What Is It?
2006 Honda Ridgeline
What's Special About It?
If you told us a dozen years ago that Honda would someday produce a pickup truck, we would have looked at you as if you had two heads. Then again, if you told us back then that trucks would eventually make up nearly half of all vehicle sales, we would've looked at you as if you had three.
Developed in Ohio for the U.S. market, the 2006 Ridgeline has styling that is a departure from the traditional "3-box" (engine compartment, passenger cab, cargo box) school of pickup truck design. The end result is a more integrated appearance that ties the bed in with the cab. A combination of unibody and ladder-style frame architectures promises solid structural integrity.
At 4,500 pounds, the Ridgeline doesn't have nearly as much weight to drag around as, say, a 1,000-pound heavier Ford F-150 SuperCrew. Honda feels that this pickup's 255-horsepower, 3.5-liter V6 should be peppy enough and of course less thirsty than a V8. When it's time to work, the Ridgeline will be ready with a hauling capacity of 1,100 pounds and a maximum tow rating of 5,000 pounds. The independent rear suspension not only improves ride and handling characteristics when compared to the typical solid axle setup, it also allows for an 8.5-cubic-foot trunk underneath the bed that can double as a cooler.
A number of features show off Honda's thoughtful design, such as the heated windshield wiper rest that automatically kicks on in freezing weather and a tough composite bed liner that's virtually immune to scratches and dents. Home improvement fans should know that the bed will allow 4-by-8-foot sheets of building material to lie flat on the bed floor, as opposed to stacking on the top of the wheel well humps.
Rather than baffle potential customers with dozens of trim level and body style combinations, Honda will offer the Ridgeline solely as a crew cab in a choice of three trims — base RT, midlevel RTS and leather-lined RTL.
What's Edmunds' Take?
The Japanese car companies have built their long-standing success by taking what Americans want in a vehicle and then building it with keen attention to engineering, quality and reliability. Although old-school truck purists may sneer at the Ridgeline's lack of V8 power and a solid rear axle, the majority of today's pickup customers should appreciate the Ridgeline's many sensible attributes. — John DiPietro
2006 Honda Ridgeline
What's Special About It?
If you told us a dozen years ago that Honda would someday produce a pickup truck, we would have looked at you as if you had two heads. Then again, if you told us back then that trucks would eventually make up nearly half of all vehicle sales, we would've looked at you as if you had three.
Developed in Ohio for the U.S. market, the 2006 Ridgeline has styling that is a departure from the traditional "3-box" (engine compartment, passenger cab, cargo box) school of pickup truck design. The end result is a more integrated appearance that ties the bed in with the cab. A combination of unibody and ladder-style frame architectures promises solid structural integrity.
At 4,500 pounds, the Ridgeline doesn't have nearly as much weight to drag around as, say, a 1,000-pound heavier Ford F-150 SuperCrew. Honda feels that this pickup's 255-horsepower, 3.5-liter V6 should be peppy enough and of course less thirsty than a V8. When it's time to work, the Ridgeline will be ready with a hauling capacity of 1,100 pounds and a maximum tow rating of 5,000 pounds. The independent rear suspension not only improves ride and handling characteristics when compared to the typical solid axle setup, it also allows for an 8.5-cubic-foot trunk underneath the bed that can double as a cooler.
A number of features show off Honda's thoughtful design, such as the heated windshield wiper rest that automatically kicks on in freezing weather and a tough composite bed liner that's virtually immune to scratches and dents. Home improvement fans should know that the bed will allow 4-by-8-foot sheets of building material to lie flat on the bed floor, as opposed to stacking on the top of the wheel well humps.
Rather than baffle potential customers with dozens of trim level and body style combinations, Honda will offer the Ridgeline solely as a crew cab in a choice of three trims — base RT, midlevel RTS and leather-lined RTL.
What's Edmunds' Take?
The Japanese car companies have built their long-standing success by taking what Americans want in a vehicle and then building it with keen attention to engineering, quality and reliability. Although old-school truck purists may sneer at the Ridgeline's lack of V8 power and a solid rear axle, the majority of today's pickup customers should appreciate the Ridgeline's many sensible attributes. — John DiPietro
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