Time To Get Serious About The 2019 Honda Ridgeline
Comfort and Convenience Shine In This Very Capable Truck
Story By: Staff of UTV Sports
Photos By: Brandon Bunch
When thinking of a tow-friendly truck, quite a few platforms come to mind. We all know those advocates willing to debate which is ‘better’ to the bitter end, each having their own reasons as to why. Some are looking to haul serious tonnage, several are concerned about durability for off highway use, others purely concerned about customization and aesthetics. I know what some of you are thinking: “A Honda Ridgeline? C’mon guys! We come to Hitched to read about towing with real trucks, trailers and all that. We don’t want to read about a Honda Ridgeline – it’s not a real truck!” But what about those simply looking at passenger comfort, practicality, fuel efficiency, with the conveniences of a pickup bed? The Honda Ridgeline may not the go-to solution, but let’s not count it out just yet. When we were given the opportunity by Honda to review a fully loaded 2019 AWD model, we just had to see what it could (or couldn’t) do.
As the Ridgeline was unloaded at the office, we quickly realized this had even more characteristics of a passenger car than we anticipated. The joke was made that we could pick it up and put it into the back of our 1-ton chassis truck if it couldn’t hold up to the voyage we had planned for it. But all jokes aside, we were ready to give it a fair shake down. It showed up in the nick of time, literally as we were loading for a 1500 mile trip to Moab, UT and back. This was our yearly pilgrimage to the slick rock to relax, get some great photos and hang out with our friends from the industry. With the lightest towing allowance of the fleet, the Ridgeline would be the ideal candidate to tow our trusty Ramptek UTV flat deck trailer with the Honda Talon strapped in for the ride. Our total combined load was somewhere in the 2600lb range, well under the 5000lb limit, but enough to get an idea of how it would handle.
With our caravan prepped, a F-350 pulling another UTV-loaded flatbed and a 2019 Ford F-150 Raptor SVT pulling our newly revamped 20ft enclosed cargo trailer filled (special thanks to @shfabrication to make her roadworthy again), we hit the road. Lake Havasu City, AZ sits right around 735’ above sea level, and even though Moab is only around 4000’, we knew there would be a few climbs touching the 7000’ mark. Perfect to test the Honda Ridgeline’s 3.5L V6. The powerplant makes a stout 280hp and 262 ft lbs of torque – not bad on paper. To put those numbers into perspective, it makes 5 more horsepower than the beloved 7.3L Ford Powerstroke, and although it doesn’t make the torque numbers of a diesel, the Ridgeline weighs in at just 4500lbs, uch lighter than the 1 ton counterpart by over 3000lbs. Power to weight ratio is everything!
The first leg of our journey would take us right through Las Vegas, NV and across the I-15 exiting just north of St. George, UT. There were plenty of decent pulls on this stretch and although it seemed like the V6 was wound tight at times, the gauges said it was happy as could be, yielding 18.1 miles per gallon. Again, to put that into perspective, the 1 ton was knocking out a solid 13mpg pulling the same load and the SVT’s twin-turbo V6 was hovering around 9 mpg with just over 6000lbs hitched to its back. And with compliments of comfort and amenities along its way from driver and passenger, all of our minds were starting to think differently about the little truck. When you are used to a full size truck that has a 30+ gallon fuel tank, the modest 19.5 gallon tank of the Ridgeline yields some appreciation at the pump.
Running the open road gives you ample time to play with all the features tucked inside the truck. Almost everything you need is a quick button press away. Of course it takes a little time getting used to a new vehicle, but once you figure out how Honda lays everything out, it’s a breeze to use. The Ridgeline offers driver aids such as automated emergency braking, lane keeping assist, adaptive cruise control and more. Not only are they wonderful safety items, but you can use them to set the cruise control and follow the vehicle in front of you at a safe distance without constantly adjusting the settings. Once we were comfortable cruising down the road at 75mph with the cruise control on, it was time to get the tunes bumping. The 8-inch touchscreen is attractive, but the interface takes some getting used to. The precarious touch-sensitive volume slider and small touch zones for basic functions can be a challenge to use, especially when moving. The Ridgeline plays well with smartphones and has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto built-in, so once we were connected and fine tuned the 540-watt premium 8-speaker stereo, it sounded fantastic. Ample USB and 12V outlets gave us all the power we needed, from an interior standpoint we really couldn’t of asked for more…except, maybe room service?
Reaching our rental house in Moab UT, there was a lot for our 6 person team to get done. Unload, unwind, and prepare for the week. With trailers unhitched, we still decided the Ridgeline would be the obvious choice for an in-town commuter. Mid-day traffic and tight parking lots get a bit rough, which made the Rideline the prime candidate to run to the store, get groceries, drinks, ice, and all the gear we may have forgotten at home for the events to come. The 33.9 cubic feet of cargo room in the bed was plentiful, out performing most other standard size trucks. A feature unique in itself, an additional lockable 7.3 cubic foot in-bed trunk proved to be more valuable than we realized. A great touch that Honda also incorporated was the swinging tailgate. Not only does it drop down like a traditional tailgate, but it will also swing to the drivers side, just like opening a door. This will allow you to easily reach all the items in the bed area. Other notable features are the unique and industry first in-bed audio system that pumps out sound even when the box is filled, a convenient 110V AC power outlet and ample LED bed lighting. Incredible modern conveniences!
After a few amazing days in Moab, it was time to get on the road home. This meant more seat time in the Honda Ridgeline, and whether we were ready to admit it or not, had already grown to love. Like every Honda I have ever been in, the seats and overall interior were very comfortable. This would make a fantastic commuter vehicle, and when you want to load up and haul a UTV to the rocks, you still have the ability. The Tri-Zone Automatic Climate Control System with Humidity Control and Air Filtration blew ice cold when and where we needed it, yet as we got into the higher elevations late at night and the temps plummeted, the cabin and seat heaters were there to warm us up. Taken for granted until mere miles from home, the adjustable arm rest on both the driver and passenger front seats offered comfort in any seating position. And storage-a-plenty proved that the smallest things make the biggest differences on road trips, and this truck definitely had our comfort in mind.
Now with nearly 2000 miles under our belt our opinion of this truck has changed dramatically. Everyone in the office is in agreeance that it would be a great truck to have around for the day-to-day circumstances, a great in-town transportation method. When we do hit the highway, we usually only haul 1 UTV with light luggage, and the Honda Ridgeline did it without hesitation. Extremely comfortable, realistically capable, and superior efficiency made us believers – Honda has a hit on their hands. If we can tackle the “mine’s bigger” complex and with some consumer education, I would imagine this platform is a viable option far beyond the owner stereotypes we hear about.
