[tonya71]

I was hoping it would be noticeably less than the Highlander to lessen my 9-speed transmission jitters (pun intended). I think the Pilot Touring was more than the Highlander limited but the Passport is probably only dropping down the the price of the Highlander. I will drive the Passport but may check out the Highlander again if that is the case. Perhaps they will have some new Hybrids in soon also.

I've been looking at Highlander's too. They are giving $2000 incentive now and can get an EXL for 36k plus tax and tag. I was hoping the passport would be close to that. Looks like 4K more. The Highlander is set for a major remodel 2020 which will really bridge the gap on new tech. But the 2019 has a proven track record. Decisions decisions

 

[tonya71]

Passport Touring (AWD) - $42,225

It's funny how some people think these are high prices, I nicely loaded 4-cyl, non-leather 2019 RAV 4 Adventure is over $41k MSRP on the Toyota website!

And the Passport is a way more of a premium vehicle, IMO

I just built an adventure rav 4 for 34200. Us$. Pretty well loaded. And that is msrp before negotiating. Can get a 2019 leather lxe Highlander for 36k. Honda is going to have to be willing to come down if they want my sale. But I'm sure they will have people lined up to pay msrp for a couple of months.

 

[tonya71]

Link to Incentives? But, I think that is only on the South side.

It's a current factory incentives good until feb 4

 

[tonya71]

It's a current factory incentives good until feb 4

 

[tonya71]

And at the end of the year, you might find similar discounts to this on the passport. If you want anything on Day 1, you're going to pay for it.

Agree

 

[tonya71]

Lol We just want to save enough to buy s place in the Hamptons i guess ?

Lol We just want to save enough to buy s place in the Hamptons i guess ?

You don't have to change brands. You can do better with a Honda Pilot. 2019 EXL AWD $36 k us$$. So are we going to pay more for less car?

 

[tonya71]

A Pilot EXL AWD is $40,705

That is pre negotiations. They are selling for what I quoted.

 

[tonya71]

Oh good. Too big for me. I test drove a few weeks ago.

I don't need the extra six inches either. The pilot is a nice vehicle, I test drove one last week too. But, since I don't need third row seat I though the passport might be the ticket. But I'm not going to pay 4K more for less car.
The passport is shorter, has about an inch more ground clearance with bigger wheels, some tweaking to the same suspension, engine and transmission to make it feel a little more aggressive.... but same guts. Some minor differences in body exterior cosmetic. Both of these vehicles can do light off road....passport maybe a little better due to ground clearance and shorter rear. Both can tow up to 5000 with same equipment. Interior essentially identical.
In a few months the new Highlander will be unveiled....major overhaul with big updates. Should be interesting. If the Honda dealers don't budge from MSRP I will sit and wait a few months. Might be smart anyway.... give a little time to get the kinks out of the assembly line.

 

[tonya71]

Mark, the Passport will cost more than the Pilot? Why do you think that?

I think the dealers have and are realistically willing to negotiate on a Pilot to compete with other brands... I see EXL pilots selling in $36k range. I think initially dealers might try to stick closer to Passport MSRP.... with initial hype and limited supply. So while the listed MSRP of the passport is a little lower than the Pilot... The actual sale price will likely be higher... until... the dust settles. The internet has revolutionized car sales.

I feel the Passport marketing is a little more sizzle and less steak. They are hyping the off road capability but although a little more capable than some, it cannot meet the needs of s serious off road enthusiast.

It is basically a shortened Pilot with the same engine, same transmission, same interior, same towing capacity, with a few engine and suspension tweaks. They put 20 inch wheels on it to make it look more aggressive.

And if you don't like the third tow seat in the pilot, just leave it down. Then who knows you may need it one day?

So I think when the hype of marketing dies down, and the dealer lots get stocked, the actual negotiable sale prices will settle out leaving the passsport as selling for s little less than the Pilot .

I have been seriously test driving a lot of competition in this segment. Tomorrow I will drive a passport.

But, if you are s person that goes in and pays MSRP for your cars.... you can get a Passport for less than a pilot on any day ?

 

[tonya71]

First a little bit about myself. I have always been a car guy that would keep them forever. In my life I had two honda CRX, an Acura Integra, and now currently drive a Toyota Camry. My wife has a aToyota Venza.

I am now a family man with two awesome young sons. I started thinking I might want a truck for the occasional need to haul things, to tow a boat, and to drive on the beach for surf fishing.

So, I ventured out to research and drive trucks. I tested Toyota Tacoma TRD Sport and Off-road, Toyota Tundra, Ford Ranger, and Ford F-150. All of the trucks I looked at were of Four door cab version to accommodate my family. All Trucks were 4x4

I liked the Tacoma for its looks, reliability, and amazing resale value. It is a tough smaller truck with a nice V6. The automatic transmission needs improvements. But, my growing kids would soon get cramped in the back seat. I would get a Tonaeu cover to use the bed as cargo. The dealers were realistic and willing to negotiate.

The new Ford Ranger was ok. It only comes in a turbo four cylinder. The ten speed transmission is smoother than Tacoma. But, because it's new... the dealers were not coming off of MSRP.

The Tundra was a good solid truck, more than I would need. But now we are getting into V8 with low gas mileage. The Tundra also could use some big cabin improvements for a more comfortable ride. But, I know it's a truck right.

