Compare the2024 Honda PassportVS 2024 Porsche Macan

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

The Passport has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the Macan’s blind spot costs extra.

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

Both the Passport and the Macan 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 and rearview cameras.

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

Honda pays for scheduled maintenance on the Passport for 1 year and 14,000 miles longer than Porsche pays for maintenance for the Macan (2/24,000 vs. 1/10,000).

There are over 5 times as many Honda dealers as there are Porsche 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 engines in the Macan have dual overhead cams, which add to the number of moving parts and the complexity of the cylinder heads.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Porsche vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 3 places higher in reliability than Porsche.

The Passport’s 3.5 SOHC V6 produces 19 more horsepower (280 vs. 261) than the Macan’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

On the EPA test cycle the Passport gets better mileage than the Macan:

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Passport’s fuel efficiency. The Macan 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 Macan 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 Macan 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 a seven-speed automatic is available for the Macan.

For better traction, the Passport has larger standard tires than the Macan (245/60R18 vs. 235/55R19).

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 Macan doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For greater off-road capability the Passport has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Macan (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 Macan doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

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

The Passport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Macan with its rear seat up (41.2 vs. 17.2 cubic feet). The Passport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Macan with its rear seat folded (77.7 vs. 53 cubic feet).

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

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Passport Elite’s liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Macan doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

The Passport’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Macan’s (5000 vs. 4409 pounds).

The Passport has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Macan doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The Passport’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Macan’s cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

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

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 Macan doesn’t offer extendable visors.

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 Macan 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 $2780 to $6590 less than the Macan over a five-year period.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Honda Passport will be $12335 to $35502 less than for the Porsche Macan.

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

The Honda Passport outsold the Porsche Macan by 61% during 2023.