2023 Honda Ridgeline

2023 is a carry-over year inside the second generation (2017–), sitting between the 2021 refresh and the 2024 TrailSport update: one 3.5L direct-injected i-VTEC V6 with VCM rated 280 hp on Sport, RTL, RTL-E and Black Edition alike. Against a truck band reaching 800 hp it normalizes low.

The naturally aspirated V6 peaks late at 4,700 rpm, the same on every 2023 trim; well behind turbocharged mid-size rivals such as the Colorado/Canyon 2.7T (430 lb-ft), so it normalizes near the floor of the truck band.

Mechanically identical to the 2021–2022 truck (same V6, 9-speed, standard AWD and curb weights), so the published test span carries over: rollout-corrected magazine runs in the low 6s, Edmunds' track test at 7.2 s. The value is the centre of that span.

The V6 is smooth and linear with no turbo lag, transparent VCM cylinder deactivation and Active Control Engine Mounts, isolated by a unibody that damps better than body-on-frame rivals. The high torque peak means it needs revs when loaded, and idle-stop restarts are noticeable.

The 9-speed automatic with push-button shift-by-wire and paddle shifters is generally smooth and quick in daily driving, but it can hesitate to downshift on grades and occasionally clunk at low speed, and there is no tow/haul mode.

Every 2023 Ridgeline is rated at 5,000 lbs, roughly two-thirds of what body-on-frame mid-size rivals (Tacoma, Ranger, Colorado) manage.

Payload tops out at 1,583 lbs on the lightest Sport and falls to 1,509 lbs on RTL-E/Black Edition; useful for the truck's intended duty but low against a band reaching 3,400 lbs.

Integrated Class III hitch, 7-pin connector and heavy-duty transmission cooler are standard on every trim, with trailer stability assist folded into VSA and a multi-angle rear camera. No integrated trailer brake controller, tow/haul mode, trailer backup assist or trailer cameras.

i-VTM4 torque-vectoring AWD is standard on every 2023 trim with Intelligent Traction Management (Normal/Snow/Sand/Mud). No low range or transfer case keeps it from deeper into the top band.

AWD with Snow/Sand/Mud modes handles dirt roads and boat ramps, but 7.64 in of clearance, 20.4°/19.6°/19.6° angles, no skid plates, no lockers and no low range keep it pavement-oriented; the off-road TrailSport did not arrive until 2024.

One powertrain and one driveline: 3.5L V6, 9AT, AWD on every trim. No turbo, hybrid, PHEV or EV option, narrower than the Tacoma's two-engine lineup or the Maverick's hybrid/turbo choice.

A single EPA configuration for 2023: the 280-hp 3.5L V6 with VCM, 9-speed automatic and standard AWD, rated 21 MPG combined across every trim. Among the better gas mid-size trucks.

EPA city rating is identical across the 2023 lineup; cylinder deactivation helps little in stop-and-go.

Highway is the Ridgeline's strongest EPA number, helped by the unibody's lower mass and VCM at cruise.

fueleconomy.gov lists 410 miles of total range from the 19.5-gallon tank; adequate for a mid-size truck but short of full-size rivals with 26-gallon-plus tanks.

EPA's annual fuel-cost estimate at 15,000 miles and 55% city driving on regular gasoline, as currently published.

Every 2023 trim runs on regular 87-octane unleaded with no premium recommendation, no diesel/DEF and no charging needs.

The 2023 Ridgeline is a carry-over year of the second generation (2017–), post-2021 refresh, and keeps NHTSA's 5-star overall rating on an unchanged unibody structure — top of the mid-size pickup class.

Good in driver small overlap, moderate overlap, side, roof strength and head restraints, with only passenger-side small overlap at Acceptable — but no 2023 IIHS award, because the headlights rate Marginal and the truck was not tested under the tougher updated moderate-overlap rear-passenger protocol.

Honda Sensing is standard on every 2023 trim — CMBS AEB with FCW, Road Departure Mitigation with LDW, LKAS and adaptive cruise — but blind-spot information with cross traffic monitor starts at RTL, so the entry Sport goes without it, and auto high-beam is limited to upper trims.

The standard CMBS earned IIHS's Superior vehicle-to-vehicle rating, avoiding collisions at both 12 and 25 mph. No pedestrian (day or night) rating was published for the 2023 truck, and the same system rated Poor when IIHS retested the unchanged truck under its newer protocols in 2026, so it stays out of the top band.

Blind Spot Information with Cross Traffic Monitor comes on three of the four 2023 trims (RTL, RTL-E, Black Edition) but not the Sport, and it is alert-only, with no steering or braking intervention and no trailer-length coverage.

LKAS and Road Departure Mitigation are standard and give real centering on well-marked highways, but the older Honda system wanders between the lines, needs clear markings, and RDM is often criticized for aggressive interventions.

