With a handful of other manufacturers flirting with the unibody pickup market, the Honda Ridgeline might be in for some real competition come 2029. The brand’s popular take on a usable pickup with SUV comfort will see another generation by the end of the decade, gearing up for a fight against Ford and others we eagerly await.
In order to stay one of our favorites and ensure it will have a strong advantage over anything coming for its crown, we put our heads together and worked out what the next Ridgeline needs to retain (or do differently) to stay afloat. The Ridgeline is all the pickup you will ever need, yet Americans claw after the Ford F-150 and Chevy Silverado faster than they can count on one hand the reasons they actually need one.
Comfort, Above All Else, Should Be The Ridgeline’s Main Focus
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Nearly every pickup on sale has become a luxury vehicle. Higher trims are adorned with leather, and spongy suspension dampens both roads and trails perfectly. Some of these qualities are making their way into mid-size trucks, but not as quickly as you might think. The body-on-frame construction of all other trucks opens the door to heavy and harsh characteristics in everyday conditions. The beauty of unibody construction helps dissipate shocks without trick suspension.
The Ridgeline has that down pat thanks to its unibody architecture and underpinnings shared with the Passport and Pilot, so where it can improve on this is inside the cabin. A larger back seat is always warranted, though the Ridgeline already beats the Toyota Tacoma and Ford Ranger in rear seat legroom at 36.7 inches. The Passport provides occupants with over four inches of extra room, so if there were any way to extend the cab without stretching the length of the truck, we want to see that happen.
Honda might veto that since part of the Ridgeline’s appeal is its compact stature. It’s small enough to fit in a standard garage while still offering competitive cargo capacity. But we believe there’s a strong case to extend the wheelbase by an inch to gain more room inside, as well as to return a more comfortable ride. But comfort alone won’t win this fight – because what Ford is reportedly planning for its unibody pickup goes well beyond a smooth ride.
Providing Better Utility And Usability For 2029
A roomier, more comfortable cabin is only half the equation – the next Ridgeline also needs to justify its existence against an increasingly capable field of competitors on pure utility.
There’s not a doubt in our minds that what Ford has planned will incorporate a similar level of utility in its unibody pickup as it has with every other truck it offers, which may put Honda in a position to provide a longer list of features than usual. The dual-action tailgate, under-bed storage, and bed speakers are still helpful, though, and we want to see that stick around. And the beauty of this type of truck, something built not as a tradesman’s special but for personal use, means fun features land higher on the list than serious ones.
Keeping the Ridgeline geared more toward families and everyday life starts with the quality of materials used to assemble one. A heavy-duty bed liner in the back would be a nice addition, but we have more qualms about how the interior should be pieced together. We, like you, dear reader, dislike the fingerprint magnet that is piano black. Glossy interior trims should stay far away from the interior of vehicles, especially ones with families in tow.
Anything that keeps the interior looking as nice as possible – before being desecrated with coffee stains and loose Goldfish crackers – is always welcome. Most of these things the Ridgeline already has, but we’ve seen things change for the worse and don’t want to see it again (cough, cough, volume dials).
Honda has elevated the interiors of the Accord and Civic with a design language we’re watching spread throughout the rest of its lineup, and we welcome it. Physical dials and buttons – when applicable – for the radio and all HVAC controls, along with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, are among the most important features to make daily driving the Ridgeline second nature. The Passport and the Ridgeline also used to share the same handsome front fascia, which, if the next generation of trucks does too, will make for a sharp-looking pickup that’s sure to draw attention from rivals.
Significant Powertrain Change Is Coming Whether Honda Wants It Or Not
2026 Honda Ridgeline TrailsportHonda
Our list, and likely yours, too, is simple, short, and doesn’t deviate from what the Ridgeline already does best. The reason the pickup, in its current form, is being ushered out is its 280-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 falling behind the emissions curve. Everyone else has been able to flaunt new V8s in their pickups, but Honda can’t seem to find a way to keep a naturally aspirated six-cylinder within requirement.
This opens the door to speculation about what powertrains will take over, one of which we assume will be a hybrid option for a few reasons. Toyota has already looked to inject electrons into everything – going as far as making the Sequoia , RAV4, and Camry hybrid-only (in the US, anyway) – and Honda’s unibody pickup is well-suited for a hybrid system that could ensure noticeable fuel savings. It’s not all about penny-pinching, though. Hybridization means more torque is available to tap into, helping the Ridgeline feel stronger off the line.
2025 Honda Ridgeline rear 3/4 angle while driving through waterHonda
Around 48,000 people buy Ridgelines each year, solidifying the pickup as a strong option against minivans and SUVs, not to mention larger pickups. The next big thing in the truck market will be extended-range EVs with locomotive-like propulsion systems that use gas-burning engines as generators for the large electric motors that drive the wheels.
The Ridgeline doesn’t need to play that game yet, but scaling down that technology might just be the way it stays competitive without changing too much. Honda already uses a similar setup in its hybrid vehicles, which means the odds that the Ridgeline will have the same system are higher than you might expect.
Honda is among a small number of brands apprehensive about introducing new EVs into a stagnant market, and it shouldn’t be blamed for it either. It put forth efforts to perfect its hybrid systems before going all-in on electric mobility, something that has been successful thanks to the brand’s history of hybrid vehicles that went toe-to-toe with the Prius. Proving it has the resources to build a new, stronger hybrid powerplant and deploy it in the Ridgeline might even be the evidence Honda needs to justify making all its vehicles hybrids. And it won’t even be a marketing ploy to showcase new technology; it might actually be practical and deliver on hybrid promises like improved fuel economy and a small amount of all-electric range to crawl around trails quietly.
Why We’re Excited About The Next Ridgeline
2024 Honda RidgelineHonda
Sedans and crossovers sitting lower to the ground provide better sightlines and are “kinder” to pedestrians if they are struck and pushed up onto the hood. The Ridgeline rides on Honda’s light-truck platform – which is government-speak for anything that isn’t a sedan – and sits far lower to the ground and weighs less than any other body-on-frame pickup.
Honda’s pickup is a vehicle with truck utility and SUV comfort, and it even offers better odds of being gentler on others in the event of a crash. In a world of ever-growing pickups, the Ridgeline staying well within its proportions is a sight for sore eyes and one of the best trucks out there – if you can finally admit you don’t need a full-size truck when you don’t actually do truck things.
Sources: Honda, Consumer Reports
