Overview & Reviews

Although millions of full-size pickup trucks are sold each year, only a fraction of them actually see an off-road trail, a large travel trailer or a boat ramp. The rest are daily drivers that make an occasional trip to Home Depot for 2x4s and patio furniture. For those consumers who desire a less bulky, less thirsty alternative that can still handle those occasional jobs, there's the Honda Ridgeline. This four-door ("crew cab") pickup truck has a number of distinctive features and, true to Honda's philosophy, it makes sense for smart consumers.

Current Honda Ridgeline
The Honda Ridgeline pickup is available in just one four-door body style. There are five trim levels: RT, Sport, RTS, RTL and top-of-the line SE. The Ridgeline's sole powertrain is a 250-horsepower V6 mated to a five-speed automatic. All-wheel drive is standard.

Standard feature highlights for the base RT include a power-sliding rear window, air-conditioning, a 60/40-split lift-up rear seat, a rearview camera, full power accessories, and a six-speaker sound system with a CD player. Moving up through the other trims adds luxuries such as alloy wheels, dual-zone automatic climate control, a power driver seat, upgraded audio systems, heated seats, leather seating and a navigation system with voice recognition and Bluetooth phone connectivity.

Rather than having a separate cab and bed, the Ridgeline's body unites the two. The Ridgeline's architecture combines the techniques of both unibody and full-frame construction. All Ridgelines include a hidden trunk in the cargo bed that doubles as an ice chest, a dent-proof bedliner, a four-wheel independent suspension (for a smoother ride and more agile handling) and a trailer hitch. Maximum towing capacity stands at 5,000 pounds.

In all but the most taxing situations, performance is respectable, and on the open highway the Honda Ridgeline is an effortless and quiet cruiser. As such, it is an ideal road trip vehicle, especially when said trip involves carrying bulky items. That easy-going demeanor, along with comfortable seats, plentiful storage cubbies, sound ergonomics and a relatively manageable size make the Honda Ridgeline a viable option as the sole family vehicle. While the cabin provides sedan-like comfort, the cargo bed effortlessly transports things such as camping gear or lawn supplies. Criticisms include the Ridgeline's aversion to off-road adventures, where its lack of a low-range gear and a tendency to bottom out don't help when tackling more rugged trails. Fuel economy for a V6-powered pickup is also disappointing.

If these shortcomings are meaningful to you, then you'll want to consider a pickup with true truck DNA. But if all you really need is the passenger space of an SUV and the utility of a pickup truck, the Ridgeline is an excellent choice.

Used Honda Ridgeline Models
The Ridgeline was introduced for the 2006 model year, available in RT, RTS and RTL trim levels. The following year the chrome-accented RTX debuted. There were only minor features updates until '09, when the RTX trim was dropped and the exterior and interior styling was updated.

Things stayed pat until 2012, when a new grille design and a new Sport trim level debuted, the latter slotted between the RT and RTS trims. That year also saw minor aerodynamic improvements and engine tweaks that boosted highway mileage by a single mpg. The following year brought a standard rearview camera for all trim levels.

User Reviews:

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  2017 Ridgeline; vibration issues due to poor VCM - 2017 Honda Ridgeline
  By Michael Faircloth - March 3 - 5:44 pm

  I have the RTL-T front wheel drive. It is a nice truck, but I started off out the dealership with vibration issues. We fixed several noise issues along the way to figuring out that the truck has an issue with a poor design in the valve control management system (I say this; Honda says it is a feature of the truck). It has been a year now (10k miles) and all I have is a case number with Honda. I also feel the vibration sometimes during normal driving at low speeds, but it really shows up in cruise control. If you test drive one, make sure you find a road with inclines and declines and engage the cruise control. Do this for many miles to make sure your model doesnt do this. I test drove an all wheel model for comparison and the issue was not there. All in all, I like my truck as long as I dont use cruise control; when I do use it, I regret buying it.

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  my ridgeline is a lemon - 2007 Honda Ridgeline
  By Ridgeline Lemon - November 10 - 10:58 am

  My Ridgeline has been in the shop 5 times and counting. The dealer has been somewhat reluctant to believe my problems, until I took the shop foreman for a test ride. Problems include: 1) trans light 2) trans light again 3)instrument cluster replaced - resulting in 4) squeaky dashboard 5) dashboard now squeaks in two places... Honda regional representative will not give you a straight answer or tell you who her superior is. I HOPE TO LEMON LAW MY RIDGELINE, GET MY $ BACK, AND WILL NEVER BUY FROM HONDA AGAIN !!!!!

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  Constant noise - 2007 Honda Ridgeline
  By HaditwithHonda - October 18 - 10:46 am

  Overall a good vehicle. I just have a continuous noise from the "dash" area on the right side. The dealership had the truck for three weeks trying to solve the noise. They removed the windshield, tore apart the dash, passenger A pillar. Nothing worked. Regional rep came heard the noise and said "Normal for a truck. It is result of body flex." I have owned over 20 vehicles and never had this noise--even in a car you could see flex. Result is Honda will do nothing for me. Dealership I feel really tried to help.

