The way it looks

This generation of the Ridgeline looks much more like a typical truck and also as if it were made 10 years into the future. It will never look really aggressive. The body lines are sleek and it really shines in the Silver, even with some mud on it, it looks clean. 

If Tesla were to make a pickup, it may look something like this truck.

The way it drives

You ever find the perfect pair of slippers and want to wear them all the time? That’s what the driving experience in the Ridgeline is. Smooth, easy and comfortable. Anyone could drive it for hours at a time with ease, especially when cruising on the highway with Honda Sense features activated. That includes Lane Keeping Assist (LKAS) and Active Cruise Control (ACC), it also has lane departure warning which wiggles the wheel to alert you and also assist in steering back into your lane. It won’t fully turn the truck back into the lane but it’ll start the turn towards the left or right depending on which side it detects is drifting out of the lane. 

Active Cruise is a must have for longer highway drives, the system speeds up smoothly but not too slowly when space allows and it keeps a nice distance between you and the car ahead even when on the shortest allowance setting. 

Off-Road it is a breeze to drive as well. There are no settings to mess with for AWD activation although it does have Mud, Snow, Sand, and Normal terrain modes in case you’d like to specify for the traction control system to disable. Simply drive it off the pavement and onto the trail, watch your speed and turn the wheel wherever you want to go. You could do it all with a coffee in your hand, drive slow enough and it won’t even spill thanks to the capable independent rear suspension. 

Fuel wise I was able to get over 20mpg on average over the 780+ miles I drove it through the Bay Area up to Davis, CA and down to Monterey, CA. Don’t worry about parking if you’ve never had a vehicle this big, the rear view camera has 3 different modes and parking sensors make it an easy process. If you’re pulling forward into a spot, shine your high beams to see the reflection on the cars beside you to make sure you don’t hit their doors with the nose of the truck. 

The everyday usability (Practicality)

The Ridgeline SHINES in this! It is the ultimate vehicle when it comes to practicality. it’d be tough to think of anything this truck is lacking. Up front you’ve got a huge center console with two levels of storage, cup holders, big pockets in the doors and well laid out controls for A/C. 

In the rear, you’ve got space under the seats for storage, cupholders in the doors, cupholders in the center (folding) armrest and a single handle to magically lift up the seats that is so easy to use I’d trust a 5-year-old to do it. Want to fit a 60” tv in the cabin rather than place it in the bed? Easy! Lift up the seats and slide it in the back, the ceiling height allows you to store bikes in there with both tires on. 

Moving onto the bed, it’s almost as amazing as a Tempur-Pedic. 3 main features: (1) The tailgate swings around sideways which makes accessing the (2) in-bed trunk really easy. This trunk saves a ton of space in the cabin and helps keep it clean. Put dirt biking boots/gear bags in here, use it to store tools (or in my case tripods, light stands, sand bags, etc.) or the coolest feature, use it as a cooler. There’s a drain plug at the bottom so if you’re hosting a tailgate you can fill it with ice to keep drinks cold all day, then just pop open the drain and let it dry. The most extraordinary features of this truck by far is the Bed Audio System. I don’t fully understand the magical science that goes behind it, but this video explains it pretty well: https://youtu.be/ZqGas7LBmOs Audio comes out crisp and even at max volume it doesn’t get distorted! This system is useful in so many scenarios: camping, washing the truck, tailgating, hosting a party at home, sitting in the bed at a viewpoint, it’s a game changer in the truck market for sure. 

If you’re looking for a truck to drive every day that has comfort and practicality surprises up its sleeve, look no further than the 2017 Honda Ridgeline. For more, check out my video review above.