{"id":24264,"date":"2019-10-12T16:43:51","date_gmt":"2019-10-12T20:43:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=24264"},"modified":"2019-10-12T16:43:51","modified_gmt":"2019-10-12T20:43:51","slug":"payne-its-not-flashy-but-the-honda-passport-is-practical-roomy-and-comfortable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2019\/10\/payne-its-not-flashy-but-the-honda-passport-is-practical-roomy-and-comfortable","title":{"rendered":"Payne: It&#8217;s not flashy, but the Honda Passport is practical, roomy and comfortable"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/10\/02\/PDTN\/46467e4d-27a0-4b62-a8d9-19894f90e178-passport_beach.JPG?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Life's a beach. But the 2019 Honda Passport is for couples whose kids have flown the coop.\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div><p>Life&#8217;s a beach. But the 2019 Honda Passport is for couples whose kids have flown the coop.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable-p-1 p-text\">The last time I took a road trip to South Haven,\u00a0I was testing a Honda Civic Coupe. It was a nimble, athletic hatchback with polarizing styling that looked like it was designed by a 16-year-old.\u00a0I couldn\u2019t wait to get some laps on it at Gingerman Raceway, where we had a blast.<\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable-p-2 p-text\">This summer I returned to South Haven in a Honda Passport. We never set foot on track.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The Passport is Honda\u2019s entry into the mid-size SUV class occupied by stylish badges like the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Ford Edge and Nissan Murano. Its demographic is a different generation from the Civic Coupe. If the Civic is the first car for 20-somethings who\u2019ve flown the nest, then the Passport is for 40-something empty-nesters who want SUV utility\u00a0\u2014\u00a0but with more pizzazz than a three-row family bus.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The Passport and Civic Coupe bookend the enormous demographic that Honda covers today.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">While the Civic Coupe shares its bones with other Honda hellions like the Si and winged Type R, the Passport is stablemate to the three-row Pilot SUV and Ridgeline pickups. Passport has picked up traits from both.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Five miles down the road from Gingerman \u2014\u00a0and a million miles away in lifestyle \u2014\u00a0is The Fields glamping resort. Glamping as in \u201cglamorous camping,&#8221;\u00a0Passport\u2019s natural habitat.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Think of the Passport as a Glampilot. Glamorous Pilot.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">After a cross-state, day\u2019s journey in Passport\u2019s quiet\u00a0Pilot-like interior, the Passport summoned its inner pickup and happily bounced up the dirt road to the blueberry farm on which The Fields\u00a0campground is located.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ad-position-65\" class=\"partner-placement partner-spike partner-placement-visible\" data-ad-placement=\"native-article_link\" data-ad-sizes=\"[&quot;fluid&quot;,[3,3], [2,6]]\" data-monetization-id=\"native-article_link\" data-monetization-sizes=\"fluid,3,3,2,6\">South Haven\u2019s Gingerman has long been a destination for motorheads like me who have a need for speed. It\u2019s one of the Midwest\u2019s safest tracks to exercise your race car or performance sedan. But The Fields is more in line with a South Haven better known as a magnet for Midwesterners wanting to spend a weekend sampling Lake Michigan wineries, sandy beaches\u00a0and orange sunsets.<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Glamping brings style to outdoor camping, with luxury tents lit by chandeliers. The\u00a0Passport brings Honda practicality to stylish, midsize utes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Typically, empty-nesters have come to the segment looking for more bling than soccer-mom practicality. The Edge and Chevy Blazer RS are the most outstanding examples of this:\u00a0rolling sculptures with floating roofs and\u00a0yuuuge grilles.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-SJaSR7D8OME\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/10\/02\/PDTN\/237cadb9-848b-4bf9-8e55-7644ea00ec98-passport_apple-carplay.JPG?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"The 2019 Honda Passport features Apple CarPlay standard \u2014 which is a big help on long trips.\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/10\/02\/PDTN\/237cadb9-848b-4bf9-8e55-7644ea00ec98-passport_apple-carplay.JPG\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/10\/02\/PDTN\/237cadb9-848b-4bf9-8e55-7644ea00ec98-passport_apple-carplay.JPG?width=500&amp;height=281\" \/>The 2019 Honda Passport features Apple CarPlay standard \u2014 which is a big help on long trips.