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Honda has a long history of rolling out cars that become hits with American consumers, and while some might take a while to catch on, the newest Honda product on the street should be an instant success. It’s the Ridgeline, an SUV-pickup combination in the same vein as the Ford Explorer Sport Trac, Chevrolet Avalanche and Subaru Baja.

But unlike the Sport Trac and Avalance, the Ridgeline is based on the unibody chassis of a car, not a truck — in this instance, it’s actually derived from the same platform as the Honda Accord midsize sedan.

In that regard, it’s more like the Baja, which is based on the chassis of the Subaru Legacy sedan.

Like the Baja, though, the Ridgeline’s car roots are at least a couple of steps back in its heritage. Before the Ridgeline, Honda created the SUV known as the Pilot from the Accord chassis, and it is from the Pilot that the Ridgeline evolved. The Baja came from the Legacy in a similar journey, through the Outback sport-utility wagon.

The Pilot itself, though, came after Honda developed the Odyssey minivan from the Accord platform, so the SUV has some hints of the minivan in its makeup, as does the Ridgeline.

Honda designed the Ridgeline for so-called modern truckers — non-traditional pickup buyers who are making their first moves into the segment.

And it is with these consumers that the truck will be a major success, because unlike those who choose trucks such as the Chevrolet Silverado and Ford F-150, these buyers are looking more for a car that can substitute occasionally for a pickup.

They don’t want the full utility of a standard pickup, with its body-on-frame construction that makes it ride and drive like, well, a truck.

Instead, these are the same buyers who are heartily embracing the new wave of “crossover” SUVs, which are car-based sport utilities that are more refined in their ride and handling than the traditional truck-based SUV.

Honda understands that the demand for the Ridgeline will be limited; this is not a vehicle that’s for everyone. The company expects to sell about 45,000 a year. But it is nearly the perfect vehicle for those who want mostly an SUV, but one that can occasionally carry dirty or bulky cargo outside of the passenger compartment. With its five-foot bed, the Ridgeline can’t carry a stack of four-by-eight-foot sheets of plywood, for instance, without having them hang out the back. But it can easily accommodate extreme sports equipment, antiques and other furniture, and most weekend-project supplies from The Home Depot.

Where we won’t see the Ridgeline is at job sites or other places where traditional pickups do their work. General Motors, Ford and Dodge don’t have to worry about the Ridgeline taking significant sales away from their full-size pickups.

But it might cull some of its customers from the ranks of would-be midsize-pickup consumers, those who might otherwise have bought a four-door crew-cab version of the Chevy Colorado/GMC Canyon or Dodge Dakota, for instance.

Probably, though, the main competitors of this new pickup will be crew-cab versions of other Japanese trucks, such as the Toyota Tacoma and Nissan Frontier. That’s because those who would consider the Ridgeline are consumers who lean toward Japanese vehicles, and who probably wouldn’t buy a Ford, GM or Dodge pickup of any size. Women probably will make up the majority of consumers of the Ridgeline, although I don’t believe it will get the reputation of being a “chick” truck the way the Baja has. That’s because, as with most other Honda products, the Ridgeline is just so well-put-together that it will have very broad consumer appeal.

It even has something that is lacking in some very popular Honda vehicles: curb appeal. And, if the opinions of my wife, Jayne, are shared by other women considering a small pickup, then the Ridgeline will have quite a following among female consumers. She was so impressed by our test vehicle that she didn’t want me to give it back.

As a lifelong packrat who rarely throws anything away, she was impressed most, I believe, by all of the nooks and crannies provided in the Ridgeline for storing things out of sight or out of the way.

Here are some of her observations about the Ridgeline:

“Wow,” she wrote. “I don’t often get really excited about a vehicle,especially a pickup, although I have become a pickup woman since moving to Texas a couple of years ago. “But the Honda Ridgeline has everything a busy mom or grandma needs. Style, and how! My immediate reaction when I saw it in our driveway was, ‘What IS that?’

“The slope of the cab side to the bed is unique and striking, strong but not too masculine. Another ‘wow’ as I climbed into the cab. I’ve never seen so many places to put ‘stuff.’ We usually carry lots of small things needed and acquired as we travel with the grandkids. Even without the kids, we always have ‘stuff’ moving around in the cab of our family truck. This little Honda provides several places to confine objects so they’re not scooting around (safety hazard), getting lost or out of reach.

“There are the usual pockets on the doors and seat backs. The console is a little different since it opens on two levels, plus has a tray in the bottom section that slides open over a divided compartment. Under the dash in front of the console there are two shelves deep enough for cellphones, sunglasses, mail and so forth.

“The passenger side of the dash has three cubbies to keep small items handy. I’m sure most moms or grandmas could figure out what to put in there. The floor between the console and the dash even has a small area surrounded by a shallow lip to keep any object placed there from slipping beneath the driver’s feet.