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  Ragtime - 2018 Honda Ridgeline
  By Stephen Zimney - August 25 - 2:14 am

  On November 17, 2017 we purchased from Buerkle Honda a new 2018 Honda Ridgeline RTL-E, VIN 5FPYK3F75JB007572 for a cash price of $42,560.00. The truck is for my wife replacing a 2007 Ridgeline that she drove. I was the one to drive it off the lot. We got to the freeway and as soon as our speed reached 45 mph, I could hear air noise from the driver’s side front window. It was as though the window was open a crack. I called the dealer and made an appointment with their warranty manager. We took the vehicle back to Buerkle on November 24, 2017. A technician test drove it. He also heard the air noise. They took the vehicle into the shop. They came and told us that they thought it was a trim on the door causing the problem. They replaced a trim panel on the driver’s side door. We drove the vehicle and it appeared that the noise was gone. We left the dealer but by the time we arrived home, the noise was back. My wife drove the vehicle back and forth to work the next week. Each day she complained about the noise. Now the air noise started at very low speeds. I purchased a sound meter and did testing. Then I called Buerkle and made another appointment with the warranty manager. I took the vehicle in on December 12, 2017. A technician test drove the vehicle and confirmed he could still hear the noise. They took the vehicle into the shop. My wife and I and our granddaughter waited in the lounge area. About two hours later, they came and asked us to go for a test drive. My wife went for a drive while I stayed with our granddaughter. Later the technician came back with my wife. He told us that the noise was inherent in the vehicle. They had gotten complaints from other customers about the noise. He let my wife drive another new Ridgeline and she could hear noise in that one also. The technician said there was nothing they could do. He said we might try writing to Honda. I guess this the new standard for Honda Engineering and workmanship. Let the customer stuff rags in the areas where there is wind noise.

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  My Two Cents - 2006 Honda Ridgeline
  By Mark81 - January 30 - 6:20 pm

  My experience has been two sided actually. From a family hauler perspective it is great for taking the kids to after school functions and throwing some groceries in the back on the way home, glad to have the cover. As for a truck, I really wish i had my Silverado back , having traded it in on this. We camp in the summer and also tow the boat over to Dale Hollow on the weekends, the salesman assured me a 3500# boat would not be a problem. This is not the case what so ever. The V-6 struggles getting the boat off of our street let alone the heart attack I almost had trying to get it up a ramp. The brakes offer no confidence either when trying to bring the trailer to a halt (w/ trailer brakes!).

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  honda ridgeline - 2007 Honda Ridgeline
  By frank - December 12 - 11:24 am

  i normally drive a Chevie tahoe. this vehicle gets the same fuel economy on the highway and worse in the mountains. It is very rough riding. It is much noisier. Its turning radius is terrible. I pulled a trailer and got 9 miles per gallon. I am trying to get rid of it and it has less than 5000 miles. I bought it because of the size and storage. With 240 plus horsepower, I thought it would be better for passing.

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  A huge disappointment - 2017 Honda Ridgeline
  By chris fountain - May 11 - 7:36 pm

  Honda has taken a perfectly acceptable little truck and ruined it with a ridiculously complicated touch-screen "information center" that is distracting, nearly impossible to access while driving and often inoperative. Together with a truly horrible, high pressure dealer experience and annoying, but telling equipment failures (the drivers seatbelt take-up/retainer spool, for instance, quit after two months, so the belt falls between the door and frame when exiting the vehicle or puddles on the front seat, waiting to be sat upon on entering - its a reminder, 6X a day, of how Honda quality has declined) the Ridgeline is a disappointing failure. In fact, Im learning to hate this vehicle. The feeble a/c gives up past 90, the seats are a torment after 2 hours of driving, the GPS often loses track of where it is, and the new, "larger" engine is anemic and dangerous when trying to quickly merge into highway traffic. Even the interior cab has been worsened, by reducing the rear seat opening - what good is the fold-up feature if bulky objects cant be placed inside? A very bad truck, designed, probably, by smart engineers who never considered what it would be like to actually drive it.

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  Roomy and Smooth, but experieced a few glitches - 2017 Honda Ridgeline
  By joe Russo - August 3 - 6:35 pm

  The interior crew cab is the most roomy and comfortable of all the competition. And the ride and power are awesome. But not without its problems. The truck was delivered with one of the engine mount sensors disconnected which gave it a rough ride. After this was addressed the dash instrument module plastic window began to rattle and vibrate at various speeds. Also when driven on the highway around 70-75 in ECON mode coupled with cruise control, the engine vibrates and causes the dash to rattle. I returned the car to the dealer to fix (they were unable to fix) and the loaner civic they gave me was very cheap and plastic and also rattled so I think the quality at Honda has become hit and miss. This truck is truly amazing at its best, and around town I dont experience any of these issues. But on the highway, the dash rattle and vibration is not acceptable, and I dont intend to buy another Honda.

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  My thoughts - 2006 Honda Ridgeline
  By Robert - May 19 - 11:13 am

  I have just over 8000 miles on the truck already. The motor is too small. It shifts a lot trying to keep up. I feel it would get better mileage with a bigger motor. Other than that it is a great truck, we use the trunk alot. In short, it needs more horsepower.

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  Rush to Market - 2017 Honda Ridgeline
  By S. Zimney - July 4 - 11:29 pm

  The interior on the prior models of the Ridgeline are much better. I own an older model Ridgeline and have been waiting since 2015 for the newer version. Initially told it was coming in Jan of 2017. It came out sooner but the interior is a big disappointment. It looks as if they put in a Honda Odessy front panel so they could get it to market. I wont buy this current version. Someone told me Ford is coming out with a truck with a trunk and tailgate like Hondas. I will have to check it out. Maybe their interior is better.