CANTIL, Calif. — Ever since leaping into the U.S. market within the Nineteen Fifties with the tagline “You meet the nicest folks on a Honda,” the corporate’s company picture has been one in all excessive friendliness. At the same time as its Si and Sort R coupes spawned a military of younger model loyalists different carmakers would’ve killed for, it handled them like a dropout stepson, shunning them to embrace the healthful, khaki-shod Useful Honda Vendor. Hell, even their best-selling vehicles are named for good citizenship and settlement.
That unyielding want to be congenial was the Achilles’ heel of the current-generation Honda Ridgeline when it debuted in 2017. We had virtually unanimous reward for our long-termer’s perform and options however its mild mug. It was speculated to be the pleasant neighborhood pickup, with a car-like unibody development and a glance that was extra typical than the vaguely avant garde unique Ridgeline.
Because it turned out, Individuals might recognize a extra typical truck form, however in addition they count on them to look robust. That largely means have a grille the dimensions and form of a fridge. Regardless of the raves, the best way the self-fulfilling spiral of male insecurity works is that even when you’re superb with it initially, getting repeatedly informed that it’s not Marlboro Man sufficient makes you query whether or not you wish to be seen in a single.
Properly, Honda heard the critiques loud and clear. They’ve given the refreshed 2021 Honda Ridgeline the equal of calf implants, beefing it as much as extra confidently declare “truck!” Every thing ahead of the A-pillars has been remade, the gently curving hood has given method to a tall, upright grille (you possibly can see the distinction above between the brand new design, left, and the earlier). The vanguard of the prow is blocky now, and the hood bulges like Schwarzenegger’s pecs. There’s a lot frontal floor space that Honda had so as to add practical aspect vents within the fascia to keep up the identical stage of streamlining.
The brand new rear bumper removes the dainty brightwork and hidden exhaust for a chunky black bench over twin chrome-tipped pipes. Honda labored with Firestone to develop a blockier tread design for the tires. New wheel offsets push them out by 10mm on both aspect for a wider stance. For his or her industrial voiceovers, Honda’s even sacked earnest, pleasant and completely unthreatening Fred Savage for a manlier spokesman — and his title is John Cena!
Beneath the buff new sheetmetal, the 2021 Ridgeline is similar truck most of our workers fell in love with so laborious they thought-about shopping for one for themselves. It’s not simply us, both. The Ridgeline has been repeatedly known as the truck that almost all truck prospects really want after they purchase a brawnier ladder-frame midsize or full-size.
The Ridgeline nonetheless drives like a chummy, smooth-riding Honda crossover. By comparability, a Tacoma bounces round like a Baja trophy truck. However that’s to not say the Ridgeline’s as indifferent and gentle as — simply to select a random crossover — a Honda Pilot. Regardless of the visible resemblance, it isn’t only a Pilot with the again chopped off. The Ridgeline employs a distinct physique construction with a truss-style internal development aft of the cab and has a extra strong suspension. Because of this, it steers extra responsively and scrubs a major quantity of physique roll and pitch.
In any mode however Sport, the throttle response lags. Stomp on the pedal for a freeway merge and the 280-horsepower V6 appears to ask, “Are you positive you wish to do that? Yeah? Properly, OK, then,” earlier than providing you with the entire bag of beans. However, Sport is so sporty that it’ll undoubtedly eat into your treasured gasoline economic system of 18 mpg metropolis, 24 mpg freeway and 21 mpg mixed. It could be good to nudge the drive settings map nearer in direction of Sport, and make Eco Mode the actual gasoline sipper.
We examined the 2021 Ridgeline’s off-road prowess at Honda’s proving grounds within the Mojave Desert. Whereas it gained’t tackle severe rock crawls, features like hill-hold help in addition to Mud and Sand drive modes are adequate for mild off-road obligation. Like lots of its different truck features, from its potential to tackle cargo to its 5,000-pound towing capability, it’s enough for almost all of pickup prospects.
The inside is the place I diverge from my Michigan colleagues’ Ridgeline love-fest. Their fancy backs acquired handled to the lumbar assist and energy changes present in RTL trims and above, whereas my poor backbone simply sank into the new-for-2021 fabric inserts discovered within the base trim Sport. Even a two-hour journey was a tad fatiguing.
