Is It Time to Stop Ignoring the Honda Ridgeline?
The Honda Ridgeline is not your typical midsize truck. It rides on a unibody platform that is shared with the Honda Pilot SUV. At the same time, it comes with a standard V6 engine and all-wheel drive. And despite earning consistent praise from automotive journalists, the Ridgeline has never really taken off in terms of sales. Is it time to revisit Honda’s truck?
Is Honda’s truck good?
As far as midsize trucks go, the Honda Ridgeline brings some good characteristics to the table. It comes with a standard V6 engine that makes 280 horsepower and 262 pound-foot of torque. For some other pickup trucks in this segment, that is something that you will have to pay extra for. Additionally, you do get standard AWD in the Honda Ridgeline which is nice to see.
This midsize truck can also tow 5,000 lbs and can haul nearly 1,600 lbs. I will say that is not as much as something like the Toyota Tacoma or Ford Ranger, but for most needs, it should be OK.
Where the Ridgeline might fall short is its ruggedness. It sounds like folks do some light off-roading with this pickup, but you might have to make some aftermarket modifications.
The Honda Ridgeline is comfortable
Where the Ridgeline truly shines is its comfort and features. Because of its coil-sprung independent rear suspension, the Honda Ridgeline rides more like a car than a truck. In some people’s eyes, that might actually be a downside. But for daily use, I would count it as a perk.
Materials used inside of the Ridgeline are also fairly impressive. And rear occupants will find more space than other trucks in this segment.
The bed of this truck isn’t as long as others. Only one bed length is offered, and it is 5.3 feet. That’s pretty similar to the short-bed configurations offered by other brands. Honda does have a feature to help improve the bed’s practicality. There is a locking, weather-proof, in-bed trunk. It’s ample enough to fit some gear that you don’t want sitting out in the open.
Is Honda going to redesign the Ridgeline?
For 2024, a redesigned Honda Ridgeline is expected. We don’t know much about what’s coming, but it will probably bring Honda’s truck more in line with its other models. The Pilot recently got a major update, and that brought new exterior and interior design. Plus, Honda even added a new V6 engine.
That is probably what we will see from the 2024 Honda Ridgeline. The big news might be that Honda has confirmed that there will be a Ridgeline TrailSport. According to Carscoops, a TrailSport trim might give this midsize truck some more ruggedness.
In the video above, you can see that the Honda Pilot TrailSport is actually fairly capable. The reviewer puts it through its paces on an off-road trail. And hopefully, that is something we can see the redesigned Ridgeline do.
