What would Joe Cahn think of Honda’s new mid-size Ridgeline pickup? Is it truck-enough to tailgate?
Cahn, if you haven’t heard, is the Commissioner of Tailgating – commish for short – the world’s only professional tailgater, and a man who has “eaten his way through 1,000 tailgate parties.” On his website, he proclaims tailgating is “the last Great American Neighbourhood.” He has tailgated at events including, but not limited to: NFL, MLB, college football, NASCAR, the Kentucky Derby and Jimmy Buffett concerts. He has eaten barbecue brisket in Dallas, grits in Atlanta and Buffalo wings in Buffalo.
Tailgating is a great American pastime that takes place in the back of trucks in parking lots before, during and after big events. Tailgaters drink alcohol and grill meat and eat beans. Some people bring hot tubs and lawn games to the parking lots.
To tailgate properly, you need a serious truck. Truck diehards will tell you Honda’s Ridgeline is not a real truck because it is built like any car or crossover SUV with unibody construction rather than the body-on-frame method used since the beginning of time.
The Ridgeline is based on the same platform as Honda’s Pilot SUV, which means it rides and handles far better than all of its mid-size body-on-frame rivals: the Toyota Tacoma, Nissan Frontier, Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon.
But the Ridgeline’s advantages aren’t limited to ride and handling. The Ridgeline is about what you can do with it.
Photos: 2017 Honda Ridgeline inside and out
Cahn’s tailgating tip: “Extra ice. There is no excuse to ever run out of ice.”
Under the pickup bed, the Ridgeline has what Honda calls an in-bed trunk. It’s a lockable, waterproof cubby with room for 77 litres of ice and beer. That should be enough for even the most avid tailgaters.
The Ridgeline has you covered for a sound system, too. No need to bring a lame Bluetooth speaker setup, Honda offers an optional in-bed audio system. It uses “exciters” – a kind of weatherproof speaker – behind the plastic pickup bed lining.
Didn’t get tickets to the game? That’s fine. The Ridgeline’s second-row seats fold up, leaving enough space for a 47-inch flatscreen television. To power it, there’s an in-bed outlet that can crank out 400 watts when the engine’s running. (Gas is cheap in America, remember.)
Cahn recommends a canopy for shade, “and to give friends an identifiable rally point.” Honda offers a fitted tent for the back of the Ridgeline. It’s also useful if you drink too much and need to stay the night in the parking lot.
The bed in this all-new, second-generation Ridgeline is longer and wider than before. Honda says it offers best-in-class payload carrying capacity, too, at 718.5 kilograms. Ask yourself: Do you really need to carry more meat than that?
As with the previous Ridgeline, the tailgate opens two ways, folding down and swinging out to provide easier access to all those beverages in the trunk. In the back of the tailgate are a pair of “tailgate seats” indented into the plastic.
Towing capacity is the one area where the unibody Ridgeline lags behind the body-on-frame competition. Every Ridgeline can tow up to 5,000 pounds, which is more than the base Tacoma, but with options the Toyota will haul 6,800 pounds. The Canyon can pull up to 7,700 pounds with the diesel engine. But really, how many times will you need to tow more than 5,000 pounds? That’s enough for a large camper, a couple of ATVs, a nice boat or, for tailgaters, a seven-by-seven hot tub full of water.
I don’t know if Joe Cahn would approve, but the Ridgeline is more than truck-enough to tailgate, and that means it’s truck-enough for anyone.
You’ll like this truck if ... You’re a weekday commuter, but a weekend tailgater.
TECH SPECS
Base price: $36,590
Engine: 3.5-litre V-6
Transmission/Drive: Six-speed automatic/All-wheel drive
Fuel economy (litres/100 km): 12.8 city, 9.5 highway
Alternatives: Toyota Tacoma, Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon, Nissan Frontier
RATINGS
Looks: In an effort to look more like a traditional truck, the Ridgeline has lost the unique styling of its predecessor. Now, it appears a bit bland.
Interior: The cabin is nicely appointed by truck standards. You’ll appreciate how quiet it is, and how smooth the ride and handling are. The Ridgeline feels like a crossover SUV because it essentially is one.
Performance: The only engine is a direct-injected 3.5-litre V-6, an updated version of the old mill, now with 280 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque. It’s not going to win any races, but it’ll do. Competitors offer more variety including diesel and four-cylinder options.
Technology: The old Ridgeline suffered from outdated technology, Honda says. The engineers didn’t want to let that happen this time. As a result, this new Ridgeline leads the pack with emergency braking, lane-keeping and active cruise control, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and on and on. The touch-based volume controls, however, are bad.
Cargo: Payload capacity is top-notch. Towing capacity may not be class-leading, but it should be plenty for most. Otherwise, the Honda has storage galore: in-bed trunk, fold-up rear seats, bigger bed. It’s practical in the extreme.
THE VERDICT
7.5
The best mid-size truck for all-around use, but not the cheapest.
The writer was a guest of the auto maker. Content was not subject to approval.
We've redesigned the Drive section - take a look