While most of the controls are well placed and easy to operate, the windshield wiper control-located on a post on the right side of the steering column-can be confusing if you don't take the time to figure it out. Fortunately, we had driven an Isuzu Rodeo a few weeks before the Passport, and the foibles of the control were still fresh in our minds when we picked up our test truck near downtown Los Angeles one wet and rainy afternoon. The moonroof-standard on EX models--lowers front-seat headroom from 38.9 inches to 37.8 inches. While that 1.1-inch might not sound like a lot, it does make a difference to taller people. Interestingly, Honda's smaller, unit-body SUV, the CR-V, offers more headroom (40.5 inches versus 37.8 inches) and comparable legroom (41.5 inches in the CR-V, 42.1 inches in the Passport). While some might find the passenger space limited, there is plenty of cargo room. The Passport has 81.1 cu. ft. of cargo space with the rear seat folded down. That compares favorably with other mid-sized SUVs. The Nissan Xterra has only 65.6 cu. ft. of hauling space. Ford Explorer and Toyota 4-Runner both come close with 79.8 cu. ft., although Dodge Durango has them all beat with 88.0 cu. ft. of maximum cargo volume. In our review of a 1999 Isuzu Rodeo, we lamented the fact that the seats weren't very comfortable. We must not have been alone in that opinion-and somebody must have been listening. The front and back seats were redesigned last year for the 2000 models. Without having old and new seats side by side it isn't possible to pinpoint exactly how the new ones are enhanced, but it at the very least the seat bottoms seemed bigger and deeper. Whatever the changes, they are definitely for the better.
|