2023 Honda Ridgeline Black Edition Review: The Comfort Truck

The American pickup truck segment is one of the most passionate markets in the automotive world. Not only do most consumers have a specific brand they favor, but many also believe a truck must be built a specific way – body-on-frame.

In many parts of the world, smaller unibody pickups have had great success. In America though, it hasn’t always been the case. Vehicles like the Subaru Brat/Baja, Volkswagen Rabbit Pickup, as well as the Dodge Rampage all failed to catch on with consumers. There is one exception though: the Honda Ridgeline.

About to enter its 18th consecutive model year, the Ridgeline has spanned two generations and carved out a niche of its own. Part of the success for Honda was making the Ridgeline mid-size as opposed to compact. It provides more utility and closer capabilities to other mid-size trucks. Honda successfully selling over half a million units to date hasn't gone unnoticed. Last year Hyundai and Ford both decided to enter the unibody pickup market in North America.

But back to the topic of mid-size pickups, with an all-new Ford Ranger and Chevrolet Colorado are arriving on showroom floors, we thought it was time to reacquaint ourselves with the Ridgeline. We grabbed a top-of-the-line 2023 Honda Ridgeline Black Edition for a week to see if this mid-size unibody truck still stacks up well with the competition.

The Ridgeline measures in at 210.2-inches (5,339 mm) in length. That’s a few inches short of the Colorado and right on par with the Ranger. One of the biggest complaints we hear from casual observers is that the Honda’s bed is too small. At 64-inches (1,625 mm) in length, it’s actually longer than the bed in the Ford or Chevrolet. It’s also wider, measuring 60-inches (1,524 mm) from bed wall to bed wall and 50-inches (1270 mm) between the wheel wells.

Where the Ridgeline’s bed falls short though is depth. With short walls, the truck can only hold 33.9 cubic feet (960 L) of gear which trails the two American trucks. Despite the shallow bed though, it still has an impressive 1,583 pounds (694 kg) payload capacity.

Trucks are used for work and play, so they need to be versatile. The Ridgeline has plenty of truck features like 8 heavy duty tie down cleats, a bed liner, a power rear sliding window, a standard class III trailer hitch receiver with 7-pin connector, LED bed lights, a high capacity radiator, and a 150-watt/400-watt truck-bed power outlet. There’s a few more tricks up Honda’s sleeve like the locking tailgate that’s dual action and can fold down or swing out. As well, the Black Edition features a truck bed audio system that can channel the vehicle’s in-car entertainment system through hidden speakers within the bed walls. Combined with the drainable bed trunk full of ice and drinks, owners will be the hit of the tailgate party.

One area the Ridgeline trails traditional trucks is towing capacity. Rated at 5,000 pounds (2,267 kg), it’s a few thousand short of the maximum capability of the Ranger and Colorado. That stated, plenty can still be towed by the Ridgeline, like a small boat, single-axle travel trailer, personal watercraft, or pair of dirt bikes.

The only available engine in the truck is Honda’s well-travelled 3.5-liter V6. Here it makes 280 horsepower and 262 pound feet of torque paired to a nine-speed automatic transmission. We quite like the smoothness of the V6 and found there to be enough power when lightly loaded. We didn’t get to do any towing tests or drive near the payload capacity though.

Officially, the Ridgeline is rated at 18 mpg (12.8 L/100 km) in the city and 24 mpg (9.9 L/100 km) on the highway using regular grade fuel. That puts it right on par with the competition in terms of highway fuel usage, but a behind around the city. During our time with the truck, we averaged 20.5 mpg (11.5 L/100 km).

The Ridgeline’s ride quality is perhaps the truck's biggest advantage. It’s more comfortable than any traditional pickup truck, full stop. The Ridgeline is virtually a Pilot underneath and has that car-like family SUV ride quality. Body-on-frame pick-ups have become much more civilized and easier to operate over the decades, but the Ridgeline is still another level. Driving Honda's truck isn’t much different than driving an Accord or Odyssey.

Handling is another beneficial side effect to this platform. The Ridgeline is far from being sporty, but it’s more composed through high-speed corners than most traditional pickups. The 245/60R18 all-season tires have a more highway bias than off-road, but with only 7.64-inches (194 mm) of ground clearance, this truck isn’t venturing too far down a rock-strewn trail anyway. However, there are various drive modes for slippery conditions, including snow, sand, and mud modes.

It’s not just the mechanics that are closely related to that of the Honda Pilot. The Ridgeline’s cabin is very similar to the first two rows of Honda’s big SUV. Up front, the driver gets a 10-way power driver’s seat while the passenger’s is 4-way. Both are heated and finished in leather, offering 40.1-inch (1,003 mm) of headroom and 40.9-inches (1,039 mm) legroom.

In the back, passengers get 38.8-inches (986 mm) of headroom and 36.7-inches (932 mm) of legroom. Like a lot of pickups, the rear bench can be flipped up to reveal a 2.9-cubic feet (82 L) storage bin.

Being a Black Edition, there’s a decent amount of technology included, but it’s showing its age. The 8-inch touchscreen is dwarfed by larger units in competitors, and the software looks old by comparison. One can only get wired Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto, while the ambient lighting is only available in a single color, red in the Black Edition’s case.

It’s not all bad though. On board is a 540-watt audio system with 8 speakers (and more in the bed). There’s a heated steering wheel, tri-zone climate control, and wireless phone charger. The latter did give us issues though and refused to charge our iPhones at times.

Honda take a simple approach to safety with the Ridgeline. Standard are items like collision mitigation, road departure mitigation, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, auto high beams, and more. Stepping up the trim ladder adds more safety features such as parking sensors and blind spot monitoring.

Just how much does stepping up that ladder cost? The 2023 Honda Ridgeline starts at a price of $40,175 (all prices including destination charges) in the United States. Fully loaded and as tested, the Black Edition comes in at a reasonable $48,060. For Canadian consumers, pricing starts at $49,435 while our test unit will set them back $58,435.

Even if the current generation Honda Ridgeline is coming to the end of its life cycle, there’s still plenty of advantages to be found. Sure, it’s showing its age in places and there's things that need to be changed. But the ride quality, comfort, and ease of use are top notch. For plenty of truck owners, it’s the right-sized truck and plenty capable for their needs, even if some won’t admit it.

That’s always been an issue for the Honda Ridgeline though – winning over tradition buyers. With nearly two decades of history under its belt now, that might not matter as much anymore. The mid-size pickup has developed its own loyal devote customer base. After spending a week with it, we can appreciated why.

Become an AutoGuide insider. Get the latest from the automotive world first by subscribing to our newsletter here.