Hot take

"Jim Spanfeller" (awesomeaustinv) 10/08/2020 at 13:32 • Filed to: Honda Ridgeline

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Honda has recently revealed the new, more brutish and aggressive front end treatment for the Ridgeline. The latest development in Honda making the Ridgeline uglier and less special every year! The first gen Ridgeline was exactly what a unibody truck should be, and it looked good. The “weird” sail panels, from a styling perspective, look a whole lot better than just the shape of the cab ending with a 90 degree angle.

And the gap between the cab and the bed that truck buyers complained the Ridgeline didn’t have is stupid. Honestly, that cab/bed gap that most trucks have is the biggest and ugliest panel gap in the automotive world, and a major thing I don’t like about the styling of most trucks. It’s like they started with a cohesive design, and then slashed a huge gouge in it. The Ridgeline didn’t need that ugly gap, so it dared to be different and created a pickup truck that actually looks good. The fact that they added a fake cab/bed gap on later models because idiots complained about it just makes the gap even worse, because it serves no purpose! It makes the design uglier for no reason! And now they’ve succumbed to the stupid idea that every new vehicle has to look brutish and aggressive, so they gave it a big ugly brutish pig nose of a grille. What’s worth celebrating here? That Honda is finally giving up on having any imagination? There are plenty of midsize trucks on the market that look like this already, and truck bros are going to pick them over this because they’re body on frame just like the big trucks, and they assume that’s better. Briefly, Honda offered a different sort of truck for those who didn’t care about that crap and didn’t care to be associated with it, and it was great. But those days are over. The spirit of the Ridgeline is dead. It’s dead to me, at least.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Jim Spanfeller 10/08/2020 at 13:41

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I’m guessing this new one might sell as well as the OG did the first few years , thanks to the better face.

Year sold
2005 42,593
2006 50,193
2007 42,795
2008 33,417
2009 16,464
2010 16,142
2011 9,759
2012 15,438
2013 17,723
2014 13,389
2015 520
2016 23,668
2017 34,749
2018 30,592
2019 33,334
2020 23,112

Ford sold 800k F-150s in 2006.

and 100 more > Jim Spanfeller 10/08/2020 at 13:41

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100% agree, on all points. I live the look of the 1G Ridgeline . Honda needs to zag here, not offer another samey-looking product.

Textured Soy Protein > Jim Spanfeller 10/08/2020 at 13:55

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I like the OG Ridgeline for its quirkiness and familial connection to the Element design. Your pic is a base model version of the 2009 refresh.

OG 2006:

2009 (base has the black grille insert , silver on upper trims; and this is a common theme that was applied to the Ridgeline, Element, and new-for-09 Pilot ):

2012 Sport (same basic grille shape but black trim & different insert):

Future next gen S2000 owner > Jim Spanfeller 10/08/2020 at 13:56

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To be fair, the point of the big panel gap between the bed and cab is to deal with flex. It has a function.

Ford tried to eliminate it in the early 1960's for costs but the doors didn’t work quite right with a load in the bed and people hated it.

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > Jim Spanfeller 10/08/2020 at 14:02

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I like the new look, but agree that the fake cab/bed gap is dumb. The lower bed sides make it more utilitarian. I reach  over the side of my bed to get things more often than I go through the tailgate.

ShrimpHappens, née WJalopy > Jim Spanfeller 10/08/2020 at 14:08

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Yes that’s well and good and all, but the thing is, Honda exists to make money.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Jim Spanfeller 10/08/2020 at 14:08

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I agree.

The first gen Ridgeline was brilliant! It was everything people wanted in a truck and more! It dared to be different in a good way! The first gen’s chunky utilitarian styling with that cool sail panel is just such a good looking minimalist design.

I didn’t like the front end on the second gen and this is actually an improvement in my book though. It isn’t great in photos but I’ll give it a shot. It kind of feels like second gen Tundra but less chonky.

The rear is where this design falls ap art. What happened to proudly proclaiming it as a unibody pickup? It feels like a lesser version of a body on frame pickup this way. That fake rubber strip is a badge of shame.

Besides, the Chevy Avalanche was body on frame and it didn’t have a panel gap there. And I actually thought the second gen was pretty good looking even if it was less alternative and quirky than the first gen.

Pickup_man > Jim Spanfeller 10/08/2020 at 14:09

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The OG Ridgeline was a decent looking truck, a little rugged but not overly so. The sail panels look alright, but were not a good idea, they really hinder access to the bed which is a lot of the point of a pickup (note that I’m not excusing the newer square backed trucks with 5' bed rails).

The fake bed gap is incredibly stupid, I get that it makes it look more like a traditional pickup, but on a traditional truck it at least serves a purpose. A unibody truck has zero need for a bed gap and it %100 should not be there.

