2013 Honda Ridgeline

The 2013 Honda Ridgeline Crew Cab has four trims on offer with a similar design language and a single powertrain option, which is a 3.5 liter V6. The RT is the base trim, followed by the Sport, RTS, and the top-of-the-line RTL. The base trim starts at $29,450 and packs lots of safety features, all-wheel-drive, cruise control, single-zone front air conditioning, etc. The higher trims have a bit more opulence inside the cabin like a leather-covered steering wheel, power-adjustable seats, leather seats, etc.

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It is recommended to consider the RTS trim since it packs a lot of additional features like power-adjustable driver and passenger seats, a 7-speaker system, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, and dual-zone climate control. At a price of $32,155, it is not any more expensive than any of its competitors and manages to be a well-performing all-rounder pick-up truck.

As mentioned above, the Ridgeline comes with only one engine option while the competition has multiple engine options. The engine under the hood is a 3.5-liter naturally aspirated V6 that puts out 250 horsepower and 247 pound-feet of torque. This engine is mated to a 5-speed automatic and has an all-wheel-drive setup as standard. The power delivery of this engine is decent and does not feel lacking but could have been more refined for everyday rides.

The engine’s 250 horses are capable but the torque figures are not that impressive, resulting in average acceleration timings. This truck reaches 60 mph in 7.9 seconds and completes a quarter of a mile in 16.1 seconds. This depicts that the truck suffers top-end performance while keeping the performance steady at lower speeds. Top speed is limited to 140 mph.

Being considerably cheaper than the competition, the Frontier delivers a staggering performance both in terms of raw engine power output and accelerations. Between the Ridgeline and Tacoma, the prior has a better raw power but lower torque figures than the latter. But the results are shocking since Tacoma performs considerably better in terms of overall acceleration. The Ford F-150 is a better performer than all this but costs significantly more.

The 2013 Honda Ridgeline Crew Cab is similar to the outgoing model year in terms of fuel economy and returns 15 MPG in the city, 21 MPG on the highways, and a combined economy of 17 MPG. Coupled with a 22-gallon gas tank, the maximum range is 374 miles combined. The figures are not bad but in accordance with the power made by the engine, the figures could have been better.

The Nissan leads the segment again with a tad better fuel economy despite putting a class-leading engine performance. It is followed by the Toyota and then the Honda. The advantage with the Honda is that it packs a slightly bigger gas tank that leads it to offer a tank range that is not too low than the competition. The Ford again packs a much bigger tank and gets the best range.

Here comes the section where the 2013 Honda Ridgeline Crew Cab shines and disappoints at the same time. The cabin is inviting and has a minimalistic design and is covered in plastic unless you opt for the top trim. The dashboard looks simple but does not feel premium because of the implementation of hard plastics. The right side holds the glove box with the air vents. The left side holds a chunky steering wheel and all analog dials for the driver. The center has a hand rest that opens up as a box for added storage.

The seats on offer are cloth-covered as standard and have leather ones on the top trim which is a bit disappointing. Nevertheless, the seats offer good cushioning and have enough bolstering at the front. The cabin can easily hold up to 5 people with an abundance of head, shoulder, and legroom for both rows. Honda has done a great job in making the cabin spacious and that elevates the comfort over long journeys. The cargo capacity is limited to up to 8.5 cubic feet, but the bed is considerably spacious. The rear seats can be folded to fit the extra luggage inside the cabin.

Among the three trucks, there is no doubt that the Honda has a more spacious and comfortable cabin experience. Although it packs slightly lower legroom for the front row when compared with the competition, the rear row spaciousness is unmatched by everything except the Ford. The Toyota and Nissan are quite similar in terms of interior dimensions with the latter holding a more spacious front row. The only major drawback of the Honda is the decreased cargo capacity, making it the least practical for carrying luggage inside the cabin. A few of the standout interior features are:

• Leather steering wheel
• Leather seats
• 8-way power-adjustable driver and passenger with power lumbar support
• Heated seats
• Cruise control
• Dual-zone automatic climate control
• Leather trims on the center console and door panels

How intuitive is the 2013 Honda Ridgeline Crew Cab’s infotainment unit?

The Ridgeline gets decent infotainment system features but lacks a center display as standard. Apart from that, the system has a 6-speaker audio system, CD player, HD radio, etc. The top variant gets a digital screen at the front for the navigation system. Overall, it is a good system although quite a basic one at that. Some of the important infotainment features are:

• Auxiliary audio output
• SiriusXM
• CD player
• Navigation system
• 6-speaker audio system
• LCD monitor for navigation

Even with no changes in the design, the Ridgeline for the 2013 model year does not look outdated like some of its rivals. The exterior has a big muscular body with high wheel arches and an aggressive stance. The front gets all halogen lights with a fairly big black and chrome intake grille and a blacked-out front bumper. As standard, the truck sits on 17-inch steel wheels.

The dimensions of the truck are quite low and make it more compact while on the other hand it has a hefty curb weight of 4,513 pounds. Although it's quite wide at 77.8 inches without the mirrors, the wheelbase is quite short at only 122 inches. It also has the lowest ground clearance in its segment at 8.2 inches. This truck can go off-road but has its limitations.

The Honda is the heaviest among the three and can be compared to the Nissan in terms of dimensions like length and height. The former has a bit more width, and a shorter wheelbase while the latter has a slightly better ground clearance. The Ford has proper truck dimensions with increased length and wheelbase. It also has a higher ground clearance at 9.3 inches, making it more off-road-centric. A few of the exterior features of the Ridgeline are as follows:

• Heated and power mirrors
• Keyless entry
• Cargo area light
• 18-inch alloy wheels
• Halogen headlights, fog lamps, and taillights

The 2013 Honda Ridgeline Crew Cab dominates the segment with its overall safety quotient. Honda has provided a strong chassis and body panels that can last the test of time without a lot of problems. Not only that, it gets rated “Good” and has been awarded “Top Safety Pick” by the IIHS for the additional driver assistance safety features. Unfortunately, the NHTSA has not rated the Ridgeline yet. A few of the important safety features are:

• All-wheel ABS with traction control
• 6 airbags
• Electronic brakeforce distribution
• Tire pressure monitoring
• Stability control
• Emergency braking assist
• Passenger airbag occupant sensing deactivation

The 2013 Honda Ridgeline Crew Cab is a family truck and exclusively for people who do not want to carry a lot of luggage. With its increased cabin size, the experience is impressive considering the competition. It also has a plethora of safety features that come standard and the reliability from Honda makes it a great option to consider. However, it has quite a few disadvantages and we hope that Honda will fix them with future generations.