Honda’s Ridgeline: A Funny-Looking Truck I Can’t Quit
Introduction
My last review showed some love for the Ridgeline, even though I think they are funny-looking vehicles. Some people compare them to the original El Camino. I see the El Camino in a different class. The El Camino was a car/truck that people made into hot rods. When the Ridgeline came out, I did not know what to think of it.
So, what about the Ridgeline? I am not even sure that I would call it a pickup. I would not use the Ridgeline to tow heavy loads. So, if I find it funny-looking and sort of not really a pickup, then why do I like it?
The checkered history
Honda discontinued this pickup after 2014. 2015-2016, they really wanted to nail down the purpose of the pickup. They wanted to revise it for a second generation that arrived in 2017. They are discontinuing this generation for a redesign. Hopefully, they start selling it in 2029. They did not do terribly in the first run. In fact, Motor Trend named it the truck of the year in 2006. So, maybe Honda was onto rethinking the pickup.
What happened? Basically, Honda wanted to give the world a pickup that the non-pickup person wanted. I will say that our 2006 Ridgeline is pretty practical. It drives nicely, has been reliable, the bed is very useful, and the dual-action tailgate is awesome! I mean, you can open it to the side and step up on the bumper to get in the bed. No dropping-down steps, nothing; you just open the tailgate, and you can step right up. I love the trunk. So, yes, there are things that I have loved about our pickup. Honda did a great job in engineering it.
So, why did they quit?
I think that Honda realized that they needed to understand Americans’ expectations for a pickup. If you ever watch Jay Leno’s channel, he interviews an owner of the Nissan Fairlady and recounts the Nissan Z story. Jay tells the story of Mr. K, a Nissan executive, who insisted that the car needed to be called Z because Americans do not buy things named “Fairlady.” The Datsun 240 Z was excellent, but the wrong name could have fully tanked the car. The right name communicated this car’s intention to be a serious sports car. Americans loved it!
I apply this to the Ridgeline. I look at the Ridgeline and say, “Huh? What the heck is that?” I noted my first impression of the Ridgeline was that it looked like the byproduct of the Pontiac Aztek and Avalanche sharing some bad gas and a shameful night. The Ridgeline is easily dismissed. People looking for cars are not looking for pickups. People looking for pickups are not initially looking for a Ridgeline. My daughter shopped for a Tacoma and found the Ridgeline. I shopped for a Tacoma and found the Ridgeline. We started with other vehicles and then realized that the Ridgeline is really good at doing outdoor things.
I appreciate Honda doing the research, but the Ridgeline shows that Honda still does not fully understand Americans. One thing that was reported is that Honda realized that Americans expected a gap between the bed and the cabin. Do we need that gap? No, but it makes it look more like a pickup. The first gen did not look pickup enough for the American market. The El Camino appealed to the hot rod community and the surfing crowd. There was something about the El Camino that was part muscle car, part hot rod, and part practicality. It resembled a pickup enough that people got Chevy’s intention. Eventually, Chevy built the El Camino SS. I always saw the Super Sport or the “SS” as Chevy saying, “Here is our factory hot rod.” The El Camino had a point of reference. The Ridgeline sort of left me confused when it debuted.
This leads me to suggest that Honda does a Ridgeline Si. This worked for Chevy. Why not make a Ridgeline that is a little lower, has AWD, and a manual? This would be the commuter/adventure vehicle that would make you want to take the long way home. That would be a really cool pickup.
When Honda turned out the 2017 Ridgeline, they did make it look more like a pickup. The second generation got the flat side rails on the bed, and some other upgrades. One of the biggest upgrades is the improved AWD system. The fancy description or benefit of the new AWD system is Torque Vectoring AWD, an upgrade from the i-VTM4 system. This is so much fun to troll people. I can ask people, “Oh yeah, do you have torque vectoring and VTEC? It’s like a turbo Four Wheel Drive, but way better!” This AWD is the system that Acura put in the MDX. It is the SH-AWD, or the Super Handling AWD system. It is a very good AWD system. Instead of using brakes to slow the inside wheel, the system directs the power to the outside rear wheel. They also put some voodoo into a fancy traction control button. Simply stated, the brains of the AWD system keep the back end behind the front end. The first gen did really well in the snow, and this new system doesn’t even let you know that there is snow on the ground. You can see the snow, but the traction is amazing! I can compare these because my daughter bought a second-generation Ridgeline.
