Autonet.ca Review; 2010 (2011) Honda Ridgeline Truck

Here's a nice review on the 2010, but you could substitute eveything said for the 2011, no changes....

Photos by -Autonet.ca
Daniel Barron

Published: 07 09 2010
Ridgeline the young upstart

Buying a pickup often isn’t a matter of going to the nearest dealership and picking one in your favourite colour. There’s a lot more to consider, whether it’s engine type, cab size, bed length, drivetrain, option packages, and more.

There’s one vehicle that bucks this trend, though - the Honda Ridgeline. Every model in its four trim line-up is outfitted with the same engine, is equipped with all-wheel drive, and features the same crew cab and bed length. The only real difference between the trims is the number of creature comforts in each.

Though no one will claim Ridgeline is meant to take on the responsibilities of a heavy duty beast like a Ford F-350 or Ram 2500, it’s more than adequate at the slightly-less demanding jobs of a smaller truck.

Ridgeline is equipped with a 3.5-litre V6 that produces a generous 250-horsepower and 247 lb.-ft. of torque. That’s at the very least in the ballpark of most V6-equipped competitors, if not a lot more. Its 5,000 lb. standard towing capacity is also ahead of many competitors, and it’s worth noting that most other trucks in the segment need additional towing or off-road packages before they hit the 5,000 mark, which often equates to more moolah.

The Ridgeline has a 1,550 lb. payload capacity as well, which is also well ahead of many competitors, including the Chevrolet Canyon, Nissan Frontier and Toyota Tacoma.

Once the comparisons on paper are done, though, Ridgeline proves itself as an able-bodied, easy-to-use truck when it’s actually called upon to get its tires dirty. Its automatic all-wheel drive system can be locked in first, second or reverse gear when it’s gotten in (the mud) too deep.

There are no fancy-schmancy footholds or poles to help step into the bed, but you need not worry about scuffing up the steel-reinforced bed when you throw stuff in. Though the heavy duty tie down hooks throughout the bed aren’t adjustable, there are eight of them in total, which should be sufficient for most jobs.

All Ridgelines come standard with a seven-pin trailer connection, pre-wiring for trailer brake control, and heavy duty front and rear tow hooks.

The five-foot truck bed simply may not be enough for some jobs at the work site, but what that shorter bed allows for is a very roomy cabin. We’ll eat our left arm if we hear of anyone complaining about the room in the front or back seats of the Ridgeline. Loading three passengers in the rear may be pushing it a bit, but there’s all kinds of room for four occupants in total.

Opting for the EX-L with Navi package will give you all sorts of extra features, from Bluetooth, to ambient lighting, to dual-zone climate control; but this is still all truck inside. Large grips surround the door handles, while knobs are big and easy to manipulate for the large-of-hand.
The rear seats, meanwhile, can easily be flipped up or put back down in a single motion with one hand, and the centre console can be configured in all sorts of ways to hold as much or as little as necessary depending on how busy your day is.

That’s not to mention the exterior, with its dual-action tailgate that flips down like a standard truck, but can also swing out like a door. The in-bed trunk is great not just for keeping beverages cold during tailgating, but for stowing expensive items. Best of all, it can be locked and unlocked with the rest of the vehicle using the key fob (no need to fumble trying to get a key into a lock).

It would seem all too easy to ignore the young Ridgeline for more well-established models from General Motors, Toyota or Dodge, but there’s simply no denying that Honda’s pickup truck is a capable performer.

Summary:
Year/Make/Model
2010 Honda Ridgeline
Price as tested
$43,690
Trim level
EX-L
Price range
$34,990 - $41,490
Freight
$1,590
Options
Navigation pkg ($2,200) inc. Bluetooth and rearview camera.
EnerGuide fuel economy ratings
14.1 L/100km city; 9.8 L/100km hwy
Observed fuel economy
14.2 L/100km over 439 km
Warranty (basic)
3 years/60,000 km
Warranty (powertrain)
5 years/100,000 km

Competitors
Chevrolet Colorado; Dodge Dakota; Nissan Frontier; Toyota Tacoma

Strong Points
- storage
- comfort
- ride

Weak Points

- fuel economy
- one configuration

Editors Rating:
Fuel consumption
The V6 engine is forced to work hard.

