2012 HONDA RIDGELINE SPORT: Good pickup line

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This article was published 01/06/2012 (5161 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Having pretty much ignored the Ridgeline since its introduction, Honda has added a new model — the Sport. It is offered à la Henry Ford’s Model T — black on black. Everything from the honeycomb grille and headlight/taillight housings to the upsized 18-inch alloy wheels is black. One can be a contrarian and substitute the rich black paint for white, but that softens the overall look.

Inside, the Sport is attractively attired, if rather industrial to the eye, and it comes with all of the right equipment minus one important feature. Bluetooth is only offered on the fully loaded Touring. It is, for some reason, a rarity on trucks, but Honda should have taken the lead and made it standard across the board.

When it comes to accommodating passengers and cargo, the Ridgeline is accomplished.

For example, the seats both surprised and impressed me. Up front, there is far more base and backrest bolstering and the top of the seat splays out to provide some welcome shoulder support. This is not the norm in truck seating. However, there is another minor nit to pick — heated seats are, again, only offered on the Touring.

The back seat is also above average, offering plenty of space for a pair of adults and a ton of versatility. There is enough room under the seat to store stuff when it’s in use and the 60/40-split/folding base can be lifted up to maximize interior storage capacity.

The Ridgeline’s other ace is found in the under-floor cargo box. It is capable of holding 8.5 cubic feet of stuff, which does away with the need to carry one of those unsightly lockboxes that consumes precious bed space. As for the rest of it, the five-foot box can be accessed by swinging the double-action tailgate out to the side or by dropping it down in the usual manner. With the tailgate in the lowered position, the effective box length is extended to 6.5 feet (1.98 metres).

The strength of the Ridgeline is found in its platform. Gone is the usual body-on-frame design in favour of a unibody that has a fully boxed frame incorporated into it. The result is an incredibly stiff platform. This means the Ridgeline does not rattle and squeak when the body is torqued. This aspect is the bane of many pickups and the reason they have a large gap between the cab and box; the Ridgeline is gapless. In the worst case, the two can touch when the chassis is torqued over a rough road.

The Ridgeline’s inherent stiffness gives the suspension the solid base it needs to work effectively. The setup is firm enough to deal with the payloads demanded of a truck (a 690-kilogram maximum), yet the ride has enough compliance to take the sting out of a rough road and/or when doing some mild off-roading. The other upside is it means the Ridgeline’s handling is far more accomplished than that of most trucks. For a workhorse, it handles twisty tarmac in poised and predictable fashion. Ditto the steering — it possesses a connected feel, which is a notable departure from the pickup norm. Throw in the P245/60R18 tires and you complete an agile package that can be driven with authority without it heeling over in submission.

The Ridgeline is powered by a 3.5-litre V6 that’s married to a five-speed automatic transmission. The 250 horsepower and 245 pound-feet of torque deliver strong performance. The run to 100 kilometres an hour takes 8.5 seconds, while the 80-to-120-km/h sprint clocks in at 7.8 seconds. Both numbers are pretty good for a 2,038-kg truck. It also brings the brawn to haul a 2,268-kg trailer when equipped with the trailer-towing package, which is enough for most eventualities.

The transmission, which includes Honda’s Grade Logic, features a handy lockout that holds the transmission in third gear. This simple addition means the box does not hunt between gears when hauling a trailer up a long climb. The transmission is also smooth through the gears and quick to kick down when the gas is hammered.

From here, the power is relayed to the road through a decent all-wheel-drive system and a limited-slip rear differential. The system balances the power demands by acting before unwanted wheelspin is allowed to surface. Under hard acceleration, the system drives all four wheels to reduce the risk of wheelspin and banish any sign of torque steer. It then uses the vehicle stability assist (VSA) to shuttle the power left to right and features a lock button. The latter holds the system in its 4×4 mode until speeds exceed 30 km/h. From an operational standpoint, the system is smooth and unobtrusive.

While Honda has been known for many things over the years, a pickup was not one of them. However, given the company’s diverse array of products — everything from ATVs and power generators to motorcycles — offering a truck seemed so natural. While diehard truckers will suggest the Ridgeline is a lightweight and not worthy of consideration, I liked it. In fact, it reminded me of a four-door version of the Chevrolet El Camino or Ford Ranchero — all are as much cars as they are pickup trucks.

Given the propensity for the modern pickup truck to be used more for personal business than towing or hauling, the Ridgeline represents an excellent alternative that delivers significantly better fuel economy than the usual suspects.

— Postmedia News