“Men and women should appreciate the trunklike storage area under the back of the bed, with a lockable lid that lifts up for easy access. No more tools, oil bottles, washer fluid jugs and such left in the open or pushed under the seat of the cab. Neat! I wouldn’t want to spoil Ridgeline’s classy looks with a tool box bolted onto the back.

“And one other thing: The inside door handles have a very useful feature that other truck makers should have thought of before now: the frame around the handles is large and extends out to make closing the door soooo easy, particularly for people with short arms. Wow!”

I suppose I’ll have to buy her one if she’s that excited about the Ridgeline.

The price range for the Ridgeline is about the same as for the Pilot. The base Ridgeline RT model starts at $27,700 (plus $515 freight), the midlevel RTS is $30,075; and the top model, the RTL, begins at $31,490. It runs as high as $34,640 with all available options — such as moon roof, XM satellite radio and navigation.

As for the rest of the details, this vehicle is quite similar to the Pilot from the nose to the back of the rear seat, where it then is cut off to make the pickup bed.

But unlike some similar vehicles, the Ridgeline’s exterior styling is quite different from the SUV upon which it is based. The overall styling really isn’t original, though, as it looks a lot like the Avalanche and Baja from the side, particularly the area Jayne mentioned where the back of the cab slopes down to the sides of the bed.

The front seats are very comfortable buckets, and the rear seat is, just like in the Pilot, a bench that seats up to three adults in comfort, or as Jayne mentioned to me, three child safety seats put in a row.

Under the hood is the same 255-horsepower, 3.5-liter, high-output V-6 engine that powers the Pilot. Also, as with the Pilot, the Ridgeline has a five-speed automatic transmission and a fully automatic four-wheel drive system, which is standard on all models.

A midsize pickup, the Ridgeline has a half-ton payload capacity and is designed to carry “a wide variety of cargo, including two of Honda’s largest off-road motorcycles,” the company said in a news release handed out during introduction of the production version of the truck at the Detroit auto show in January.

All Ridgelines come with a long list of standard equipment, including antilock brakes with electronic brake assist; electronic stability assist with traction control; advanced dual-stage front air bags; driver and front passenger side air bags; side-curtain air bags (front and rear) with rollover sensor; and a tire pressure monitoring system.

Other standard amenities include air conditioning; tilt steering wheel; power side windows, power sliding rear window and door locks; cruise control; keyless entry; automatic heated wiper zone; six-speaker, 100-watt audio system with CD player; 60/40 split lift-up rear seat with underseat storage; all-weather floor mats; six heavy duty tiedown cleats iin the bed, along with four bed lights; the aforementioned 8.5 cubic foot lockable trunk; and dual-action tailgate.

The Ridgeline also is euipped for towing, with heavy duty brakes, dual radiator fans, an exclusive fresh-air intake system, and wiring for trailer lights.

RTS models get alloy wheels; a seven-speaker, 160-watt audio system with six-disc, in-dash CD changer, dual-zone automatic climate control; and an eight-way power driver’s seat.

With the RTL comes leather seats, HomeLink garage/gate opener, a compass in the rearview mirror and heated front seats.

Fuel-economy ratings aren’t all that great, especially considering the current high gas prices. EPA ratings are 16 miles per gallon in the city and 22 mpg on the highway. The tank holds 22 gallons of gasoline, and unleaded regular is acceptable.

G. Chambers Williams III is staff automotive columnist for the San Antonio Express-News and former transportation writer for the Star-Telegram. His automotive columns have appeared regularly in the Star-Telegram since 1995. Contact him at (210) 250-3236; chambers@star-telegram.com.

At a Glance-2006 Honda Ridgeline The package: Midsize, four-door, five-passenger, all-wheel-drive, V-6 powered sport-utility pickup truck. Highlights: All new for 2006, this is Honda’s first modern truck, and is based on the Honda Pilot midsize SUV. It comes with a five-foot bed and the same drivetrain as the Pilot; the layout is similar to that of the Pilot except with no third seat and no closed cargo area, both of which gave way for the open truck bed. Negatives: No engine upgrade offered for those who want more trailer-towing capability. Engine: 3.5-liter V-6. Transmission: Five-speed automatic. Brakes, front/rear: Disc/disc, antilock. Power/torque: 255 hp/250 foot-pounds. Length: 206.8 inches. Curb weight: 4,494-4,503 pounds. Towing capacity: 5,000 pounds. Major competitors: Toyota Tacoma Double Cab, Subaru Baja, Ford Explorer Sport Trac, Nissan Frontier Crew Cab, Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon crew cab, Dodge Dakota Quad Cab. EPA fuel economy: 16 miles per gallon city/22 mpg highway. Fuel capacity/type: 22 gallons/unleaded regular. Base price range: $27,700-$34,640 plus $515 freight. Price as tested: $35,155, including transportation (RTL model with moon roof, XM radio and navigation system). On the Road rating: ***** (five stars out of five).

Prices shown are manufacturer’s suggested retail; actual selling prices may vary according to manufacturer and/or dealer rebates, discounts and incentives, if any.