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He Drove, She Drove
Honda pickup starts a revolution
Roomy Ridgeline is refreshing change with its lockable trunk, safety features.
Type: Front-engine, all-wheel drive, five-passenger pickup.
Price: Base, $35,155 (inc. $515 destination charge); as tested, $35,155.
Engine: 3.5-liter V-6; 255-hp; 252 lb-ft torque.
EPA fuel economy: 16 mpg city/21 mpg highway.
Where built: Alliston, Ontario.
Key competitors: Chevrolet Colorado, Dodge Dakota, GMC Canyon, Nissan Frontier, Toyota Tacoma.
12-month insurance cost, estimated by AAA Michigan: $1,263. (Rates may be higher or lower, depending on coverage and driving record.)
Rating system: 1 - unacceptable; 2- subpar; 3- acceptable; 4-above average; 5- world class
Anita's Vehicle rating:
Likes: Expensive but worth it. Comfortable. Versatile. Standard all-wheel drive. Nice rear-seat amenities. Multiple cargo bins and cubbies. Power sliding rear window.
Dislikes: "Flying buttresses" block side/rear view. Silly oversize door pulls on inside. Huge turning circle. No V-8 engine. No adjustable pedals, telescoping steering column or driver's vanity mirror.
Paul's Vehicle rating:
Likes: Lots of thoughtful features. Plenty of power, acceleration. Cargo bay under bed . Clever two-way tailgate. Simple controls. World-class standard safety features. Roomy. Built-in bed liner limits scratching, rust.
Dislikes: Ugly exterior. Some problems with tailgate release on first test vehicle. Some trim pieces not tight. Smallish pickup bed.
Honda Ridgeline
How would you rate the Honda Ridgeline?
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When Japanese automaker Honda Motor Co. first revealed its concept SUT at the 2004 Detroit auto show, few observers realized what a revolutionary vehicle this quasi-pickup would prove to be when the actual production model debuted 12 months later.
After testing the preproduction prototype in January and more recently spending a week behind the wheel here in Michigan, we can testify that there is nothing on the market quite like the 2006 Honda Ridgeline.
We tested a top-of-the-line Ridgeline RTL, priced at $35,155, including a $515 destination charge.
SHE: I find it hard to believe that you gave five stars to a vehicle that you complained so much about. You griped incessantly the whole week we drove the Ridgeline, mostly about how much it reminded you of a Pontiac Aztek transformed into a pickup. And how you were skeptical about the power locking two-way tailgate after the first Ridgeline we tested gave us so much trouble. The Ridgeline is a refreshing change from the ubiquitous Ford F-150 pickup and its domestic counterparts. It's not all-American, and that's not necessarily a bad thing.
HE: I'm a longtime pickup dog, going back to my teenage years. Until I drove the Ridgeline, I was convinced that nothing could ever replace the classic Detroit body-on-frame design. Well, I was wrong. If you have to haul big trailers or tons of manure, you're still going to want one of those traditional, full-size jobs. But all those folks who have been migrating into trucks from SUVs, minivans and station wagons should find themselves much more comfortable in a Ridgeline, which is my early candidate for Truck of the Year. This unique new all-wheel-drive, four-door truck combines some of the best elements of those other vehicle types. The roomy cabin holds up to five adults in comfort, with the added benefit of a pickup bed that you can easily hose out. Best of all is what must be the automotive feature of the year -- a lockable trunk underneath the pickup bed that holds plenty of groceries, golf bags, luggage or what have you. And despite that early glitch, the two-way tailgate is cool and helps even shorter people access the trunk with ease.
SHE: The Ridgeline is imaginative and far more comfortable than a conventional pickup. Honda claims to have reinvented the pickup and that seems pretty accurate. I can't think of anything they didn't put on the Ridgeline in terms of safety features. It comes standard with antilock brakes, traction and stability control, side air bags and side curtains for both rows. Our fancy RTL version felt like a luxury sedan on the inside, with leather seats and steering wheel, XM satellite radio, a navigation system and even a power sliding rear window. And there are an amazing number of cubbies and storage bins. You don't give up much with the Ridgeline.
HE: I was puzzled when I heard that Honda had decided not to build a conventional body-on-frame truck, but was developing a unibody pickup using its Pilot SUV and Odyssey minivan as a springboard. As a result, the Ridgeline rides much more like a car, which you'll appreciate if you have to travel any great distance in this truck. There is also an amazing amount of space in the rear seat, with plenty of head, leg and shoulder room for even plus-size adults. My complaints were really minimal.
SHE: I had some issues. Those "flying buttresses" on either side of the pickup bed block your view to the side and the rear. The huge turning circle makes parking in tight spaces a bit of a problem. You can't get a V-8 engine, which will turn off some traditional truck buyers. And for women, there are no adjustable pedals, no telescoping steering column and no driver's vanity mirror. At least Honda has some room to improve the Ridgeline over the next few years.
HE: Improvement No. 1 should be the sheet metal because this is one ugly-looking piece of machinery. The Ridgeline reminds me of the old Rodney Dangerfield joke about how he was so ugly as a kid his parents had to tie a pork chop bone around his neck so the dog would play with him.
SHE: But the Ridgeline is no dog. Honda's first-ever pickup gets top grades.
Anita and Paul Lienert are partners in Lienert & Lienert, a Detroit-based automotive information services company.
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The Detroit News.
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