2024 Honda Ridgeline

Overview

The mid-size Honda Ridgeline pickup truck is a pleasant midpoint between a useful work tool and weekend toy schlepper. It's powered by a 280-hp V-6 with all-wheel drive, and the key to the Ridgeline's smooth ride and carlike steering is its underpinnings—borrowed from the Odyssey minivan. Compared with more traditional body-on-frame rivals like the Chevy Colorado and Jeep Gladiator, the Ridgeline's 5000-pound towing capacity is a couple thousand pounds shy of the best in the segment, but it's enough in most cases. Every Ridgeline is a four-door crew cab attached to a five-foot bed. Colorados and Gladiators offer something the Ridgeline doesn't, however: a hardcore off-road model, and the TrailSport trim level doesn't quite count. But the Ridgeline's carlike design enables it to do most things most pickup buyers need doing most of the time in a comfortable and refined manner, which is why you'll find it on our 2024 Editors' Choice list. It succeeds in those daily-use driving scenarios and leaves the extreme off-road conquesting to other brands' more aggressive, fat-tired models.

Where This Vehicle Ranks

#7 in Best Mid-Size Pickup Trucks

1

Toyota Tacoma

STARTING AT: $32,995

2

Toyota Tacoma Hybrid

STARTING AT: $47,795

3

Ford Ranger Raptor

STARTING AT: $57,065

4

Ford Ranger

STARTING AT: $34,265

5

Chevrolet Colorado

STARTING AT: $31,095

7

Honda Ridgeline

STARTING AT: $41,145

What's New for 2024?

While the Ridgeline is not intended for hardcore off-roading, Honda decided to give its pickup truck a touch of off-road capability for 2024 with the addition of the new TrailSport trim level. TrailSport models get General Grabber A/T Sport all-terrain tires, additional underbody protection, and exclusive Diffused Sky blue paint. Changes across the trims include a larger center console and a Honda Performance Development (HPD) package, which adds a different grille, black fender flares, exclusive wheels, and totally-rad HPD graphics. The Ridgeline's novel in-bed audio system has been removed from the options sheet this year.

Pricing and Which One to Buy

This segment of mid-size trucks has become saturated with traditional body-on-frame pickups that provide ample towing and serious off-roading capability. However, the Ridgeline caters to folks who want a more comfortable and fuel-efficient alternative. While the priciest models have the fanciest features, we think the RTL has the best mix of desirable equipment and value. These include heated front seats, a leather-trimmed interior, and power-adjustable front seats.

Engine, Transmission, and Performance

The Ridgeline's lone powertrain is a 280-hp 3.5-liter V-6 that makes 262 pound-feet of torque and hooks up to a nine-speed automatic transmission and standard all-wheel drive. The engine feels smooth responsive to your right foot, especially when you call for hard acceleration. In our testing, a 2024 Ridgeline TrailSport got to 60 mph in a quick 6.0 seconds. An untraditional pickup in many ways, the Ridgeline surprises from behind the wheel. On the road, it is as well-mannered as a family-hauling crossover, and its handling is extremely competent. Its coil-sprung independent rear suspension contributes to a carlike ride quality not available with the leaf-sprung, solid-axle setups used by the competition from Chevy, GMC, Jeep, and Ford. Body lean in corners is minimal, and small bumps are barely noticeable. The electrically assisted steering feels appropriately direct. Even the TrailSport model, with its knobbier General Grabber tires, is quiet on the road, and the new all-terrain tires didn't hurt skidpad numbers much and actually improved braking performance compared with previous Ridgelines we tested.

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Towing and Payload Capacity

The maximum towing capacity for the 2024 Honda Ridgeline is 5000 pounds. That doesn't make it the mid-size pickup you want if towing more than two-and-a-half tons is high on your list of must-haves. This 5000-pound maximum is between 2000 and 2500 pounds less than rivals such as the Chevy Colorado and Ford Ranger. The Ridgeline is capable of hauling almost 1600 pounds of payload, which is about on track with the Colorado but less than the Ranger's maximum.

