A lot of customers are shopping for an SUV nowadays, and there are simply a lot of models on the market. Toyota and Honda, always looking to compete with each other, have SUVs of all shapes and sizes, but not all of them are well-known. Here’s a look at the contest between two forgotten SUVs, the 2021 Toyota Venza and the 2021 Honda Passport. 

A tale of two forgotten SUVs

Like Autotrader wrote, since both cars are in the mid-size crossover SUV segment, both are sitting between giants.

In the Passport’s case, it’s the car that’s right between the extremely popular Honda CR-V and Honda’s other popular SUV, the Pilot. In the Venza’s case, it’s sitting between the well-known Toyota RAV4 and the Highlander. 

On top of that, while the Passport has been chugging along for a while, the Venza is a recently revived model. Like most discontinued models, Toyota stopped making the Venza largely because it wasn’t very popular.

Toyota is probably hoping that it’ll be more popular this time around. Toyota discontinued the Venza with the 2015 model year, so the 2021 Venza will be the first Venza in a while.

That said, Toyota and Honda aren’t dumb. While there are more popular SUVs on the market, Toyota and Honda probably think that there’s also a market for the Venza and the Passport. As such, both are relatively capable SUVs, but it’s a close race between the two.

A comparison of the two forgotten SUVs

While both are kind of forgotten SUVs, each was clearly designed for different things. Off the bat, while both SUVs have a single-engine option, the Venza only comes with a 219-hp hybrid powertrain while the Passport only has a 3.5-liter V6 which gets 280-hp.

As such, since the Venza is a hybrid, it gets a remarkable estimated 39 MPG combined, while the Passport only gets an estimated 22 MPG combined. 

Despite having a hybrid engine, the Venza is actually a little cheaper than the Passport is, and this means that the Venza is a pretty good car for customers’ wallets.

However, due to the much more powerful engine, the Passport can tow more than the Venza can. Autotrader wrote that the Passport has a 5,000-pound towing capacity, and the Passport also has more cargo room. 

The Venza, when its seats are folded back, has about 55 cu. ft. of cargo space, while the Passport tops out at almost 78 cu. ft. of cargo space. That being said, when it comes to practical features, the Venza comes standard with all-wheel drive, while all-wheel drive is a $2,000 optional feature for the Passport.

Is the 2021 Toyota Venza really the better SUV?

Besides being forgotten SUVs, both cars actually had plenty in common, according to Autotrader. For example, in the interior, both cars had similar standard features, as both came with an 8.0-inch touch screen display and a bunch of standard smart safety features.

Unsurprisingly, both cars live up to Toyota and Honda’s reputation of being safe and reliable, and there’s almost no difference between the two on those fronts. 

Additionally, both cars come with practically the same warranty, and also have similar optional upgrades as well. Due to these facts, Autotrader ultimately said that the Venza was the better forgotten SUV. The Venza is as capable as the Passport is in most ways, and it’s more capable in other ways as well. 

Furthermore, the Venza is cheaper than the Passport is, and for some Toyota fans, it may look cooler, too. Like Autotrader wrote, the Venza has “Lexus styling at a Toyota price point.”