Compare the2024 Honda PassportVS 2024 Acura RDX

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 RDX 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 RDX’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

Both the Passport and the RDX 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, 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 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 Acura RDX:

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 Honda Passport is safer than the Acura RDX:

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

There are almost 4 times as many Honda dealers as there are Acura 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 RDX has dual overhead cams, which add to the number of moving parts and the complexity of the cylinder heads.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Acura vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Honda above average in initial quality. With 17 more problems per 100 vehicles, Acura 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 Honda vehicles are more reliable than Acura With 14 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Honda higher than Acura.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Acura vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 3 places higher in reliability than Acura.

The Passport’s 3.5 SOHC V6 produces 8 more horsepower (280 vs. 272) than the RDX’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Honda Passport is faster than the Acura RDX:

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Passport’s fuel efficiency. The RDX 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 RDX requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Passport has 2.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the RDX (19.5 vs. 17.1 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

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

The Passport stops shorter than the RDX:

For better traction, the Passport has larger standard tires than the RDX (245/60R18 vs. 235/55R19). The Passport EX-L/Elite’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the RDX (265/45R20 vs. 255/45R20).

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Passport’s wheelbase is 2.6 inches longer than on the RDX (110.9 inches vs. 108.3 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Passport is 2.7 inches wider in the front and 2.2 inches wider in the rear than the track on the RDX.

The Passport has 10.9 cubic feet more passenger volume than the RDX (114.9 vs. 104).

The Passport has 4.1 inches more front hip room, 2.3 inches more front shoulder room, 1.7 inches more rear headroom, 1.2 inches more rear legroom, 7.4 inches more rear hip room and 5.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the RDX.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Passport’s rear seats recline. The RDX’s rear seats don’t recline.

The Passport has a much larger cargo volume than the RDX with its rear seat up (41.2 vs. 31.1 cubic feet).

The Passport’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the RDX’s (5000 vs. 1500 pounds).

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 RDX doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

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

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

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 RDX has 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. Wireless charging costs extra on the RDX.

The Passport TrailSport/Elite has a 115-volt a/c outlet, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The RDX doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

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

The Honda Passport outsold the Acura RDX by 67% during 2022.