2021 Honda Ridgeline Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Styling sells vehicles. If someone doesn’t like the way a car, SUV, or truck looks, they’re not going to buy it unless they feel like they have no choice.

And that’s why it’s so essential for a truck to look like a truck.

We’re talking about a long and flat hood, an aggressive grille and front end, bulging fenders filled to the edges with appealing wheels and tires, and a seam separating the cab from the cargo bed. Beyond these fundamentals, a truck can take on various custom details ranging from expressive paint colours and stickers to a lifted or slammed suspension. And let’s not forget accessories like roll bars, roof racks, and running boards, oh my!

Honda appears to understand this now. The 2021 Ridgeline is redesigned forward of the windshield and front doors and gets a new rear bumper with exposed dual exhaust outlets. The tires have a more aggressive shoulder tread, and new wheel designs debut in black and gunmetal. (The bronze wheels and HPD packaging shown in this review are not available in Canada.)

The Ridgeline comes in Sport, EX-L, Touring, and Black Edition trim levels, and pricing ranges from an MSRP of $44,355 to $53,355, not including a destination charge of $1,870 to ship it from Honda’s factory in Lincoln, Alabama to wherever it is that you live.

Every Ridgeline has a 280-horsepower V6 engine, standard torque-vectoring all-wheel drive, a nine-speed automatic transmission, 18-inch aluminum wheels, triple-zone automatic climate control, and both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Even in its most basic form, this isn’t a stripped-down price leader. Our test truck came with standard Sport trim, extra-cost Radiant Red Metallic II paint, and a set of all-weather rubber floor mats.

Sport trim is the only one with cloth seats, and they come only in black with a subtle pattern for the inserts. They look good and feel durable, but they’re magnets for pet hair.

Modeled after the Honda Pilot SUV, the Ridgeline’s interior emphasizes functionality. Storage is generous, and it is everywhere. Hard plastic surfaces are the rule rather than the exception, but that simply means the Ridgeline is easy to clean up after time spent adventuring.

We hope you like a powerful, smooth, and refined gasoline-fueled V6 engine because that’s the only kind you get with the 2021 Honda Ridgeline. It makes 280 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 262 pound-feet of torque at 4,700 rpm and uses a nine-speed automatic transmission with Normal and Sport modes to power all four of the truck’s wheels.

Now that Honda has canceled the front-wheel-drive (FWD) version of the Ridgeline, the automaker’s all-wheel-drive (AWD) system with Intelligent Variable Torque Management (i-VTM4) is standard equipment. It features torque-vectoring and can put up to 70% of the engine’s power to a single rear wheel.

Intelligent Traction Management (ITM) provides Snow, Sand, and Mud settings to help the Ridgeline power out of the muck. You’ll note that a Rock setting is missing. That’s because the Honda Ridgeline isn’t a rock-crawling off-roader. It provides a modest 194 mm of ground clearance and has shallow approach, breakover, and departure angles, meaning flat terrain is the Ridgeline’s forte.

Acceleration is quick. Thanks to its torque-vectoring AWD, unibody construction, independent rear suspension, and pavement-friendly 245/60 all-season tires, the Ridgeline is remarkably athletic and enjoyable to drive in comparison to other mid-size trucks. It doesn’t drive like a traditional body-on-frame truck because it isn’t one.

Don’t take this to mean a Ridgeline isn’t capable. The maximum towing capacity of 2,267 kilograms (5,000 pounds) falls well short of leading the class, but its maximum payload rating of 694 kilograms (1,583 pounds) is competitive. And though Honda builds the Ridgeline on a platform shared with the Passport and Pilot SUVs, the automaker modifies the chassis and its components for service under a truck.

At Honda’s invitation, we drove the Ridgeline out to the automaker’s proving grounds on the western edge of California’s Mojave Desert to sample the truck’s capabilities off of the pavement. It handled sandy washes, dirt trails, hill climbs, steep angles, and more with remarkable ease. But, driving in a controlled environment following a lead vehicle with a coach is different from exploring the wilderness on your own. Be mindful of the Ridgeline’s limitations, and you’ll keep yourself out of trouble.

Unless you require outright towing power, serious off-roading capability, or a deep cargo bed, the 2021 Honda Ridgeline will serve the typical midsize pickup truck owner well. In part, that’s because it is more comfortable and functional than the other trucks in its segment.

