Consumer Guide Named This Honda Truck a Best Buy
The Honda Ridgeline is no stranger to winning praise in awards. But year after year, there seems to be a disconnect between these accolades and how many Honda trucks are actually sold. As a midsize truck, the Ridgeline regularly hovers around last place in terms of sales. At the same time, Consumer Guide just labeled the 2023 Honda Ridgeline as a Best Buy.
Are Honda Ridgeline trucks any good?
As far as midsize trucks go, the Honda Ridgeline is fairly decent. Each Ridgeline comes with a 3.5-liter V6 engine that makes 280 horsepower and 262 pound-foot of torque. All-wheel drive is also standard, and that’s nice to see on a compact pickup.
One place this Honda truck truly shines is its comfort. Rather than go for a traditional body-on-frame pickup, the 2023 Ridgeline utilizes unibody construction. This means the ride quality is more similar to an SUV than to a truck.
Unless you really plan on doing truck stuff often, some of the compromises that the Honda Ridgeline makes in capability might be worth it in terms of comfort. The Ridgeline has a coil-sprung independent rear suspension. And that makes for a carlike ride. Plus, you get electrically assisted steering.
Why is Honda’s truck a Best Buy?
According to Kelly Automotive Group, the 2023 Honda Ridgeline has been named a Consumer Guide Best Buy. This is the Ridgeline’s seventh straight year making the cut, and it is the eighth time in nine years.
Still, the Honda Ridgeline is far from the most popular midsize truck. When you compare its sales to something like the Toyota Tacoma, you’d think that it’s not a good product. But publications such as J.D. Power give it a high reliability rating. Add to that the praise this compact pickup gets from journalists consistently.
Is the Honda Ridgeline getting a redesign?
A redesigned Ridgeline should be coming in the future. The Honda Pilot is fresh off a full update, and that is the SUV that Honda’s truck is based on. The new Pilot got a new powertrain, although it is still a V6. And it’s now more in line with the current design language of the brand.
Perhaps the most exciting thing about the 2023 Honda Pilot is its TrailSport trim. The TrailSport package is an off-road equipment group that delivers some legitimate capability.
A Honda Ridgeline TrailSport could breathe some new life into this midsize truck. If folks want to hit the trail with their Honda pickup, they usually make aftermarket modifications or do so in stock form.
A Ridgeline TrailSport would mean a more capable model that might be better suited for adventuring. It would probably put skid plates underneath and potentially a revised AWD system.
As someone who genuinely enjoys off-roading, I would be interested to see the TrailSport treatment given to a new Ridgeline. Even if it wouldn’t be as capable as something like a Jeep Gladiator, it would add some extra ruggedness to Honda’s truck.
