2025 Honda Ridgeline AWD Trailsport – Review by David Colman +VIDEO

2025 Honda Ridgeline AWD Trailsport

It’s Honda’s “Army Knife”

David Colman

Photos and Story by David Colman
Special Correspondent
THE AUTO CHANNEL

The Honda Ridgeline is the truck for people who need a pickup but don't want to drive one. But this seemingly insoluble conundrum has been neatly resolved by Honda's engineering staff. Their compact Ridgeline truck combines car convenience with truck toughness. Ridgeline utilizes the closed box frame and unit body construction that underpin Honda's Pilot SUV and Odyssey minivan. However, instead of the triple row seat seating for 8 offered by those passenger Hondas, Ridgeline substitutes a 4-door, 5-person cab attached to a 5'3" pickup bed. The tail of that bed features a lockable dual-action gate designed to drop flat or pivot sideways. The ingenious steel-reinforced composite cargo bed contains a weatherproof 7.3 cubic foot storage locker, located out-of-sight beneath the bed floor. With its 50 inch wide spread between the rear wheel wells, the Ridgeline's bed will tote a 4'x 8' plywood sheet lying flat on the floor, a pickup feat unique to just this Honda.

So the Ridgeline provides most of the workday assets pickup buyers require - including a 5,000lb. tow rating. But it does so without subjecting them to the comfort and operating drawbacks of truck ownership. Ridgeline never inflicts the ride discomfort or handling incompetency common to virtually every other pickup on the market today. So kiss off the jouncing, bouncy ride that live rear axle pickups inflict on you, because Ridgeline's fully independent front and rear suspension system is virtually impervious to road imperfections. 97 switchback turns on a two lane road separate my house from anywhere, so it doesn't take long to determine whether a vehicle has competent handling chops. 20 turns into my first Ridgeline drive convinced me that if I need a pickup, the Ridgeline is the one I'd buy.

In particular, I would opt for the specially upgraded suspension package that comes standard on the new Trailsport model, which retails for $46,830. Honda upgraded the Trailsport's spring rates, re-valved the shocks, and installed beefier anti-roll bars to handle off-road performance challenges. These improvements help the Trailsport strafe apexes on paved roads as well. Furthering the stick is a set of model-specific five-spoke silver 18 x 8J alloy rims mounting General Grabber A/T 245/60R18 radials carrying a durable TW 500 rating. The combination of the upgraded suspension, beefy radial rubber, and the Ridgeline's comparatively low center of gravity (same 71-inch height as a Pilot) makes for a willing back roads dance partner.

While the Trailsport's handling is stout, the best part of the equation lies under the hood. Occupying the engine bay is Honda's masterpiece of internal combustion engineering, a 3.5-liter V6 unmatched in sound or performance by any hybrid or EV. The Trailsport's 280hp screamer is equipped with Honda's patented variable valve timing (VTEC), direct fuel injection, and twin exhausts capped by chromium tips. When you lay into the throttle, this motor comes on the cam with a chilling audible whine as it reaches redline of 6000 rpm. Peak torque of 262 lb.-ft. arrives at a rather lofty 4700rpm, so you'll want to keep the gas pedal pinned to achieve maximum forward thrust. Do just that and the 9-speed automatic gearbox upshifts intelligently without supervision. For manual operation, however, the transmission is also paddle-equipped. The Trailsport posts a stellar 0-60mph time of 6 seconds flat, and runs the quarter mile run in 14.6 seconds at 94mph.

In addition to the suspension upgrades, the Trailsport package distinguishes itself from lesser Ridgelines in several notable ways. The most obvious is color. Our test Honda was finished in an optional ($455) color called Diffused Sky Blue Pearl, which is only available on the Trailsport model. Honda scatters a number of orange model badges on the flanks, grill, and tailgate of the Trailsport. These insignias match the special orange interior stitching, Trailsport logo seats, and model-specific rubberized floor mats that spiff up this truck's interior. Honda also adds an oil pan protector for off-road forays, and bathes the interior with orange lighting at night. If that isn't enough customization for you, then check out the vast number of accessories available to carry a bicycle on the roof, or a bed extender to accommodate motorcycle portage.

However, one of the nicest advantages of owning a Ridgeline is you don't even need that roof rack for the bike, because a full-size bicycle will fit inside the cab provided you fold and lock both rear seats up. The Ridgeline is a winner in so many ways, that the Trailsport deserves to be named The Honda Army Knife.

2025 HONDA RIDGELINE AWD TRAILSPORT

HYPES: The GT of Mid-Size Trucks

GRIPES: Power Tailgate Would Be Nice Option

STAR RATING: 10 Stars out of 10