Additionally, for 2021, the Ridgeline’s infotainment interface has been up to date, and Honda is fast to shout from mountaintops concerning the return of the amount knob. That is actually not a foul factor, however the Ridgeline nonetheless would not have Honda’s newest infotainment system, discovered solely within the Accord and Odyssey, that features an up to date touchscreen UI, bodily menu buttons (versus touch-sensitive ones) and faster responses. The system as a substitute suffers from the identical convoluted menu construction, too-small buttons and, worst of all, inconsistent responses just like these we famous in our CR-V infotainment assessment.
The overall inside design stays the identical, however the refresh brings some visible pleasantries to the cabin, like new colours, accent trim and distinction stitching. RTL-E and up get wi-fi charging, and since final yr all trims have supplied Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. We nonetheless dig the trick 40/60 break up rear bench that affords storage beneath, or folds up for bigger cargo.
Talking of cargo, the mattress continues to be one of many Ridgeline’s finest options. We recognize the lockable under-bed trunk for weatherproof storage. A drain plug provides extra makes use of, like filling it with ice for a tailgate celebration or fishing journey. The spare tire is positioned there too and when you get a flat whereas the mattress’s full it’ll be an inconvenience, but it surely’s no totally different than most vehicles if the trunk is packed. The highest RTL-E and Black Version trims nonetheless function an in-bed energy outlet and Bluetooth audio system that turns the mattress into a large speaker.
Practically nonexistent wheel properly humps are a boon for loading and hauling. The Ridgeline is the one midsize pickup that may carry an ordinary 4×8 piece of plywood flat. It’s additionally sized completely for a Honda ATV or pair of dirtbikes. Though, we found a flaw whereas hauling a 1982 Passport C70. Due to the mattress’s less-than-vast 5.3-foot size, the tailgate needed to be lowered to make the bike match. That meant the back-up digicam, positioned by the deal with, is pointed to the bottom. Though different vans have that very same digicam location, their longer beds, whether or not normal or non-compulsory, make it extra probably that what you are hauling will be capable of match with the tailgate closed.
However, the dual-mode tailgate design is good, and since final yr it locks remotely as properly. Its opening arc has a few intermediate cease notches, however we discovered that it tends to swing shut except the truck’s parked on a virtually flat floor. Nonetheless, the flexibility to open to the aspect means you don’t have to tug heavy cargo over it, and you may simply sweep free masses like mulch or gravel proper up and about’s edge.
In 2020, Honda eradicated the bottom RT trim, making Sport the entry-level buy-in. This yr, the front-wheel-drive model has been dropped, which means all Ridgelines now include Honda’s torque-vectoring i-VTM all-wheel-drive system as normal. That additionally means the bottom value goes up, to $37,665 together with the $1,175 vacation spot cost.
Even in comparison with final yr’s Sport AWD, the worth will get bumped by $430 for the opposite minor adjustments. That’s nonetheless a comparatively excessive start line amongst midsizers, although it begins to stage out when you think about {that a} V6, nine-speed auto, crew cab, AWD and the Honda Sensing suite of accident avoidance and driver help techniques come normal.
To seize just a few extra prospects, Honda has launched for 2021 a $2,800 HPD Package deal on all trims. Named after Honda Efficiency Improvement, the outfit that builds Civic TCR race vehicles, Sort R crate motors, and IndyCar twin-turbo V6 engines, the package provides fender flares, snazzy 18-inch gold alloys, and the almighty bedside decals. Whereas it doesn’t add any precise efficiency, don’t underestimate the facility of a truck with a giant acronym sticker. We acquired a few enthusiastic “HPD! What’s that!?” queries throughout our time with our press loaner, however you don’t need to take our phrase for it. Honda offered out its preliminary HPD package deal allotment in half-hour.
The HPD Package deal is a dipped toe into the (profitable) realm of off-road efficiency. Toyota has had great success with TRD-branded carry kits and such, but it surely was too late within the Ridgeline’s growth cycle to fiddle with the suspension. Honda says it develops autos holistically, and whereas it might’ve slapped on some springs, the remainder of the truck wouldn’t have carried out to Honda’s requirements. Given the response to what quantities to a easy look package deal, we count on to see HPD {hardware} within the subsequent era. We’ve seen what Honda can do elsewhere in its empire with powersports off-road autos just like the Talon. In the event that they may give the Ridgeline a real efficiency package deal, then it will be simpler to consider that Honda has really dedicated to putting off its pleasant picture for the Ridgeline. Both that, or give the Useful Honda Vendor a black belt and a face tattoo.
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