Test drove a Honda Passport Elite

Unobtanium said:
They killed it with the F-Pace, in literally EVERY way. That said, I don't think I could own one for the price, given Jag's history of reliability. I'd rather the Macan S or something, even if I like the F-Pace a bit better not factoring long-term reliability.
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Eh.. I agree that they killed it with regard to exterior design, but I've visited the F-Pace boards and even signed up for an account on one forum when I was seriously considering a base model. I checked in a couple of months ago and there were a lot of bad experiences. People were trading in/cutting leases/selling way more often than I was expecting. The F-Pace interior is also not as nice as the CX-9 Signature's, IMO. I like two-tone, but it doesn't look like it's executed very well.

That said, part of the reason I got the CX-9 was the resemblance to the athletic look of the F-Pace:

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I test drove a Passport Elite, before buying my GTR. The Honda is an amazing car and I was ready to buy. HOWEVER the dealer would not budge from MSRP and on top of that would only lowball my Jeep Wrangler trade. There was no movement whatsoever, because they felt the Passport was a brand new offering and would sell at ridiculous pricing.

I walked and bought my GTR the next day. Haven't regretted it for a minute.
 
pcardoza said:
I test drove a Passport Elite, before buying my GTR. The Honda is an amazing car and I was ready to buy. HOWEVER the dealer would not budge from MSRP and on top of that would only lowball my Jeep Wrangler trade. There was no movement whatsoever, because they felt the Passport was a brand new offering and would sell at ridiculous pricing.

I walked and bought my GTR the next day. Haven't regretted it for a minute.
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I hate when dealers does this, it's a mass production vehicle, the benefits of doing this in exchange of losing potential customers is not worth it IMO.
 
jasong7131 said:
I hate when dealers does this, it's a mass production vehicle, the benefits of doing this in exchange of losing potential customers is not worth it IMO.
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Honda often does this. I wanted to buy a Civic hatchback and the dealer would not budget more than $100. The Mazda 3 guy came down over $3K and the deal was done.
 
I drove the passport last month. Was interested but its just like every Honda on the handling department (too soft).
 
Shopping for something new, but CX-5 still is high on my list

I have a 2014 CX-5 Grand Touring, pearl white -- and with the roof rails, thank you very much! -- which I've been nothing but happy with. Maintained by the book at my dealer. 109,000 miles. Retiring, likely, in 3-4 years and I'd like to have my car payments finished by then, so I'm starting to look around a lot at something new. Definitely still want a mid/compact SUV and right now, the Toyota Highlander, Honda Pilot, Honda Passport, Honda CR-V, CX-9 and CX-5 are my finalists. I'd add an Audi Q5 but I think I can do better in overall value than that. It's pretty exhausting, putting one's priorities in order and then deciphering all the little things you learn on forums like this, like only Hondas having timing belts anymore that will need to be replaced, another model having significant problem with its phone integration and some other model's problems with crappy infotainment systems. A first-world problem, I know... The CX-5's only drawback is its comparatively smaller cargo area, which is something I was hoping to improve on, which led me to the Honda passport and Pilot -- especially the Passport. Love the look and size of it. You're paying more for that Honda name though, I think -- and then I see that JD Power lists Honda well below the industry average in brand reliability. Toyota is second, after Lexus, which has held the top spot for EIGHT years in a row. I always thought Honda was about as reliable as it gets (I know their mowers are!). The industry average was 136; Honda was at 146 -- but Mazda was even worse at 149! That's a score of "problems per 100 vehicles," FYI. Anyway the shopping continues, and I have to get in and see the new CX-5 -- I'm sure things have changed a bit in five years! I can afford the top of the line on these. Maybe look at the CX-9 too -- although I wish they had a little more rugged/less-sleek look to them; that's what I like about the Passports and Highlanders.... The good thing is that I chose very well when I came from a Toyota RAV4 five years ago to a CX-5. It's been a great car.
 
As one of our friends here used to say (miss you X): each to their own. Give me sleek over tugged anyday. [emoji106][emoji16]
 
CeeEx5 said:
I have a 2014 CX-5 Grand Touring, pearl white -- and with the roof rails, thank you very much! -- which I've been nothing but happy with. Maintained by the book at my dealer. 109,000 miles. Retiring, likely, in 3-4 years and I'd like to have my car payments finished by then, so I'm starting to look around a lot at something new. Definitely still want a mid/compact SUV and right now, the Toyota Highlander, Honda Pilot, Honda Passport, Honda CR-V, CX-9 and CX-5 are my finalists. I'd add an Audi Q5 but I think I can do better in overall value than that. It's pretty exhausting, putting one's priorities in order and then deciphering all the little things you learn on forums like this, like only Hondas having timing belts anymore that will need to be replaced, another model having significant problem with its phone integration and some other model's problems with crappy infotainment systems. A first-world problem, I know... The CX-5's only drawback is its comparatively smaller cargo area, which is something I was hoping to improve on, which led me to the Honda passport and Pilot -- especially the Passport. Love the look and size of it. You're paying more for that Honda name though, I think -- and then I see that JD Power lists Honda well below the industry average in brand reliability. Toyota is second, after Lexus, which has held the top spot for EIGHT years in a row. I always thought Honda was about as reliable as it gets (I know their mowers are!). The industry average was 136; Honda was at 146 -- but Mazda was even worse at 149! That's a score of "problems per 100 vehicles," FYI. Anyway the shopping continues, and I have to get in and see the new CX-5 -- I'm sure things have changed a bit in five years! I can afford the top of the line on these. Maybe look at the CX-9 too -- although I wish they had a little more rugged/less-sleek look to them; that's what I like about the Passports and Highlanders.... The good thing is that I chose very well when I came from a Toyota RAV4 five years ago to a CX-5. It's been a great car.
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Mechanically, the CRV (with its oil dilution issues), and the Nissan Rogue (with their craptastic CVT)...is superior to the CX5, and the Forester.
So color me a bit jaded when it comes to trusting JD Power.
https://www.jdpower.com/Cars/Ratings/Quality/2018/Compact-SUV

