Honda Ridgeline

by **Rislar** Sun Jan 10, 2010 6:38 am

First Glance at the 2010 Honda Ridgeline
Ridgeline first hit the US market as a 2006 model, and returns basically unchanged for the 2010 model year. Ridgeline is different from just about every other new pickup truck for sale right now, because it is car-based; meaning, it isn't built in the traditional body-on-frame style. Instead, Ridgeline is a unibody vehicle. Under most circumstances, body-on-frame vehicles are considered more "heavy duty" than unibodies. A robust frame provides the underpinnings for a stout structure. The tradeoff is a rougher ride, and less elegant construction. Take a look at the gap where the cab and box meet on a traditional pickup, and it's never a pretty sight.
Ridgeline is different. There's no gap between the cab and the bed. Seams and gaps all over the body are tight, and car-like -- just like you'll find on a Honda sedan. The vehicle squats over its wheels, but still has a generous 8.2" of minimum ground clearance. It looks bigger in person than it does in photos, but maybe that's just the psychological effect. I may have expected to see a smaller truck because of the Honda name.

Because of the four-door cabin and the short (60") bed length, Ridgeline's proportions in profile take some getting used to. Over the course of my week with the truck, I never found myself caught up in its beauty -- but I didn't have to look away in horror, either. The more I drove the Ridgeline, the better it started to look.

In the Ridgeline's Driver's Seat
Honda designers know how to run with a theme, and on Ridgeline the theme is horizontal. The dash is composed of several horizontal rectangles, with the lion's share going to the driver's side. My test vehicle was a top-of-the-line RTL NAV model, which came with an in-dash navigation system with Bluetooth, voice recognition and a rearview camera. The passenger's side features three rectangular bins above a big glove compartment, crowned by two horizontal rectangular air vents, all part of the theme.
Beefy door pulls protect the door handles, and really give driver and passenger a handhold when the road turns rough. A multi-functional center console provides a variety of storage and organizational options.

The second row brims with utility as well. A 60/40 split bench seat easily and conveniently folds up flush with the bed wall and locks into place, leaving a roomy, flat load floor behind the first row. My dogs appreciated this space in particular, as they could lie comfortably on the floor without worry of sliding off of the seat at a stop.

The pickup bed is smartly designed. Though it is only 60" long with the tailgate closed, open the gate and you've got a flat, supported surface that's 49.5" wide between the wheel wells, and 79" long -- plenty big enough for a sheet of 4' x 8' plywood. Eight heavy-duty tie down cleats are standard. And the great bonus is a lockable, watertight 8.5 cubic foot trunk that hides beneath the load floor. The trunk is big enough for a couple of rolling suitcases, and really extends the usability of the Ridgeline.

On the Road in the Ridgeline Pickup Truck
As you'd expect from a car-based truck, the Ridgeline rides smoothly and comfortably. With its 3.5 liter V6 powerplant pushing out 250 hp and 247 lb-ft of torque, the 3,471 lb Ridgeline feels like it has power to spare when unladen. I suspect that loading the truck up to its 1,546 lb payload, or towing close to its 5,000 lb capacity would tax the engine somewhat, but not too badly.
Ridgeline comes standard with a 5-speed automatic transmission and a heavy-duty transmission cooler, as well as 4-wheel drive and a locking rear differential. The 4-wheel drive system, which Honda calls "VTM-4" (Variable Torque Management 4-Wheel Drive System), can send up to 70% of the power to the rear wheels when the rear diff is locked, which can be pretty handy in the mud and on slippery surfaces.

Journey's End
If you need a heavy-duty work truck, you should probably look past the Ridgeline. But if you are looking for a compromise between the convenience and utility of an open pickup bed and the comfort of a car, Ridgeline might fit the bill.
If you like the part truck/part SUV layout, there are a few other choices on the market. The Chevrolet Avalanche is a true body-on-frame example, and one that I really like. There's also a luxury variant, the Cadillac Escalade EXT, which is sort of silly, to be honest. Ford's Explorer SportTrac straddles the line between SUV and truck. Toyota's Tacoma Double Cab also flirts with the short bed/full cabin formula. But since GM cancelled the planned revival of the El Camino (c'mon, GM!) and Subaru deep-sixed the Baja, nobody other than Honda is building a car-based pickup truck.