From CR
Honda Ridgeline
Road test
Tested model: 2006 RTS crew cab AWD, 3.5-liter V6, 5-speed automatic
Tested tires: Michelin LTX M/S, size P245/65R17 105S
Highs: Ride, handling, powertrain refinement, rear seat, access, in-bed trunk, light dual-action tailgate, standard safety equipment and AWD, composite bed.
Lows: Road noise, turning circle.
The Ridgeline rewrites the book on pickups. It rides like a good sedan and has many innovations, including a tailgate that opens vertically or horizontally and a lockable trunk. Its roomy cab is nicely detailed and easy to access. While not designed for serious off-roading, it scaled our demanding rock hill.
THE DRIVING EXPERIENCE
The Ridgeline has a steady and comfortable ride. Bumps are muted and isolated. The ride is composed on the highway and didn't degrade when carrying a 500-pound load. It's quiet overall, with road noise being the most pronounced. Handling is agile, with well-restrained body lean. The steering is precise and well-weighted, and the truck is composed, even on washboard surfaces. The turning circle, however, is a wide 45 feet. At the track, the Ridgeline felt balanced. The standard ESC helped the truck in our avoidance maneuver. The Ridgeline's smooth, responsive, and quiet 255-hp, 3.5-liter V6 engine is mated to a five-speed automatic transmission. It took 20.5 seconds to pull a 5,000-pound trailer to 60 mph. Expect 15 mpg overall. The full-time all-wheel drive sends equal torque to the front and rear for added low-speed traction. It doesn't have the low-range gearing of traditional pickups, but was capable off-road. Overall braking was good, but stops were long. Headlight performance was very good.
INSIDE THE CABIN
Fit and finish is impeccable, with high-quality materials. The cab is roomy and drivers sit up high, with a good view forward. However, most complained that the tilt steering wheel was too far away. The supportive and very comfortable power front seats feature adjustable lumbar and good thigh support. The roomy rear seat comfortably seats three adults. Front and rear access is easy. The gauges are clear and the controls are easy to use. The center rear window is power-operated. Interior storage is generous. A 60/40-split rear bench flips up to create more room. The bed is made of a plastic composite that doesn't corrode. It sits above the wheels so that the wheel wells don't impede on the cargo area. Under the cargo bed is a lockable, weatherproof trunk -- a first for pickups. A small spare tire sits inside the trunk. Access to the bed is helped by a tailgate that can either fold down or swing open like a car door. Payload capacity is 1,530 pounds, and the tow rating is 5,000 pounds. With the tailgate down, the cargo bed is a relatively short 79.5 inches.
SAFETY NOTES
Side-impact air bags, extending from the front seatbacks, and head-protection curtain air bags that extend to protect the heads of front- and rear-outboard passengers, are standard in the Ridgeline. The curtain air bags deploy in both side impacts and rollovers. Height- and position-sensors in the front passenger seat detect if a person is leaning or slouching into the deployment path of the side air bag and will disable that air bag accordingly. All seating positions are equipped with three-point seatbelts. The front versions have adjustable anchors to help get an improved fit, and pretensioners to reduce belt slack in the event of a crash. Sensors in the front seatbelt buckles detect seatbelt usage and will prompt deployment of the front air bags in slightly less severe crashes if a seatbelt is not in use. There are adjustable, locking head restraints in all seats. The outboard versions are tall enough even when lowered to reduce rearward head travel, but the center rear version must be raised to provide adequate whiplash protection. Driving with kids: The rigid buckle stalk on the rear belts of the Ridgeline may make securing some rear-facing infant seat bases difficult. Models with higher belt paths may prove more secure; you also might find a better fir by using the LATCH system. Front-facing seats and rear-facing convertible seats should prove secure. There are tether strap anchors at the base of the seatback in the center and at the outer base of the seat for the outboard positions. Each requires the tether strap to be routed through a guide and then attached to the anchor below, but each required that tether straps from our seats be twisted in order to hook them. Tether straps that are not single straps may also prove difficult to route over the tether guide. There are tether anchors for each of the three rear seats and though placed relatively shallow between the seatback and cushion, they are nestled firmly against the seatback cushion making attaching and detaching the LATCH attachments awkward.
RELIABILITY
We expect reliability to be better than average, according to our latest subscriber survey.