I've honestly had the most "like my experiences" from Consumer Reports when it comes to automobiles.

The Audi Q5 is a great vehicle, but unless you get the S-Line model, it's a total ripoff compared to the top trim CX5 models. If you get the S-Line, then I'd ask...why didn't you get the Macan S? Or the AMG 43 GLC? Look at those, too. If you're just going to buy the base Macan, or the base Q5...why not the CX5 Signature or Grand Touring Reserve? Was that extra $20K really worth lopping off 1/4 second on your 0-60 and receiving comparable handling in exchange for a badge?
 
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Unobtanium said:
Mechanically, the CRV (with its oil dilution issues), and the Nissan Rogue (with their craptastic CVT)...is superior to the CX5, and the Forester. So color me a bit jaded when it comes to trusting JD Power.
https://www.jdpower.com/Cars/Ratings/Quality/2018/Compact-SUV
I've honestly had the most "like my experiences" from Consumer Reports when it comes to automobiles. The Audi Q5 is a great vehicle, but unless you get the S-Line model, it's a total ripoff compared to the top trim CX5 models. If you get the S-Line, then I'd ask...why didn't you get the Macan S? Or the AMG 43 GLC? Look at those, too. If you're just going to buy the base Macan, or the base Q5...why not the CX5 Signature or Grand Touring Reserve? Was that extra $20K really worth lopping off 1/4 second on your 0-60 and receiving comparable handling in exchange for a badge?
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I'm right there with you! And yes I've always been a CR fan too.
 
CeeEx5 said:
I'm right there with you! And yes I've always been a CR fan too.
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I'm honestly not a CR fan more or less than anyone else, but they've been spot-on for every vehicle I've ever owned, so like it or not, they hold sway for me as they are very accurate in my personal experience.
 
The problem with Honda been so disappointing on the reliability list could be their newer turbo and hydrogen powered cars, I think two Honda models ended on CRs top 10 least reliable vehicle list. The passport and pilot should be pretty good.
 
CeeEx5 said:
Ranked third in what? Reliability?
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Yes - reliability

By the way, I'll trust CR's ratings over JDP's ratings, any day. We currently have three Mazda's in our family with the oldest being my 2008 MX5. All have been extremely reliable. My son used to have a 1997 Civic CX which was very reliable but it was as simple a car as can be with manual windows and steering.
 
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CeeEx5 said:
I have a 2014 CX-5 Grand Touring, pearl white -- and with the roof rails, thank you very much! -- which I've been nothing but happy with.
snip..
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The problem I have with that JD Power report is the wide net they cast for a "problem". Mazda had/has a lot of issues mostly with infotainment, but the cars have been mechanically sound. Meanwhile, Honda has been having a lot more serious problems with their engine. Per JD Power, one Mazda infotainment "problem" is the same as one Honda engine "problem".

When doing my own research in buying a car, I found that watching youtube reviews, reading articles, and joining forums like these are a much better way to gather information.
 
sm1ke said:
The problem I have with that JD Power report is the wide net they cast for a "problem". Mazda had/has a lot of issues mostly with infotainment, but the cars have been mechanically sound. Meanwhile, Honda has been having a lot more serious problems with their engine. Per JD Power, one Mazda infotainment "problem" is the same as one Honda engine "problem".

When doing my own research in buying a car, I found that watching youtube reviews, reading articles, and joining forums like these are a much better way to gather information.
Click to expand...

This is why I like CR's stuff. It breaks it down by system.
 
I am the OP. I originally tried to make a deal on a new red Signature. The dealer lowballed me on my trade (Mazda3) so I started looking around. That led me to the Edge, the Highlander and the Passport.

We ordered a new red Passport Elite yesterday at a price just over invoice.

The deciding factors we the size of the storage behind the front seats (we travel south for the winter) and the Mazda crappy paint issues that still appear to be unresolved. Our 15 Mazda 3 has paint chips on all 4 sides. My 2006 Honda S2000 has 4 little chips with equal miles.

I might have been all over a 2 row CX-7 with paint that held up - but they are not on the dealer*s lot.

The CX-5 is a great vehicle that was just too small for us.
Mike
 
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