TRAVIS LANGNESS: This is the Honda Ridgeline.
It's Edmunds' top ranked midsize pickup truck for years.
And we know what you're thinking,
and we know you're going to type it in the comments below.
And we'd appreciate it if you take caps lock off for it,
but, yes, it is a truck.
And this 2021 model has had some changes,
so we want to tell you why it's remained Edmunds' top rated
pickup truck.
So what does that mean?
Can it tow and haul the most?
Can it go the furthest off road?
The Edmunds' testing process is about finding the best
overall vehicle, so while that means
looping in the other stuff, we also
like to look at on-road performance, comfort, tech,
what's the interior like, and how useful is it
on a day-to-day basis.
We're going to go into all those details with the 2021 Honda
Ridgeline in this video, and if you want to see more videos
like this, be sure to click the link below to subscribe and go
to Edmunds.com/sellmycar to get a cash offer on your car
or truck today.
First thing's first, it looks like a truck.
Woo.
Yes.
From the A pillar forward, this has got all new sheet metal.
It's new bulging hood, boxier fenders, and that big kind
of squared out grill.
It doesn't look like an SUV that's had the back chopped off
anymore.
It looks more like a purpose-built truck,
which is good.
And it's also got all wheel drive as standard.
No more front wheel drive, which means the price goes up
a little bit, but you get a standard 5,000-pound tow
rating.
On the inside, you get updated infotainment graphics.
You get available wireless smartphone charging,
and a volume knob is back.
Every Ridgeline gets a new dual exhaust,
and across the model lineup, there
are all sorts of new packages like this HPD package
that adds plastic cladding and gold wheels.
I'm here for it.
In the bed is where the Ridgeline stands out
from the rest of the segment.
It's got this composite bedliner so you
don't need to do a spray on bedliner,
and it's got all sorts of cool features, stuff
like in-bed storage, which can be used as a second trunk,
or it can be used to wash out your muddy gear.
There's even a drain at the bottom to let it all go.
Then there's the multifunction tailgate.
It opens up and down or side to side,
which is something you don't get in any other midsize truck.
It's also the only midsize truck that
can fit a sheet of 4x8 plywood without sitting
on top of the fender walls.
And on upper trim levels, you get stuff like an in-bed plug,
or you can turn these sides into speakers with drivers.
Tailgate mode.
How cool is that?
It's also got a pretty impressive payload,
over 1,500 pounds, which means you
can put a quad or a couple of motorcycles in here
without overloading the capacity.
Admittedly, the Ridgeline does have a drawback
in the towing department.
It maxes out at 5,000 pounds.
Rivals, like the Colorado, max out over 7,000 pounds,
but when you think about what you're
towing on a regular basis, 5,000 pounds is quite a bit.
It can accommodate stuff like small boats or dolly trailers.
Even a lightweight aluminum car trailer would be just fine.
And if you're towing near 7,000 pounds all the time,
it's going to be a pretty awful experience
to do it in a midsize pickup truck.
You might want to think about full size at that point.
On the inside, there is a ton of space in the Ridgeline.
I mean, it's a pilot after all, right?
There's good driving position, and the materials are decent.
The sport trim level, the base, has some hard plastics
around you, but it's better than anything
you get in a base Tacoma or Colorado.
And as you move up the trim levels to things
like the RTL and the RTLE, things get really nice
inside the Ridgeline.
There's also all this great Honda storage solution stuff,
so you get multiple levels of storage in the door,
multiple levels of storage below the infotainment screen,
and this massive center console that's bigger
than anything in the class.
Plus there's a couple of USB ports, and power outlets,
and pretty decent touchscreen that's now got a volume knob.
Since the Ridgeline only comes in crew cab configuration,
you get a pretty big rear seat.
It's got more leg room than almost anything in the class,
and it's got these great flip up seats with a flat floor
so you can store all kinds of big items in the back
if you don't want to throw them in the bed
or in the trunk in the bed.
