Reader Review: 2021 Honda Ridgeline Touring

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A Goldilocks truck. That’s how Calgary driver Jeff Van De Walle describes Honda’s 2021 Ridgeline pickup, and adds, “Because it’s not too big and it’s not too small. It’s just right.”

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Honda first introduced its unibody Ridgeline in 2006. That generation lasted until 2014, when it was dropped from the range. Honda redesigned the mid-size truck however and launched a second-generation version for 2017. It was longer, lower, wider, and lighter than the outgoing truck and today, the Ridgeline is still set apart from other pickups thanks to its use of unibody construction – there is no underlying frame to the vehicle. Plus, it rides on fully independent front and rear suspension systems for a smooth and comfortable ride. Other unique features of the Ridgeline include a large, lockable in-box trunk and a two-way folding tailgate. For the 2021 model, Honda freshened up the look of the Ridgeline from the roof pillars forward. It gained a new fascia, and the grille moved to a more upright position while the hood became more muscular with some sculpting work. In Canada, the Ridgeline comes in Sport, EX-L, Touring and Black Edition trims. All models are powered by the same 3.5-litre V6 engine paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission and are also all equipped with Honda’s Intelligent Variable Torque Management (iVTM-4) all-wheel drive system.

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Van De Walle’s ’21 Ridgeline in Touring trim, with the $300 Radiant Red Metallic II paint, cost just a bit less than $52,000 before taxes. First, a little background on Van De Walle’s relationship with the Ridgeline model. He’s no stranger, as he was given his father-in-law’s 2007 Ridgeline in 2013. When he got the truck, it had 140,000 kilometres on the odometer. It was at 391,256 when we talked and could very likely be over 400,000 now. As an outside sales representative for a survey equipment company, Van De Walle is always on the road visiting work sites.

There’s a bit of Honda theme in Van De Walle’s life. His first vehicle was his parents’ 1988 Honda Accord, which he got in 2000 during his last year of high school. After the Accord, he bought a 2002 Acura RSX. With marriage and children, Van De Walle moved to an ’05 Acura MDX. Currently, his family’s fleet consists of a 2017 Acura MDX and his ’07 Ridgeline.

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“We are a genuine Honda family, and I don’t really have a reason why,” he explains. “Prior to the ’07 Ridgeline, I had a Nissan Frontier for just a couple of months. Everything was too tight, and that Frontier felt at least 15 per cent smaller than the Ridgeline when I finally got into the Honda.”

Although Honda has restyled the front of the Ridgeline, Van De Walle says he actually prefers the look of the 2007 model.
“That’s all subjective,” he says, but adds, “The new grille is very nice, I’ll give it that – it’s much more attractive than the previous style.”

Inside, Van De Walle says the Ridgeline is spacious with a fit and finish somewhere between that of his 2007 Ridgeline and the family’s 2017 Acura MDX.

“There was good-quality perforated leather on the seats, and the driver’s seat was very comfortable, and the sightlines were great with no major blind spots,” he says. “I’m six feet tall, and I really liked the adjustable arm rest – that was one of my favourite features. The dash and instrument cluster looked great.

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“The overall layout is excellent, and everything is pretty standard. I’m sure it wouldn’t take anyone too long to figure out the controls.”

After picking up the Ridgeline, Van De Walle loaded his wife and two kids into the vehicle to drive to Invermere, B.C.

“We had no problem fitting one medium and two small suitcases in the back “trunk’ section of the truck,” he says. “That’s a feature I absolutely love and it’s unique to the Ridgeline. It means a tonneau cover isn’t needed to keep luggage dry.”

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He says the bed of the truck seemed to offer more room than that of his 2007 Ridgeline. “The spray in liner from the factory means that it looks good – and is durable, too,” he says. “We carried two kids bikes, two coolers, and surveying equipment for my demo with a customer on Monday. There was ample room for more gear.”

