Pickup trucks are among the most popular vehicle segments, especially in the States. They are great options for those seeking a utility vehicle with competent towing and off-road capabilities. The resurgence of compact pickup trucks has helped shake up the segment in recent times to offer more accessible options to the regular full-size trucks while maintaining the versatility and capability offered by the body style.
The 2022 Honda Ridgeline is one of the best choices in the mid-size pickup truck segment with its incredible versatility and a blend of truck and crossover attributes. Honda offers the Ridgeline with four well-equipped trims, including the range-topping Black Edition. Buyers have to part with $46,230, which is an eight-grand premium over what you pay for the base car. It is a lot of money that might need some justification. Still, it brings a lot to the table, and here are some things we like about the 2022 Honda Ridgeline Black Edition.
10 The Ridgeline Black Edition Comes With A Powerful V6 Engine
The Honda Ridgeline Black Edition benefits from the proven 3.5-liter V6 engine used across all the Ridgeline trim levels. The naturally aspirated motor is one of the most dependable motors from Honda in recent times, and it provides 280 hp and 262 lb-ft of torque on tap. It is a proven and powerful engine that should get the job done with high expected reliability.
9 Great On-Road Manners
The Ridgeline drives like a crossover SUV with a truck bed than a rough-and-tumble truck. That is because it comes with a unibody chassis borrowed from the Honda Passport and Honda Pilot SUVs. The non-traditional construction gives the Ridgeline the driving comfort of its SUV siblings with the added towing and cargo bed of a truck.
It doesn’t have the off-road capabilities of the Ford Ranger, which is its closest rival. But its nice handling and ride quality make it the right choice for city dwellers who need a little versatility and cargo-carrying capacity without going all-out rugged.
8 Clever Bed Innovations
One of the key features that helps differentiate the Honda Ridgeline is the masterfully engineered tailgate. It opens and operates downwards like any other pickup truck tailgate to add usable length to accommodate your motorcycles or other long cargo items. But this one adds the capability to open sideways, allowing access to things further in the truck.
It doesn’t end there, as the sideways opening tailgates give owners to the other clever bed features like the in-bed trunk. It comes with plenty of space, and with the available accessories, you can partition it to suit your storage needs. And it is lockable to secure your luggage.
7 The Ridgeline Black Edition Comes With Standard AWD
One of the welcome benefits of the Ridgeline is that it comes with a standard all-wheel-drive, meaning you don’t have to spend extra money to get the all-important feature for a vehicle in its class. You can only have it on higher trims or as an optional feature with its main rival, the Ford Ranger.
The system distributes engine torque from front to back while instinctively directing power to the wheels with traction.
6 Leather-Trimmed Seats
Honda Ridgeline trims receive leather-trimmed interiors from the RTL model upwards. But the Black Edition gets the model-specific Black Edition Leather seats. These help extend the black exterior trims into the cabin.
The perforated black leather seats come with a black headliner and a leather-trimmed steering wheel, all embellished with red contrast stitching. The front seat has a Black Edition logo to confirm the truck’s uniqueness.
5 Automatic Climate Control And Heated Seat
The Ridgeline Black Edition is undoubtedly the ultimate trim for you if the hefty price tag isn’t an issue. It even gets better for those who need a companion for winter climates.
It comes with heated seats and automated climate control, which will come in handy in shielding the truck’s occupants when the weather outside gets frosty.
4 Aggressive Look With Bold Black Accents
One of the clearest differentiators of the Black Edition trim is its exclusive exterior trim. It has distinctive black chrome accents on the front grille bar, window surrounds, and rear bumper.
Also, you get 18-inch black alloy wheels and a Crystal Black Pearl paint job alongside other black exterior enhancements like door handles, skid plates, and mirrors. These help strike the perfect balance between the aggressiveness and refinement that the model embodies.
3 The Black Edition Comes Well Equipped
All Honda Ridgeline trims come fairly well-equipped, including the Sport model. But the Black Edition gets all the equipment on the TRL-E model and adds more goodies, making it significantly more equipped than the base model.
Besides the model-specific exterior styling, you get reed ambit lighting on the interior, which may look like a gimmick but adds to the driving experience when you get to business.
2 In-Bed Audio System
The Ridgeline Black Edition just doesn’t seem to run out of cool features in its rear end. The bed trunk comes with a drain plug which allows you to fill the trunk with water or ice, making the truck a good choice for a tailgate party.
Party people will also love the truck-bed audio system that comes standard with the Black Edition, a first in the industry. To start using it, you have to put the transmission in Park and the ignition in on or accessory mode. Pressing the truck bed audio button turns the truck bed into a huge speaker system.
1 Five-Star Safety Ratings
The Honda Ridgeline gets an overall five-star safety rating from the NHTSA, with full marks on all categories bar the rollover rating, which gets four stars. And the Black Edition adds other standard advanced features that aren’t available or are optional on the lower trims.
You get the Honda Sensing suite, Collision Mitigation Braking System, Road Departure Mitigation System, Multi-Angle Rearview Camera, Blind Spot Information System, Parking sensors, and Adaptive cruise control.