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Or there\u2019s the Jeep Grand Cherokee and its iconic, seven-slot grille. My personal segment favorite is the Edge, which combines chiseled beauty with a sporty ST trim that I might be tempted to take out on Gingerman to floor its mad 335-horse, twin-turbo V-6\u00a0(with shift paddles, natch).<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The Passport is a wallflower compared to these Hollywood starlets.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Sure, my Passport tester layered on the mascara \u2014 black grille, black wheels, blacked-out pillars \u2014 and sported wild, jewel-eyed peepers that would make Elton John jealous. But wipe away the makeup and Passport is a boxy Pilot that&#8217;s\u00a0jacked up 1.6 inches for off-road cred.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Assuming packaging isn\u2019t your top reason for purchase, the Passport\u2019s strengths lie in good-old\u00a0daily livability and value. In short, it\u2019s a Honda \u2014 an obsessively passenger-friendly vehicle.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">As butch as Passport appears outside, it will wow female buyers. There\u2019s not a female SUV shopper that I haven\u2019t preached Passport\/Pilot\/Ridgeline to.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Like its Honda stablemates, Passport forgoes the common tortoise-shell center console for a sliding shade. Combined with the space-saving\u00a0electronic \u201ctrigger\u201d shifter (You\u2019ll get used to it;\u00a0Corvette is adopting something similar), this gives the console bottom-less space,\u00a0meaning\u00a0a purse or computer tablet can fit down there.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Leave the sliding shade open and rummage in your purse for anything. Your days of purse-tossing on\u00a0the passenger seat are over.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">For smaller purses\u00a0and other items,\u00a0just keep the shade shut and throw &#8217;em on top. During the course of our drive, Mrs. Payne and I tossed two phones, a purse and a Kleenex box there. Try doing that in any other vehicle.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">On top of the center console\u2019s dexterity, the Passport offers room for two cupholders and forward space that can hold and charge your phone.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-SJaSR7CfVw8\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/10\/02\/PDTN\/22fe8e6a-6c4e-4fd9-9955-6165cc251df1-passport_cargo.JPG?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"The 2019 Honda Passport opens lots of rear space by flattening the second row (unlike the Pilot, there is no third row).\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/10\/02\/PDTN\/22fe8e6a-6c4e-4fd9-9955-6165cc251df1-passport_cargo.JPG\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/10\/02\/PDTN\/22fe8e6a-6c4e-4fd9-9955-6165cc251df1-passport_cargo.JPG?width=500&amp;height=333\" \/>The 2019 Honda Passport opens lots of rear space by flattening the second row (unlike the Pilot, there is no third row).\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Wes Allison, Honda)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The Passport\u2019s interior serves passengers well even if it\u2019s not as stylish as competitors. My favorite interior in the segment belongs to the Chevy Blazer with its Camaro-like, adjustable aviation vents.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Passport controls look like, well, other Hondas with standard-issue tablet screen and digital instrument display. But like the console, its excellent ergonomics are all about the customer. Unlike the Chevy, Honda allows you to shut off the annoying stop-start feature where the engine internationally stalls at stoplights to gain credits for federal mpg nannies. Annoy you? Push the button.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The Honda soundly beats its Detroit Three competitors in cargo space,\u00a0a meaningful statistic as my wife and I dragged around two suitcases, two tennis bags and a cooler in our west-side trip.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">But the Passport doesn\u2019t stop there. A hidden cubby under the rear cargo floor provides separate storage for, say, muddy shoes or valuables. And the rear seats fold flat with the floor (unlike, ahem, the Edge) allowing you to easily slide in a bookcase.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">There&#8217;s value, too. Only the turbo-4-powered Hyundai Santa Fe \u2014 at $4,000\u00a0less than my comparably equipped Passport \u2014 is a better value in the segment. My Elite trim tester clocked in at $44,000, competitive with the turbo-4-powered Ford Edge.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">But compared to V-6 powered competitors Blazer and Grand Cherokee, the Passport is thousands of dollars less. When I put my foot into the Passport\u2019s strong, throaty, 280-horse six-cylinder,\u00a0I even briefly felt a Civic-like urge to boogie.