There are a lot of storage solutions in this truck.
No matter what it looks, like the Ridgeline has never
had the rough and tumble body on frame
capability of some other midsize trucks, but what it does
have is an excellent balance between truck capabilities
and on-road comfort.
Under the hood, you have the same V6 and nine
speed automatic as previous model years,
and they make a great combo.
At our test track, this is one of the fastest vehicles
in the segment, and according to EPA estimates,
it's also one of the most fuel efficient vehicles
in the segment.
What the Ridgeline doesn't have though is
any optional powertrains, so while some rivals have a four
cylinder and a V6 or an optional diesel, with the Ridgeline,
this one engine is what you get.
It is, however, the most comfortable, and quiet,
and refined pickup truck on the highway in the segment.
It doesn't get upset by mid-corner bumps.
It soaks up most of the road imperfections in the city,
and steering and handling are car-like.
They're really top notch and better
than what you would expect from a truck that's this capable.
So what does the Ridgeline offer in terms
of off-road capability?
Well, there's no skid plates.
There's no lift kit.
You can't get off road knobby tires or remote reservoir
shocks on this one, but it does have standard all wheel drive
now and independent suspension, which
means it's less likely to blow out of shock
at Racetrack Playa.
Let me tell you what I mean.
So Edmunds took our old long term Ridgeline line, a 2017
model, same underpinnings as this truck, out to a place
called Racetrack Playa.
It is a brutal 26-mile drive down a washboard road
to get to the racetrack.
It's a big open space in the desert,
and our Ridgeline blew out a shock
along the way, one of four.
But the other two support trucks,
Toyota Tacoma and a Nissan Titan,
blew out two and four shocks respectively.
Click the card thing wherever it is for more information.
But basically what we discovered was all that heavy equipment
hanging out underneath those trucks
caused more stress on the shocks and caused them to fail.
So what you get with a truck like the Ridgeline
is the capability to go places off road
that aren't necessarily the toughest in terms
of, woo-hoo, articulation, but you can still
get to beautiful destinations with a little bit of guidance.
So, yes, if you want to use a term like lifestyle truck,
fine, go ahead.
But this truck is not a poser.
It can do truck things.
And if I'm honest, the Ridgeline is
more comfortable on these kinds of roads anyways.
If I'm just going somewhere, a staging area to launch
my motocross bike, or I want to have a nice picnic in nature,
maybe do some hiking somewhere that I've never
seen before, the Ridgeline is going to be more
comfortable on the way there.
And when I'm done adventuring, it's
going to be more comfortable on the way home.
The Ridgeline also has some cool traction management modes,
which I'll go through now, normal, snow, mud, and sand.
What sand does is allow you to loosen up the traction control
a little bit and have some fun.
Woo-hoo.
So if you're not going over crazy rocks,
you can just toss it around on the sand.
Defining the Ridgeline as a pickup truck
totally makes sense.
Just look back at the long history
of cars with the back cut off, the El Camino, the Ranchero.
Even the Ford Model T had a truck version, right?
What doesn't make sense is putting it up against vehicles
like the Gladiator, the Tacoma TRD
Pro just because it's got tougher looks.
The tougher looks are great, and hopefully it'll
get buyers in the door and help them realize
that their needs aren't dictated by the small percentage
of things they think they'll do but what they'll actually
do with a pickup truck.
The Ridgeline can do 90% of what you see in truck commercials
anyways.
You can splash it through the mud.
You can take it to Home Depot and load it up with lumber.
You can take it out to the desert
and go camping for the weekend.
And on the times in between those adventures,
it's going to be a better vehicle
to live with on a day-to-day basis.
So go ahead.
Stand up to the truck bullies, the ones
that call you a poser, the ones that say it's not a real truck.
It's a truck.
Come on.
Bring on the comments.
I'm waiting to read them.
Caps lock.
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