It's an SUV with an open bed (like Chevy's Avalanche), not a pickup. Couple of neat features though... bed trunk and dual opening tailgate.

@Thomas Edison - Yeah the bed truck is a really cool feature...so is the fact that the spare tire is in that bed truck. If you fill the bed and get a flat, there is no way to get to the spare tire....that's really cool as well. I would love to empty my pick-up bed on the side of the highway to get to the spare. I can see why they call you a genius Tom....lol!

It's not an SUV, it's a Mini-van with an open bed. And it's already obsolete. Where's the new one?

I had several friends that were disappointed when these trucks came out.They thought they were going to be compact 4 cylinder and get good gas mileage

GM recall frenzy continues.

General Motors announced on Friday that it is recalling about 500 of its redesigned full-size pickups and SUVs from the 2014 and 2015 model years because a supplier provided a potentially faulty part in the control module for the trucks' airbags.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2014/05/23/gm-pickup-suv-airbag-recall/9509409/

Reuss told Barclays analyst Brian Johnson on Thursday that the flurry of recall announcements resulting from this reexamination effort might continue through mid-summer.

Take your full size pickup to your local Honda Dealer and tell them you are interested in the Ridgeline and looking for a test drive.
The Honda Dealer will kick you out.

@Lou_BC: While I agree with you on many things, I have just one question here: " I would love to empty my pick-up bed on the side of the highway to get to the spare."

How is this any different from the vast majority of SUVs and CUVs that grossly outnumber pickup trucks on the road?

Here's the difference. Bought my Ridgeline 8 years ago and the only thing I've replaced are the tires, brakes and battery. It keeps on going and never lets me down. Yes the bed can't hold 10 ft 2 X 4's but that's not my need. I'd buy another in a heartbeat accept I don't need to the one I have works just fine.

It is not very often Honda lays and egg, but this "truck"? same mileage as a full size V-8 hp of a V-6, tq of a V-6, interior room of a mid size weight of a mid size, bed of a mid size, capacity of a mid-size, price of a full size failure of a full size failure! no wonder Honda sells as many of these in a year a F-150s sell in a month! or less!

Go look at a used ridgeline interior looks terrible!
Poor gas mileage
#4 cylinder failure
Transmission failure
Radiator failure
Honda ridgeline = failure

I am sure Honda can do better than this. I would hesitate to call it anything other than a unique crossover. The sad thing is that other "supposed" truck magazines voted this thing "Truck of the Year" a few years ago, and since the 15000 or so annual buyers of this thing think they actually have a truck. I have seen many used and misused for normal truck chores and fail even under moderate tasks. You have to look no further than the rear wheel alignment (camber) to see this thing not for the hearty truck buyer. Not to mention an exhaust system that runs below the rear suspension, my car has better protection than that!

If this is what Honda is going to call its entry into the truck market, they need to stick to producing their good cars, and leave the truck market to "Truck" makers.

@RoadWhale™ - that is the fake Lou. My blog name links to TypePad.

I'm sure his little willie will spooge his keyboard knowing he fooled a regular.

You can't control the 4x4 on the Ridgeline! The ECU is in control, the 2 wheel drive traction control is going to kick in long before the 4x4 does! You can't shut down the traction control to bypass it into 4x4.
My F-150 has a switch to turn the traction control on and off with the separate 4x4 switch
Traction control and 4x4 doesn't mix well together!

@Lou_BC - "I'm sure his little willie will spooge his keyboard knowing he fooled a regular...."

You seem to know a lot about guy's "willie's"! Not that there is anything wrong with that. Great to hear you are finally out of the closet. Good for you.

Best in class mileage for Ridgeline in 2012 Midsize Shootout. Ridgeline Same competitors today as in 2012 since there have been no redesigns, no additions and just a few subtractions.
Ridgeline also has the highest payload capacity of midsize (and more than some current full size ahd highest gross vehicle weight rating of midsize class.
Ridgeline is still competitive in midsize class and has more functionality and roomier interior than Tacoma and Frontier. For those not in need of the off road capability of the Frontier and Tacoma the Ridgeline is a great PICKUP option.