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-SJaSR7DfAio\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/10\/02\/PDTN\/27640da7-9458-4527-b798-eb4f636f3e48-passport_console.JPG?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"The console on the 2019 Honda Passport is the best in ute-dom.\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/10\/02\/PDTN\/27640da7-9458-4527-b798-eb4f636f3e48-passport_console.JPG\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/10\/02\/PDTN\/27640da7-9458-4527-b798-eb4f636f3e48-passport_console.JPG?width=500&amp;height=281\" \/><span class=\"mycapture-btn-wrap\"><span class=\"mycapture-non-priority-horizontal-image mycapture-btn-with-text js-mycapture-btn js-mycapture-photo-asset\">\u00a0Photo<\/span><\/span>The console on the 2019 Honda Passport is the best in ute-dom.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/aside>\n<\/div><div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">In this class of 4,000-pound-plus, all-wheel drive rhinos, the Passport handles better than most. With new entries from Honda and Chevy, the mid-size, empty-nest segment feels fresh. Yet, brand traits remain remarkably true.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The Jeep Grand Cherokee and its Trackhawk trim is the class-best dirt-kicker. The Edge\u2019s ST macho and self-park technology are right out of the brand playbook. And like Chevy brothers Corvette and Camaro, the Blazer is the class athlete.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Passport\u2019s ergonomic strengths are undeniable:\u00a0roomy, powerful, comfortable, with an interior layout that never frustrates. The big ute lacked for nothing and excelled in everything.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Unless, of course, you want to take some laps around Gingerman Raceway. For that, you\u2019ll need a different Honda.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-SJaSR7DzkxQ\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/10\/02\/PDTN\/a84f4fe0-36d7-4f80-895e-17f99df31cc0-passport_tent-inside.JPG?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"The two-row 2019 Honda Passport is for empty-nesters with a sense of adventure \u2014 but in the same size vehicle as their family-sized, three-row Honda Pilot ute.\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/10\/02\/PDTN\/a84f4fe0-36d7-4f80-895e-17f99df31cc0-passport_tent-inside.JPG\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/10\/02\/PDTN\/a84f4fe0-36d7-4f80-895e-17f99df31cc0-passport_tent-inside.JPG?width=500&amp;height=281\" \/>The two-row 2019 Honda Passport is for empty-nesters with a sense of adventure \u2014 but in the same size vehicle as their family-sized, three-row Honda Pilot ute.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><strong>2019 Honda Passport<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Vehicle type: Front-engine, front- and all-wheel drive, five-passenger SUV<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Price: Base price $33,035, including $1,045 destination charge ($44,725 AWD Elite as tested)<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Powerplant: 3.5-liter V-6<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Power: 280\u00a0horsepower, 262\u00a0pound-feet of torque<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Transmission: 9-speed automatic<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Performance: 0-60 mph, 5.8 seconds (Car and Driver); towing, 5,000 pounds<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Weight: 4,237 pounds (AWD Elite as tested)<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Fuel economy: EPA mpg, 19 city\/24 highway\/21 combined (AWD as tested)<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Report card<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Highs: Best storage console in the biz; eager V-6 mill<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Lows: Wallflower looks; not as stylish inside as competitors<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Overall: 3\u00a0stars<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Life&#8217;s a beach. But the 2019 Honda Passport is for couples whose kids have flown the coop.\u00a0(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News) The last time I took a road trip to South Haven,\u00a0I was testing a Honda Civic Coupe. It was a nimble, athletic hatchback with polarizing styling that looked like it was designed by [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24264"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24264"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24264\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24264"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24264"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24264"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}