaded gasoline. The GLB requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Passport has 3.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the GLB (19.5 vs. 15.9 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 GLB doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

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 GLB.

For better traction, the Passport has larger standard tires than the GLB (245/60R18 vs. 235/55R18). The Passport EX-L/Elite’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the GLB (265/45R20 vs. 235/55R18).

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 GLB doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Passport has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the GLB; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed. Some tire options on the GLB don’t have a run-flat feature, either.

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Passport is 3.7 inches wider in the front and 3.7 inches wider in the rear than the track on the GLB.

For greater off-road capability the Passport has a greater minimum ground clearance than the GLB (8.1 vs. 7.9 inches), allowing the Passport to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

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

The Passport has 6.1 inches more front shoulder room, .7 inches more rear headroom, 1.5 inches more rear legroom and 7 inches more rear shoulder room than the GLB.

The Passport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the GLB with its rear seat up (41.2 vs. 5.1 cubic feet). The Passport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the GLB with its rear seat folded (77.7 vs. 62 cubic feet).

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

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

The Passport has a 5000 lbs. towing capacity. The GLB has no 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 GLB doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Passport has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the GLB only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

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

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Passport has standard extendable sun visors. The GLB doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Passport to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The GLB doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Passport has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats cost extra on the GLB. The Passport Elite also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated second row seats aren’t available in the GLB.

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 GLB.

Insurance will cost less for the Passport owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Passport will cost $560 to $1305 less than the GLB over a five-year period.

The Passport will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Passport will retain 50.47% to 51.56% of its original price after five years, while the GLB only retains 46.13% to 48.36%.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Honda Passport, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Mercedes GLB isn't recommended.

The Honda Passport outsold the Mercedes GLB by 77% during 2022.