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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  Hard to believe this is a truck!! - 2007 Honda Ridgeline
  By Honda - August 17 - 3:19 pm

  Once my husband and I got past the exterior we found this to be a fantastic family "car". It is another one of Hondas wonderful vehicles. Weve owned several Hondas before this and have found it to be as great as the Accords and Civics. It can boast of great usage of space and a comfortable interior. It drives better than our other truck and the 4 WD has come in handy. Five people ride comfortably with plently of luggage room. We love the "trunk" in the bed. The instruments are easy on the eyes and most everything is within easy reach, except the cruise button was a little hard to find.The tonneau cover keeps everything dry and secure. I most definitely can recommend the Ridgeline!

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  Really a Catruck! - 2007 Honda Ridgeline
  By Devdon - August 16 - 3:30 pm

  Looking for a fun useable vehicle, then this is for you. Interior design is excellent, roomy, comfortable, but lacking a little in the quiet dept. Sound system is more than satisfactory. All gages and controls are easy to read and use. Have someone drive it without viewing the exterior they will never know its a truck. Perfect for the city farmer or cowboy. Holly (yea I named it) does have a low whistling sound from the bed when going over 45 mph.

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  Loving my Ridgeline - 2007 Honda Ridgeline
  By Ron R - August 16 - 10:33 am

  Ive had my Ridgeline for 7 months now and put around 7500 miles on it. I traded a 2004 Acura TL on this truck due to a change in commute requiring AWD in the Winter. I never thought Id be a truck person, and to be honest the looks are not my favorite, but you cant argue with the total package. This is the safest thing out there in the Winter in terms of AWD, airbags, stability control, traction control. It did really well last year during our late Winter storms. Fuel economy got better once broke in. It went from 15 to 17 around town for me. I have a mixed commute of about 24 miles including 5 miles on a mountainous road and Im averaging around 18.5 MPG. Not bad for a truck.

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  Love This Truck - 2007 Honda Ridgeline
  By Doug - August 7 - 10:13 pm

  I love this truck. This is truly the Swiss Army knife of pickup trucks! The cargo capacity and storage nooks are unbelieveable. The in-bed trunk, console crannies, one handed folding rear seats, etc. Has the ride and comfort features of a luxury sedan. Amazing rear seat comfort and room, automatic comfort control with rear air. If you can only have one vehicle, yet need a pickup truck, this is the vehicle of choice, it does it all. Great size, not as big as those humungous full size pickups.

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  I didnt buy it to haul, push or pull - 2008 Honda Ridgeline
  By Gary Watts - July 31 - 11:36 pm

  I wanted a truck that drove like a car and would do the odd errand to Home Depot to pickup garden supplies or home renovation supplies, move the odd furniture and go camping. Its a quiet comfortable truck that really rides and feels like an expensive SUV.

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  Car, err, Truck, err.. ?? - 2006 Honda Ridgeline
  By Chuck - July 31 - 4:23 pm

  I have had this car 1 month and have put 1200 miles on it. This is a great car err, truck.. ?? I hesitate because it rides smooth like a car, has plenty of room inside like a car, has a trunk like a car, duel ac, heated seats, heated mirrors, electric windows, all 5!, corners, has pick up like a car. But this thing has a 5 foot bed!. This is a great ride. I love it!!

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  Mid-Sized Have It All Truck - 2017 Honda Ridgeline
  By Allan - July 31 - 3:11 am

  Traded in my 2016 Tacoma TRD-Offroad, Double-Cab, Long-Bed truck to get the new Ridgeline. I was forced to down-size after moving across the country to a house with a crowded garage. My F150 just barely fit in our garage and leaving it outside isnt an option due to the brutal sun and hail storms of Colorado. I had to choose between the Tacoma and the Colorado truck when I down-sized at the time. Definitely wasnt thrilled with either option, but the Tacoma edged-out the Colorado. My Tacoma (and the Colorado) have lack-luster acceleration. Driving the Tacoma to work and back on not-so-wonderful roads was punishing at times. Sure the Tacoma is a great off-road vehicle, but it needs much better manners to be a daily driver. I could go on about the Tacoma, but Ill stop here. The 2017 Ridgeline I was a little skeptical about, but I was really wanting to find a better mid-sized truck option. When the Ridgeline was available in my area for a test drive I had to try it out. My wife had a 2013 Honda Pilot that we really liked and I knew this new truck had the latest version of the engine from the Pilot. Wow! What a difference! Smooth, quiet, powerful, and much roomier inside the cabin. My son couldnt sit in the back of my Tacoma as his head would be touching the roof of the cab. The Ridgeline has plenty of head room for my son and in spite of the really cool stadium rear seating in the Ridgeline, he still has inches of head room to spare. The Ridgeline has already delivered as high as 30MPG for me on the highway and I can average 25-26MPG in mixed driving (I do use the ECON mode about half the time). The lowest Ive seen it get while driving in the mountains was a tad over 22MPG. This is using the lower octane gas (85). The ride is smooth, just a little stiffer than our Pilot due to have a suspension more suitable for a truck. The handling is awesome. The AWD and suspension made it a fun vehicle to drive on the twisty mountain roads. In fact, the AWD is full-time torque-vectoring, very much like what you would get in a Subaru. Before looking into the Ridgeline, I assumed it would be FWD by default and then the rear wheels kick-in when needed, but not so... We will be pulling a camping trailer later with the Ridgeline (probably one that weighs around 3200lbs as the max towing capacity is 5000lbs, also a trailer brake controller will be installed on the Ridgeline) and I will report on how that goes. The only thing about the Ridgeline that I find a little annoying is that the brake peddle is a little mushier than what Im used to. BTW...this truck is fast and highly responsive!

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  Wishful Thinking..... - 2018 Honda Ridgeline
  By Rockford 1963 - July 29 - 4:03 am

  Have been researching all of the new trucks available and have test driven just about all of them. Read numerous reviews and continue to dig deeper into all available info on the new 2nd generation Ridgeline. I own an older Tacoma and regardless of all of the comparisons, I am drawn to the new Ridgeline. Only one obstacle standing in the way at this point-have to sell my current ride in order to get into my Ridgeline. Patience required as I havent gotten a lot of bites so far. Its just a matter of time until I own my Ridgeline.....

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  My first Honda - 2007 Honda Ridgeline
  By RJ146 - July 27 - 10:06 am

  I thoroughly researched this vehicle prior to purchase and it sounded perfect for me, my previous vehicle was an 05 Colorado crew cab. I generally use the vehicle for commuting and occasionally use the bed for homeowner chores. This vehicle was well thought out, everything functions as it was intended and every square inch of this vehicle is used to its potential. The ride is quiet and comfortable and the overall feel of the vehicle is solid. As far as looks go, I opted for the Formal Black with the optional chrome wheels and I must say that this is a mean looking truck. I couldnt be happier.

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  Ground clearance - 2006 Honda Ridgeline
  By Stewart Mark - July 24 - 2:05 pm

  Love the truck for highway and town driving - BUT. Gravel roads which are poorly maintained are a problem. Roads which can be driven uneventfully by Toyota and Big 3 trucks cause the Honda to scrape repeatedly and in my case a rear strut broke. Great highway vehicle but dont go too far from maintained roads.