Although Van De Walle is quite familiar with Honda’s V6 engine, he says this truck felt more powerful. “The driving and performance of the Ridgeline surprised me the most,” he says. “Even cornering in the Ridgeline felt nicer than in the MDX, it was very stable, and I was a bit shocked.” Of the performance, he adds, “Acceleration is excellent, and the nine-speed transmission was smooth as silk, and it never hunted for gears.”

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Although Van De Walle did call the Ridgeline a Goldilocks truck, he does wish Honda offered a truck just a size bigger and more powerful, something to move up to that could tow a larger trailer or boat. The Ridgeline has a 2,267 kg towing capacity and is wired for a seven-pin trailer connection.

“I will need to move up to something and have driven the GMC Sierra and the Ram although I obviously haven’t pulled the trigger on either; I am waiting to see the new 2022 Toyota Tundra,” he says, and concludes, “but this ’21 Ridgeline is 100 per cent a great truck for anyone living in the city, a light duty contractor or a weekend warrior type who doesn’t do a lot of towing. With no hesitation, I’d recommend one.”

DRIVER’S JOURNAL

Day 1

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Packed up the kids (Austin, 9 and Brooke, 6) to head to Invermere. Paddle shifters are there, but really not necessary. Truck shifts quickly and passes with ease – especially when Sport mode is engaged. Fuel economy was excellent – 9.4L/100km driving from Calgary to Invermere with one stop at Storm Mountain Lodge. Had some issues when using the touch screen – not as responsive at times and had to press the same spot a few times to get the screen to register.

Day 2

Trip into town had me pulling in and out of parking stalls in a very congested downtown Invermere. Backup camera is crystal clear and allowed me to pull out of the awkward spots near The Invermere Bakery without fear of backing into anything. The kids enjoyed having the sunroof and sliding back window open to allow some airflow. Took a little drive up the mountain at 10:30 p.m. while it was dark and was shocked at how bright the lights are. Could have lit up a football field.

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Day 3

33 degrees out – had us testing the A/C and it was awesome. Whole truck cooled down very quickly. Middle storage is big but could use some dividers in it. Lots of other little storage compartments for putting stuff. Tested the bed-mounted 120V plug in and it worked perfectly for blowing up the inflatables with the little compressor we have. Showed a friend’s dad (who owned a 2009 Ridgeline for nine years) and he was very impressed with it. He’s a home inspector and handyman in Canmore area and liked the ability to fit full sized sheets of drywall in there.

My son loved how much room there was riding shotgun with me.

Day 4

A 30-minute trip to lake Lillian with bikes in tow and a 9 year old swapping seats with my wife (five feet eight inches tall) so she could test out the back seat. My son loved how much room there was riding shotgun with me, and my wife was pleasantly surprised when she didn’t get nauseated in the back seat – even with winding mountain roads. More room than she thought and after the quick journey to the lake she was fairly certain four adults would have no problem surviving a longer trip without any comfort issues back there.

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Day 5

I hooked up the boat to the truck and took it for a drive around the block to see how it towed and handled. Performed excellently without any issues getting up to speed towing a 19-foot Chaparral boat up and down a few test hills with ease. Backup camera made it very easy to line the hitch up with the trailer- or as easy as possible for a guy who hooks up to a trailer a couple times a year.

Day 6

Back in Calgary now – driving in the city means more use of the safety features like blindspot indicator. Works great and is very useful when driving down Deerfoot Trail changing lanes. One thing worth noting is that when the lights are set to Auto – the brights will come on automatically. Very alarming in a new vehicle in the dark when brights start turning on and off on the highway. Brights (in my opinion) should only be controlled manually. Had to pull over and figure out how to stop this from happening but got it sorted once lights were set to On instead of Auto. Having no 120V plug in the cab was disappointing. Would be nice not to need an inverter to charge laptops. The one in the bed of the truck is great for running power tools if needed, but one in the cab would definitely be an asset.