[williamstony]

I was wondering what Honda was thinking with this radio on the sport trim not even apple play and to small they should have charged more money $ and put the same radio like the EX-L on the sport

 

[thale]

Same thing is on the lower trims of Ridgeline. I think it's pure marketing to push people to buy higher trims where the profit is likely higher.

 

[blankenshiplaura]

I was wondering what Honda was thinking

It's a game car manufacturers play of placing increasingly more enticing features on each successive trim to entice buyers to spend more money to get them. You have to decide exactly what is important to you. Sometimes buyers go down a trim level in order to NOT get a feature.

 

[rebeccacochran]

Apple Car Play and Android Auto should really be standard equipment on every 2019 model, but its a business as they say. They should at least build the functionality into the system should owners decide to have it enabled at a later date.

 

[andrearobinson]

When it comes to sound systems (as well as wheels and tires) the aftermarket is HUGE. I don't think a manufacturer can be criticized for not providing everything every buyer might want (or may want in the future) in every model and in every color they sell. I think the base Passport is well-equipped at a reasonable price.

Case in point, the current issue of Classic Motorsports has an article on installing a state-of-the art GPS/infotainment system into a classic 911's dash, replacing the existing radio.

IMHO, if a buyer is unable or unwilling to move up to the next trim level to get the features they want, perhaps they should be looking at a different vehicle with a lower base MSRP.

YMMV.

 

[blankenshiplaura]

When it comes to sound systems (as well as wheels and tires) the aftermarket is HUGE.

Yes. Here's an aftermarket headunit in a 2017 Ridgeline.

 

[hensonstephanie]

Yes its sad. If the Sport replaced the LX and EX, why not give it the better of the two.
Not every one wants leather, but Passport buyers want the 8"screen with Apple car play, and Android
Auto. So in Other words, This so called Sport/LX trim. Has the 20" wheels, the so called upgraded
9 speed, fog lights, and yet it has the little B.S. 5" screen, and no power front driver seat.
Honda! Really? It's 2019! This is your new Passport! What a bad combination!!!!!
Please, Give the people what they want, like you do for the Pilot.
Fix this for 2020, treat the Sport like an EX. 18" wheels on the lower trims. Remember, it's a Passport,
not an LX Pilot. And lose those non matching LX black mirrors. Come out with a Black Edition instead.

 

[micheallane]

Disappointed with the Passport trim levels.... I'm out of the market for one. Honda lost a sale to me.

 

[blankenshiplaura]

Disappointed with the Passport trim levels.... I'm out of the market for one. Honda lost a sale to me.

Which trim did you like the most and which features do you wish were available for it?

 

[micheallane]

EX level items.... plus 18" wheels

I can live without: Leather-trimmed seats One-touch power tilt and slide moonroof Power liftgate with remote Leather-wrapped steering wheel Rear sun shade Auto up/down power windows, etc.

 

[hensonstephanie]

Honda's best sellers for the Pilots are the EX and EX-L trims.
They should treat the Passport the same way. Dump the LX and Sport.
Get rid of all that black, and make a Black Edition instead.
Its a fact that most people here don't want all that Black.
But yet if you want black interior on an EX Pilot, your only option is to get it in White.
Very odd!!!!!

 

[hensonstephanie]

I sat in a Passport Sport today for the first time. All nice and comfortable black cloth seats, and even
push button rear seats. It was only disappointing to look up above the high tech Push button
Transmission to see that little dinky 5" radio in such a nice Passport interior, with paddle shifters.

 

[poolescott]

Hey all, I'm actually in the market for a Passport, going back and forth between the Forester and Passport. Honda really pissed me off with the trim options. I think the Sport is pretty well equipped, but can't stand the stock head unit without Apple Carplay and Android Auto. Which is why I was looking at the EX-L, but I don't want leather! Now I love moonroofs, but not enough to make that jump to the EX-L, now if they only offered a panoramic, I would probably consider it.

So basically the only options the EX-L has that I really want is the upgraded head unit, the wifi hotspot, the rear seat sunshades, and the moonroof.

The moonroof I guess I can live without since it's so small and not a pano, the wifi hotspot can be fixed with just getting a portable hotspot.

I guess my questions to you guys, since there is not much that I need from the EX-L, should I get the Sport, and then see if I can purchase the EX-L head unit from Honda and have them install it or would I need to go strictly aftermarket?

Thanks guys and I apologize for the long post.

 

[dpatterson]

I think you would need to plan on going aftermarket if you got a Sport. The Pilot does offer an EX trim which has the upgraded head unit without the leather seats but for some reason they skipped that on the Passport.

 

[phillipsmichael]

Will an after market head unit support changing car settings like the Honda provided units? My guess is that if the 5" unit on the Sport can do it, 3rd party head units would probably have inputs to maintain this functionality. Any ideas? I tried looking on Crutchfield to see what replacements are available for Pilot head units, but I'm still not sure .

 

[poolescott]

I'm not entirely sure on that, I know there are adapters for aftermarket headunits to hook up with the wheel controls, but not sure of the car settings. That is why I was leaning more towards trying to buy a stock 8" head unit and seeing if they can install it.

Also after looking at Crutchfield, I've only seen 7" units with Carplay and Auto, so also not thrilled with that. Plus a lot of them don't have volume knobs, just the buttons. I guess I'm being super picky.


Honda has really aggravated me with their current trims, which is why I'm looking at Subaru.

The HR-V Sport has Apple Carplay and Android Auto. The Pilot EX has no moonroof even though all other EX models have moonroofs. Their trims make no sense!! Don't even get me started on the Ridgeline trims.

Rant over.

 

[thale]

Also after looking at Crutchfield, I've only seen 7" units with Carplay and Auto, so also not thrilled with that. Plus a lot of them don't have volume knobs, just the buttons. I guess I'm being super picky.

Based on research I've done on 4Runner, it is my understanding that 7" screen is maximum what fits in 2 DIN slot. I'm not sure what is behind 8" screens - some new standard or non standard slot?

 

[blankenshiplaura]

Whatever you decide to do, there's info in this Ridgeline thread that may help.

Head unit replacement for 2017 RTL

 

[poolescott]

Thanks for the input guys! I did find this Halo 9 head unit from Alpine that uses a single din and has a floating 9" display with Carplay and Android Auto. Could be a pretty nice solution to the crappy Sport head unit. Not sure how well it will look or work with the Passport. I may try to put some Photoshop examples together.

https://www.alpine-usa.com/product/alpine-halo9-radio-apple-carplay-android-auto-ilx-f309

 

[thale]

I came across this Alpine too when I was researching 4Runner stuff. This Alpine has regular Android Auto, while Double DIN Kenwood models have wireless Android Auto. Something to consider if you're an Android user.