2011 Honda Ridgeline Los Angeles

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If you're contemplating a multi-use or commuter pickup, the 2011 Honda Ridgeline should top the shopping list. From its styling to its tailgate and storage innovations to its combination of body-on-frame isolation and unibody stiffness, the Ridgeline borders on revolutionary. Ridgeline is pleasant to drive in all circumstances, and as much truck as many buyers will ever need. This 2011 Honda model is smooth, quiet and very maneuverable, with a load of useful features. The Ridgeline's 1500-pound payload and 5000-pound towing capacity are enough for many buyers. The Ridgeline was first tooled out in 2006, but it was significantly updated for 2009 with a more powerful engine, several equipment upgrades, and freshened styling inside and out. The Ridgeline carries over for 2011. The two-way tailgate on the Ridgeline is unusual, but it works great. It will drop down in familiar fashion, top to bottom, and it also opens like a door, from right to left. There's a hidden latch on the lower right side and hinges on the left, so users don't have to lean across the tailgate to store or retrieve items in the bed or the storage trunk. The tailgate is retained by a conventional cable on the left and a patented, hidden retainer on the right. The Honda Ridgeline delivers a truly pleasant driving experience, for a truck. The goodness flows from the stiffness of its unibody-on-ladder-frame construction. Factor in subframes that cradle the engine and suspension, helping isolate the cab from harsh road shocks, and Ridgeline can be a joy to operate when compared to other trucks.

New Honda Ridgeline Power

All 2011 Ridgelines are powered by a 3.5-liter V6 engine generating 250 horsepower, with a five-speed automatic transmission and Honda's VTM-4 all-wheel-drive system. This full-time all-wheel-drive normally proportions 60 percent of the power to the front wheels, but if conditions indicate it will automatically send as much as 70 percent of the engine torque to the rear wheels. Ridgeline also incorporates a limited-slip differential with lock feature. The drivetrain, the combination of engine, transmission and all-wheel drive, is impressively smooth and quiet.

 Design of the 2011 Honda Ridgeline

The Honda Ridgeline offers drivers a unique appearance. The Ridgeline doesn't look quite like any pickup before it. The grille, the front end, the cab shape, the buttresses coming down off the rear of the roof to join the integrated pickup bed, all seem to have been deliberately designed to be different, and different can be good or bad. The grille opening narrows a bit at the bottom as it dips into the top of the bumper; and is now boldly outlined in chrome instead of body-color plastic. At the rear, the taillights have been thankfully simplified; and a bold, black molding now defines the top of the bumper, dipping down under the license plate at the center in a way that suggests the business end of a Texas Longhorn. Honda calls the new look more chiseled. The cargo bed is made of steel-reinforced SMC plastic, not steel with a sprayed-on or slipped-in liner. The bed is five feet long with the tailgate up, and six and a half feet long with the tailgate down, enabling it to carry two dirt bikes or a large ATV. A tubular aluminum cargo bed extender is available for longer loads. There are four large retaining chocks, one in each corner of the bed, to help secure large pieces of cargo; and a total of eight cargo tie-down points.

'11 Honda Ridgeline Cabin

The cabin of the 2011 Ridgeline offers as much comfort, space and convenience as any half-ton pickup available. Bucket seats come standard in front with a center console. The driver and front passenger seats to be roomy, comfortable and supportive, with plenty of adjustment range for rake and travel. The navigation system, with its DVD data base and eight-inch screen, is a paradigm for size, brightness, contrast and overall ease of use. The voice commands work well; alternately, the menus are simple, effective and easy to master. The rear doors are shorter than the front doors, standard practice in this segment, but there's no problem getting in or out. The rear seat splits and folds, 60/40, to stash fairly large pieces of cargo in the cab. The under-seat storage space, something like an airliner's, is great for backpacks or briefcases.

Lineup of the 2011 Ridgeline

The 2011 Honda Ridgeline is sold in three different trim levels, RT, RTS, and RTL. Ridgeline RT comes standard with black door handles; 17-inch steel wheels; six-way manually adjusted driver's seat; air conditioning; power windows, mirrors, and locks; cruise control; outside temperature gauge; a trailer hitch; and a 100-watt, six-speaker, CD/MP3/WMA-capable stereo.

Ridgline RTS adds power front seats with power lumbar support; a160-watt, seven-speaker stereo with six-CD changer, auxiliary input and steering-wheel mounted controls; dual-zone automatic climate control; security system; body-color door handles; wiring for towing, and 17-inch machine-finish alloy wheels.

Ridgeline RTL upgrades to leather upholstery, heated front seats, power lumbar support for the driver, power moonroof, compass and HomeLink remote integrated into the rear-view mirror, heated side mirrors, 115-volt power outlet, XM Satellite Radio, and 18-inch machine-finish alloy wheels. The RTL is available with Honda's DVD-based navigation system with voice recognition, Bluetooth, and a rear-view camera.

Conclusions

Safety equipment for 2011 includes multi-stage front airbags and side-impact airbags for front passengers, front and rear side curtain airbags for head protection, active front head restraints, and LATCH child-seat anchors for the three rear seats. Anti-lock brakes (with Electronic Brake-force Distribution and Brake Assist), traction control, vehicle stability assist, and a tire-pressure monitoring system are standard. Honda's best attributes are here in a pickup: refinement, fit-and-finish and innovation. The Ridgeline features an easy-to-reach, locking storage box under its bed. But the differences between the Ridgeline and more conventional pickups go all the way to the core. The Ridgeline is the first mainstream pickup with fully independent rear suspension, which improves ride quality considerably. Other pickup trucks have traditionally been built with a separate nose section, cab section, and cargo bed, bolted to a separate ladder frame. Honda's pickup uses both a one-piece unit-body and a steel ladder frame welded together. Its cab and bed are built as one piece, with separate subframes for the engine, front suspension and rear suspension. Ridgeline's rigid design is more resistant to twisting and bending than traditional pickups. For more on this model, visit the official Honda Ridgeline website!