The New Truck From Honda: Ridgeline
The Honda Ridgeline is Honda's new pickup truck on the market.
It uses Honda's unibody large vehicle platform, shared with the
Acura MDX and Honda Odyssey. It is powered by an all aluminum
255 hp 3.5 L V6 coupled to a 5-speed automatic transmission with
all wheel drive capable of towing 5000 lbs. The Ridgeline will
be the first pickup truck with a fully-independent
suspension.
Some of the more innovative features of the Ridgeline are its
tailgate, which can fold down or hinge to the side, and an 8.5
cubic foot "In-Bed Trunk" below the truck bed. The bed is
integrated with the body, similar to the Chevrolet Avalanche.
The Ridgeline comes with anti-lock brakes and side-curtain
airbags as standard equipment.
The bed is 49.5" x 60" with the tailgate up. With the tailgate
down, you get 49.5" x 79". And remember, the tailgate also
swings to the side so you can easily access the in-bed trunk.
The tailgate is designed to support 300 lbs. While driving. The
steel reinforced composite bed resists dents and corrosion.
Another neat feature were ample tie downs in the beds and
several cargo lights.
Standard towing features include prewiring 4 pin and 7 pin,
along with a brake controller. Heavy duty radiator, power
steering cooler, and transmission cooler keep things cool when
the work begins. Huge 4 wheel disk brakes help stop quicker with
the aid of the Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD). All the
dealer has to do is install the hitch and harness.
The 8" ground clearance works well with the 4 wheel independent
suspension. Yes, all 4 wheels. Unheard of in a truck, but this
is a Honda. They wanted their truck to instill confidence in the
corners and a stable, responsive feel while maintaining ride
quality. The closed box frame and unit body construction means
this truck is tough and ready to work.
Traction control is standard along with a locking rear
differential for extremely low traction conditions. It can stay
locked with a push of a button up to 18 mph. Along with traction
control, you get stability control called Vehicle Stability
Assist. This corrects your cornering problems before they even
become a problem.
The tires come with tire pressure monitoring systems which will
be standard in all vehicles very soon (government mandate). Air
bags are all around in front, side, and side curtain. It will
only deploy what is necessary depending on the type of accident.
These safety features along with ABS braking make this one of
the safest trucks on the road.
There are three trim levels starting with the RT, RTS and the
luxury RTL. You can get heated leather seats and a moonroof.
These amenities were only thought to be available in cars. This
truck also has available navigation system, homelink, and a
hidden in dash cd changer.
The 22 gallon tank is ample for the 16 MPG city and 21 MPG
highway EPA mileage estimates. The six color combinations come
with 3 interior choices. Options include a bed extender, tail
light "garnish", chrome bumper trim, 17" wheels, body side
protectors, roof rack, fender flares, running boards and a
towing package mentioned above.
I've also seen hard tonneau cover-locking for the bed, and
in-bed trunk dividers. There's a larger brush guard for the
front bumper available for you off roaders. All in all, looks to
be a pretty good and well thought out truck from Honda. Check
out my pictures of the Honda Ridgeline at the car show on my
website.