Honda Pilot vs Passport for Oklahoma City families: seats, cargo, towing and price by trim
Pick the Pilot in Oklahoma City if your family needs seven or eight seats. Pick the Passport if five seats are enough and you want a 5,000 lb tow rating and 8.3 in of ground clearance on every trim. The one difference that decides it is the third row: the Pilot has one, with 32.5 in of legroom, and the Passport seats five.
Both carry 285 hp, so the choice rests on seats, cargo, towing, and the trim you can afford. We take them in the order they decide the question for an Oklahoma City household.
Keep reading below, then schedule a test drive in Oklahoma City. Bringing your own numbers to the lot settles this faster than any spec sheet.
Oklahoma City families of six or more need the Pilot’s third row
The Pilot seats 7 to 8 people and the Passport seats 5. If your household has three kids and a grandparent who rides along on Sundays, that settles it before any other figure matters. The Passport has no seat to give a sixth person.
Space behind the seats follows the same split. The Pilot holds 48.5 cu ft of cargo behind the second row, and its maximum cargo runs 111.8 cu ft to 113.7 cu ft depending on trim. The Passport tops out at 104.4 cu ft to 104.6 cu ft. Even the Pilot’s smallest cargo figure beats the Passport’s largest by 7.2 cu ft.
The second row does not separate them. Second-row legroom is 40.9 in in the Passport and 40.8 in in the Pilot, a tenth of an inch apart. So the Passport buyer gives up nothing in the middle seats. What the Pilot adds is the back row, at 32.5 in of legroom. We would plan that row for children and shorter rides.
| Measure | Honda Pilot | Honda Passport |
|---|---|---|
| Seats | 7 to 8 | 5 |
| Maximum cargo | 111.8 to 113.7 cu ft | 104.4 to 104.6 cu ft |
| Maximum towing, properly equipped | 3,500 to 5,000 lbs | 5,000 lbs |
| Ground clearance | 7.3 to 8.3 in | 8.3 in |
| Second-row legroom | 40.8 in | 40.9 in |
| EPA combined mpg, gasoline | 20 to 22 | 20 to 21 |
| Manufacturer’s suggested price | $42,395 to $55,195 across 8 trims | $44,950 to $53,850 across 7 trims |
Read the table by your own household. If the seat count is six or more, the Pilot column wins and the rest is detail. If the count is five or fewer, the rows that follow decide, and they lean toward the Passport.
A trailer in an Oklahoma City summer favors the Passport on every trim
The Passport carries a 5,000 lb maximum tow rating, properly equipped, on every one of its 7 trims. The Pilot reaches 5,000 lbs only on some of its trims. The Pilot Sport (2WD) and EX-L (2WD) are rated at 3,500 lbs, while the all-wheel-drive Pilot trims are rated at 5,000 lbs.
That matters for a family that tows a camper, a boat, or a utility trailer. With the Passport, you never have to check which trim carries the rating. With the Pilot, you pick all-wheel drive if you want the full 5,000 lbs.
Oklahoma City summers add load to any tow. The city averages 73.4 days a year at or above 90 degrees Fahrenheit (NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 2020). A loaded trailer on a hot afternoon is a long day for any vehicle, and the extra margin of a rating you know you have is worth something.
Ground clearance helps on the drive to the trailer, too. The Passport sits 8.3 in off the ground. The Pilot’s trims run from 7.3 in to 8.3 in. If your weekends end on gravel or dirt drives, the Passport gives you that clearance on every trim. A Pilot buyer who wants the same 8.3 in should ask us which trim carries it.
So the weekend verdict splits like this. A family of five that tows should lean Passport. A family of seven that tows should lean Pilot with all-wheel drive, and accept that the third row is what they paid for.
The daily drive in Oklahoma City is close, and ground clearance is the tiebreaker
On a weekday commute, the two Hondas behave about the same. Both make 285 hp. The EPA combined rating for gasoline is 20 to 22 mpg for the Pilot and 20 to 21 mpg for the Passport, so a fuel stop comes at about the same point in the week.
