2009 Honda Ridgeline

The Honda Ridgeline is a midsize pickup truck that takes a different approach from most rivals: instead of body-on-frame construction, it uses a unibody platform shared with Honda's larger crossovers. Sold in the US since the 2006 model year (with a hiatus for 2015-2016), it comes exclusively as a four-door crew cab with a roughly five-foot bed, and every version has been powered by a 3.5-liter V6. Signature features include a lockable In-Bed Trunk under the bed floor and a dual-action tailgate that swings sideways or folds down.

The Ridgeline's unibody design trades some heavy-duty towing and off-road capability for a smoother ride, more composed handling, and a quieter cabin than most traditional midsize trucks, along with a flat-floored back seat and clever storage. It suits shoppers who want pickup utility for everyday hauling, home projects, and light towing rather than maximum trailer ratings or rock crawling. It won North American Truck of the Year for both 2006 and 2017, and it competes with the Toyota Tacoma, Ford Ranger, and Chevrolet Colorado.

The 2009 model: Launched for 2006, the original Ridgeline was Honda's first pickup for the US, built on a unibody platform rather than a traditional truck frame. It paired a 3.5-liter V6 with a 5-speed automatic and standard VTM-4 all-wheel drive, and introduced the lockable In-Bed Trunk and dual-action tailgate. A 2009 refresh updated styling and equipment, and the generation ended after 2014, followed by a two-year gap with no 2015 or 2016 model years.