2026 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport Review: Practical Utility Paired with Reliable Daily Driving Performance
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Desires and necessities don’t always coincide. I would love to have The Drive's Truck of the Year, the Rivian R1 Quad, parked in my garage, yet very few genuinely need one. The parking lot filled with F-150s and Silverados during my son's soccer practice? Those drivers, at least some, don’t require a truck for commuting and handling school pickups, but they want one. The 2026 Honda Ridgeline? Now that’s a practical option.
The Ridgeline TrailSport may not fall within the "want" category of your Venn diagram, but it likely fits into the "need" category. It's smaller and more manageable compared to the oversized full-size trucks while still offering sufficient capability that suits many consumers’ lifestyles, fulfilling a genuine need. Perhaps that’s part of the reason the Ridgeline once outsold the Jeep Gladiator.
I recently spent a week reminding myself why sensible individuals prioritize needs over wants. It didn’t lessen my yearning for a Quad, but then again, I’m not the most practical person. [Ed. note: he truly isn’t.]
Joel Feder
The Essentials
The 2026 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport is the truck we are all familiar with and some admire. Aside from a few exceptions like the Ford Maverick (RIP Hyundai Santa Cruz), the Ridgeline is an unibody pickup featuring a four-door cab, a 5-foot-4 composite bed with underfloor storage (similar to the Rivian), and a dual-access tailgate that Ram has imitated.
The Ridgeline is lower and more compact compared to any full-size truck. Its bed sides are lower, allowing you to reach over into the bed easily. The front end has a more blunt appearance than before, but the hood still slopes off. The tested TrailSport model, which is designed for off-road light usage, includes an egg-crate grille, five-spoke 18-inch dark alloy wheels, and some specific badging. The tailgate lacks damping and merely drops down, but it can also fold down or swing open sideways. This truck isn’t intimidating or aggressive in appearance; it simply is what it is.
The interior should be familiar to Honda enthusiasts, as it retains the dashboard design from the previous-generation Pilot. This means there are soft-touch materials and physical buttons for the three-zone climate control system. Yes, three-zone because that's a carryover from the Honda Pilot. A tech update in 2024 introduced a 9-inch touchscreen and a 7-inch digital gauge cluster, which still features an analog speedometer. There's a physical volume knob, but the touchscreen interface looks outdated, with large icons and a slow response time. The delay worsens further with wireless Apple CarPlay, as if the processor is struggling to keep pace.
My kids had no complaints about the rear seat. At 5-foot-10, I can sit comfortably back there with the front seat adjusted for me. While the second row has less legroom compared to a full-size pickup, it isn’t cramped. The second-row seat bottom flips up for additional space, similar to a full-size truck, and the packaging reminds me of the now-defunct Honda Fit and its Magic Seat configuration in the second row.
Joel Feder
Driving the 2026 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport
Every Ridgeline features a 3.5-liter V6 engine that generates 280 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque. A nine-speed automatic transfers power to all four wheels, providing several drive modes that modify throttle sensitivity and traction control for Snow, Mud, Sand, and Normal driving.
In Normal mode, the V6 delivers power smoothly in a very Honda manner, which is a compliment. The absence of forced induction or a turbo-four feels almost old-fashioned, except in the context of a V8 these days. The nine-speed automatic transmission prioritizes fuel economy with early upshifts, which was tolerable in the Pilot and remains so here, but the 10-speed in the latest Pilot is superior.
The Ridgeline drives similarly to the last-generation Pilot since they share the same platform. The differences are noticeable, including a lighter rear end, a more weighted feeling at the front due to a different weight distribution, and somewhat numb steering, possibly exacerbated by the TrailSport's substantial General Grabber all-terrain tires. The suspension is both compliant and well-controlled, though it lacks any sporty claims. Potholes and rough roads during a Midwest winter hardly disturb the Ridgeline, making it exceedingly comfortable. Long trips would pass quickly in this vehicle.
Its smaller size also allows for easy navigation through parking lots and school drop-offs. Additionally, visibility is better than in full-size trucks, thanks to the short hood, tall windows, and low dashboard
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2026 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport Review: Practical Utility Paired with Reliable Daily Driving Performance
The Honda Ridgeline indicates that it may be beneficial to reconsider just how much truck you actually require.