Vehicle Overview
This four-door, five-passenger truck breaks from traditional truck design with its unitized body construction rather than the body-on-frame designs used by other truck manufacturers. While many avid truck aficionados don’t like this type of construction, Honda capitalizes on it by providing extra interior room and cargo space, along with good handling performance.
The Ridgeline comes in RT, Sport, RTS and RTL trim levels. The Sport model is geared toward four-wheel-drive fans and comes with a host of exterior and interior changes, but nothing that actually gives the vehicle better off-road performance other than black alloy 18-inch aluminum wheels.
New for 2013
A backup camera is newly standard for 2013.
Exterior
The Sport model adds some features to the RT, including black alloy 18-inch aluminum wheels and a black honeycomb grille with black surround. The headlight and taillight housings are also black, and a set of fog lights are included.
The 5-foot-long cargo bed features eight tie-down locations. The tailgate can open from the top down, like a traditional tailgate, or from the side, left to right, to access the 8.5-cubic-foot in-bed trunk that allows for storage under the cargo bed. Exterior features include:
- 17- or 18-inch wheels
- Four cargo area lights
- Available power moonroof
Interior
The Ridgeline’s interior is spacious; it feels like you’re in a full-size pickup rather than a midsize one. There is a large center console with a tray and hidden storage area. Honda goes one step further and creates storage compartments that fit your mobile phone, CDs, water bottles and more. The 60/40-split rear bench seats fold down to create more cargo space inside the truck. Interior features include:
- Great storage compartments for gadgets and gear
- Sport model features leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls
- Ergonomic and comfortable driving position
Under the Hood
The Ridgeline’s 3.5-liter V-6 with variable valve timing produces 250 horsepower and 247 pounds-feet of torque. The automatic Variable Torque Management four-wheel-drive system improves traction and towing performance by applying torque to all four wheels when needed. Mechanical features include:
- Engine uses regular gas
- Five-speed automatic transmission
Safety
Safety features include:
- Side-impact airbags for the front seats
- Side curtain airbags
- Active front head restraints
- Antilock brakes
- Electronic stability system
