Compare the2024 Honda PassportVS 2024 Audi Q8

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 Q8 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 Q8’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

Both the Passport and the Q8 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, 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 Audi Q8:

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 Audi Q8:

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

Honda’s powertrain warranty covers the Passport 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Audi covers the Q8. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Q8 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

Honda pays for scheduled maintenance on the Passport for 2 years or 24,000 miles. Honda will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Audi only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Q8.

There are almost 4 times as many Honda dealers as there are Audi 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 Q8 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 Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Honda above average in initial quality. With 31 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi 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 Audi With 2 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Honda higher than Audi.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Audi vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 14 places higher in reliability than Audi.

On the EPA test cycle the Passport gets better fuel mileage than the Q8 (19 city/24 hwy vs. 17 city/23 hwy).

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Passport’s fuel efficiency. The Q8 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 Q8 requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

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 Q8 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 Q8.

The Passport stops much shorter than the Q8:

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 Q8 doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For better maneuverability, the Passport AWD’s turning circle is 4.3 feet tighter than the Q8’s (39.3 feet vs. 43.6 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Passport has a 2.3 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Q8 (8.1 vs. 5.8 inches), allowing the Passport to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Honda Passport may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 800 pounds less than the Audi Q8.

The Passport is 7.5 inches shorter than the Q8, making the Passport easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Passport uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Q8 doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Passport has 2.4 inches more front headroom, 2.5 inches more front shoulder room, 1.9 inches more rear headroom and 3.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Q8.

The Passport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Q8 with its rear seat up (41.2 vs. 30.5 cubic feet). The Passport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Q8 with its rear seat folded (77.7 vs. 60.7 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Passport easier. The Passport’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 32 inches, while the Q8’s liftover is 33.7 inches.

The Passport’s cargo area is larger than the Q8’s in almost every dimension:

Pressing a button automatically lowers the Passport’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Q8 doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

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 Q8 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 Q8 only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

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 Q8.

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 Q8 doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Insurance will cost less for the Passport owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Passport will cost $4915 to $7400 less than the Q8 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 52.97% to 53.54% of its original price after five years, while the Q8 only retains 51.58% to 51.73%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Honda Passport will be $32695 to $38472 less than for the Audi Q8.

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

The Honda Passport outsold the Audi Q8/SQ8/RS Q8 by over three to one during 2023.