Adapted Video Transcript
Honda answers questions in clever ways. For instance, their Ridgeline pickup is filled with innovative features and rides in a more refined fashion than any midsize pickup I have ever driven.
However, the current generation Ridgeline didn’t look enough like a truck for truck buyers. So, to win over truck folk, the Ridgeline has donned its metaphorical belt buckle with a range of exterior updates.
2021 Honda Ridgeline Exterior Changes
In the back, the revisions are simple and include a restyled bumper and a new dual exhaust system. But upfront, everything north of the front doors is new. New fenders. A new power bulge hood. New headlights. And a new, larger grille. Plus, the track is 20 millimeters wider for a more hulking stance.
Ridgeline’s Honda Performance Development Appearance Package
For a more potent visual assertion of ruggedness, consider the Honda Performance Development Appearance Package. The HPD package adds a unique grille, nifty bronze wheels, HPD emblems, and tacked-on black fender flares for a cool $2,800. I actually prefer the non-HBD Ridgeline, but you might feel differently.
2021 Honda Ridgeline Interior and Cargo Space
Inside, not much has changed beyond some new contrast stitching, reworked graphics for the 8-inch infotainment system, and the addition of a physical volume knob.
That is about it for the mid-cycle updates, but the Honda Ridgeline also possesses a range of compelling carryover traits. The interior is still plenty roomy and functional. Excess cargo fits well inside thanks to 60/40 flip-up rear seats.
The tailgate both flips down and rotates out, making it easy to load the bed and reach the in-bed trunk. Also, there is a roomy, lockable in-bed trunk with a drain plug at the bottom – so you can use it like a big ice chest.
Honda Ridgeline Payload and Bed Size
Plus, even though it isn’t the largest among pickup trucks, the 5’4” bed can carry more than 1,500 pounds of payload. If you are motivated, you can do a lot with the Ridgeline’s functionality. Though I will say that loading motorcycles or cargo into the bed would be easier with a lower load floor.
Honda Ridgeline Engine, Performance and Gas Mileage
As for mechanical updates, there are none, but here is what you get:
• 3.5-Liter V6 (280hp, 262 lb-ft) matched to a 9-speed automatic transmission.
Fuel economy is a middling 18 MPG in the city and 24 MPG on the highway.
Honda’s i-VTM4 torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive system (AWD) comes standard and can send up to 70% percent of the engine’s power to the rear wheels and 100% of that power to either the left or right wheel as conditions demand. It is a neat system that yields good traction off-road and enhanced agility on-road.
At peak urgency, the V6 pulls eagerly. You can also use that V6 grunt to tow, just but sure to keep it under the Ridgeline’s 5,000-pound max.
How the 2021 Ridgeline Drives
Even though it looks “tougher,” the Ridgeline still drives like a Honda Pilot with a bed on the back because that’s essentially what it is. If you want a pickup truck with a fully independent suspension and the ride plushness that comes with it, this is your only choice.
Price: What the 2021 Honda Ridgeline Costs
The Ridgeline starting new price for the Sport trim is $36,490.
Compared to the Ford Ranger, GMC Canyon, Toyota Tacoma, and Chevrolet Colorado, the Honda Ridgeline is far more expensive with a starting price around $36-and-a-half thousand dollars, not including destination charges. For perspective, you can grab a Colorado or Ranger for about $25-grand.
Granted, a base Ridgeline is far better equipped and more premium feeling than a base Colorado but you can also find more powerful engines, greater towing capacities, better fuel economy, and more body style choices from the Ridgeline’s competition. Oh, and the new 2022 Nissan Frontier looks pretty cool.
If you believe in the “it has to hurt to be effective” school of pickup truck ownership, then the Ridgeline refined manners might not be your style. But if you’re open to driving a pickup truck with a quiet cabin and comfortable road feel, the Honda Ridgeline is a pleasing non-traditional solution.
In total, the Ridgeline is a unique player in the midsize pickup truck category. Am I enamored with its new style? Not particularly. And that’s fine. Dress up your pickup however you like, but Honda, please, don’t stop answers questions in clever ways.
