Summary
- The Honda Ridgeline stands out in the pickup truck market with its more leisurely appearance and SUV-like comfort, offering creative storage options and reasonable towing capabilities.
- The Ridgeline’s 3.5-liter V6 engine and nine-speed automatic transmission deliver smooth acceleration and on-road performance, but its off-road ability is limited due to ground clearance and lack of low-range gears.
- The 2023 Ridgeline features updated exterior styling with a bulkier fascia and hood, offering a workhorse demeanor. Its interior is spacious and user-friendly, with a range of comfort and technology options available. Additionally, it comes with a comprehensive suite of safety features and has a starting price of $38,800.
Pickup trucks are a favorite for the North American market. The fixation on excessively powerful and overly large automobiles has led automakers to create literal rigs. You cannot blame them, they go with what the customers want. With the introduction of unibody trucks such as the Honda Ridgeline, resistance was inevitable. When the team at Honda decided to get into the murky truck niche, they definitely knew it would not be a walk in the park.
To stand out, the Ridgeline didn’t have the menacing looks of typical pickup trucks. It exuded a more leisurely appearance. Built on the Honda Pilot platform, it offered SUV-like comfort coupled with a cargo bed, creative storage options, and reasonable towing capabilities. Though its towing and payload capacity falls on the lower side when compared to its body-on-frame competitors such as Toyota Tacoma and Nissan Frontier, it makes up in other subtle ways.
Honda seems to have succumbed to pressure and, as a result, handed the Ridgeline a makeover focused on style. The 2023 model has a truck-like styling with an entirely new grille, fenders, front bumper, and dual chrome exhaust tips. Its ride quality, driving dynamics, standard driver aids, and interior technology remain top of its class.
Information for this article was sourced from Honda and reputable websites such as EPA.gov and CarandDriver.
Cruising Confidence: Performance And Handling Of The 2023 Honda Ridgeline
Honda Ridgeline continues to defy the norm, even prompting other legacy automakers such as Ford to revive unibody pickup trucks based on crossover platforms, such as the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz. It outclasses the majority of the competition when it comes to on-road performance. Thanks to a 3.5-liter V6 engine mated to a smooth nine-speed automatic gearbox, it produces 280 horsepower sent to the standard all-wheel drive. Since it doesn’t have a turbocharger, acceleration is smooth, making it cruise on highways and around towns effortlessly. Its coil-spring independent rear suspension provides a ride quality reminiscent of a car, setting it apart from competitors that feature leaf-spring, solid-axle setups.
The powertrain is designed to ace on-road driving, and hence its off-road ability is limited by ground clearance (7.64-inch), lack of low-range gears, and a reduced approach angle (20.4 degrees). However, it can handle occasional off-road trips as well as normal SUVs. In reality, the bulk of the population prefers a versatile and efficient car they can use to go to the office, grocery shopping, school pick-ups, and weekend outings. This makes the 2023 Honda Ridgeline a perfect choice, and it’s growing on people.
Specifications
|
Engine Type |
3.5-Liter V6 Gas |
|
Transmission |
9-speed Automatic |
|
Drivetrain |
AWD |
|
Power |
280 HP |
|
Torque |
262 pound-feet of torque |
|
MPG |
21 MPG |
|
Towing Capacity |
5000 pounds |
|
Payload |
1600 pounds |
For a 3.5-liter V6 engine, the Ridgeline is impressively efficient with 18 City / 24 Highway and 21 MPG combined, better than the 2023 Ford Maverick’s 24 MPG combined, and slightly beating the 2023 Chevrolet Colorado 4WD on the highway by 1 MPG. While it does well on fuel economy, its towing capacity is low at 5,000 pounds compared to Ford Ranger’s 7500 pounds and Colorado’s 7700 pounds. Its max payload rating is 1600 pounds, about the same as the Colorado but lower than the Ranger’s 1711 pounds. For hauling cargo, motorcycles, or ATVs, the Ridgeline’s bed is sufficient, measuring 5 feet 4 inches long, and uniquely designed wheel arches allow 4-foot-wide sheets of plywood to lay flat. Even with its shortcomings, the Ridgeline should offer you enough of what you need.