Here is an alternative review of 14 Ridgeline https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyvLVXg6F9Y

Aaron Bragman your review is critical and that is fine, the lack of any balance or fairness makes it just a negative piece to appeal to Ridgeline haters. There used to be reporting in journalism, now it's blogged down in sensationalism.

The last time the Ridgeline came up around these parts, someone pointed out that when Honda rolled out the 1st Odyssey, it was an odd duck, and not very well received. By the time they upgraded the powertrain on the 2nd generation, they became the benchmark for the segment. When it returns from hiatus, the segment will be all new. You can bet that they're doing their homework in Raymond, OH.

Folks who buy a Ridgeline don't need a full size truck with full size capabilities. It's for the weekend Home Depot runs just like 98% of full size truck owners who don't use all the capabilites a full size truck offers.

And still ragging on the spare tire....how often do you need a spare tire? Not very often. And don't give me crap about getting to it when you are wheelin' off road b/c you don't take a Ridgeline off trail.

~ Taco owner

Honda Ridgeline is a fine vehicle. My only question is - Do they make them for men?

BC where I live to the point where some companies have their own fuel trucks.. That is a huge consideration if one has to drive 6-8 hours just to get to the logging camp. Pickups and loggers two of my favorite play things!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mL7n5mEmXJo

The fact that they said the front end is stiffer than the rear fits with the lower cargo capacity.

Mid size trucks are just not popular in America.

All the manufactures have tried their had at them and they are just slow low volume sellers.

Why do you think Ram and Ford dropped them?

Nissan and Toyota still have theirs but again they are low volume sellers.

GM tired it again and it was a failure and they had to already completely redesign them and this will still be a failure because Americans just don't want midsize trucks.

Oh sure there is a small market for them but that is all.

RoadWhale,

The difference between emptying an SUV vs. a pickup for a tire change is that the pickup may contain bulk material (gravel/mulch/feed) as opposed to golf clubs, shopping bags, tools or whatever in the SUV.

Do you really want to shovel manure to change a tire?

The hate-on with the Ridgeline has to stop. For what it does and is meant to do, it works very well. In the Canadian Climate, where you face all sorts of ice/snow/bare patches, etc, the automatic four wheel drive system is excellent. The ride is quality, it is easy to park, REAL-world fuel economy is excellent, and there is not a squeak or rattle anywhere. Additionally will reviewers please stop complaining about it being column shift, seriously is that a negative? There is ample storage, the trunk is great for groceries and the tailgate has been very handy with it opening two different ways. And it is built on a frame not a unibody structure.!

Unfortunately yes there are issues. For example I have had electrical problems since the day I purchased mine, the engine torque curve is WAY too high - when towing in BC or a headwind on the prairies you might as well have a 3-speed and the blind spots on the C-pillar take some getting used to.

Yet overall it has been excellent for our family. I look forward to see what Honda comes up with next.

2008 Ridgeline 150 thousand miles. I set of tires at 120K and one set of front and one set of rear brakes. No other repairs at all. Carries sod piled to the top of the cab, scooters and motorcycles almost weekly, 1200 #s of concrete block without any issues. And drives on ice better than a Ford Explorer with 4wd and locking differential. If you need a big truck, go buy one, but don't believe those gas mileage estimates. They are for 2WD and who would waste their money on a real truck with 2WD? I'm waiting for the new one only because I would like more than the 20Mpg I average.

I take my ridgeline on the beach, carry quads, tow a boat and all kinds of other recreational stuff. yall are just a bunch of Honda haters. im not saying the ridgeline is the best but every vehicle has its pros and cons.

I have a 2009 Ridgeline that just turned over 60,000 miles and I still love it. If you need to haul full sheets of plywood with the tailgate closed this is not the truck for you. It is a light duty pickup. However, it is extremely well built and very comfortable. It is as quite and comfortable as any vehicle I ever owned in 57 years of driving.
I have taken it on several hunting trips to Colorado and pulled a trailer over open pastures and hills in the southeast part of the state. It went where I wanted to go. The front wheel drive with four wheel drive kicking in if needed works great. I can drive it over open pastures at speeds that send the trailer airborne and the Ridgeline doesn't beat me to death like other pickups. And there are no squeaks or rattles. The dual opening tailgate is handy as the pocket on a shirt.
Lots of storage. Lots of comfort. Lots of quality.