Looking for a New SUV

[Tortoise]

I finally made time to test drive a '22 Pilot. This one: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1018673080613491/?ref=saved&referral_code=null

Aside from a few rides in Gurgie's Passport, I haven't spent much time on the Honda SUVs. All the inputs were light, a little more weight to the steering would be nice, so it was easy to drive. The suspension is geared to comfort with zereo pretense of sport, but that's ok because the roads around here (and particularly in Quebec) are pretty rough.

There were no creaks, rattles or clunks, and it drove pretty tight. The alignment may have been a little off, but I'm pretty picky about that, so who knows. Cosmetically, it was in great shape. The underside was really clean as well.

The downside is that the front left was in a pretty big crash. The insurance company totalled it and paid the owner 28k in 2025 as part of the settlement. The selling shop/dealer bought it at auction, repaired it, and then sold it to a guy who drove it for a year and a half and then returned it to buy something newer. They said "it was only a few thousand to repair", which seems unlikely. I also noticed the paint on the rad support changed halfway through, so the repair may be questionable.

Oh yeah, it only had winter tires with 2 seasons left, so I'd have to shop for new tires.

I am gonna pass on this unit, but a Pilot would work well for us.

Having ridden in my friends MDX the day before confirmed that the ride/handling of the MDX is definitely a step up.

[Tortoise]

We test drove this Passport today: https://www.civicmotors.com/inventory/2023-honda-passport-trailsport-Th6he4VjTAS8vm571gA9BQvdp/

The first thing that was apparent is the Passport is set up noticeably different than the Pilot. It's more stiffly sprung and the steering is heavier and more direct, particularly at highway speeds. I really preferred the driving experience of the Passport.

Road noise was a lot higher, likely due to the Firestone Destination tires that had a few seasons on them.

The TrailSport has everything we would need and there's only a few options on the Touring we'd want, namely the cooled seats and upgraded stereo. One benefit of the TrailSport is the matte grey trim instead of the piano black in the Touring. Matte black is such a stupid trend.

This one had some minor cosmetic damage on the front bumpers, most likely parking lot scrapes. Annoying but touch up paint would cover them well enough.

We talked a bit on pricing and I am struggling with the price on these things. $43K is only 8k less than the MSRP in 2023. Honda raising prices on the latest Gen is really driving up the used prices (d'uh).

They were willing to come down about $1400, but even with a hefty down payment the total cost was $57k after taxes, financing and $1700 in dealer fees... I can't help but think that's bonkers.

We're able to afford more than the original budget, but I can't wrap my head around the total cost.

[Firm]

We test drove this Passport today: https://www.civicmotors.com/inventory/2023-honda-passport-trailsport-Th6he4VjTAS8vm571gA9BQvdp/

The first thing that was apparent is the Passport is set up noticeably different than the Pilot. It's more stiffly sprung and the steering is heavier and more direct, particularly at highway speeds. I really preferred the driving experience of the Passport.

Road noise was a lot higher, likely due to the Firestone Destination tires that had a few seasons on them.

The TrailSport has everything we would need and there's only a few options on the Touring we'd want, namely the cooled seats and upgraded stereo. One benefit of the TrailSport is the matte grey trim instead of the piano black in the Touring. Matte black is such a stupid trend.

This one had some minor cosmetic damage on the front bumpers, most likely parking lot scrapes. Annoying but touch up paint would cover them well enough.

We talked a bit on pricing and I am struggling with the price on these things. $43K is only 8k less than the MSRP in 2023. Honda raising prices on the latest Gen is really driving up the used prices (d'uh).

They were willing to come down about $1400, but even with a hefty down payment the total cost was $57k after taxes, financing and $1700 in dealer fees... I can't help but think that's bonkers.

We're able to afford more than the original budget, but I can't wrap my head around the total cost.

Price is wild, I know it's probably market, but that's a ton of money on an asset that's going to depreciate to practically nothing over the next 10 years. Just go find a 10 year old Tahoe for $15-20K, put $2K into it to proactively get the DOD Lifter issue addressed and drive it forever. Take the extra $35K, put it in a decent investment and in another 10 years you'll still have a solid truck, plus an extra $40K or so in interest.

[Gurgie]

Sounds like a really shitty interest rate on the vehicle. For shits & giggles I looked at a new CX-70 for you, financing is at 2.99% for 48 months & 3.49% for 60 months. More expensive all around, but if you can stomach the payments, cost of borrowing is less. Not sure if you could qualify for Mazda owner loyalty program? If so, that drops the interest rate by 1% more.

[Blizzard]

We test drove this Passport today: https://www.civicmotors.com/inventory/2023-honda-passport-trailsport-Th6he4VjTAS8vm571gA9BQvdp/

The first thing that was apparent is the Passport is set up noticeably different than the Pilot. It's more stiffly sprung and the steering is heavier and more direct, particularly at highway speeds. I really preferred the driving experience of the Passport.

Road noise was a lot higher, likely due to the Firestone Destination tires that had a few seasons on them.

The TrailSport has everything we would need and there's only a few options on the Touring we'd want, namely the cooled seats and upgraded stereo. One benefit of the TrailSport is the matte grey trim instead of the piano black in the Touring. Matte black is such a stupid trend.

This one had some minor cosmetic damage on the front bumpers, most likely parking lot scrapes. Annoying but touch up paint would cover them well enough.

We talked a bit on pricing and I am struggling with the price on these things. $43K is only 8k less than the MSRP in 2023. Honda raising prices on the latest Gen is really driving up the used prices (d'uh).

They were willing to come down about $1400, but even with a hefty down payment the total cost was $57k after taxes, financing and $1700 in dealer fees... I can't help but think that's bonkers.

We're able to afford more than the original budget, but I can't wrap my head around the total cost.

