Meet the Honda Ridgeline, the pickup truck you’d love to own but can’t

2017 Honda Ridgeline Earns 5-Star Overall Vehicle Rating from NHTSA


It’s no secret that us Malaysians love pickup trucks. Some buy it for their small businesses, others get them for the sole purpose of terrorising other motorists. While the inept are certainly deserving (I’m generally against this, but some people really ask for it), there’s one pickup truck that deserves our attention, and it’s the Honda Ridgeline.

You may have not heard of this, but the Ridgeline is actually in its second generation cycle. Commissioned specially for the North American market, the Ridgeline is actually a direct competitor to the Chevrolet Colorado, Nissan Navara and Toyota Hilux, with the sole and biggest difference being its underpinning.

Unlike the trio, the Ridgeline is built atop a unibody architecture, compared to the more utilitarian ladder frame setup of the Hilux and Ford Ranger. The Ridgeline is also designed to ride more comfortably, which better suits the general American automotive palate. At heart is a 3.5-litre gasoline V6 (J35Y6) with i-VTEC technology, producing 280 hp and 355 Nm of torque.

Only one engine is available, and it’s paired to a six-speed automatic transmission. Drive is sent either to the front wheels or all four wheels depending on trim, whereas its kerb weight tips the scale at just over 2,000kg.

The Ridgeline comes with a multitude of equipment, such as multi-view camera, leather seats, cruise control, tyre pressure monitoring system, 200 Watt sound system with seven-speaker and a subwoofer (upgradable to a 540 Watt setup). There’s also a tri-zone air conditioning system, blind spot monitoring system, 10-way powered driver’s seat and acoustic windshield.

As to why we can’t have the Ridgeline, it’s because the pickup, like many other American-made Hondas, are exclusive to the market. Even if Honda Malaysia has plans to introduce it locally, the pricing alone (never mind the road tax) would render the effort futile. And oh, the two pictures above are of the Black Edition variant. Anyone else drooling over this, or is it just me?