Surprisingly, I found you can get your most truck for your money with a Ford Super Crew 2018 left over. I tested a V6 ecoboost. They were discounted and for close to the same money as Tacoma or Ranger. The interior and ride feels luxury compared to others. The room in the passenger is amazing. And if there is one thing Ford does right it is Trucks.

All that being said I think I would pick the Tacoma. But found myself unable to get excited about a truck....

So, I started looking for mid size SUV that could tow a boat, drive on sand, and tow a utility trailer.

So far I tested Toyota Highlander V6 AWD, Honda Pilot V6 AWD, Nissan Pathfinder 4x4, Acura MDX, and Hyundai Santa Fe.

The Honda Pilot and Toyota Highlander are close calls. Both impressive. I give the edge to Highlander for a more luxury feel, I prefer the center console with traditional gear shift, and the engine. The Toyota Highlander has a time tested dual port/direct injection V6. The dual port fuel delivery reduces the worry of carbon build up problem that some people are starting to experience with direct injection engines. Honda Pilot V6 is a direct injection. Honda waited awhile to go to direct. I contacted Honda Headquarters, Honda Service and Honda sales to inquire if they had come up with a solution about carbon build up on direct injection but could not get a straight answer.

The Nissan Pathfinder was decent. And probably the strongest off road due to real 4x4. But it was a little dated inside and I don't think as reliable in the long haul.

The Acura MDX was nice. But for the price I would go with Highlander.

The Hyundai Sante Fe could only tow 2000 lbs. It had all of the bells and whistles but felt cheap to me. Did not like it.

So far for me the Highlander and Pilot are neck and neck. I like the Highlander for the more luxury ride and engine. The pilot has a little better tech with Apple car play. I am leaning toward Highlander but may wait for 2020 model.

Highlander is getting ready to unveil a big redisign for 2020. It will likely match or exceed Honda Pilot Tech.

So today I will finally see and drive the Passport. Let's see how it goes.

 

[tonya71]

If the Highlander had Android Auto I would seriously consider it.


Any idea when it will be released?


Good luck. Keep us posted on your thoughts on Passport vs Highlander and Pilot.

For me ... The Rav 4, CRV and RDX don't have enough towing capacity.... I like them all and wish they did.... I actually think they are all more stylish than the Pilot.

I am almost certain the 2020 highlander will have Apple car play / android. I can only guess on when it will be released for sale.... I am hoping it will show its face st the upcoming Spring New York Auto show. I think the new competition may motivate Toyota to release it sooner but they will want to move out the 2019 models. So, may have to wait until Fall.

I'll keep you posted. I am excited to see and drive the Passport. It is freezing out, so the standard remote start would be great for a day like today. Step in to a heated car with warm seats ?

 

[tonya71]

Why didn’t you drive the Ridgeline?

If I was going to settle for a truck, I wanted full four wheel drive.

 

[tonya71]

Well I test dove a Passpot Elite today. It drives nice on the road. You get a little more sporty feel from the way they tuned the transmission and suspension compared to the Pilot. I am not an immediate fan of the push button gear shift... but I am sure I can get used to it. It looks a little bit different than the Pilot but not much.... I was hoping it would look better in person than the pictures.... I wish honda would have gone a step further to give it a more sport look. If you have driven the 2019 pilot... you basically have driven the passport ( again maybe a tad more energetic feel). If you have seen the 2019 pilot interior.... you have basically seen the Passport interior minus 6 inches and a third row seat.

The audio in the elite ( also in touring ) is exceptional sound quality and I had no trouble learning to use the infotainment settings. I would say that the audio in this car is the best I have heard on my test drives. But again same audio in Pilot.

So overall very nice car with good ride. They only had two on the lot and not s color I wanted. If they can get my color and meet my price they will have a sale. But, I would not pay more than what I can get a negotiated pilot for. In my opinion, the Passport is nice ... but in no way worth paying more for.

 

[tonya71]

2019 Rex with tech package. They all get hammered when you drive off the lot.

 

[tonya71]

The 2019 RDX is sooooo much better than the 2018 RDX.

Very nice looking car. My eye went to it immediately on the showroom floor. But I need more towing. They have an incentive on right now.

 

[tonya71]

Might be for the best. I'm not sure it's going to be the big hit they are expecting. When you remove all the hype, it really is just a shorter pilot.

 

[tonya71]

With or without the hype. It's a shorter Pilot.

(I wasn't kidding when I said they should have called it a Co-Pilot )

Yep. Don't get me wrong. It's a nice car... so is the Pilot. But, they claim the target market was a younger market that wanted a sportier, two tow SUV.... to fill a hole in the in their line up because they estimated they were losing 45k units to competitors.

They missed the mark on sporty. Trying to sell the off-road sizzle when most won't use it for that. But honda has always been super conservative on body style.

I think most of that market is also realistic, money conscious and will look through the hype and see it for what it is.

A nice car that should sell for less than a pilot.

 

[tonya71]

The price of the Passport Elite is making me reconsider the Acura RDX.

Either way, honds will be happy

 

[tonya71]

Either way, honds will be happy

honda will be happy

 

[tonya71]

Love the looks of that F-Pace. SVR AWD 550hp, awesome.

I'll have to look into that ?