Compare the2023 Porsche MacanVS 2023 Honda Passport

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Porsche Macan 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 Porsche Macan has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help 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 Macan has a standard Multi-collision Brake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Passport doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

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

The Macan offers an optional Surround View to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Passport only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

Both the Macan 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, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available crash mitigating brakes and blind spot warning systems.

The Macan comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Passport’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The Macan’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Passport’s (12 vs. 5 years).

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the Macan’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.

The battery on the Macan is in the trunk, which protects it from hot underhood temperatures that can degrade battery life. By keeping the Macan’s battery 20 to 30 degrees cooler, its life is increased by years. The Passport’s battery is in the hot engine compartment.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Porsche vehicles are more reliable than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Porsche above average in long-term dependability. With 30 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Honda is rated below average.

The Macan’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 33 lbs.-ft. more torque (295 vs. 262) than the Passport’s 3.5 SOHC V6. The Macan S’ standard 2.9 turbo V6 produces 95 more horsepower (375 vs. 280) and 121 lbs.-ft. more torque (383 vs. 262) than the Passport’s 3.5 SOHC V6. The Macan GTS’ standard 2.9 turbo V6 produces 154 more horsepower (434 vs. 280) and 143 lbs.-ft. more torque (405 vs. 262) than the Passport’s 3.5 SOHC V6.

As tested in Car and Driver the Porsche Macan turbo 4 cyl. is faster than the Honda Passport:

On the EPA test cycle the Macan 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder gets better fuel mileage than the Passport (19 city/25 hwy vs. 19 city/24 hwy).

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Porsche Macan higher (5 out of 10) than the Honda Passport (3). This means the Macan produces up to 16.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Passport every 15,000 miles.

The Macan offers a standard sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Passport doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

The Macan’s optional launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The Passport doesn’t offer launch control.

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

The Macan’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 Macan stops much shorter than the Passport:

For better traction and acceleration, the Macan has larger standard rear tires than the Passport (255/50R19 vs. 245/60R18). The Macan’s optional rear tires are larger than the largest rear tires available on the Passport (295/35R21 vs. 265/45R20).

The Macan’s standard 235/55R19 front and 255/50R19 rear tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series front and 50 series rear profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Passport TrailSport’s standard 60 series tires. The Macan’s optional 265/40R21 front and 295/35R21 rear tires have a lower 40 series front and 35 series rear profile than the Passport EX-L/Elite’s 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Macan has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Passport TrailSport. The Macan’s optional 21-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels on the Passport EX-L/Elite.

The Macan offers an optional driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Passport’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The Macan has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Macan’s height leveling suspension allows the driver to raise ride height for better off-road clearance and then lower it again for easier entering and exiting and better on-road handling. The Passport doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

The Macan’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (55.7% to 44.3%) than the Passport’s (58.5% to 41.5%). This gives the Macan more stable handling and braking.

The Macan S handles at .93 G’s, while the Passport Elite pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For greater off-road capability the Macan has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Passport (8.9 vs. 8.1 inches), allowing the Macan to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Macan is 3 inches shorter than the Passport, making the Macan easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Macan is 9.4 inches shorter in height than the Passport, making the Macan much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

The front grille of the Macan 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.

The Macan uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Passport uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The engine in the Macan 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.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Porsche service is better than Honda. J.D. Power ranks Porsche third in service department satisfaction. With a 44% lower rating, Honda is ranked 25th.

Unlike the driver-only memory seat and mirrors in the Passport, the Macan offers an optional driver and passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, outside mirror angle, climate settings and radio stations and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The Macan’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 power windows standard on both the Macan and the Passport have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Macan is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Passport prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Macan’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.

The Macan’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Passport’s standard intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Macan has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Passport doesn’t offer cornering lights. The Macan also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

The Macan’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.

The Macan’s optional Self Steering ParkAssist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Passport doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

The Macan will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Macan will retain 56.76% to 58.19% of its original price after five years, while the Passport only retains 50.47% to 51.56%.

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

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Macan third among compact premium suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Passport isn’t in the top three in its category.

The Macan was chosen as one of Car and Driver’s “Top Five/10Best Trucks” for 3 of the last 4 years. The Passport has never been a Car and Driver “Top Five/10Best Truck” pick.