Compare the2023 Acura RDXVS 2023 Honda Passport

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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The Acura RDX has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Passport doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The RDX Advance has a standard Surround-View Camera System to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Passport only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

Both the RDX and the Passport have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available all wheel drive.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Acura RDX is safer than the Honda Passport:

	RDX	Passport
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.6 inches
Neck Injury Risk	30%	35%
Neck Stress	99 lbs.	116 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	362/441 lbs.	478/436 lbs.

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 Acura RDX is safer than the Honda Passport:

	RDX	Passport
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	63	109
Chest Movement	.6 inches	.6 inches
Hip Force	217 lbs.	269 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	124	233
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	11 inches	15 inches
Spine Acceleration	39 G’s	45 G’s
Hip Force	704 lbs.	838 lbs.

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

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Acura RDX is much safer than the Passport:

	RDX	Passport
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
Structure	GOOD	MARGINAL
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	200	206
Pelvis	GOOD	MARGINAL
Pelvis Force	692 lbs.	1339 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Neck Tension	67 lbs.	178 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	MARGINAL
Torso Max Deflection	1.69 in	2.05 in
Torso Deflection Rate	11 MPH	12 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis Force	736 lbs.	759 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the RDX is 1.9% to 2.4% less likely to roll over than the Passport.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the RDX its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 29 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Passport is not even a standard “Top Safety Pick.”

Warranty

The RDX comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Passport’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

Acura’s powertrain warranty covers the RDX 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Honda covers the Passport. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the Passport ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

Reliability

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the RDX’s engine. A rubber cam drive belt that needs periodic replacement drives the Passport’s camshafts. If the Passport’s belt breaks, the engine could be severely damaged when the pistons hit the opened valves.

Engine

The RDX’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 18 lbs.-ft. more torque (280 vs. 262) than the Passport’s 3.5 SOHC V6.

As tested in Motor Trend the Acura RDX is faster than the Honda Passport:

	RDX	Passport
Zero to 60 MPH	6.4 sec	6.6 sec
Quarter Mile	14.8 sec	15.1 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	94.7 MPH	89.2 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
RDX
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/28 hwy
		A-Spec 2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/27 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/27 hwy
		A-Spec 2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/26 hwy
Passport
	AWD	3.5 SOHC V6	19 city/24 hwy

Transmission

A 10-speed automatic is standard on the Acura RDX, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a nine-speed automatic is available for the Passport.

Brakes and Stopping

The RDX stops much shorter than the Passport:

	RDX	Passport
70 to 0 MPH	180 feet	181 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	116 feet	135 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	129 feet	143 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

The RDX’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Passport TrailSport’s standard 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the RDX has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Passport TrailSport.

Suspension and Handling

The RDX offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Passport’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The RDX A-Spec AWD handles at .83 G’s, while the Passport Elite pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The RDX AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Passport Elite (27.2 seconds @ .64 average G’s vs. 28.1 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the RDX has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Passport (8.2 vs. 8.1 inches), allowing the RDX to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The Acura RDX may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 200 to 450 pounds less than the Honda Passport.

Passenger Space

The RDX has .1 inches more front headroom and .7 inches more front legroom than the Passport.

Cargo Capacity

The RDX has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Passport with its rear seat folded (79.8 vs. 77.7 cubic feet).

Servicing Ease

The RDX uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Passport uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Acura service is better than Honda. J.D. Power ranks Acura 6th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 36% lower rating, Honda is ranked 25th.

Ergonomics

The RDX Advance has a standard heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Passport doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The RDX’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Passport’s parking brake has to be released manually.

The power windows standard on both the RDX and the Passport have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the RDX is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Passport prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The RDX’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Passport’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

The RDX’s power mirror controls are mounted on the armrest for easy access. The Passport’s power mirror controls are on the dash where they are possibly hidden by the steering wheel and are awkward to manipulate.

Model Availability

The RDX is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Passport doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the RDX owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the RDX will cost $130 to $1060 less than the Passport over a five-year period.

Recommendations

The Acura RDX has won recognition from these important consumer publications:

	RDX	Passport
Consumer Reports® Recommends	TRUE	TRUE
Car Book “Best Bet”	TRUE	n/a

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