Oklahoma City weather gives the clearance figure some work to do. The city gets 6.7 inches of snow and 36.39 inches of precipitation a year (NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 2020). That is a lot of wet pavement, and a few days of ice. A vehicle that sits higher handles a flooded underpass or an unplowed side street with less worry. The Passport’s 8.3 in is the top of the range for both models, and the Pilot only matches it on some trims.
Turnpike drivers have a second reason to think about daily use. The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority says a PIKEPASS account saves up to 50% off PlatePay rates on Oklahoma turnpikes (Oklahoma Turnpike Authority, 2026). Either model works for that commute. The savings come from the tag, whichever Honda you drive.
If you spend most of your week alone or with one child in the car, nothing in the driving separates these two. You are choosing on seats, towing, and price. If you carry a full carpool, the Pilot’s seats show up every school morning.
Oklahoma City prices by trim overlap, and the state taxes both the same way
The manufacturer’s suggested prices run from $42,395 to $55,195 for the Pilot across 8 trims, and from $44,950 to $53,850 for the Passport across 7 trims. These are Honda’s suggested prices. They leave out destination charges, tax, title, license, and dealer fees, and they are not our prices.
The two ranges cross at every level. The lowest Pilot, the Sport (2WD), lists at $42,395. The Pilot Sport with all-wheel drive lists at $44,495, which is $455 under the Passport RTL at $44,950. The Passport RTL is the lowest Passport.
At the TrailSport trim, both models carry the name. The Passport TrailSport lists at $48,650 and the Pilot TrailSport at $50,595, a gap of $1,945. For that extra money the Pilot gives you 7 seats and a cargo ceiling of 113.7 cu ft, against the Passport’s 104.6 cu ft. Higher up, the Passport TrailSport Elite lists at $52,650 and the Pilot Elite at $53,695. At the top, the Pilot Black Edition lists at $55,195 and the Passport TrailSport Elite Blackout at $53,850.
So the price does not decide this one. A family that needs the third row pays for it at every comparable trim, and the premium is modest.
Oklahoma charges both models the same way. The state levies a motor vehicle excise tax of 3 1/4% of the value of each new vehicle (Oklahoma State Courts Network, 2026). The rate is the same for either Honda. The tax follows the value, so the trim you pick moves it.
At the tag counter, Service Oklahoma charges an $11.00 title fee and a $17.00 transfer fee, plus a $1.50 insurance fee and a $4.00 VIN inspection fee (Service Oklahoma, 2026). Those fees are identical for the Pilot and the Passport. Plan for them next to the sticker price.
What Bob Howard Honda offers an Oklahoma City family choosing between them
Our store sits on the north side of Oklahoma City, at 13201 N Kelley Ave, on the North Kelley Avenue and Broadway Extension corridor. We sell new, used, and certified pre-owned Honda vehicles, and the people who sell and service them work on that one brand every day.
Start with a drive. Test drives can be booked online or by phone, so you can put your family in a Pilot and a Passport back to back and see whether the third row earns its place.
Money comes next. We offer Honda leases alongside new and pre-owned financing, and a secure online finance application lets you do the paperwork before you visit. A free vehicle history report comes with a used vehicle. If you start with an estimate built from make and model alone, know that it gives only a general number, and it may change.
Service is the other half. We have a Honda OEM parts center that keeps popular parts in stock.
Owners say it better than we do. Heather H. reviewed Bob Howard Honda on Google in September 2025 after buying a Pilot:
“I recently purchased my 2025 Honda Pilot from Bob Howard Honda and had a great experience! The team was professional, helpful, and made the process smooth and stress-free. I would recommend Bob Howard Honda to anyone looking for a new vehicle!”
A September 2025 Google review of Bob Howard Honda from Jeff R. praises the service department and names a Passport:
“Trevor, in the service department, did an excellent job of working with me on determining what needed to be done to my Honda. He was vey friendly and helpful. He is who I will ask for next time I need service on my Passport.”