Adaptive cruise is standard but lacks Low-Speed Follow, so it drops out at low speed instead of handling stop-and-go traffic, and owners report surging and losing the lead car on curves.

No hands-free highway driving system is offered on any 2023 Ridgeline trim; Honda Sensing requires hands on the wheel at all times.

IIHS rates the only 2023 headlight setup Marginal (LED projector low beams with halogen reflector high beams), so no trim has better lighting. Auto high-beam is limited to upper trims.

The unibody, Pilot-derived design has a lower beltline, a large rear window and a squared-off hood, giving better sightlines than body-on-frame rivals. There is no 360-degree camera on any trim; a multi-angle rearview camera is standard.

IIHS rates LATCH Acceptable, and all three rear seats have complete LATCH hardware, which is rare among pickups. The crew cab has wide-opening doors and a flat floor, though the anchors take some digging to reach.

The 2023 Ridgeline (second generation, carry-over year after the 2021 restyle) is sold only as a five-passenger crew cab in Sport, RTL, RTL-E and Black Edition trims.

The volume RTL has a standard one-touch power moonroof, which trims front headroom to 39.5 in. The moonroof-less Sport has 40.1 in. Both are mid-pack for the class.

At 40.9 in, front legroom sits just below the bottom of the truck band, and body-on-frame mid-size rivals quote more.

Second-row headroom of 38.8 in is fine for adults but lands in the lower part of the truck band, which full-size crew cabs set.

36.7 in of rear legroom is competitive among mid-size crew cabs but well short of full-size crew cabs. The flat rear floor helps it feel roomier than the number suggests.

There is one bed length: a 64.0-in floor with the tailgate up. No long bed is offered. The floor is 50.0 in wide between the wheel wells, so 4-ft sheet goods lie flat.

The open bed holds 33.9 cu ft. The lockable in-bed trunk adds another 7.3 cu ft below the floor, but that is not counted as bed volume.

This is the Ridgeline's clearest advantage in its segment. Every trim gets a lockable, drainable in-bed trunk, a dual-action tailgate, and a 60/40 lift-up rear seat with 2.9 cu ft of underseat storage. The console is a multi-function design. The 150/400-W bed outlet and truck-bed audio are RTL-E and Black Edition only, so the volume RTL has no onboard power.

The RTL has leather front seats, a 10-way power driver's seat with power lumbar and two-position memory, and a 4-way power passenger seat. Reviewers find them comfortable on long drives. The rear bench is roomy but has a flat cushion, and the Sport makes do with manual cloth seats.

Its unibody structure and fully independent suspension, shared with the Pilot and Passport, give it the smoothest unladen ride of any mid-size pickup by a clear margin.

Active Noise Cancellation is standard, and RTL and up add an acoustic windshield, so it is quieter at cruise than body-on-frame rivals. The V6 is vocal when worked hard.

Tri-zone automatic climate control is standard, and heated front seats come from RTL up. The volume RTL has no heated wheel, which starts at RTL-E. No 2023 trim offers ventilated seats or heated rear seats.

2023 carries over the 2021 refresh within the second generation (from MY2017): every trim is a crew-cab, 3.5L V6, 9-speed, i-VTM4 AWD truck. Without a 2WD or four-cylinder entry, the starting price is higher than body-on-frame rivals' base trims.

RTL is the representative volume trim, consistent with the other Ridgeline years. It adds leather, heated front seats and a power driver's seat to the Sport's standard Honda Sensing, AWD and V6.

The naturally aspirated J35 V6 and Pilot-derived unibody drivetrain have no turbos, CVT or transfer case. The two main datasets disagree widely, so this uses their midpoint. Honda's 10-year/unlimited-mile starter-system warranty extension covers 2020–2023 Ridgelines, which caps the generation's best-known failure.

After three years, KBB shows about 63% of the Sport's as-new price retained. Projecting the usual 2–3 points per year beyond that lands near 58% at year five. That is solid in absolute terms, but it sits mid-pack for mid-size trucks and well behind the Tacoma.

Honda's 3/36 coverage matches Toyota, Ford and GM but trails Hyundai's 5/60 on the Santa Cruz and Nissan's 5/60 on the 2022+ Frontier.

5/60 is the segment baseline and well short of Hyundai's 10/100k. The starter-system extension is narrow goodwill coverage, not a longer powertrain term.

There is no complimentary scheduled maintenance. Perks are limited to 24-hour roadside assistance for the 3/36 term and a HondaLink trial on upper trims. Toyota's ToyotaCare (2 yr/25k mi) on the Tacoma beats it.

$43,125 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (58% retained, or about $25,013) leaves about $18,113 in depreciation. Add the projected $5,170 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $23,283 in total.

