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Execs: Nice on-road trip and dealing with; modern mattress design; commonplace AWD
Cons: Controversial design; no cheap base fashions; restricted off-road
The Honda Ridgeline introduced one thing completely new and totally different to the pickup section earlier than different unibody vans just like the Hyundai Santa Cruz and Ford Maverick hit the market. Regardless of these different crossover-based vans being on sale now, the 2023 Honda Ridgeline nonetheless presents a singular proposition as the one midsize unibody pickup on the market. Its pretty highway manners could also be matched and bested by the Hyundai, however the bigger Honda presents considerably extra utility and house. Plus, its benefits over others within the highly-competitive midsize truck house stay.
No midsize pickup rides and comports itself higher on the highway than the Ridgeline, making it this truck’s greatest promoting level. Most vans give off the rough-and-tumble vibes when cruising round city, however within the Ridgeline, it’s so SUV-like that you could be as effectively be driving a Honda Pilot with a mattress (as a result of that is principally what it’s). The Ridgeline’s modern swing-out tailgate tech continues to be a segment-exclusive characteristic — we liked it on our long-term Ridgeline check truck. Its inside doesn’t attempt to overwhelm with rugged, tough-looking styling. As a substitute, it’s much like the family-oriented SUVs from Honda, remaining pleasantly ergonomic and filled with storage/cubbies. If there’s a low level to be discovered, it’s the tech contained in the Ridgeline. Honda up to date this pickup for 2021, however the infotainment and driver help tech continues to be disappointing at finest. As for the powertrain, we like the usual 3.5-liter V6 for its throaty growl and stable energy, however want it provided higher fuel efficiency.
For a lot of use circumstances, the Ridgeline and its 5,000-pound towing capability goes to be all of the truck you want. Its all-wheel-drive system is even acceptably succesful off-road, so don’t write it off when the going will get robust. In most day-to-day use circumstances, you’re going to be grateful to be driving the comfortable, pleasant Ridgeline over different midsize pickups.
Interior & Technology | Passenger & Cargo Space | Performance & Fuel Economy
What it’s like to drive | Pricing & Trim Levels | Crash Ratings & Safety Features
What’s new for 2023?
Honda refreshed the Ridgeline for the 2021 model year, however there aren’t any main adjustments made for the 2023 mannequin yr truck.
What are the Ridgeline’s inside and in-car expertise like?
For higher and for worse, the Ridgeline inside is copied and pasted from the Honda Pilot from the B-pillars ahead. Which means it isn’t an particularly enticing house, and definitely not one which screams “robust, enjoyable truck!” That is the “for worse” bit. For higher, the Pilot interior offers exceptional small item storage, and that principally carries over to the Ridgeline unchanged. The roomy coated middle bin is very useful for protecting even sizable objects away from prying eyes or from flying across the cabin.
However now, again to the more severe bit. The Pilot/Passport/Ridgeline’s infotainment system is the inside’s weakest attribute. Sure, it has a quantity knob now, however that is simply correcting an previous misstep. It does not change the missteps that stay: a convoluted menu construction, rudimentary navigation system (if that’s the case outfitted) and lack of bodily supporting buttons.
How massive is the Ridgeline?
On the skin, the Ridgeline is principally the identical size and peak as different midsize crew cab pickups. Its wheelbase is not fairly as lengthy, and it has much less floor clearance (7.6 inches), but it surely’s notably wider – by a whopping 5.3 inches in comparison with the Ford Ranger. Nonetheless, the Ridgeline’s unibody “crossover” building means these comparable dimensions on the skin don’t translate into comparable measurements inside. Merely put, the Ridgeline cabin is much roomier and extra comfy for passengers. You possibly can see this most when it comes to rear seat legroom, and all that further width ends in the same benefit in shoulder room. There’s additionally the matter of inside peak: There’s extra of it within the Ridgeline, which means the seats might be larger off the bottom (particularly in comparison with the Toyota Tacoma), leading to larger consolation even when headroom is comparable.
In contrast to many of the different midsize vans, the Ridgeline doesn’t provide a smaller, “prolonged cab” physique model. There may be additionally just one mattress size, 5 toes 4 inches, which is according to the brief beds that sometimes come commonplace with the crew cabs of different midsize pickups (it is also for much longer than the cargo areas of midsize SUVs). The Tacoma and Frontier might be paired with an extended mattress; the Ranger and newly-redesigned Colorado can not.
None of these rivals, nevertheless, presents the distinctive attributes of the Ridgeline’s mattress. That begins with the intelligent Twin Motion tailgate, which drops down like regular or swings out like a door. The latter is useful for climbing into the mattress or leaning in to get one thing, and it additionally offers entry to the Ridgeline’s different distinctive characteristic: a trunk. This water-tight 7.9-cubic-foot space fit three medium-sized pieces of luggage in our luggage test and has a plug within the backside to allow you to wash it out or fill it with ice to create a huge onboard cooler. Simply know that it takes so much of ice to do it. Lastly, the highest two trim ranges characteristic the Truck-Mattress Audio System, which principally turns the mattress into a large speaker. It is fairly cool.
What are the Ridgeline’s gasoline economic system and efficiency specs?