(This is the magic voodoo button on the second-generation Ridgeline. The button changes modes for the traction control. It has normal mode, snow mode, mud mode, and sand mode. It releases unicorn power so that Ridgeline is pretty much unstoppable in the snow. Thankfully, no chickens are harmed when you push the button to activate voodoo.)
We like it despite a confusing message
I still don’t like the looks of the Ridgeline, but I've come to realize the beauty of not caring about looks. You see, I literally don't care, and haven't cared, if this thing gets dented, scratched, or whatever happens to it. I really appreciate that this vehicle just gets out of the way so you can get to your activities. I think that is what I have appreciated the most about the Ridgeline. It just gets you to your activity, and then waits for you like an obedient Golden Retriever. The best part is you don’t have to clean up dog poop!
I was going to sell it to our daughter for the dealer trade-in price, and then I found out my wife was ready to divorce me. I had no idea she was so attached to the thing. It turns out, we really love having it. So, why? This is the question I keep asking myself: “Why do I want to keep this vehicle around our house?”
We Will Keep It!
The Ridgeline is one of the best-kept secrets for doing outdoor activities. Our kids take out the Ridgeline to go paddleboarding/kayaking, and we love throwing bikes over the tailgate. Our 2006 has a little over 170,xxx miles, but we still take it everywhere. I mean fire roads, middle of the woods, and we don’t give it a second thought.
Fold-up rear seat
I can get a bicycle in the back behind the front seats. When I was really into racing cyclocross, I would throw my bike inside the Ridgeline behind the front seats. I would have to push the passenger seat all the way forward, but my bike would fit after I folded up the rear seats. I could put a bike pump, shoes, and helmet in the back as well. I would go to a meeting, park the Ridgeline, and then go for a ride after the meeting. No worries about someone stealing my bike from the rack or out of the back. If the course was dirty and muddy, I could just throw the bike over the tailgate and head home. The bike was secured, and I got to ride it after my appointment. It was pretty awesome. I would do the same thing with my mountain bike if I had some time to get out to the hills.
You can put so much on the floor with the seat folded up. My daughter would pack it up when she came home on breaks from college.
The trunk
When you open the tailgate, you will see that there is a trunk hidden in the bed of the Ridgeline. This thing is mafia certified. I mean, if Big Mouth Tony starts flapping his jowls to the wrong people, well, the mafia could make him disappear. There would be no “Analyze This” moment. You know the scene when the “delivery driver” gets rear-ended, and the trunk opens. You don’t want Tony making an untimely appearance. No siree! Honda has not included this in its marketing literature, but they could! The trunk is big and very secure. You can lock the trunk so you can only open it with a key.
The trunk will fit a Costco run. I love this! I can put all our Costco bounty in the trunk. Then go to Home Depot and pick up fertilizer, Roundup, and other things that are not great to mix with food. The food goes in the trunk, and the fertilizer in the bed. Nothing is mixing. It is great! Food stays safe, and I don’t have to make another trip to get the yard stuff.
The trunk also has a drain. You simply unscrew the drain plug, and you can put ice in the trunk. You have a rolling cooler. I have done this for different events, and it works slick! You buy a couple of bags of ice and put canned drinks in the trunk. Pop the trunk, and people can get their beverage of choice.
The bed is great
The bed is some sort of plastic. It is a very fancy plastic called glass-fiber-reinforced composite. I just simply say, “It’s like a bed liner, but stronger.” I would not want to put oil, stuff for the dump, and other things that can make the interior smell like differential fluid in the back of an SUV. However, in the Ridgeline I can take old oil over to get recycled. It does not matter if I get some on the bed. It does not ruin the paint because there is none. I take some degreaser in a spray bottle, a scrub brush, and go to work. The oil cleans up, and no need to get a nasty smell out of carpet.
