Compare the2023 BMW X6VS 2023 Honda Passport

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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The X6’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Passport doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

The BMW X6 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 X6 has standard Active Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Passport doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The X6 has a standard PostCrash iBrake, 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.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The X6 offers an optional Active Park Distance Control that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Passport doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the X6’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Passport doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

The X6 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.

The X6’s 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 X6 and the Passport have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras and rear cross-path warning.

The BMW X6 weighs 593 to 886 pounds more than the Honda Passport. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

Warranty

The X6 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 X6’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Passport’s (12 vs. 5 years).

BMW pays for scheduled maintenance on the X6 for 1 year and 12000 miles longer than Honda pays for maintenance for the Passport (3/36,000 vs. 2/24,000).

Reliability

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the X6’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.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the X6 second among upper midsize premium suvs in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The Passport was rated third in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that BMW vehicles are better in initial quality than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks BMW above average in initial quality. With 18 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that BMW vehicles are more reliable than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks BMW above average in long-term dependability. With 5 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Honda is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that BMW vehicles are more reliable than Honda vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks BMW third in overall reliability. Honda is ranked fifth.

Engine

The X6’s standard 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid produces 55 more horsepower (335 vs. 280) and 69 lbs.-ft. more torque (331 vs. 262) than the Passport’s 3.5 SOHC V6. The X6 M50i’s standard 4.4 turbo V8 produces 243 more horsepower (523 vs. 280) and 291 lbs.-ft. more torque (553 vs. 262) than the Passport’s 3.5 SOHC V6.

As tested in Motor Trend the BMW X6 is faster than the Honda Passport:

	X6 6 cyl. hybrid gas	X6 M50i	Passport
Zero to 60 MPH	5.2 sec	3.3 sec	6.6 sec
Quarter Mile	13.8 sec	11.6 sec	15.1 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	99.9 MPH	119.5 MPH	89.2 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the X6 xDrive40i gets better fuel mileage than the Passport (21 city/25 hwy vs. 19 city/24 hwy).

Regenerative brakes improve the X6’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Passport doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The X6 has 2.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Passport (21.9 vs. 19.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Transmission

The X6’s 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.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the X6’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Passport:

	X6	X6 M Sport	Passport
Front Rotors	13.7 inches	15.6 inches	12.6 inches
Rear Rotors	13.6 inches	14.6 inches	13 inches

The X6’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 X6 stops much shorter than the Passport:

	X6	Passport
60 to 0 MPH	102 feet	135 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the X6 has larger standard tires than the Passport (275/45R20 vs. 245/60R18). The X6’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Passport (F:275/40R21 & R:315/35R21 vs. 265/45R20).

The X6’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Passport TrailSport’s standard 60 series tires. The X6’s optional 275/35R22 front and 315/30R22 rear tires have a lower 35 series front and 30 series rear profile than the Passport EX-L/Elite’s 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the X6 has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Passport TrailSport. The X6’s optional 22-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels on the Passport EX-L/Elite.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires available on the X6 can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The Passport doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

Suspension and Handling

The X6 M50i offers active sway bars, which help keep it flat and controlled during cornering, but disconnect at lower speeds to smooth the ride and offer greater off-road suspension articulation. This helps keep the tires glued to the road on-road and off. The Passport doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.

The X6 offers an available adjustable active suspension system, which counteracts cornering forces actively, limiting body roll and improving handling and stability. Honda doesn’t offer an active suspension on the Passport.

The X6 has a standard 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 X6 has a standard automatic load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Passport doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the X6’s wheelbase is 6.2 inches longer than on the Passport (117.1 inches vs. 110.9 inches).

The X6’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (50.8% to 49.2%) than the Passport’s (58.5% to 41.5%). This gives the X6 more stable handling and braking.

The X6 M50i handles at .97 G’s, while the Passport Elite pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The X6 M50i executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 4 seconds quicker than the Passport Elite (24.1 seconds @ .83 average G’s vs. 28.1 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the X6 Air Suspension has a 1.6 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Passport (9.7 vs. 8.1 inches), allowing the X6 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The front grille of the X6 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.

Towing

The X6’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Passport’s (5952 vs. 5000 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Honda Passport is only 5000 pounds. The X6 offers up to a 7200 lbs. towing capacity.

Servicing Ease

The X6 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 X6 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 BMW service is better than Honda. J.D. Power ranks BMW 7th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 31% lower rating, Honda is ranked 25th.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory seat and mirrors in the Passport, the X6 M50i has a passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position, outside mirror angle, climate settings and radio stations and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The X6 offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Passport doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The X6’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 X6 and the Passport have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the X6 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 X6’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 X6’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.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the X6 to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Passport doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the X6 has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Passport doesn’t offer cornering lights. The X6 also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

The X6’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 X6 offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Passport.

The X6’s optional Parking Assistant Plus can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Passport doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Recommendations

J.D. Power and Associates rated the X6 first among upper midsize 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.

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