Hey, Kawhi, want to challenge these college kids to a pickup game?<\/em><\/p>\nI flogged the front-wheel biased, independent rear-suspension Honda across Texas ranchlands next to its rear-biased, leaf-sprung rivals. Ridgeline was more balanced, more confident \u2014 its electronic, rear-diff clutches expertly distributing wheel turn to whichever corner was in need. The difference is most pronounced next to the Tacoma whose four-wheel drive, solid-rear axle system squirms and protests against changing terrain.<\/p>\n
Torque-vectoring and beefy suspension aside, however, the Ridgeline is a Honda Pilot with a 4-foot-by-5-foot box.<\/p>\n
Not as muscular-looking as its rivals (the Canyon\u2019s gym-toned, sculpted torso will get the girls), Honda\u2019s tasteful, understated styling will woo the crossover crowd Honda expects to cross over to pickups. Inside, the same Pilot interior that has wowed SUV buyers also makes it best-in-class for pickups. Unencumbered by space-stealing rails, the unibody chassis allows excellent rear-seat room \u2014 both for passengers and sub-seat cargo (behold a second, golf-bag sized trunk!). Arm rests are soft, the center-sliding console brilliant \u2014 only Honda\u2019s ill-advised, buttonless infotainment system mars the ensemble. I was pining for GM\u2019s ergonomically friendly unit.<\/p>\n
But there are limits to Ridgeline\u2019s versatility.<\/p>\n
Like Lego blocks, rail frames make for interchangeable cab (extended and crew) and box (5-foot or 6-foot) configurations. Unibody\u2019s tooling complexity means Ridgeline comes only in crew cab with 5-foot box, starting at $27,375. Honda says that\u2019s the segment sweet spot where 70 percent of customers shop \u2014 but it concedes entry-level conquests where, for example, the Canyon advertises at just $20,975.<\/p>\n
Honda\u2019s unibody also shies from deeper dives into extreme terrain \u2014 Michigan\u2019s off-road park, The Mounds, comes to mind \u2014 where the Baja-tough Tacoma thrives. In the back woods of a San Antonio ranch, Tacoma\u2019s armored underbody taunted rocks, its 30-degree approach angle is fearless over moguls. My Ridgeline hardly cowered over such obstacles, but when I got too aggressive with the throttle the front end would do belly flops \u2014 THONK! \u2014 on undulating terrain.<\/p>\n
Of course, with more front aero, the Honda\u2019s belly won\u2019t need as much feeding as Tacoma either. Like the similarly fuel-conscious GM twins, Ridgeline sells to those who want to tow muddy, all-terrain vehicles \u2014 not muddy their pickups in all terrain. Most folks will be content with the Honda\u2019s 5,000-pound trailering capacity \u2014 but those robust GM rails can pull another 50 percent more.<\/p>\n
On paper, Ridgeline\u2019s all-around play should be a more attractive pickup for the whole family \u2014 not just the cowboy in the house. A military vet on my San Antonio drive concedes a Ridgeline makes more sense for his family than his tree-chewing Tacoma. Or will his wife just buy a Pilot?<\/p>\n
Are pickups niche lifestyle indulgences like sports cars? Or do they have broader appeal like CUVs? Honda is betting the latter.<\/p>\n
Honk if you agree.<\/p>\n
2017 Honda Ridgeline<\/p>\n
Vehicle type:\u00a0Front-engine, front or all-wheel drive, five-passenger pickup<\/p>\n
Price:\u00a0$27,375 base ($42,270 RTL-E trim as tested)<\/p>\n
Powerplant:\u00a03.5-liter V-6<\/p>\n
Power:\u00a0280 horsepower, 262 pound-feet of torque<\/p>\n
Transmission:\u00a06-speed automatic<\/p>\n
Performance:\u00a0Zero-60: 6.4-6.7 seconds (Car & Driver est.); 5,000-pound towing<\/p>\n
Weight:\u00a04,515 pounds (RTL-E as tested)<\/p>\n
Fuel economy:\u00a0EPA 19 mpg city\/26 mpg highway\/22 combined (FWD); EPA 18 mpg city\/25 mpg highway\/21 combined (AWD)<\/p>\n
Report card<\/p>\n
Highs:\u00a0Smooth rider; roomy interior<\/p>\n
Lows:\u00a0Won\u2019t win Baja; annoying infotainment touch controls<\/p>\n
Overall:\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
San Antonians love their basketball team almost as much as they love their pickups. After the Spurs defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game Three of the NBA Playoffs last week, the streets flooded with F-150s, Tundras, Silverados, Tacomas and Colorados full of fans wearing all-black team colors waving Spurs flags and standing on their […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18544"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18544"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18544\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18545,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18544\/revisions\/18545"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18544"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18544"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18544"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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