Honda Passport vs Hyundai Santa Fe

If you’re in the market for a new SUV, you may be considering the Honda Passport and Hyundai Santa Fe. Though these two adventure vehicles share many similarities, they do have key differences in quality and performance. Here at Performance Kings Honda, we know choosing which car to buy is an important decision that can affect everything in your life. Learning more about what makes each of these SUVs unique can help you determine which is best for you. Here’s everything you need to know about the Honda Passport and Hyundai Santa Fe.

Trim Levels

The Honda Passport comes in trims including the EX-L., Trailsport, and Elite. The EX-L is the lowest trim, and it has an MSRP of $38,370. Elite is the highest trim, and it has an MSRP of $45,930. Some differences between the different trims include ventilated seats, roof rails, Wi-Fi hotspot capability, and second-row controls for the tri-zone automatic climate control system in the higher trim levels. The Elite comes with luxury features like a heated steering wheel and white ambient lighting.

The Santa Fe has five different trims including the SE, SEL, XRT, Limited, and Calligraphy. The SE is the lowest trim for the Santa Fe, and has an MSRP of $27,700. Calligraphy is the highest trim for the Santa Fe, and it has an MSRP of $41,410. Some differences between the lowest and highest trim levels for this car include a premium finish grill, additional ambiance lighting and 20-inch alloy wheels. The Calligraphy trim for this SUV offers all the top features.

Performance

All trims for the Honda Passport come with a V6 engine that offers up to 280 horsepower. With the Eco Assist System, Variable Cylinder Management, and direct ignition system with an immobilizer, this engine is optimized for performance. All trims come with a nine-speed automatic transmission with shift-by-wire technology. The Passport with two-wheel drive averages 20 miles per gallon in the city and 25 miles per gallon on the highway. The all-wheel-drive Passport averages 19 miles per gallon in the city and 24 miles per gallon on the highway. All trims have a fuel tank capacity of 19.5 gallons.

The Limited and Calligraphy trims for the Hyundai Santa Fe come with inline 4-cylinder turbo engines that offer up to 191 horsepower. The Santa Fe has an eight-speed automatic transmission, and the higher trims come with SHIFTRONIC technology and a wet dual-clutch. For the front-wheel-drive Santa Fe, the average fuel economy is 25 miles per gallon in the city and 28 miles per gallon on the highway. The HTRAC all-wheel-drive Santa Fe averages 21 miles per gallon in the city and 28 miles per gallon on the highway. The Santa Fe has a fuel tank capacity of 18.8 gallons.

Interior

The Passport can seat up to five people, with a one-touch fold-down 60/40 split rear seatback for extra cargo space. The driver’s seat comes with a 10-way power adjustment and power lumbar support so you can stay comfortable. The passenger’s seat has four-way power adjustment and all trims for this model offer leather-trimmed seats. The Elite trim for the Passport comes with ventilated seats and heat for both the front and outboard rear seats. The 215-watt audio system with seven speakers and an 8-inch high-resolution display allows you to connect your devices, view navigation, and access CabinControl remote compatibility.

The higher trims for the Santa Fe come with leather-trimmed seats and an eight-way power driver seat. Heated seats are included in the two highest trim, as are power-release folding second-row seats. The Santa Fe comes with a 10.25-inch touchscreen with navigation and entertainment control. You can connect both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay to the system to enjoy your music or podcasts. In the two highest trims, you have wireless device charging to help you go wireless in the cabin. The XRT also comes with a leather-wrapped steering wheel.

Exterior

Some premium exterior features for the Honda Passport include rain-sensing and heated wipers in the Elite trim. All trims come with smart entry and a one-touch power moon roof tilt feature. The Elite trim comes with gloss black, power-folding, and auto-dimming heated side mirrors. This trim also offers acoustic glass for the windshield and doors and hands-free access to the power tailgate. The 2022 Honda Passport comes in colors including Crystal Black Pearl, Lunar Silver Metallic, Platinum White Pearl, Radiant Red Metallic, and Sonic Gray Pearl.

All trims for the Santa Fe come standard with LED daytime running lights, automatic headlights, power-folding side mirrors, rear privacy glass, and Hyundai digital key. The two highest trims come with rain-sensing windshield wipers and a panoramic sunroof. With the Calligraphy trim, you get dark chrome door handles and a dark chrome front grille. The Santa Fe comes in colors including Stormy Sea, Shimmering Silver, Quartz White, Calypso Red, Twilight Black, Portofino Gray, and Hampton Gray.

Safety

The Passport comes with a full suite of safety technology that can help you drive, park, and secure your vehicle. Some sensing technologies include the Collision Mitigation Braking System, Road Departure Mitigation System, Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Keeping Assist System, Forward Collision Warnings, and Lane Departure Warnings. The Passport offers active-safety support with the Tire Pressure Monitoring and Vehicle Stability Assist systems.

The Hyundai comes standard with safety features like power lock-out buttons, rear child safety locks, an anti-lock braking system, electronic stability control, and vehicle stability management. Lane following assist is a feature that allows the Santa Fe to detect lane markers and help you keep your vehicle between the lines when driving. The blind-spot view monitor helps you stay aware by providing a video feed of your blind spots on the 12.3-inch instrument display.

That’s everything you need to know about the differences between the Honda Passport and Hyundai Santa Fe. We hope this guide has been helpful in determining which car is best for you. If you want to learn more about the Honda Passport, scheduling a test drive can help you see how you feel behind the wheel. For more information, don’t hesitate to stop by Performance Kinds Honda or chat with one of our professionals today.

Images via honda.com