2006 Honda Ridgeline RTL

2006 Honda Ridgeline RTL - At the conclusion of that test, our take on the car-or-truck issue was this: “Who cares?” And now, after two years and 40,000 miles with a Ridgeline, we heartily endorse the finding of that ’05 comparison-test crew: “Let’s appreciate the Ridgeline for what it is: a new type of utility vehicle.” Hey, even the state of Michigan, which has more than a little motor-vehicle experience, is confused about the Ridgeline’s classification.

Whatever we may choose to call it, a vehicle is ultimately defined by what it does, and what better word than “utility” to describe a vehicle that does just about everything. And yet everything, as it applies to the Ridgeline, does have limits. For example, Honda’s unibody truck (a structural distinction that makes it unique in pickupdom) is rated to tow as much as 5000 pounds, which is on the low side of capabilities of mid-size pickups.

Even though all-wheel drive is standard, there’s no low-range feature for creeping in tough job-site terrain—our ’05 comparo rated the Ridgeline least comfortable with off-road duty—and, of course, no one, true trucker or poultry inspector, has ever called the Ridgeline pretty. In fact, the U-word—ugly—pops up often in our test truck’s logbook.

Just about everyone who drove the Ridgeline was pleasantly surprised by its agility, and all occupants had good things to say about its ride quality. Sometimes they even forgot to add the “for a truck” disclaimer, and one logbook scribbler thought it behaved “like a tall Accord.”

Inevitably, there were a few niggling gripes. For example, after creeping blindly through a frog-strangling downpour, one logbook diarist thought the windshield wipers’ fast setting was hard to distinguish from the slow one.

And speaking of design-imposed drawbacks, the cargo-bed sides, which slope up en route to the front of the box (from 16.0 inches at the rear to 21.5 inches at the front) made it impossible to grab stuff in the bed’s center without bellying up against the outside of the truck—not a good thing if you happened to be wearing your Tom Wolfe whites. Period.