JY: In order to make these midsize crossovers appealing to the most possible customers, it seems like designers have all arrived at an incredibly generic form, car companies sticking close to much the same design. For example, take a look at this new-for-2019 Honda Passport, which revives an old nameplate in a five-seat midsize crossover that slots between the CR-V and Pilot in Honda’s lineup. It’s handsome enough, but so incredibly bland. Then again, compared to some of Honda’s other questionable designs of late, maybe bland is a compliment.  The 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe is a bit more distinctive with its slim headlights and odd grille shape, but still follows the same template for a five-seat midsize crossover, tall and upright, making sure that practicality is not sacrificed for some styling misadventure.  Clayton: While they both look pretty generic, they’ve gone down different paths in the powertrain department. The Santa Fe uses the most common engine configuration of our time: a 2.0L turbocharged four. Taking a page out of the traditionalist playbook for the segment, the Honda uses a large-displacement naturally-aspirated 3.5L V6. The Santa Fe makes less power at 235 versus the Passport’s 280, but on the torque front it’s practically a dead heat with the Passport making 262 and Santa Fe twisting out 260 lb.-ft. What the numbers can’t convey is the different nature of the two engines. The Passport is high-winding and makes power up top while the Santa Fe makes plenty of down-low turbo torque. The Honda’s throttle is also very slow to react in its Econ mode, while the Santa Fe always seems to have enough pep just off the line with that peak torque available from below 1,500 rpm. It just makes it feel more effortless in acceleration.JY: I hear you. I thought the Santa Fe’s engine was a bit rough around the edges with some coarse sounds coming through, but its performance made easy work of acceleration, and the eight-speed auto was as smooth as I would hope for. The Passport’s transmission was equally smooth, so there’s little to pick apart there, and both have variable all-wheel drive systems that prioritize efficiency, but offer extra traction getting through crappy weather or roads. The Passport, however, goes a step further in the SUV direction, with more ground clearance, accepting the tradeoff in handling. Both vehicles ride well enough in a straight line, and both get a little unsettled over really rough, bumpy roads, but the Santa Fe has better composure in your typical city driving, with steering and handling that feel sharper and inspire more confidence in corners and tight parking lots. The Santa Fe also wins with an excellent 360-degree parking monitor with guide lines and well-measured proximity alerts. CS: I would say that the chief difference between the two of them on the road is that the Honda drives like a truck and the Hyundai drives like a car. The Hyundai feels smaller from the driver’s seat and is easier to drive around town than the bulky Honda. Inside, the Hyundai also has a very nice interior, the materials all top notch, loaded with features, anchored by a well laid-out console and info screen. One party trick of the Hyundai’s info screen is the handy “home” page that displays an active corner of the map screen, your music, and has ready-access buttons for most recently used function, like phone controls. It’s a very well thought out feature and one we both used often while driving. The Honda meanwhile is black, shiny black, and more black inside. Rather cave-like if you ask me and it could use some lighter coloured accents to break it up. The Honda is commendable, however, for its multitude of cup holders and storage cubbies. Your phones, sunglasses, and drinks will never want for a place to stay in the Passport. JY: Definitely, and before I get into the Passport’s practicality, I feel like we need to give Honda its due credit — their new infotainment is very slick, with big app’ icons that you can drag from screen to screen just like you rearrange apps on your smartphone, and it has all the cool gizmos just like the Hyundai. That being said, the Hyundai still wins in that department with just a few inconspicuous buttons that still work better as shortcuts to the most common functions.    In terms of practicality, there is no denying the Passport’s edge, and a big part of why it seems to drive bigger is because it is bigger. It’s bigger in every exterior dimension, about 7 centimetres longer, 5 cm more wheelbase, and over 12 cm wider, resulting in 1,430 litres of cargo space even with all five seats available, compared to 1,016 L for the Santa Fe. With the rear seats stowed (both split 60/40 for flexibility) the Pilot’s 2,852 L again dwarfs the Santa Fe’s 2,019. Despite the superior cargo capacity, passengers are not overlooked, and both feature roomy back seats with substantial head and legroom, but the Passport’s width gives it a clear edge in that
Origin: Comparison Test: 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe vs. 2019 Honda Passport