There is one sensible truck out there that is currently available. It has most of the capabilities of a full-size truck, sized a bit larger than most mid-size trucks, yet handles like a compact truck and rides like a luxury SUV.

I recall reading about a survey that showed 84% of mid-size truck buyers never towed more than 3500lbs. I think something like 95% never towed more than 5000lbs.  Full-size trucks are different, of course, and yet we have mid-size mfrs in towing spec wars.

High bed heights: this comes from large wheels/tires. Why are they so large? Not just a fashion statement, but they need to be large in order to house huge disc brakes. Why are the brakes so large? So that the mfr can rate the truck to tow 12,000lbs.

I will be buying a Ridgeline as soon as the 2020 refresh comes out in a few months.

The Ridgeline is for people that don’t want a truck, but need a truck. All of the other trucks are for people who want a truck, but don’t need a truck, except for those 5% who actually use it for commercial- or industrial-type work.

At least the Ridgeline has a decent-sized bed for a mid- sized truck. Yes, you can get a foot longer bed in some of the competition if you specify it, but it is a lot narrower, and you either lose a bunch of cab space, or you need an acre to turn it around. Plus, Ridgeline has underbed storage. It probably has twice…

I'd give $20k for it if it had the new 1000hp hemi'phant crate motor in it...

For driving down a highway covered with patchy ice and snow, a good AWD system is the way to go. It is like automatic 4wd on-demand. With many full-size trucks, you have to run in 2wd down that highway, then put it in 4x4 mode once you slide into the ditch. Some of the fancier trucks do have advanced 4x4 systems that…

It would be interesting to drive this truck back-to-back with the 5.3L truck. We have a 5.3L work truck that is 3-4 years old, and that V8 is a bit of a dog. A newer Ram V6 truck feels more responsive.

Al they had to do was fix the front clip.  Give it a classy appearance, instead of the "I'm barfing" appearance, and they will sell 10x more than the TuRD version.

Biggest reason is probably safety (keeping cargo out of the cabin in a collision). As an example, Honda went to great pains to make sure there was a very strong bulkhead between the bed and cabin on the Ridgeline; however, they seem to be overly safety-conscious....the new Volvo, if you will...

I think mfrs don't do this because too many people would overload the tail end, causing breakage (warranty issues) or ill handling (liability issues).

Back when i ran airboats (in Texas), we often used the fan to push the truck/trailer rig up slippery boat ramps. In fact, that is a very common technique.

I'll wait for the trail bike to return, with kickstart please.

Tru dat.  But given their impressive R&D and innovation throughout the entire company, it is perplexing how compartmentalized it actually is, or has been.  It seems there could have been a lot more sharing across divisions.

Actually, my point was that, no matter how capable the Ridgeline is, was, or ever will be, haters will continue to comment (and in some cases even believe) that it is a minivan.  However, thank you for finding that loose thread and unraveling the whole suit.  :)

This might be a good replacement if the turbo hemi on your SpeedKore ‘70 Charger build blows up.

The most exciting thing i see about this concept is that it is the first time we’ve seen collaboration between Honda Powersports and Honda Automobiles. Honda Powersports is fiercely competitive. If some of that DNA bleeds into Honda Automobiles, the competition really needs to take notice. We would all have much…

What’s hilarious about this concept is that it could kick the butt of Jeep Rubicon, Taco TRD Pro, CO ZR2 and the Raptors, and those fanboys would still call this a minivan.

I disagree. Too many cases where my Accord coupe with snow tires ran circles around SUVs when roads got snowy or icy, including highway patrol Durangos. I am always waiting for the SUVs to get out of the way.