2021 Jeep Renegade vs 2020 Honda Passport

The 2020 Honda Passport was a quintessential Honda, featuring familiar parts and aesthetics that appealed to loyal Honda buyers. Its exterior design suggested a blend between the larger Honda Pilot and the smaller CR-V, offering a rugged and athletic look. The Passport came in four trims: Sport, EX-L, Touring, and Elite, with the Elite trim being particularly well-equipped. Standard features included a scratch-resistant matte black grille, 20-inch black alloy wheels, and black-rimmed LED headlights. The Passport also boasted increased ground clearance compared to the Pilot, enhancing its off-road capabilities.

Inside, the Passport's cabin was more sophisticated than rugged, featuring a mix of durable and soft-touch materials. The Elite trim offered luxurious amenities like perforated, heated, and ventilated front seats, a leather-trimmed heated steering wheel, and a moonroof. The interior design emphasized spaciousness and practicality, with a button-heavy shifting mechanism that saved space. Lower trims could be customized with Urban and Adventure packages, adding features like crossbars and running boards. Honda Sensing safety technology and navigation were available on the Touring grade for an extra fee.

The 2021 Jeep Renegade, introduced in 2015, drew design inspiration from the iconic Wrangler, featuring a boxy profile, circular headlights, and an upright seven-slat grille. The 2021 model continued the subtle refresh from 2019, with some previously optional features now standard. The Renegade offered a variety of trims and special editions, including Sport, Jeepster, Latitude, Upland, 80th Anniversary, Islander, Limited, and Trailhawk, each with unique features and equipment.

Inside, the Renegade's cabin was modern and functional, with an upright center stack reminiscent of the Wrangler. The Sport trim came with push-button start, dual-zone climate control, a USB port, and a 7-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Higher trims added features like keyless passive entry, remote start, and larger alloy wheels. The Upland trim was adventure-focused, with beefed-up skid plates and a unique front bumper. The Limited trim offered luxury features like leather upholstery and heated front seats, while the Trailhawk trim was the most capable off-road, with skid plates, tow hooks, and a lifted suspension.

The 2020 Honda Passport was powered by a 3.5-liter V6 engine, producing 280 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque, paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission. While the engine provided sufficient power for various driving situations, its fuel economy was less impressive. Front-wheel-drive models achieved an EPA-estimated 20 mpg city, 25 mpg highway, and 22 mpg combined, while all-wheel-drive models achieved slightly lower figures. The Passport's large 19.5-gallon fuel tank allowed for over 400 miles of range.

The Passport performed well in various conditions, from the flats of Fresno to the peaks of Yosemite National Park. The Elite trim came standard with torque-vectoring all-wheel drive, enhancing its stability on winding roads. The Passport also featured Snow, Sand, and Mud drive modes, making it more capable off-road than expected. It could tow up to 5,000 pounds with the available towing package, outperforming rivals like the Nissan Murano and Chevrolet Blazer.

The 2021 Jeep Renegade offered two engine options: a 2.4-liter four-cylinder with 180 horsepower and 175 pound-feet of torque, and a turbocharged 1.3-liter four-cylinder with 177 horsepower and 210 pound-feet of torque. Both engines were paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission, with power routed to either front-wheel drive or available four-wheel drive. The turbocharged engine provided better torque and refinement, though the automatic transmission sometimes struggled with smooth shifts.

Despite its modest power, the Renegade offered a solid ride quality and was surprisingly agile in tight spaces, making it an excellent city car. The Trailhawk trim, with its 8.7 inches of ground clearance and off-road suspension, was particularly capable off-road. The Renegade's terrain management system included Auto, Snow, Sand, Mud, and Rock drive modes, enhancing its versatility.

The 2020 Honda Passport was a practical midsize SUV, offering ample space and comfort for four adults. Its size was just right, providing good visibility and spacious seats. The Passport featured height-adjustable seatbelts for front-row occupants and three full LATCH connections in the second row. The seats were comfortable, with cloth upholstery standard and perforated leather available.

The Passport excelled in cargo space, offering 41.2 cubic feet behind the rear seats and the most under-floor storage in its class. A power liftgate was standard, and the load floor, though high, was manageable. The SUV also featured tri-zone automatic climate control and second-row sunshades, enhancing comfort for backseat passengers. Small-item storage was plentiful, with a large center console and secondary shelf space in the front doors.

The 2021 Jeep Renegade provided 50.8 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats folded and 18.5 cubic feet with the seats in use. These figures were above average for the subcompact SUV segment. The Renegade's tall, boxy design offered plenty of headroom in both rows, with great legroom in the front seats and adequate space in the rear. The cabin featured numerous storage solutions, including small cubbies and trays, and the front passenger seat could fold forward for added versatility.

The 2020 Honda Passport's base Sport model came with a 5.0-inch display monitor, while higher trims featured an 8.0-inch Display Audio infotainment system. The larger screen supported Apple CarPlay and Android Auto via wired connection and had a manual power button and volume knob. The system was responsive and easy to navigate, though the center-stack design looked somewhat outdated. Standard features included Bluetooth, a USB port, a seven-speaker audio system, push-button start, and keyless entry. Higher trims added a 10-speaker audio system, satellite radio, additional USB ports, a wireless phone charger, and a Wi-Fi hotspot.

The 2021 Jeep Renegade's standard infotainment system was a 7-inch touchscreen, with an optional 8.4-inch screen available on mid-tier trims and standard on higher trims. Both screens ran the intuitive Uconnect system, featuring a logical menu layout, easy-to-read graphics, and a helpful dock for major functions. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto were standard on both screens, and a Kenwood premium audio system was available.

The 2020 Honda Passport prioritized safety, earning good scores from the IIHS and NHTSA and being named an IIHS Top Safety Pick. The Passport came standard with the Honda Sensing suite, including Collision Mitigation Braking, forward-collision warning, lane departure warning, lane-keeping assist, automatic emergency braking, and adaptive cruise control. A rearview camera with a birds-eye view was also standard. Higher trims offered dynamic gridlines for the rearview camera, blind-spot monitoring, parking sensors, and rear cross-traffic detection.

For 2021, Jeep made several previously optional safety features standard across the Renegade lineup, including automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-path detection. Adaptive cruise control, automatic high beams, and front and rear parking sensors were available as options. Despite these additions, the Renegade received only four out of five stars in NHTSA crash tests. Parallel parking assist was also available.