The origami tailgate
It is the ultimate tailgate. It goes down so you can sit on it; it opens to the side so you can step in the bed and access the trunk well. I mean, the thing will probably make coffee for you if you asked it nicely. Okay, that claim is not verified, but you could hide a barista in the trunk. Honda does not endorse such practices, but man, that would be hilarious. Now, I want to see if I can get a friend to hide in the trunk and then pull up to Cars and Coffee. “Who wants some coffee?” Then have the barista pop out of the trunk. The trunk is dark, and I really don’t recommend hiding someone in a closed trunk.
The other advantage of the tailgate is that it is easy to put a mountain bike pad over the tailgate. You don’t have to keep moving the tailgate up and down to get a pad on it. You open the gate to the side, drop the cover over it, tighten the pad, and then close the gate. I put the tailgate pad on when I need it. When I am done with the pad, I put it in the trunk for our next outing. We use the Evoc, but I am sure any pad of your choosing will work.
I really like opening the tailgate to the side because you can use the bumper as a step. So, if you want to put something up against the cab, you just load it there, tie it down, and step out. Super easy.
(This is the tailgate lock in the glovebox. The first- and second-generation Ridgeline have this to the left of the glove box. You simply switch it to “Off” and then lock the glovebox. Now, no one can get into the trunk.)
I’m a Sentimental Sap
I remember when our kids were young. We would take them sledding. Their boots and clothes would be covered with snow. So at the end of sledding, I started the pickup and opened the back window. I would grab each kid and set them in the open trunk. There is almost a seat in the trunk with the way it is designed. They would sit there, drop their boots, gloves, and snow pants/jackets in the bottom of the trunk. They would step out of the trunk and onto the bumper. I would close the trunk and let each kid walk over the bed to climb through the back window. They would sit inside the cabin and claim their seat. I did this for each kid, and they thought it was awesome!
This worked super slick. No wet interior; I had blankets inside, and they were toasty warm, and they usually fell asleep within 5 minutes. I got home, pulled into the garage, and I would pull the plug in the trunk to drain out the water overnight after hanging the snow gear over the bed. The interior was not soaked with water, and the kids just went from the garage to the bath/shower.
Conclusion
Remember, what Honda set out to do: build a pickup that non-pickup owners would want. I think that Honda’s intention hit, but the perception did not. The Ridgeline drives like a car, but can do pickup things. The problem is a perception problem. My friends don’t take it seriously because it drives too much like a car. They look at the Ridgeline and, unfortunately, dismiss it quickly. Honda is smart to do a redesign and make it more rugged, communicating that this is more than just a car that can do some pickup things.
As I think back, I realize that it took some coaxing for me to want the Ridgeline. This was not my first choice on the pickup list. The vehicle sold itself after I drove it. However, I needed my trusted salesman/friend to push it on me. Once I gave the Ridgeline a try, I got it. Ours drives like a car and will easily handle dump runs, fire roads, and kids.
My suggestions for Honda as they work on the next redesign:
Communicate the intention of this vehicle. It is a rugged crossover SUV with a bed. It does pickup things while driving like a car. People see a car first and then a pickup. Put the pickup first, and then the driving experience.
Honda desires to make this more rugged. It appears to me that Honda is trying to chase the Tacoma. Don’t chase the Tacoma. I would say take the Tacoma off the board. Show that the Ridgeline does the outdoor enthusiast things. The rugged appearance would give some assurance that the Ridgeline really can handle fire roads.
The trunk is such an awesome feature. The way that Honda designed the bed is so cool. I think this is where the Ridgeline shines. It is one of the things that sold me on the pickup. So, please don’t put this on the chopping block when revising.
Lean into the hot rodding/tuning enthusiast culture. I would love to see a Ridgeline Si. Think manual transmission and build a Subaru WRX hunter. Sometimes, we want to take the long way to our destination.
In its current form, it is not going to win a drag race. You are not going to bring it to a car show like an El Camino. However, if you want a vehicle that gets out of the way and lets you explore the outdoors, then this is a great vehicle.
So, why do I like it? This vehicle will do Costco runs to mountain biking adventures. This vehicle brings the family on its adventures and gets out of the way. It will do it reliably, bring you home, and get you to work on Monday. Why not check one out? Honda is sending it back for a redesign before producing the third generation showing up hopefully by 2029. Production for this current generation is coming to an end. I am curious to see what the new one will be. Do you have any good Ridgeline stories? Drop them in the trunk…. I mean…. comments below.
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