Consumer Reports rates the 2023 Ridgeline more reliable than the average 2023 vehicle, and J.D. Power gives it an 80/100 Quality & Reliability score. J.D. Power labels that score 'Average', though, so the two sources only partly agree. 2023 is a carry-over year on the second generation after the 2021 refresh, before the 2024 infotainment change that coincided with CR's later rating falling to average.

In this period Honda sits steadily in the upper tier of Consumer Reports' brand reliability rankings, around the top five, and close to the industry average in J.D. Power's dependability and initial-quality studies. That makes it a strong brand, just below the Toyota/Lexus tier.

NHTSA lists five recall campaigns that cover MY2023. They are a brake master-cylinder tie-rod fastener that can let the master cylinder separate, a steering-gearbox inner ball joint housing that can detach (only 245 vehicles), rear subframe corrosion in salt-belt states, a cracking front-passenger seat weight sensor, and the rearview-camera tailgate harness. None involves the powertrain or a fire risk, but two touch brakes and steering, which puts the record above the segment's clean baseline.

The 2023 Ridgeline keeps the 280-hp 3.5L J-series V6, 9-speed automatic and standard i-VTM4 AWD. The J35 family is routinely documented past 200,000 miles, and iSeeCars ranks the Ridgeline among the trucks most likely to reach 200,000 miles. Two things hold it out of the top band: the Variable Cylinder Management system's known oil-consumption and spark-plug-fouling history, and the ZF-derived 9-speed, a transmission family with a mixed industry record even though Ridgeline failure data is benign.

The cabin is derived from the Pilot, so its materials beat the mid-size truck norm, with soft-touch surfaces at the main touch points and hard plastics kept below dash level. The 2023 truck still has the older 8-inch display, which the 2024 update replaced, and the architecture is starting to age.

The unibody structure gives a notably quiet, rattle-free cabin by pickup standards, and owners and reviewers consistently describe assembly as solid. The Ridgeline has not won a recent J.D. Power segment initial-quality award, so it stays below the top band.

Honda runs about 1,000+ US franchise dealers, one of the densest mainstream service networks in the country, so warranty and recall work is reachable almost anywhere. Service satisfaction is solid but mid-pack in J.D. Power's Customer Service Index.

Running costs are below the segment norm. RepairPal puts the Ridgeline's average annual repair cost at about $502, against $548 for mid-size trucks, and heavy parts sharing with the Pilot, Passport and Odyssey keeps mechanical parts plentiful. What it lacks is the deep lift, body and accessory aftermarket a Tacoma has.

Every 2023 trim gets the 8-in Display Audio touchscreen, and no bigger screen is offered; the 9-in unit arrived with the 2024 refresh. That puts it at the bottom of the truck band.

The 8-in screen is attractive and has had a physical volume knob since the 2021 update. Reviewers still fault its convoluted menus and the shortage of supporting hard buttons, and it is slower and older than the 2024 replacement.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard on every trim, but only wired. Wireless projection arrived with the 2024 refresh.

Native satellite navigation with voice recognition comes only on RTL-E and Black Edition, and Edmunds calls it rudimentary. The volume RTL relies on phone projection.

Sport and RTL have a 215-W, 7-speaker system with a subwoofer. RTL-E and Black Edition get a 540-W, 8-speaker system plus the unique truck-bed audio exciters. No branded premium system is offered.

Every trim has analog gauges flanking a small color TFT driver information display. No full-digital or configurable cluster is offered; the 7-in meter display arrived for 2024.

HondaLink provides basic telematics, but there are no whole-vehicle over-the-air updates. Infotainment and map updates are handled by the dealer or by USB.

The HondaLink app covers remote start, lock/unlock and locate, but the remote features need a paid subscription after the trial. There is no phone-as-key.

The volume RTL has only one 1.5-A USB-A data port and one 2.5-A USB-A charge port, with no USB-C, no wireless charging and no rear USB. RTL-E and Black Edition add two rear 2.5-A ports, a wireless charger and the 400-W bed outlet.

Smart Entry proximity access and remote engine start are standard on every trim, and RTL-E and up add Walk Away Auto Lock. There is no phone-as-key, and the tailgate is manual.

A multi-angle rear camera with dynamic guidelines is standard. Front and rear parking sensors are limited to RTL-E and Black Edition, and no trim offers a 360-degree camera.

No 2023 Ridgeline trim offers a head-up display.

Every Ridgeline is a crew cab. Wide rear doors, a flat floor and a low step-in make kids and car seats easier to manage than in body-on-frame mid-size trucks. IIHS rates LATCH ease of use Acceptable rather than Good.

It earns 5 stars overall from NHTSA, and the Honda Sensing suite is standard on every trim. Blind-spot and cross-traffic monitoring are missing from the base Sport, and IIHS gave no award because of Marginal headlights.