Value for price
Somewhat pricey, especially with tempting aftermarket features.

Styling
Stylish and unique, yet looks the part of a rugged little truck.

Comfort
Lots of space for four, with very good handling and ride.

Performance
Above average towing and payload numbers.

overall
Not a whole lot to complain about.

Source;

http://www.autonet.ca/autos/search/testdrives/2010/08/27/15159106-autonet.html

2011 Honda Ridgeline Changes for Canada

The 2011 Honda Ridgeline will be the same as the 2010 with the exception of colour changes, no word on those yet, stay tuned....

*UPDATE* Here they are....

From Concept to Ridgeline
Honda's approach to building a truck was to start with a clean slate and create a unique and integrated overall package with distinct advantages that make it a comfortable people hauler, a confident cargo transporter and a practical everyday driver. Traditional truck buyers have had to forego a secure and integrated trunk, athletic driving performance, fuel economy and some passenger comfort in exchange for utility that often exceeds their needs. The Ridgeline addresses those trade-offs and either eliminates or minimizes the choices that must be made between everyday practicality and all-around utility.

This "clean slate" approach was rewarded with the Ridgeline being recognized as both the Motor Trend and North American Truck of the Year in its first year on the market.

Honda Ridgeline: A Next-Generation Four-Door 4WD Truck - Restyled
The Honda Ridgeline re-defines what a truck can be with its true half-ton truck payload capability, an interior similar to a full-size truck and the exterior length of a compact truck. Built on a segment-first closed box unibody frame that combines the strength of a ladder frame with the many advantages of a unibody design, the Ridgeline adds refinement, handling performance, innovative In-Bed Trunk™ and packaging previously unattainable with a traditional body-on-frame truck design. Designed to meet the needs of a growing population of consumers purchasing trucks to support their active, outdoor oriented lifestyles, the Ridgeline delivers the right mix of overall truck capability, towing performance, ruggedness and value in a fun-to-drive and responsible vehicle.

The Ridgeline fuses the core capabilities of a truck, including towing, hauling and off-roading, with traditional Honda strengths including high value, world-class engineering, fun-to-drive performance, and exceptional durability, quality and reliability (DQR) – along with industry leading safety and environmental performance.

Honda Ridgeline Highlights
Four-Door Cab Design with spacious 5-passenger seating and re-configurable second row seating for people and/or cargo

5-foot SRC composite bed with six integrated heavy duty-tie down cleats and 1,100 pound (1/2 ton) bed payload capacity with minimal wheel well intrusion and one of the industry's strongest tailgates, which also features dual-action operation

Exclusive and secure In-Bed Trunk with a volume of 241 litres.

Transverse-mounted 250-horsepower 3.5-litre SOHC VTEC V-6 engine with 247 lb.-ft. of torque

Integrated closed-box frame with unibody construction is extremely rigid and 93 percent unique to any Honda vehicle and supports a 1550-pound total vehicle payload capacity

Independent front and rear suspension

True 5,000 lb. towing capability with standard transmission and steering coolers with trailer pre-wiring factory installed

Advanced VTM-4 four-wheel-drive with lock mode and medium duty off-road capability

Standard Safety for Everyone features include Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) with Traction

Control, side curtain airbags with rollover sensor, front side airbags and pedestrian safety design

What's New for 2011

Colour Changes

Source;

Honda Canada

Is the Honda Ridgeline Going Away?

While the automaker won’t comment, sources tell us that Honda won't replace the current Ridgeline unibody pickup after its current lifecycle ends around 2012.

Honda had hopes of selling approximately 50,000 trucks per year when the truck came to market in 2005 for the 2006 model year, but in 2009 only 16,464 units were sold.

The midsize, unibody Ridgeline broke new ground in pickups with controversial slab-sided lunar-lander looks and all-wheel drive. It did away with conventional leaf springs in favor of an independent rear suspension that gave it great ride comfort and enough room for an in-bed lockable trunk – the first in a pickup. The Ridgeline also featured a dual-action tailgate that folded down or off to the side, like a door, to allow unimpeded access to the cargo box.

