3 Ways The New Honda Ridgeline Is Better Than Other Trucks (And 2 Ways It Isn't)
When it comes to trucks, the 2024 Honda Ridgeline stands out among not only the midsize competition, but in the truck market overall. Like the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz compact trucks, the Ridgeline is a crossover-based unibody pickup; it shares its underlying foundation with the Honda Pilot and Acura MDX. It has a transverse-mounted 3.5-liter V6 linked to a nine-speed automatic whose 280 horses find their way to the road and trail through all corners (though until 2021, they also could have gone exclusively to the front on certain trim levels).
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While its crossover bloodline means the Ridgeline is limited in some ways compared to the likes of the Ford Ranger, Chevrolet Colorado, and Toyota Tacoma, Honda's truck offering can also do some things better than traditional body-on-frame pickups. Let us count the ways the 2024 Honda Ridgeline does the job better than the competition, plus a couple of things best left to the old guard.
Where the 2024 Honda Ridgeline shines
First of all, there is no other truck on the market today that has what the 2024 Honda Ridgeline has: an in-bed trunk. Turns out sharing the same bones as the Pilot comes with benefits, like a lockable in-bed trunk with drainage. Thus, you can keep your catch from the river or your brews for the tailgate good and cold by filling the trunk with ice, then drain, wash-out, and dry for the grocery run. Not to mention the truck's spare is spared from the elements by residing in the same trunk cubby.
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While a few full-size trucks — like the 2025 Ram lineup, Ford F-150, and GMC Sierra — utilize various ways of dropping down or otherwise opening the tailgate aside from the traditional drop-down method, no midsize truck can do what the Ridgeline does with its tailgate. In addition to the aforementioned traditional method, a latch tucked away on the right side of the tailgate allows anyone to open it out and away for better access to the in-bed trunk and whatever items are on the bed.
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Finally, few trucks of any size can do what the 2024 Honda Ridgeline can when it comes to hauling cargo. Its "lay-flat" truck bed maximizes space by minimizing intrusion of the rear wheelwells. Thus, loading anything and everything from big sheets of plywood to a load of donations and recycling is a cinch with every inch available to take on the tasks at hand, even if rivals might boast bigger beds on paper.
Where other trucks surpass the 2024 Ridgeline
For all the versatility the 2024 Honda Ridgeline offers in both the midsize and overall truck markets, there are a couple of things this unique pickup will need to leave things to traditional body-on-frame rigs. One of those happens to be towing. It's no slouch with its ability to tow 5,000 pounds; however, this towing capacity is only on par with the compact Hyundai Santa Cruz. Meanwhile, the Ford Ranger can tow between 5,510 to 7,500 pounds, while the GMC Canyon can tow 6,000 pounds, and the upcoming 2025 Toyota Tundra pulls up to 6,800 pounds. Thus, if you're looking to move some really heavy gear around, the Ridgeline might not be up to the task.
Then, there's total customization. For example, the beds on traditional midsize pickups can be swapped out for specialized units like those for full-size rigs. Not so on the Ridgeline, whose bed is a part of the truck, even it doesn't look like it on first glance due to its more traditional truck styling. While there is an aftermarket for this unique truck to turn up the uniqueness to 11, there are bigger ones for the rest of the midsize field due to the ease of buildability of body-on-frame machines; popularity of certain platforms, like the Ranger and Tacoma, also help.