In Canada, the Ridgeline offers a supportive 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat and 4-way power adjustable passenger seat as standard equipment, both with heating included. The rear seat is the roomiest in the class, and with standard triple-zone automatic climate control and a power moonroof and sliding rear window as standard, and heated outboard positions in all grades but base, comfort is even easier to come by. Top trims include ambient cabin lighting.

Utility is the name of the Ridgeline’s game. A large centre storage console divides the front seats, and it has a rolltop-style cover that turns it into a useful tray. Honda carves storage into every possible location, adding shelves to the front door panels, slots to the dashboard and the back of the centre console, and various sized and shaped bins scattered throughout.

The composite cargo bed is dent- and scratch-resistant, the tie-down hooks are rated for 158 kilograms (350 pounds) each, and the highest trim levels include a 150-watt/400-watt power outlet and a truck-bed audio system. Honda also says the bed has 960 litres of cargo space, and because wheel well intrusion is minimal, building materials such as plywood and drywall can lay flat in the bottom.

But the most impressive things about the Ridgeline’s bed are its standard power locking dual-action tailgate and its 207-litre weatherproof in-bed trunk. The tailgate drops like a typical pickup’s, but it also swings from right to left to make loading and unloading easier. The trunk is under the bed floor and includes a drain plug to make cleaning easier or to drain water if you use it as an ice chest for beverages.

Honda equips every Ridgeline with an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. It also includes a seven-speaker sound system, text-messaging capability, basic HondaLink connected services, and a couple of USB charging ports, and standard wireless smartphone charging.

As you move up the trim level ladder, the system adds SiriusXM satellite radio, HD Radio, navigation, voice recognition, traffic information, and a premium sound system. Our Honda Ridgeline Sport test truck had none of these upgrades, but because it included Apple CarPlay, we had no trouble streaming music and finding destinations.

There isn’t much in the way of other technologies aboard the Honda Ridgeline. Like many of its competitors, it is a refreshingly analog truck.

The Honda Sensing suite of safety features is standard in every 2021 Ridgeline. It is a package of advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS), including adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assistance, and lane-centring assistance. In use, these features are mostly helpful. But they are not fail-proof.

As we wound across mountains on a three-lane freeway during our drive to the desert, the adaptive cruise control identified a slow-moving semi-truck in an adjacent lane as an obstacle ahead. We were in a curve with the adaptive cruise control turned on, and the Ridgeline’s forward collision warnings erupted, followed by sudden and rapid braking. Fortunately, nobody was behind the Ridgeline. Had traffic been heavier, we may have caused a collision.

Additionally, the Ridgeline features a multi-angle reversing camera. Blind-spot warning with rear cross-traffic warning is not offered in Canada, but automatic high-beam headlights are standard.

Beyond the safety tech, Honda builds the Ridgeline to its Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) crashworthiness standards. These baked-in efforts intend to ensure maximum crash energy absorption and deflection and proved effective in last year’s Ridgeline, which earned high safety ratings from both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

Because Honda redesigned the 2021 Ridgeline’s front-end, the IIHS lowered the truck’s score in its small overlap front: passenger side crash test.

When comparing the 2021 Honda Ridgeline with other midsize, crew cab, short bed, V6-powered pickup trucks equipped with four-wheel drive and similar equipment, you’ll find the Honda is cost-competitive. That doesn’t necessarily translate into cost-effectiveness.

In this class, the Ridgeline falls short in terms of maximum towing capacity and available off-roading capability. Still, it shines brightly in terms of utility, payload capacity, cab room, and on-pavement driving dynamics. It is not your typical pickup truck, but it is the best daily driver in its segment. That’s critical for the 99% of driving you’ll do without a trailer attached or boulders to negotiate.

Where other trucks offer significant appeal is with regard to choice. They provide different cab styles, engines, and drivetrains. A more comprehensive range of standard and optional equipment is available, too, allowing for greater customization. And most offer trim levels or option packages designed for serious off-roading.

Whether you deem the Honda Ridgeline cost-effective or not is entirely dependent on how you live, the reasons you’re buying a truck, and the degree of choice you wish to exercise.