Driving Impression

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The Ridgeline is a very smooth operator, composed and compliant on all surfaces from bumpy paved to graded gravel. It’s hard to find flaws in the driving dynamics. The steering could have a bit more weight and provide more feedback, but the same could be said of any contemporary truck with electric power steering. All-wheel drive Ridgelines include torque vectoring at the rear axle, lending stability in corners, especially when traction is reduced by the road surface.

The unibody structure feels exceptionally solid, and the suspension is a little firmer than on the Pilot in order to handle a truck’s payloads, but that firmness doesn’t diminish the ride.

Acceleration performance is respectable but not thrilling. Its weight of about 4500 pounds is a lot for 280 horsepower to pull. The towing capacity of 5000 pounds with all-wheel drive, 3500 pounds for front-wheel drive, is near the bottom of the list of midsize pickups.

Available safety features include adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning and lane assist. The lane departure feature is a little too eager to assert itself, jiggling the steering wheel when the truck’s trajectory even slightly heads toward a painted line at the edge of the road. That would be the apex of any curve. On a winding two-lane road, as with every such system we’ve ever experienced, the false alarms are constant. All they do by crying wolf is destroy their own credibility.

Walk Around

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The styling changed for 2017, because that first generation was too original and radical to be accepted the way Honda wanted it to be. There was sales resistance. The current four-door crew cab Ridgeline looks more like a truck, including the grille that is recognizably Honda, unlike the first Ridgeline.

It still looks like a car, though. The Chevy Colorado is a better-looking truck for truck lovers.

The Ridgeline is 210 inches in length, on a wheelbase of 125.3 inches.

With a cargo bed that’s 64 inches long, the plywood fits with the tailgate dropped. The tailgate is hinged at the side as well as the bottom, so it opens like a door to make loading easier; and it locks to create a huge in-bed trunk, when it’s equipped with a bed cover. (Other trucks do this with traditional dropping tailgates.)

A 400-watt power inverter can power a big screen TV in the bed, with another option of six speakers integrated in the cargo bed walls. Equipped this way, the Ridgeline can be the ultimate tailgate party special.

Interior Overview

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The Ridgeline is abundantly roomy, as crew cab only, no regular or extended cab versions. There’s plenty of leg, head, and hip room in for all three passengers in the rear. The rear seats fold to create cargo space that Honda boasts is best in class, for full-size crew cab pickups.

The interior materials are high quality, while the front seats are comfortable all day, with a relaxed fit. The sound systems range from good to excellent.

The controls that are actual knobs are attractive, straightforward and intuitive, no manual required to figure them out. The touch controls on the big screen at the center of the dash have large icons, but they aren’t so simple, including, maddeningly, the audio adjustment, an old Honda challenge. That said, the navigation system is fairly easy to function, and the infotainment and connectivity options, which now include the choice of Apple Car Play or Android Auto, are contemporary.

Summary

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The Ridgeline is the standard in pickup truck refinement, if not ruggedness. It’s a creative blend of engineering and imagination, adept at truck work or daily transportation. The cabin is roomiest in the class, and the bed can do tricks that other trucks can only envy. Honda’s 3.5-liter V6 is proven and capable in this application.

Compiled with staff reports.

Model Lineup

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The 2018 Honda Ridgeline comes in a broad variety of trim levels. Among them: Ridgeline RT ($29,630); Sport ($33,170); RTL ($33,930); RTL-T ($36,080); and RTL-E ($41,620). All-wheel drive is optional ($1900). (All prices are MSRP and do not include destination charge).