Asked to confirm or deny the end of the Ridgeline, Honda public relations manager Christina Ra told PickupTrucks.com on Friday that the company had no comment beyond what we were told after the 2010 Chicago Auto Show: "There would be no significant change to the Ridgeline through the 2011 model year."

Of course, Ra didn't deny the Ridgeline would be killed after the 2011 model year either.

Source (via autoblog);
http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2010/04/is-the-honda-ridgeline-going-away.html

No Significant Changes for 2011 Honda Ridgeline

No all-new Honda Ridgeline is expected in the next 18 months, Honda said late Friday. We've been in touch with Honda's PR team since our post earlier this week on the next-generation Honda Ridgeline.

Last March, Dave Marek, chief designer and senior manager of the automotive styling group at Honda Research and Development, Americas, told PickupTrucks.com that design work on the next Ridgeline was under way.

“The (current) Ridgeline was the right thing to do at the time,” Marek said. “But now that the truck market is a moving target, our opportunity is to make it more fuel-efficient -- aerodynamic and lighter -- but still retain the core value it has, which is the inside space and usage in the back.”

We met Vicki Poponi, Honda’s assistant vice president of product planning, on Wednesday at the 2010 Chicago Auto Show and asked her for an update on when the next-gen Ridgeline would arrive.

A new Ridgeline “is coming in ’11, for the 2011 model year,” Poponi said.

But it looks like our question was misunderstood, because today we received a new statement from Honda about the Ridgeline from Christina Ra, manager, Honda public relations.

"American Honda apologizes if there was inaccurate information shared at the Chicago Auto Show about the Honda Ridgeline pickup," Ra told PickupTrucks.com. " I can confirm that there will be no significant change to the Ridgeline through the 2011 model year."

So, what does all of this mean for the Ridgeline? Is an all new truck still planned or will the current one solider on as one of the oldest vehicles in Honda's lineup?

"[Honda's PR staff in the U.S.] usually receives word about 18 months before the launch of a new vehicle," Ra said. "As of now, we don't know when a new Ridgeline is coming. It's not going to be before the summer of 2011."

Given the Ridgeline's slowing sales, we're starting to wonder if Honda is still willing to offer a pickup truck over the long term. Let's hope so. The Ridgeline may not have been embraced by traditional truck owners but its unique features deserve a second shot in a more fuel efficient package.

Source;
http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2010/02/honda-now-says-nextgeneration-ridgeline-not-coming-in-2011.html

Next Generation Honda Ridgeline Coming for 2011 Model Year

At five years old, the Honda Ridgeline is one of the oldest vehicles in Honda’s lineup. That’s expected to be fixed by next year, according to Vicki Poponi, Honda’s assistant vice president of product planning, at the 2010 Chicago Auto Show.

A new Ridgeline “is coming in ’11, for the 2011 model year,” Poponi said.

The midsize, unibody Ridgeline arrived in 2005. It did away with conventional leaf springs in favor of an independent rear suspension that gave it great ride comfort and enough room for an in-bed lockable trunk – the first in a pickup. The Ridgeline also featured all-wheel drive and a dual-action tailgate that folded down or off to the side, like a door, to allow unimpeded access to the cargo box.

But sales over the last year have fallen as the market for new trucks dramatically softened and the Ridgeline has aged.

Last year, Honda sold 16,464 Ridgeline pickups, down from 33,875 a year earlier, a drop of 51.4%.

“The customers love the Ridgeline,” Poponi said. “It’s really a unique truck. It’s its own segment. But because it’s a niche vehicle, they’re really aren’t many people out looking for it. It’s also a bit older than we like” Honda vehicles to be.

The 2011 Honda Ridgeline is expected to keep the same size and crew cab configuration of today’s truck but with improved aerodynamics and powertrain refinements to get better gas mileage.

Source (via autoblog);
http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2010/02/new-honda-ridgeline-coming-for-2011-model-year.html