A Pickup Truck For Every Day

The Honda Ridgeline was derided by much of the full-size truck world with its unibody, car-like frame and midsize package when it was revealed in 2006. But, almost 20 years later, the Ridgeline is still on America’s streets with an acceptable towing capacity, smart storage solutions and Pilot-like ride, handling and efficiency.

Sales have been going up since Honda redesigned the Ridgeline for the current generation, for the 2017 model year. It had its best year ever in 2023 as its variations and trims changed to meet the needs of buyers.

The current Ridgeline about an inch shorter in length than the Ford Ranger and a few inches smaller than the popular Toyota Tacoma, though far bigger than the compact Ford Maverick. However, it doesn’t look like it unless they’re parked next to each other.

It has a standard composite bed that can carry 4-foot-wide items, like a piece of plywood, flat without dents or scratches, according to Honda.

Ridgeline also comes equipped with eight tie-down cleats for securing cargo and a deep, 7.3-cubic-foot lockable, drainable storage tub under the bed floor, which is perfect for keeping groceries in place and easy to reach.

The Ridgeline’s tailgate opens traditionally and like a barn door to make loading and unloading easier. When folded down the tailgate lengthens the bed to more than 7 feet.

The 2024 Honda Ridgeline is now available in four all-wheel drive trims including Sport, RTL, the new TrailSport and the Black Edition, with a starting price of $39,750 before destination and handling. The off-road focused 2024 Ridgeline TrailSport tested by Newsweek retails for $44,980.

The TrailSport trim adds more capability with a new off-road tuned suspension, steel underbody protection that shields its oil pan from rocks and other hazards, General Grabber all-terrain tires and new wheels. It also offers a new light blue paint colors and orange contrast stitching inside.

As with last year, all Ridgelines are powered by a 280-horsepower (hp), 262-pound-foot (lb-ft) 3.5-liter six-cylinder engine with a nine-speed automatic transmission featuring paddle shifters on the steering wheel for manual control.

That’s good for a 1,583-pound payload capacity, about 200 pounds less than a Ranger, and 5,000 pounds of towing (2,500 pounds less than a Ranger). The rival Tacoma can tow 6,500 pounds and has a payload of 1,705 pounds.

The six-cylinder engine feels a little sluggish compared to other powertrains offered in the segment (there are several four-cylinder and six-cylinder options from other automakers that have more power).

Though shifts from the nine-speed transmission are mostly crisp. It also takes a lot of pedal pressure to kick the transmission down enough gears to get enough passing acceleration, and that’s without a trailer or payload.

On the plus side, it drives and handles like a midsize SUV, which is to say not bouncy and without a lot of leaning in corners. The unibody chassis handles terrible dirt roads with aplomb and the ground clearance of 7.6 inches allows it to clear almost anything not on a purpose-built off-road trail.

In light testing on a grassy hill, the all-wheel drive (called i-VTM4) sent up to 70 percent of the engine’s torque to the rear wheels and split that power to either side.

That all-wheel drive system, along with the transmission, throttle and traction control can be adjusted via drive modes for Sand, Snow, Mud and paved roads.

The cabin of the 2024 Honda Ridgeline come equipped with a now-standard 7-inch digital instrument cluster with a digital tachometer and physical speedometer.

The center console is also new for the 2024 model year, with a storage space big enough for a full-size tablet, a wireless charging tray and two drink holders. That’s also where the push-button transmission is located. It saves space due to not having a selector but it is a little counterintuitive as pulling back on one of the buttons engages reverse, while pulling back on a normal shifter engages drive. It’s something an owner would probably get used to quickly.

The seats in the Ridgeline TrailSport tested here look stylish with orange accents and are comfortable for longer drives. The cushion part is a little short for the long-legged but the rest of the adjustments were easy. A 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system is standard with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The screen feels a little small compared to many of the new vehicles today but it is integrated into the dashboard and operated flawlessly, as did the wireless charging, which is sometimes finicky. The native icons are big and easy to read and touch and it’s quick to switch from Apple CarPlay to the home system.

It’s not a full-size truck so the back seat is small. There’s plenty of space for children and car seats but not much knee room for adults. The special Ridgeline Black Edition adds two additional USB-C ports at the very rear of the center console for access by second-row passengers, otherwise they’ll have to share the front ports. The center portion of the rear window opens like a classic pickup, which allows air to whip through the cabin on hot days.

All Honda Ridgelines come with emergency braking, lane keeping and lane departure warning and adaptive cruise control, all of which worked without issue. The lane keeping system isn’t intrusive and the multiple cameras help with parking in tight spaces.

The 2024 Ridgeline, starting at $39,750, competes with the legendary midsize Tacoma ($31,500), along with the Ranger ($32,670), Chevrolet Colorado ($29,500) and Nissan Frontier.

The Tacoma has the most credibility but becomes the most expensive when going up the trims. The Ford and Chevy are a tiny notch below that Tacoma both in capability and cache. But what none of those four have is a comfortable, car-like ride. And most of the time spent in pickups is just driving around.

When purchasing a truck, customers just need to be honest with themselves. Do they need 10,000 pounds of towing every day, or just once a year? Do they need locking differentials to climb boulders every day, or just a few times per year? Do they need an 8-foot by 4-foot bed for carrying stacks of plywood every day or just a few times per year?

If the answer is a few times per year, get a truck that will do almost everything a full-size truck can do, but more efficiently while taking up less space. And when you need a pallet of plywood or to tow a 9,000-pound boat there are plenty of rentals to be had.