Brian M. wrote in a July 2025 Google review of Bob Howard Honda:
“Took my 2024 Honda Pilot in for an oil change service. The techs discovered two recalls and immediately fixed the recalls. Took longer than a typical oil change, but now I don’t have to schedule another day to fix recalls. Thank you to the Bob Howard Honda service crew in Edmond Oklahoma. This is our third new Pilot purchase from them.”
Frequently asked questions
Do the Pilot and Passport have the same horsepower?
Yes. Both make 285 hp. The difference you feel between them comes from seats, cargo, and towing, since the power is the same.
How do the warranties compare?
They match. Both carry a basic warranty of 3 years or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first, and a powertrain warranty of 5 years or 60,000 miles, whichever comes first. Warranty length gives you no reason to prefer one over the other.
Which has more second-row legroom?
The Passport, by a tenth of an inch. Its second row measures 40.9 in against 40.8 in in the Pilot. In practice the two middle rows feel the same, so the Pilot’s advantage is the extra row behind them.
What does all-wheel drive add to a Pilot’s price?
Honda lists the Pilot Sport (2WD) at $42,395 and the Pilot Sport with all-wheel drive at $44,495. That is $2,100 more. All-wheel drive is also what brings the Pilot’s tow rating to 5,000 lbs, against 3,500 lbs on the two-wheel-drive Sport and EX-L.
What does the Passport RTL Towing trim cost over the RTL?
The manufacturer lists the RTL at $44,950 and the RTL Towing at $45,650, so the Towing trim adds $700. Every Passport trim carries the same 5,000 lb maximum tow rating, properly equipped. Ask us what the Towing trim adds before you choose it.
Does every Pilot seat eight?
No. The Pilot TrailSport seats 7. The other Pilot trims seat up to 8. If eight seats matters to your family, tell us before we pull trims for a test drive.
Oklahoma City families who need a third row choose the Pilot
If your Oklahoma City household counts six or more, buy the Pilot and pick all-wheel drive if you tow. If you are a family of five who tows, camps, or drives gravel, the Passport gives you the 5,000 lb rating and the 8.3 in of clearance on every trim. If you carry a full carpool most days, the Pilot’s extra seats will matter more than any price gap between the two. We are the place to make this call because we are a Honda store on the north side, we know this lineup every day, and we let you drive both and sort out the numbers without pressure.
Bob Howard Honda is the north Oklahoma City Honda store on Kelley Avenue
We are a Honda dealership at 13201 N Kelley Ave, selling new, used, and certified pre-owned Hondas with service, parts, and financing on site. Customers rate us 4.5 stars across 4,311 Google reviews (Google, 2026). We are part of Group 1 Automotive, which posted record full-year revenue of $22.6 billion, up 13.2%, and sold 459,000 new and used vehicles, a company record (Group 1 Automotive, 2026).
In a November 2025 Google review of Bob Howard Honda, Matt T. wrote: “Incredibly helpful, got me the part the other dealers couldn’t. Gott it done really fast. They were very kind.” Choose us and you get a Honda team that works on one brand, a transparent price conversation, and a family-sized decision made without pressure.
See our current Passport and Pilot inventory at Bob Howard Honda.
Bob Howard Honda answers this question against the specific vehicle in front of you rather than the model in general. Value your trade and get pre-approved online, then see us at our Oklahoma City showroom, or call (405) 753-8700.
Disclaimer: Vehicle features, specifications, pricing, options, and availability may vary based on production timelines and dealership inventory; images are for illustrative purposes only. Starting MSRP figures are national and exclude destination freight charges, tax, title, license, and dealer fees. Standard and available equipment varies by trim, configuration, and model year; confirm the specification of the individual vehicle before purchase. Maximum towing and payload ratings depend on cab, bed, drivetrain, and equipment configuration; see the vehicle’s Owner’s Manual and trailering guide for limits. Electric range and charging times vary with battery, configuration, temperature, terrain, load, and driving habits. Safety or driver assistance features are no substitute for the driver’s responsibility to operate the vehicle in a safe manner. Financing and pre-approval are subject to credit approval. Contact Bob Howard Honda for complete details regarding current vehicle inventory, pricing, and equipment.
