Honda Ridgeline
The Honda Ridgeline has a slightly disjointed history, although it also has a great reputation. The Ridgeline first arrived as a 2006 model year vehicle, with the first generation ending in 2015. There was a year off in the Ridgeline’s history, followed by its reintroduction for the 2017 model year. Based on information from Honda, the introduction of the Ridgeline was not done with the goal of stealing sales from other automakers with traditional trucks. Instead, the manufacturer wanted to offer brand loyalists the option of a pickup. Even so, the Ridgeline has sold in more than 20 countries and been met with great success.
Some of the success of the Ridgeline is no doubt due to its dependability. The latest Ridgelines come with a 30,000-mile/3-year warranty plus a 60,000-mile/5-year powertrain warranty. This shows that Honda has plenty of confidence in this vehicle, so drivers do not have to worry about costly repairs. The Ridgeline is unique in that it strikes a middle ground between cars or SUVs and trucks. It would not appeal to those who want to regularly haul or tow larger items or go off-road on a regular basis. However, it is perfect for daily driving plus basic uses, such as hauling smaller items and going to the home improvement store.
The focus of the Ridgeline on daily uses instead of extreme truck uses leads to a sole engine choice, a 3.5-liter V6 that you will also find in other Honda autos. This engine works with a 6-speed automatic transmission and can be configured as either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. Compared to the competition, the Ridgeline sits lower to the ground, with almost 8 inches for ground clearance. While this maximizes ride control, it does mean that it does not do quite as well off-road as some of its competitors. To further hurt its off-roading abilities, the Ridgeline does not have low-range gearing. However, the all-wheel drive does have electronic drive modes and lots of traction. This means you can easily take the Ridgeline through sand, snow, or mud.
Across the lineup, the latest version of the Honda Ridgeline has plenty of features, including a 5-inch display, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Bluetooth, and a rearview camera. Going with the higher trims can give you a downright opulent truck that feels almost like a luxury vehicle.
