The 2007 Honda Ridgeline is a four-door, mid-size pickup truck produced by the Japanese automaker Honda. It is offered in a Four-Wheel-Drive (4WD) and five-seater configuration. The Ridgeline was launched in March 2005 as a 2006 model. It was awarded the Motor Trend's Truck of the Year for 2006.
With Ridgeline, Honda made an entry into the North American pickup truck market. The Ridgeline is available in four trim levels: RT, RTX, RTS, and RTL.
The RTX trim level was added for 2007. For the same year, the RTL received a standard moon-roof.
The Ridgeline comes with a limited warranty of one year or 12,000 miles and a powertrain warranty of seven years or 100,000 miles.
The 2007 Ridgeline competes with the Chevrolet Colorado Extended Cab, Chevrolet Avalanche, Toyota Tacoma Double Cab, Dodge Dakota Quad Cab, and Nissan Frontier Crew Cab.
Engine and Performance
Powerful and exhilarating
All trims of the 2007 Ridgeline derive power from a 3.5-liter V6 engine that generates 247 hp @ 5,750 rpm and 245 lb-ft. of torque @ 4,500 rpm. The engine generates power by Multi-Point Fuel Injection (MPFI), and teams up with a 5-speed automatic transmission (AT) to give a powerful and smooth acceleration.
The Ridgeline delivers a fuel mileage of 16 mpg in the city and 21 mpg on the highway.
Walk-around
Strong, sturdy, and full of options
With an integrated closed-box frame design, the Ridgeline offers a unique blend of overall truck capability, towing performance, and ruggedness.
It stands on a wheelbase of 122.0 feet and measures 206.8 inches in length. Its front fascia is marked by multi-reflector halogen headlights, body-colored bumper, and a unique honeycomb-mesh grille with chrome trimmings.
Ridgeline’s Steel-Reinforced Composite (SRC) cargo bed measures 60.0 with the tailgate up and 79.0 inches in length with the tailgate down. Six heavy-duty tie-down cleats, each with a capacity of 350 pounds, are located throughout the bed, and special channels secure heavy cargo for safe transport. Steel cross members underneath the bed maintain integrity to combat the stress of heavy loads. The cargo bed is resistant to scratches, dents, gouges, and corrosion.
The Ridgeline also features an 8.5 cubic feet, lockable In-Bed Trunk, which comes with two molded-in bag hooks, as well as guides that allow for the setting up of dividers. This In-Bed Trunk is made out of the same high-strength composite material as the bed.
The Ridgeline comes with a dual-action tailgate which can either be swung open like a door or lowered like a conventional tailgate. It allows easy access to the trunk and the bed contents.
All trims of the Ridgeline come standard with folding power side mirrors and bright brake-lights, which contribute to its aggressive design.
The RT comes with black door handles while the other trims possess body-colored door handles. The RTL comes standard with a power moon-roof. The RTX comes standard with a towing package that includes a trailer hitch and wiring harness, available to other trim levels as an accessory.
All trims except for the RT come standard with 17-inch alloy wheels. The RT comes with 17-inch styled steel wheels. All the four trims roll on 245 / 65 R17 105S All-season tires.
The Ridgeline is available in a host of colors such as Aberdeen Green Metallic, Dark Cherry Pearl, Formal Black, Nimbus Gray Metallic, Steel Blue Metallic, White, and Billet Silver Metallic.
Comfort, Controls and Convenience
Trucking in car comfort
The Ridgeline, despite being a pickup truck, offers surprisingly comfortable and roomy interiors. It can seat up to five passengers comfortably.
The RTL comes standard with leather-trimmed seats and heated front seats. A 60/40 lift-up rear seat with under seat storage is present in all the trims.
The RT and RTX feature 6-way manual driver's seat adjustment while RTS and RTL feature 8-way manual driver's seat adjustment. Driver's seat with power lumbar support is standard on the RTL, but RTS comes with a driver's seat with manual lumbar support.
Leather-wrapped steering wheel and gear shift knob are exclusive to the RTL.
The RT and RTX come standard with air conditioning with air-filtration system, while a dual-zone automatic climate control with air-filtration system is standard on the RTS and RTL.
Some interior features standard on all the trims are power windows, power door locks, steering wheel-mounted controls, adjustable steering column, multi-functional center storage console with sliding armrest, beverage holders, and remote fuel filler door release.
The Ridgeline’s instrument panel includes Maintenance Minder System, Vehicle Stability Assist-on indicator, Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) indicator, tire pressure monitoring system indicator, tailgate-open indicator, low-fuel indicator and low-oil pressure indicator, among others. The instrument panel in RTS and RTL also includes exterior temperature indicator.
For entertainment, RT and RTX come standard with a 100-Watt AM/FM/XM Ready/CD audio system with six speakers, while RTS and RTL feature a 160-Watt AM/FM/XM Ready/6-Disc In-Dash CD Changer audio system with seven speakers including sub-woofer.
XM Satellite Radio, which offers more than 170 digital channels of music, news, sports, traffic, weather and entertainment, is standard on RTL. The Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System with Voice Recognition feature is optional on the RTL.
The Ridgeline can tow up to 5,000 pounds of payload.
Driving Impressions
Cruising smoothness
For a hefty truck, the Honda Ridgeline delivers a surprisingly amazing driving experience.
It features a refined Variable Torque Management 4-Wheel-Drive System (VTM-4) that automatically offers the maximum hold in low-traction conditions. A button on the dashboard allows the driver to lock the rear differential for extra traction in mud and sand.
The Ridgeline is maneuvered by a variable power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering, which is tight yet precise and responsive.
The 3.5-liter V6 engine is smooth and offers plenty of power for cruising, but lacks the power to haul heavy loads.
The V6 is coupled with a 5-speed AT, which performs very well. It shifts up smoothly, though down-shifting may be a little slow at times. But that does not affect its overall performance, which is great.
The Ridgeline rides on a McPherson strut front suspension and a Multi-link rear suspension with trailing arms. The suspension system offers a smooth ride on rough surfaces and in off-road conditions.
Power-assisted ventilated front disc and solid rear disc brakes provide sharp stopping power to the Ridgeline.
The integrated closed-box frame design helps ensure a quiet ride with excellent handling, even when towing big loads.
While a high ground clearance of 8.2 inches helps the Ridgeline take on rough terrains with ease, a large turning diameter of 42.6 feet poses a bit of a problem in maneuvering it in tight spots.
Overall, the Ridgeline impresses with its smoothness and maneuverability. It is not just a terrific performer but also fun to drive.
Safety
Headline
The Ridgeline comes loaded with safety features to protect its occupants. It was the first 4-door pickup to have been conferred with the highest government crash-test rating of five stars for both frontal and side-impact tests. It also has the lowest chance of roll-over among all pickup trucks tested by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Some safety features standard on the Ridgeline are side-impact door beams, 3-point seat belts at all seating positions, front 3-point seat belts with automatic tensioning system, adjustable front seat belt anchors, dual-stage and dual-threshold front airbags, front side airbags with passenger-side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS), and side curtain airbags with rollover sensor.
It also features Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), vehicle stability assist with traction control, brake assist, tire pressure monitoring system, Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH), child-proof rear door locks, and an emergency trunk opener.