Fuel Economy and Real-World MPG

The Ridgeline's EPA ratings of 18 mpg city, 24 mpg highway, and 21 mpg combined slot it smack in the middle of the mid-size pickup class, which includes a mix of V-6s and turbocharged inline-four gas engines. On our 75-mph fuel-economy route, which simulates real-world highway driving and is part of our extensive testing regimen, an all-wheel-drive Ridgeline earned 28 mpg. For more information about the Ridgeline's fuel economy, visit the EPA's website.

Interior, Comfort, and Cargo

The Ridgeline's interior is tops in its class in terms of practicality and comfort. As with most other mid-size pickups, the Honda features hard plastics below the dash level. Otherwise, the interior materials are above average. Rear-seat passengers will enjoy the most space of all mid-size rivals. Fold-down armrests on both front seats are a welcome addition, especially since the center console sits low between them. The Honda pickup has only one bed length, 5.3 feet, which lines up with competitors' short beds and has the second-lowest volume at 34 cubic feet. The antidote to this disparity is its locking, weather-tight in-bed trunk, which is located below the bed's floor and accessed from above. It has a 7.3-cubic-foot capacity. There's one more advantage to the Ridgeline's bed: with 50.0 inches between the bed's wheel wells, the Ridgeline is the only mid-size pickup that can fit a sheet of four-by-eight-foot building material flat on the bed floor. Clever features continue inside. The rear seat splits 60/40 and, when flipped up, provide room to fit a full-size bicycle. Unfortunately, loading large items may be difficult, as the rear doors don't open wide.

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Infotainment and Connectivity

Every Ridgeline comes standard with an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system. It features a physical volume knob and screen icons that Honda says make it easier to use than its predecessor was. However, we haven't had a chance to test this claim or the updated Display Audio system for ourselves. The Ridgeline also comes standard with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Safety and Driver-Assistance Features

Overall Safety Rating (NHTSA)

View Crash Test Results

The Honda pickup truck also includes a host of standard driver-assistance technology. For more information about the Ridgeline's crash-test results, visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) websites. Key safety features include:

• Standard forward-collision warning and automated emergency braking
• Standard lane-departure warning and lane-keeping assist
• Standard adaptive cruise control

Warranty and Maintenance Coverage

The Ridgeline has competitive limited and powertrain warranties and, like many of its competitors, it comes with a complimentary scheduled maintenance plan.

• Limited warranty covers three years or 36,000 miles
• Powertrain warranty covers five years or 60,000 miles
• Complimentary scheduled maintenance is covered for two years or 24,000 miles

Specifications

Specifications

2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport
Vehicle Type: front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door pickup

PRICE
Base/As Tested: $46,375/$46,830
Options: Radiant Red Metallic paint, $455

ENGINE
SOHC 24-valve V-6, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection
Displacement: 212 in³, 3471 cm³
Power: 280 hp @ 6000 rpm
Torque: 262 lb-ft @ 4700 rpm

TRANSMISSION
9-speed automatic

CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: struts/multilink
Brakes, F/R: 12.6-in vented disc/13.0-in disc
Tires: General Grabber A/T Sport
245/60R-18 105T M+S

DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 125.2 in
Length: 210.2 in
Width: 78.6 in
Height: 70.8 in
Passenger Volume, F/R: 58/51 ft³
Trunk Volume: 7 ft³
Curb Weight: 4503 lb

C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 6.0 sec
1/4-Mile: 14.6 sec @ 94 mph
100 mph: 17.2 sec
Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.4 sec.
Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 6.3 sec
Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 3.7 sec
Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 4.8 sec
Top Speed (gov ltd): 111 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 180 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.78 g

C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 17 mpg

EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 20/18/23 mpg

C/D TESTING EXPLAINED

More Features and Specs