Updated Exterior Styling
The team at Honda focused more on exterior upgrades on the 2023 Ridgeline with an aggressive-looking, workhorse demeanor. Building on changes made on previous models, it spots a bulkier fascia and hood, which affirms its presence. The grille is befitting of a conventional pickup truck, covering most of the front. The four trims offered, Sport, RTL, RTL-E, and Black Edition share the same engine, transmission, and drivetrain.
Standard features in the lineup include 18-inch alloy wheels, a dual-action tailgate, LED fog lights, headlights, tail lights, and dual exhaust outlets. The dual-action tailgate is like no other in the industry, it opens like any other but also opens to the side, which eases loading and offloading. The cleverly designed lockable in-bed storage under the bed offers an extra safe hide-out for cargo such as a cooler.
The major differences between the trims are in tech and aesthetics. The Black Edition and Sport feature a bigger gloss black grille, while the RTL and RTL-E feature chrome finishing. If you need a racing appearance, Honda’s HPD package has a number of options.
- HPD emblem
- Fender flares
- HPD front grille
- HPD sticker package
- HPD 18-inch bronze alloy wheels
The options do not, however, translate to improved performance. As much as the Honda Performance Development (HPD) is the automaker’s racing division similar to Toyota’s TRD, Ridgeline’s HPD package is purely for appearance.
Interior Quality And Technology
The interior of the 2023 Honda Ridgeline is SUV-like, it is identical to the Honda Pilot. Comfort, user-friendliness, and ergonomic considerations are given top priority. Getting in and out of the car is easy, even for you of tower height, thanks to large doors and windows. It can comfortably accommodate five occupants, with a front headroom of 40.1 inches and 40.9 inches of legroom.
Rear occupants also get plenty of leg and headroom, 36.7 inches and 38.8 inches respectively. The rear seats are foldable in a 60/40 split, offering more cargo space. The generous space is complimented by an assortment of cupholders in the front and rear, seatback pockets, a normal glove box, and a multipurpose center console.
A leather-trimmed interior is available in all trims aside from the Sport. Heated seats and head restraints in all seating positions enhance comfort. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, operated from an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system connected to seven speakers. The addition of a physical volume knob makes it easy to flip through channels or adjust the volume.
If you decide to have an outdoor party, you can use the truck-bed audio system, which is available in RTL-E and Black Edition. The Ridgeline interior is ahead of its competition. It offers more interior options for the top trims geared toward comfort, practicality, and reliability including
Driver’s seat with 10-way power adjustment
- Tri-Zone automatic climate control
- One-Touch power moonroof
- Power sliding rear window
Affordable Assurance: Pricing And Key Safety Features Of The 2023 Honda Ridgeline
The 2023 Ridgeline is exceptionally safe, with an overall five-star rating from the NHTSA. It packs numerous safety and alert features even for the base trim. Every new vehicle from Honda has the Honda Safety Sensing suite, which ensures basic safety features for all cars. Standard features include collision mitigation, lane departure warning, and adaptive cruise control. Additionally, ABS, traction, and stability control are standard. Optional features include
- Blind spot information system
- Parking Sensors
- Automatic high beams
The starting price for the Ridgeline Sport is $38,800 with the top trim, the Ridgeline Black Edition, going for $46,230. If you would like to personalize your purchase, four packages are available including the HPD Black Package ($2900) which replaces the front grille, wheels, and fenders with HPD variants. The Function+Package ($1460) adds conveniences such as cargo nets and covers. Other packages are the HPD Bronze Package ($2900), and the Utility Package ($1,585). Accessories for the outdoors are also available: Adventure Package ($4405) and Rugged Utility Package ($1005).