2012 Honda Ridgeline Sport first test

Ridgeline from Honda always has been in-between automobile. It is hybrid mix of the utility/sport & truck, basically SUT that is quite similar to Chevrolet Avalanche, Hummer H2 SUT, Cadillac Escalade EXT, & Ford Explorer Sport Trac. Ever since Honda joined this particular group in the year 2006, there have been plenty of changes. All but Escalade/Avalanche are now gone, & those might disappear in a couple of years. However, there aren’t a lot of changes with Ridgeline. This has led to rumors that uni body half-ton too was going the same way as rest of category of SUT.

Honda refers to this as SUT (Honda is calling it pickup), but it also says that there are not intentions of discontinuing this model. As manager of Honda Truck Planning of Product – Sage Marie said in one statement a couple of months ago that reports of media about plans of discontinuing Ridgeline pick up truck are all false. On the flip side, he said that Ridgeline has significant role to play in lineup of Honda, and it will continue in future.”  Dealers of Honda like to have pick up to offer to customer & this one was made to be Honda of the pick up trucks. This is great for buyers of Honda who might be interested in towing on occasions or carrying the muddy gear which might stain their carpet in utility/sport vehicle.

One more part of statement of Marie, was announcement of level of new trim of Ridgeline, which was called Ridgeline Sport. There aren’t a lot of changes done to this automobile after it first came out. Most significant one was when the horsepower went up from 247 to about 250 and the torque was increased by 2 to about 247 lb-ft. Hence, we were curious to know what was new in this truck.

With regards to price, this new level of trim slots in above RT, but below RTL, RTS, & RTL along with Navigation. Mine had a price tag of $30,805 and had styling cues which were exclusive to Sport, like 18-inches black wheels (wheels of base Ridgeline are 17 inches & steel), black grille & surround, fog lights, leather wheel of steering along with stereo controls, & an auxilary jack.

For people who like Honda model of SUT, this automobile is pretty great. It gives same versatility which it always had and smaller package as compared to some thing like Tundra. However, Ridgeline has not changed much, & half-ton pick up trucks are passing it by. The automobiles like F-150 & Ram both have been updated significantly since Ridgeline came. The quality ride isn’t nearly nice in Honda as it is on F-150. Also, the power of Honda is adequate but is still less than F-150 V-6 base (302 of hp and torque of 278 lb-ft) & the V-6 3.5-liter has 5-speed automatic, not 6. This engine gives good power, but on the grades it struggles. On the track, this Sport reaches 60 mph in about eight seconds. Oddly, this number is 3/10th of second slower as compared to last time that I tested Ridgeline in the year 2009. The weight of these trucks was more as compared to the 2012 model.

Maybe it makes some more sense for looking at this automobile as midsize/compact competitor. It is not designed for towing anything more than five thousand pounds, there is more of horsepower & torque too is more as compared to Tacoma V-6 (however, it is slower than Toyota by about 0.6 second to 60), comes with similar dimensions to Double Cab Tacoma, &, according to EPA, the fuel economy is comparable. As the trucks start to get bigger & Ridgeline stays same, it goes in to category of midsize/compact trucks. That is interesting because when it came out for the first time, it was made to be an alternative to F-150, Ram, and Silverado.

But Ridgeline still gives you what the Honda buyers are fond of – utility/sport interior & truck like bed, in package that is well-executed. Foundation is pretty good, but there should have been some tweaking. Styling isn’t liked universally, and engine should have had power. Also it could benefit from 6-speed automatic. A friend of mine who drove Ridgeline said getting into interior seemed like stepping inside time machine. Color schemes, Controls, and the options on interior can benefit from some neatness. However, Honda has not revealed any future plans for Ridgeline. Honda doe have opportunities for modernize it as long as this truck is in the market.