When Is A Truck Not A Truck And Does It Really Matter? Honda Ridgline Review

Imagine a world full of hefty, four-seat, eight-cylinder muscle cars. Then, appearing out of thin air, the Mazda MX-5 Miata arrives. You can draw parallels. The end goals are similar. But these are strikingly different machines.

Or consider a world in which buyers in search of family friendly SUVs are limited to Chevrolet Suburbans and Ford Expedition ELs. But after decades of dominance, in walks a totally different kind of answer: the Toyota Highlander Hybrid.

Like the first-generation Honda Ridgeline that bowed more than a decade ago, the all-new second-generation Ridgeline is a pickup truck. There’s a cab and a bed. It can tow and it can haul.

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dumpsty - 1/24/2017 9:30:25 PM

+5 Boost

nah...an automaker can make a big car or SUV or van do the same things a typical pickup truck can do. The truck is merely a body style.

The Ridgeline could have been a 4-door El Camino styled utility vehicle. Meaning much lower & still be just as useful.

What matters is that Honda kinda got the small/mid-size light truck formula right. Not too cute, not too bold or aggressive. Useful.

MDarringer - 1/25/2017 8:42:01 AM

-5 Boost

The Ridgeline was a joke, is a joke, and will remain a joke. It's great as a wannabe pickup, but the minute real pickup work happens, a BOF pickup will beat it. The traditional pickups--full size and mid size--are simply better for the money.

TomM - 1/25/2017 3:25:08 PM

+4 Boost

Agent 009 = what planet have you been living one? THe Mazda MX5 was not the first sports car to come out with a smaller engine - and two seats - not even remotely close as a matter of fact. And the eight cylinder four seat Muscle car came out AFTER those smaller sports cars did as well. There are actually too many names to even mention.

Today - lots of people use pick up trucks as a car - rarely use them as a truck - and the Ridgeline is nothing more than a Chevrolet El Camino or Ford Ranchero. Neither were meant to be true Trucks as well. THe Ridgeline speaks to a certain part of the population of Buyers - as did Mini-Vans did when then came to be.

Where is Matt and his TVRs when you need him?