The Sacramento Bee's view

Honda is a late arrival to America’s pickup party, but with the all-new 2006 Honda Ridgeline, the Japanese automaker has a truck that should make friends fast.

The tested truck was the Ridgeline RT, the baseline model priced at a somewhat hefty $27,700. But even in base-version form, the Ridgeline was an attention-grabber … and not just my attention.

Be forewarned; you get a lot of questions from folks when you park the Ridgeline: What is that? Is that the new Chevrolet Avalanche? Does Honda really make a pickup? Where can I see one of those?

It’s all understandable. The Ridgeline has a most distinctive look – a swoopy, flared-above-the-wheels profile that makes it look like a racing pickup – along with features that you don’t see every day.

Take the lockable in-bed trunk. It’s below the level of the cargo bed floor, which partially serves as the trunk’s roof. Open the in-bed trunk, and you have an extra 8.5 cubic feet of cargo space. Honda brags that it’s large enough to store a 72-quart cooler or three sets of golf bags. Very clever.

The truck also has a dual-action tailgate, meaning it can swing down like a traditional tailgate or swing open like a door.

Just tracking down the Ridgeline’s special touches, buttons and controls kept me busy for a full day. Suffice it to say that the pickup is incredibly functional inside and out – but not in a complicated way. Everything was easy to figure out, from the easy-to-understand center stack of interior controls to the specially designed cargo bed.

The only interior design quirk I experienced was placement of the air conditioning controls, which I sometimes could not see through the steering wheel or in bright sunlight.

For me, the most memorable thing about the Ridgeline was the way it handled on the move. Honda’s engineers went for the home run here – and in my book, they scored.

The truck comes with fully independent, four-wheel suspension. Its body architecture features two, fully-boxed, longitudinal frame rails and seven steel cross members. The combination creates incredible structural rigidity.

For you and me, this translates to a cloud-like ride – the smoothest I’ve ever experienced in a pickup. Yes, it’s possible to feel like you’re gliding down the freeway in a pickup.

During my weeklong test ride, most passengers – including those who found ample room seated three-across in the back seat – loved the velvety ride and could not believe they were in a pickup. Other passengers hated the Ridgeline’s silky feeling, and these were folks I would characterize as hard-core, long-time pickup pilots.

And therein lies the rub.

The Ridgeline is not your beefy ranch/work site truck. Chances are, pickup pros who like pounding the pavement in a big-brute Chevy Silverado, Ford F-Series or Dodge Ram truck will avoid the Ridgeline like it was the neighbor kid with a runny nose.

Please understand, the Ridgeline is no wimp. It can carry 1,500 pounds in its five-foot bed and tow 5,000 pounds when it’s equipped with the proper trailering package. The 3.5-liter V-6 lays down a respectable 255 horsepower.

But those numbers aren’t going to cut much ice with folks who like exceedingly macho pickups. For that crowd – which likely includes fans of the Nissan Titan and Toyota Tacoma Double Cab pickups – the Ridgeline is going to come across as too civilized.

For the rest of us – and Honda probably has done the math on this, figuring on plentiful prospective buyers – the Ridgeline shapes up as a likely purchase.

How many times have you heard your neighbors say they would get a pickup if it weren’t so oversized and capable of rattling windows of homes two blocks away? They want something that can haul some modest cargo when needed, yet transport them in comfort on the open road.

Know people like this? I do, too.

These folks will like the Ridgeline’s easy steering, four-wheel-drive and lengthy list of standard features that includes electronic brake assist and traction control.

On the safety front, Honda is justifiably talking up the five-star safety rating the Ridgeline received in frontal and side-impact crash tests performed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Five stars is the NHTSA’s top score.

Overall, the Ridgeline is an extraordinary product as an all-new pickup truck for the North American market. Honda may be a tardy arrival, but it’s making up for lost time by making a good first impression.

2006 Honda Ridgeline at a glance Make/model: 2006 Honda Ridgeline RT.

Vehicle type: Five-passenger, four-wheel-drive, four-door, midsize pickup truck.

Base price: $27,700 (as tested, $28,215).

EPA fuel economy: 16 miles per gallon city; 21 mpg highway.

Transmission: Five-speed automatic with special features.

Steering: Power rack and pinion with speed-sensitive feature.

Brakes: Four-wheel discs with anti-lock and other braking-enhancement features.

Suspension: Independent, MacPherson strut-type on front; independent, multi-link with trailing arm on rear (with stabilizer bars front and rear).

Interior volume: 112 cubic feet.

Fuel tank: 22 gallons.

Curb weight: 4,503 pounds.

Track: 67.1 inches on front; 66.9 inches on rear.

Ground clearance: 8.2 inches.

Height: 70.3 inches.

Length: 206.8 inches.

Wheelbase: 122 inches.

Width: 87.3 inches.

Tires: P245/65R17 all-season tires.

Final assembly point: Alliston, Ontario, Canada.

About the writer:

* The Bee’s Mark Glover can be reached at (916) 321-1184 or mglover@sacbee.com.