I actually really like the new look, the fog light area is a bit busy, but the overall look is a huge improvement IMO, enough so that if a mid size fit my usage needs I’d really consider one while the Pilot with a bed look turned me off completely.

jeepoftheseus > Jim Spanfeller 10/08/2020 at 14:12

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A fake gap between the cab and bed is silly. Trucks , specifically trucks used for commercial or ag work, need to have a separate bed. One is for conversions to utility or flatbed and it gives those manufactures some wiggle room. Second is that truck beds, when used by employees (read: not my truck, not my problem ), get beat to hell and back. Being able to swap another white bed on your white fleet truck is a nice feature.

I agree though, it isn’t fooling anyone on the Ridgeline. 

fintail > Jim Spanfeller 10/08/2020 at 14:13

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Still looks like a Pilot El Camino, to me.

Also never ceases to amuse how the truck demographic apparently eats up the aggressive face cosplay.

Amoore100 > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 10/08/2020 at 14:25

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I once read somewhere that the Ridgeline costs so little to develop from the base Pilot that basically any number of sales makes it worth it to Honda. Not sure if that still is/ever was true, but it’s an interesting thought to consider.

shop-teacher > Jim Spanfeller 10/08/2020 at 14:56

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The problem with the sail panels on the 1st gen, is they make loading the bed from the side much more difficult. This is also a problem on new full size trucks, because the ride height and belt-lines are too damn high. Same problem, different cause, both bad.

As for the body line between the cab and the bed, I’m totally with you. It’s there on conventional trucks, because it’s a separate piece that bolts on, that can be swapped out with other kinds of utility beds, campers, etc. It’s not there on the first gen Ridgeline, because it’s a unibody vehicle all in one piece.

On the second gen Ridgeline, they put an artificial crease there to make it look more “truck-like,” and I’m 100% with you that this is stupid. It’s still a unibody, and all one piece. Now it just has a pointless stupid crease in the middle.

I think the new front end looks much better. It’s squared off and trucky, but hardly overly aggressive or aggro. I t’s a nice styling improvement, IMO . I do think those new wheels look stupid though.

The Ridgeline is a great truck. If I didn’t want to buy a bigger camper than it can tow, it might be my next truck. Keeping the Sierra for the foreseeable future though.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Future next gen S2000 owner 10/08/2020 at 16:14

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It doesn’t have function in a unibody truck tho 

Future next gen S2000 owner > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 10/08/2020 at 16:46

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Correct, I was just pointing out on most trucks, it has a purpose. I agree, it’s dumb on the Ridgeline.

Jim Spanfeller > shop-teacher 10/08/2020 at 19:43

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Yeah, in retrospect, I overreacted a little. I’m still not in love with it, but it’s growing on me. It still needs to lose the fake bed separation though.

Jim Spanfeller > Pickup_man 10/08/2020 at 19:47

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I can understand not wanting sail panels that go the distance of the whole bed. I still feel like the cab shape ought to flow into the bed at least a little bit, though. The El Camino did this well.

Jim Spanfeller > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 10/08/2020 at 19:52

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Yeah, in retrospect I overreacted a little. The design still isn’t  what I would call good, but... it’s fine. What can you expect Honda to do but make it aggressive if that’s what the market wants? Still, the fake bed separation needs to die.

shop-teacher > Jim Spanfeller 10/08/2020 at 22:55

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I’m with you on that, 100%.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Jim Spanfeller 10/08/2020 at 23:10

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Yes, the fake bed separation is bad. The front is what the market wants and I'm fine with it.

JMKarstetter > Jim Spanfeller 10/09/2020 at 01:48

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My understanding on the gap in between the bed and the cab on the second gen is that it’s easier to make with the gap, and to be able to replace he rear quarter panel separate from having to replace the whole side of the vehicle or doing a bunch of welding.

It’s even been quoted by the senior designer for Honda R&D Americas that it was “For ease of manufacturing (and likely repairs), the bed’s side fenders are separate pieces from the band of metal that wraps the cab. Doing otherwise would require a massive and unwieldy stamping. A strip of black rubber fills the gap between the pieces to keep dirt and moisture out, and to keep metal edges from rubbing together.”

So it does technically have a purpose other than looks.

Pickup_man > Jim Spanfeller 10/09/2020 at 09:05

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On a unibody, more car like, vehicle I can’t disagree with that, it blends everything together and looks pretty good. Australian utes do the same thing.

On a more traditional squared off truck though I rather like the squared off beds. 

Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer > Jim Spanfeller 10/10/2020 at 13:41

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Even the Corolla look like they asked monster energy and Skoal what they wanted in a car.  The age of tasteful restraint might be around the corner (but realistically the Mad Max times are coming)