Price is wild, I know it's probably market, but that's a ton of money on an asset that's going to depreciate to practically nothing over the next 10 years. Just go find a 10 year old Tahoe for $15-20K, put $2K into it to proactively get the DOD Lifter issue addressed and drive it forever. Take the extra $35K, put it in a decent investment and in another 10 years you'll still have a solid truck, plus an extra $40K or so in interest.

For someone who's super handy and knowledgeable like you, makes sense. But I'm not sure this is practical for the average person and their kids who will be dependent on this car for the next 10 years. I looked within 500 km of my location (Montreal) and all $15-20K Tahoes from the 2015+ generation are ex-OPP or EMS fleet units with 150k+ km, or base model personal units from really rural areas with over 200k km. For a lot of people I feel like the cost, effort, and mental energy to keep something like this running and in decent shape as a daily driver over the next 10 years isn't worth the cost savings. Investments are great but assuming you're on track in that area, peace of mind is great too. I'd rock something older as a secondary car, but as a daily that's used for family, probably not.

[Tortoise]

Gurgie, the interest rate is around 6%, and a 4 year term. So, not outrageous.

This Passport qualified for the CPO program, which does provide some benefit. That's probably part of the inflated price.

Firm, good suggestion. The Tahoe is bigger than we need, and anything $20k or less is at least ten years old with well over 200k km. We'd have no car payment, but I'm not super confident with wrenching and rust will eventually take it's toll. Blizzard basically said it all better than I can.

[Blueprint]

@Tortoise, how about something like this:

https://www.autohebdo.net/annonces/subaru-ascent-touring-sieges-chauff-camera-carplay-mags-essence-noir-cat_ma67gr202576tr17920-0a313239-d81f-4710-bc5c-d9887778e15e?sort=model_year&desc=1&position=1&source_otp=nfm&source=listpage_search-results&order_bucket=0&boost_level=b4&applied_boost_level=b4&relevance_adjustment=sponsored&boosting_product=total_boost

Subaru's service fees are premium-like, sadly, but for $20k less than the Honda, this option has some value to it.

[Tortoise]

Blueprint, I had ruled the Ascent out due to the massive touch screen containing all the vehicle functions, and my perception that Subaru's are ultimately less reliable than the Passport. And from the sounds of it they are more expensive to maintain. Regarding that particular unit, we are looking for something with leather because of the dog. I'd also be surprised if they drive better than the Passport. They are definitely cheaper though.

I found this PP in Huntsville that checks a lot of the boxes. It's not the newer style, which looks better, but it's fine. A lot of the miles are likely highway given the location, it's got a clean Carfax, and looks to have been rust-proofed. I just spoke with the dealer, all services are up to date, and the tires (decent Bridgestones) and pads & rotors were replaced just over a year ago. So, the owner cared about it. It's also CPO which has some minor benefits.

After the dust settles, it's $12k-$13k less than the 2023. Seems like a good value for two years older, 40k km more and a higher trim.

https://www.huntsvillehonda.ca/vehicles/2021/honda/passport/huntsville/on/70192846/?sale_class=used

[Tortoise]

We ended up buying the Passport in Huntsville and picked it up on Friday. When I started searching the Passport was at the top of the list, and after looking at options I couldn't find anything to knock it off.

Here's what I ruled out:

Honda Pilot
We will only need the extra space a few times a year, and we have a giant roof box that can make up the difference. I found the Passport drove a little better than the Pilot, less soft and more direct. I also think they look a lot better. The Pilot being at least $5k more expensive didn't help anything.

Mazda CX-90 MHEV
I love the looks and the interior. But, anything in my price range was a first model year and I just wasn't comfortable with owning one for a long term. I felt like the Honda was the better bet and it will have a lot more aftermarket support.

Mazda CX-9
This has less passenger room than I wanted, otherwise I kinda like them. Obviously a Turbo 4 may not be as dependable as the Honda V6, so that was a factor.

Highlander/RX330
The transmissions in the V6 models are failure prone. So if it does go it is an expensive repair and it will take a while to get one. Not a great combo. Oddly, the prices on the used market don't reflect this and a comparable HL was at least $5 more than the Passport. The Hybrids/RX450h's are the way to go, but the pricing makes even less sense.

Acura MDX
This was in the running to the very end since the prices are more or less equivalent to the Pilot. The suspension is better than the Passports and the interior is more luxurious. But, in an effort to give it sporting looks by lowering the roofline they really compromised interior space, particularly in the rear seat where there is no foot space under the front seats. Because of my injured knee I am not able to sit comfortably in 2nd row of seats. The nail in the coffin is that none of them seem to have roof rails, and since our car have roof boxes on them from December to April, this wouldn't work. Roof rails are available, but they'd be $2k to get them installed. And the infotainment is kind of a mess with the two screens, but that's not a deal breaker.

Also considered and ruled out were the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Ford Explorer and the Kia/Hyundai twins. Predicted reliability was the biggest reason.

Here's a sneak pic, I will do a full Show 'n Shine later today.  It's basically Gurgie's old Passport. We're really happy with it.

[Gurgie]

^was wondering when you'd post some pics of it 

Looks great & I think it's a great choice for you based on your requirements and needs. I really enjoyed mine for the 5.5yrs I had it.

[Bridgecity]

Congrats Tortoise. That should serve you well for many years.

[RRocket]

Congrats, man!!

[Tortoise]

I really enjoyed mine for the 5.5yrs I had it.

For you to have kept it for 5.5 years says a lot!

[RRocket]

I really enjoyed mine for the 5.5yrs I had it.

For you to have kept it for 5.5 years says a lot!

How long did you have the HL?

[Tortoise]

Bought it in 2018 with 173k km, for $6500 after replacing what it needed to be safetied. It owes me nothing.