Honda Ridgeline History
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The Honda Ridgeline is a pickup truck with unusual styling and unusual credentials. Sharing some running gear with the Honda Pilot SUV, its short pickup bed has class-distinctive features like a storage area under the bed floor. Though it's a sizable bed, it's just shy of true full-size status--though it's larger than "mid-size" pickups like the Dodge Dakota and Nissan Frontier. It's also not quite as large as the similar-looking Chevrolet Avalanche--the Ridgeline lacks the Chevy's flip-down door that expands the bed into the truck's cabin. It's a competitor in some ways to the Avalanche and the Ford Explorer Sport Trac, but still a slow-selling oddity.
The Ridgeline went on sale as a 2006 model. Awkward styling didn't trump its innovation, as it was named the Truck of the Year by a group of North American car writers. The chunky front end and sail-paneled sideview were necessary to house its big V-6 engine and to give the truck good structural rigidity. The styling's remained consistent in the five years the Ridgeline has been offered, though in the 2010 model year it gained a controversial grille that mimics the front end on the latest Honda Pilot.
The Ridgeline has a single powertrain combination, which is unusual in the pickup market. With a 250-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 engine, a five-speed automatic transmission, and Variable Torque Management four-wheel drive, the Ridgeline has brisk acceleration and good passing response, even with a load, and it's better suited for slippery snow-covered roads than most four-wheel-drive pickups. Ride quality and steering feel are far superior to most full-size and mid-size trucks, too. Still, the lack of a V-8 engine option no doubt turns off more traditional truck buyers who might overlook the Honda badge on the front.
The unusual pickup bed pushes the Ridgeline into an even smaller niche. At just over five feet long, it's not big but it will hold a 4-by-8 sheet of plywood with the tailgate down. An optional bed extender includes more tie-downs and can handle mounting accessories for ATVs, snowboards, surfboards, bikes, and the like. As Honda explains, the Ridgeline's not intended to be a full-size truck but a truck useful to owners of its other motorized products. Still, all the heavy-duty towing components are included; the Ridgeline can haul a 1,550-pound payload in its five-foot composite cargo bed or tow up to 5,000 pounds. The under-bed cargo bin can only be accessed when the bed is empty, of course--but the Ridgeline's tailgate does flip down or swing to the side on a hinge, giving it a touch more usefulness.
The Ridgeline has been a longtime overachiever in safety. Front side airbags, rollover-sensing side-curtain bags covering both rows, anti-lock brakes,
and electronic stability control are included across the model line. The Ridgeline achieves top "good" ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), though a lack of roof-crush tests keeps it from the "Top Safety Pick" list this year.
Like Ford Ranchero, Chevrolet El Camino, and Subaru Baja sort-of trucks before it, the Ridgeline has a small fan base. It's not sure if Honda will replace the truck as it nears the end of its life cycle. For now, it still is assembled at the Honda plant in eastern Alabama alongside the Odyssey minivan.