The Ridgeline certain retains issues easy by providing just one powertrain and drivetrain mixture: a 3.5-liter V6 that sends 280 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque via a nine-speed computerized to a torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive system. You need rear-wheel drive? Too dangerous, the Ridgeline relies on a front-wheel-drive platform. You need front-wheel drive? No, in fact you do not. You are not alone, Honda discontinued that possibility with its 2021 refresh
EPA-estimated fuel economy is eighteen mpg metropolis, 24 mpg freeway and 21 mpg mixed. Contemplating the crossover structure, nine-speed computerized and Honda’s popularity, you will in all probability be shocked to listen to that mixed estimate is definitely 1 mpg worse than a Ford Ranger 4×4 and the identical as a Ford F-150 4×4 with the two.7-liter turbo V6.
What is the Ridgeline wish to drive?
The Ridgeline has indubitably the smoothest trip and finest on-road dealing with of any midsize pickup. It even has a torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive system, which shunts energy to every rear wheel to enhance dealing with and traction. Principally, the Ridgeline drives extra like a crossover than a body-on-frame truck – as a result of that is precisely what it’s. The trip is somewhat firmer than a Pilot or Passport’s, however each Ridgeline is a really civilized pickup to drive.
There are, in fact, downsides. Its 7.6 inches of floor clearance is not even excessive for a crossover, and whereas its all-wheel-drive system, off-road driving modes and HPD bundle upgrades make it surprisingly succesful off the crushed path, it might’t contact even the extra fundamental variations of the Ranger and Tacoma. Its towing capability of 5,000 kilos can be fairly weak (the Ranger, Colorado/Canyon, Tacoma and Jeep Gladiator are throughout 7,000), however its payload of 1,583 kilos is corresponding to all however the best-in-class Ranger.
What different Honda Ridgeline opinions can I learn?
2021 Honda Ridgeline First Drive
In our first drive of the revised 2021 Ridgeline, we dive extra deeply into the adjustments and get an opportunity to drive it off highway.
2020 Honda Ridgeline Road Test
We truly use the Ridgeline for a great, old style truck exercise: hauling mulch.
Long-Term Honda Ridgeline Test
We examined a Ridgeline for a complete yr, and though there have been some updates since then, our impressions (and fondness for it) stay broadly the identical.
2018 Honda Ridgeline and Airstream Basecamp X | A match made in Michigan
We take our long-term Ridgeline on an extended, chilly weekend journey with a mini Airstream
What’s the 2023 Ridgeline’s value?
Pricing begins at $40,095, together with the $1,225 vacation spot cost, for the bottom Sport trim stage. That’s practically $2,000 greater than the 2022 mannequin yr truck’s base value. It’s additionally significantly greater than different midsize pickups, however keep in mind that the Ridgeline comes commonplace with key parts which can be elective on different vans: a crew cab, V6 engine and all-wheel drive.
It additionally has extra commonplace tools. This consists of 18-inch alloy wheels, the Twin Motion tailgate and mattress trunk, computerized LED headlights, LED foglights, mattress lights, rear privateness glass, a multi-angle parking digicam, a full suite of accident avoidance tech (see Security part), adaptive cruise management, proximity entry and keyless begin, tri-zone computerized local weather management, a height-adjustable driver seat, fabric upholstery, a 60/40-split again seat with flip-up seat bottoms, an 8-inch touchscreen, two USB ports, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a seven-speaker sound system.
We had been completely high quality with this ample quantity of apparatus within the Sport we examined, nevertheless, the RTL’s energy entrance seats, blind-spot warning system, power-sliding rear window and leather-wrapped steering wheel would in all probability make the value premium acceptable for a lot of.
The highest two trim ranges are principally the identical, besides the Black Version prices you $1,500 for blacked out wheels and trim items, and particular inside accents. Notable tools upgrades embrace parking sensors, a truck mattress energy outlet, the truck-bed audio system, a heated steering wheel, wi-fi telephone charging and built-in navigation.
The HPD (Honda Efficiency Bundle) pictured above in white is obtainable on each trim stage and features a distinctive grille and fender flares, HPD stickers, and 18-inch “bronze alloy wheels” which can be completely extra gold than bronze. If you’d like black wheels, Honda permits you to spec these, too. It prices $2,800. You possibly can see the distinction between it and an everyday Ridgeline under, and browse extra about it in our Ridgeline HPD Package Driveway Test.
All costs under embrace the vacation spot cost of $1,295.
Sport: $40,095
RTL: $43,075
RTL-E: $46,025
Black Version: $47,525
What are the Ridgeline’s security scores and driver help options?
Each 2023 Ridgeline consists of ahead collision warning, computerized emergency braking, lane-keeping help, and adaptive cruise management with steering help. Blind-spot and rear cross-traffic warning are on all however the base Sport. Though it is commendable that these options are commonplace, they’re among the oldest and least refined in the marketplace. Adaptive cruise management tends to brake an excessive amount of, accelerates again in control too slowly, and the steering help pales compared to that provided by different manufacturers.
The Nationwide Freeway Visitors Security Administration gave the Ridgeline 5 out of 5 stars for general, frontal and facet crash safety. No different midsize truck can match this. The Insurance coverage Institute for Freeway Security gave it the best-possible score of “Good” in all crash tests however the latest small overlap entrance: passenger-side check the place it acquired a second-best “Acceptable.” The ahead collision prevention system additionally acquired a score of fine, however the headlights acquired a third-best/second-worst rating of “Marginal.”
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