Honda Ridgeline

It's been a while since I've run a Car Disgust, so before I kick this off I think it's appropriate to revisit what Car Disgust all about. I explain it all here, but the key point for today is the cars I feature in Car Lust are not necessarily better vehicles than those I feature in Car Disgust. A quick glance at yesterday's Car Lust (the AMC Eagle) and today's Car Disgust (the Honda Ridgeline) should thoroughly dispel that idea.

Car Lust/Car Disgust is all based on emotion and whether I'd rather sing praises or throw produce. And often, I like to sing praises about bad cars and throw produce at good cars. Got it? Good. Let's get on with today's feature.

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Far be it from me to criticize anything Honda does. Seemingly everything Honda touches becomes a huge sales success, revolutionizes its market segment, and offers a superior driving experience. However, the Ridgeline, Honda's first entry into the pickup segment, confuses me greatly. I had one as a test vehicle when it debuted and came away from the experience mystified at how pointless it is. It offers not-quite car comfort, with not-quite pickup utility, and winds up being less useful than either.

At the very least, this feature should dispel any remaining thoughts that I'm on Honda's payroll.

For starters, the styling is horrifying. Just as Frankenstein's monster was sewn together from mismatched portions of corpses, the Ridgeline is a macabre conglomeration of horribly mismatched parts. The front end, complete with cheap plastic fender trim, is borrowed from Honda's similarly freak-show Element.

The middle is a ridiculously tall passenger compartment that introduces entirely new character lines and does not blend at all with the rest of the truck. The rear is relatively pleasing, but the absurdly short pickup bed looks completely out of proportion.

The way I look at it, it's the only vehicle that can make the similarly heinous Ford Explorer Sport Trac look elegant.

Inside, even on my optioned-out test vehicle, Honda seemed to be working way too hard to establish the Ridgeline's tough pickup-itude. Not only was it ugly, but it sent the wrong message. The dashboard knobs were all oversized and felt cheap. The dashboard was made of hard, cheap, dimpled plastic that made a hollow "thunk" when you rapped your knuckles on it. It reminded me strongly of the plastic Coleman used to make ice chests out of in the 1980s.

Worst of all, the Ridgeline seems a bit pointless in comparison with the excellent Honda Pilot SUV on which it's loosely based--and really, pointless in comparison with any competent SUV or four-door pickup. It's reasonably comfortable for a pickup, but the back seats are way too flimsy and cramped to match an SUV. The only private and secure cargo space is below a trap door in the pickup bed, which is small and inaccessible if you have hundreds of pounds of gear dumped on top. None of this is particularly different from a normal pickup, except for the unforgivable sin of a postage-stamp tiny pickup bed footprint.

The only load-hauling advantage the Ridgeline has over the Pilot is in hauling incredibly tall, narrow, dirty items. That's pretty much it. Considering all of the compromises involved in the design, and the as-tested price of $35,000, I just don't see the point.

As usual, though, and to crib from my controversial Honda Odyssey post, I can't fault Honda's engineers. The Ridgeline, with its very solid structure and silky V-6, drove really well--just like every other recently released Honda/Acura V-6 vehicle. The Honda Accord, Pilot, Odyssey, and Ridgeline, and the Acura TL, RL, and MDX all feel remarkably similar behind the wheel, and that's a very good thing for the Ridgeline.

What's not so great in the big picture is the fact that the Pilot does everything better--haul stuff, keep your stuff secure and dry, carry more people more comfortably. All this, with and the Pilot's looks don't inspire villagers to take up their pitchforks.

I realize I'm horribly outnumbered on this--there are plenty of these out on the road owned by typically happy Honda customers. I'm a happy Honda owner myself. But I really don't get the point of the Ridgeline when all of its intrinsic Honda goodness is overshadowed by the compromises of its curious packaging. The Pilot has all of the goodness without the compromises.

--Chris H.

Comments

[Loui Castillo on January 21, 2010 at 08:30 PM]

Oh boy, where to start? I own a Honda Odyssey, an Accord, a Civic, and a NISSAN FRONTIER (yes you read that correctly). I am a Honda lover (always have been and always will be). I have so much allegiance to that company, but I would never get caught dead in a Ridgeline. IT IS SOOOO UGLYYYY that I'd rather drive a Pontiac Aztec. Seriously, who authorized the production of this truck? What were the Honda designers thinking when they drew up this mutant? I've been to the dealership twice trying to convince myself that I should overlook it's uglyness, but I just can't. I am actually waiting for Honda to redesign this monstrosity so I can trade in my Frontier. I especially hate the unconventional shape of the truck bed. Why they made it slanting like that and all in one piece I have no idea. It's like a confused machine that couldn't make up its mind if it wants to be a truck, a car or an SUV. I have no doubt in my mind after having driven so many Hondas that the Ridgeline is probably a very reliable and fun truck to drive. I've read great reviews about it's handling and top notch interior design, but I just can't get over it's exterior's ugliness. The old saying "never judge a book by it's cover" probably applies to this truck, but still - UGLY! UGLY! UGLY! Please Honda Ridgeline designers, put down the glass pipe for a moment or send this current version for a major makeover for the next generation of this truck so I can finally have that 4th Honda on my driveway.

[Someone who "gets" it on July 02, 2011 at 07:33 AM]

Those who bash the Ridgeline are professing their ignorance. This vehicle is completely unique in its chassis and frame design. It is basically a steel space frame and rigid truck frame welded together. It yields the most rigid vehicle you can buy anywhere. Combined with the fully independent suspension the car can handle any road obstacle with aplomb. This is not a "Pilot with a bed" as so many like to say. It shares less than 30% of parts with a Pilot. Almost all the differences are in the chassis. Due to its strength, the Ridge is one of the safest vehicles you can buy anywhere.

The vehicle makes no squeaks or rattles over rough surfaces, it is crazy. It is not a truck, it is not a car. It is a Ridgeline. Think of it as a giant super stiff tank/sedan with a fully reinforced yet light cargo bed.

It has won the Baja 1000 twice in its class. The roll cage was only needed for safety, as the chassis was strong as a race car from the factory.

Use it for what it was designed for and it has no equal. I would never dump a load of bricks in the back like a truck/beer commercial does.

I like its "ugly" styling. It has a certain FU to it. Form does follow function in this case. The passenger cell is awesome. The doors are like vaults. I decide not to wait for the redesign and pulled the trigger on a 2011. It is way better than I expected.