The class-best ride, standard tri-zone climate and lockable in-bed trunk make long family drives easy. The volume RTL has no rear USB ports, rear charging is RTL-E and up only, and there is no rear entertainment or rear seat heating.

It drives like a crossover, with a smooth V6, a compliant ride and good sightlines. Honda Sensing adaptive cruise without low-speed follow makes it less helpful in stop-and-go traffic.

It returns 21 MPG combined on regular fuel, which is average for a mid-size gas truck. No hybrid or more efficient powertrain is offered.

A 43.4-ft turning circle is tight for a truck, and visibility is good. Still, at 210 in long it is a lot to park, the volume RTL has no parking sensors, and no trim offers a 360-degree camera.

It tows 5,000 lbs, carries a 1,544-lb payload on the RTL and has a short 64-in bed, all at the light end of the mid-size class. The bed floor is 50 in wide between the wheel wells, but the naturally aspirated V6 lacks low-end torque under load.

The 3.5-L V6 and 9-speed powertrain are proven, but the unibody chassis and independent rear suspension tolerate abuse less well than body-on-frame rivals. It is not a fleet staple.

It has a composite bed, a lockable in-bed trunk, a dual-action tailgate, eight 350-lb tie-down cleats and a standard integrated Class III hitch. The 400-W bed outlet is RTL-E and up only, and the upfit ecosystem is smaller than the Tacoma's.

Highway ride is excellent and the cabin is quiet at cruise, helped by Active Noise Cancellation and the RTL's acoustic windshield. A 19.5-gal tank at 21 MPG combined gives roughly 400 miles of range. Adaptive cruise without low-speed follow limits how much the driver aids reduce fatigue.

Standard i-VTM4 torque-vectoring AWD with terrain modes and 7.64 in of clearance handles trailheads and gravel easily. There is no low range, no locker and no off-road trim; the TrailSport arrived for 2024.

The 7.3 cu ft lockable in-bed trunk, dual-action tailgate, lift-up rear seat with underseat storage and standard hitch make it unusually flexible for gear. The bed itself is short.

The unibody chassis, independent rear suspension and torque-vectoring i-VTM4 AWD make it the most composed-handling mid-size truck. Body roll is modest and grip is predictable.

The electric power steering is accurate and quick for a truck at 3.04 turns lock to lock, but it offers little feedback.

The pedal is firm and progressive, with 12.6-in front and 13.0-in rear discs. Instrumented stops on the 2021–2023 Black Edition were long, about 195 ft from 70 mph per Car and Driver, which is average to soft for the class.

The 280-hp V6 is smooth and linear, and Idle-Stop and cylinder deactivation are unobtrusive. The 9-speed automatic can hunt and hesitate on grades, and low-end torque trails turbo rivals.

Active engine mounts and Active Noise Cancellation keep the V6 well isolated at cruise, but it gets loud near its 6,000-rpm power peak.

A 43.4-ft curb-to-curb turning diameter is tight for a crew-cab pickup.

The seating position is car-like, with good sightlines and an easy step-in. The RTL adds a 10-way power driver's seat with memory. Climate controls are physical, but the infotainment has few supporting hard buttons.

It is competent and refined rather than exciting. The 2023 HPD package is cosmetic, and there is no off-road or performance trim to add character.

Every 2023 trim comes standard with the 280-hp V6, i-VTM4 torque-vectoring AWD, Honda Sensing, the in-bed trunk and the dual-action tailgate. Rivals hold that content for higher trims. The Sport's 8-inch Display Audio is dated, and the 9-inch wireless-CarPlay screen did not arrive until 2024.

Value is fair overall. Standard AWD, V6 refinement and clever storage justify the ~$40K start, but body-on-frame rivals deliver more towing and off-road ability per dollar.

There are four trims (Sport, RTL, RTL-E, Black Edition) plus an HPD appearance package, all on one configuration: crew cab, 64-in bed, V6, AWD. Buyers get no cab, bed or powertrain choice and no off-road trim, since the TrailSport arrived in 2024.

A steady niche seller that recovered in 2023 as supply improved. It still sits well behind Tacoma, Colorado, Frontier and Ranger in mid-size truck volume.

Honda's reliability, resale and owner-satisfaction halo supports the Ridgeline. Traditional truck buyers' skepticism of the unibody 'not a real truck' design holds it back.

Post-pandemic inventory was tight early in the 2023 model year and many deals happened near MSRP. Modest Honda APR/lease programs returned as supply normalized later in the year.

2023 is the seventh year of the second generation (from MY2017) and carries over the 2021 restyle. The interior tech was dated, and a refresh (new screen, TrailSport) was a year away, while the 2024 Colorado/Canyon and Tacoma redesigns made it look older.

Reviewers consistently praise the ride, refinement, cabin space and clever bed features. The generation won 2017 North American Truck of the Year, but it rarely wins comparisons on towing or off-road capability.