2007 Honda Ridgeline

Honda Ridgeline a dog-friendly truck with car comfort

Sun, Mar 18th 2007

The Honda Ridgeline was introduced a couple years ago to great reviews, and it deserved every one of then. The truck is solid, comfortable, adaptable, rugged and good-looking.

But a great dogcar? That depends.

If you ask my young retriever, you’d get an enthusiastic “yes.” Although you’d think a dog who loves to go anywhere, anytime doesn’t really care what vehicle he jumps into, in fact young Woody does seem to show preference. He loved the Ridgeline. Something about the size, width and support of the rear bench seat just suited him to a T.

For casual riding with him belted in with a harness seat belt, Woody’s ride suits me, too. Lift up the rear bench seat and you can fit one large dog crate in there, safely and comfortably. (Depending on the size of the crates, you might have to remove the seat entirely.) That’s what makes the Ridgeline fine for one large dog — or a couple of small ones -– and not a lot of mud.

But add another retriever and a day of field training, and the situation gets a little muddier, figurative and literally. You couldn’t put two large crates butt-to-butt in the space left by the folded up or removed rear bench seat, and you probably wouldn’t want to let the mud-puppies ride on the seats themselves, even belted up for safety. That means you’d either be looking at putting two crates in the Ridgeline’s truck bed, or, ideally, after-marketing a shell to provide shelter from the elements. Probably fine for anything but extreme weather on the hot or cold side.

I tend to hesitate to recommend any vehicle that needs a lot of aftermarket adjustments to make it as a dog car — why bother, with so many ideal choices? But the Ridgeline has so much to offer that it’s very tempting to do so. It’s just an incredibly comfortable truck, with smooth car-like ride. It’s fun to drive, responsive to handle and easy to get around in city or suburb. Away from civilization, its four-wheel-drive is more than adequate, as is its ground clearance. Cargo space is a little compromised by its four-door status, but there’s more than enough for most situation. The deep rubber matting made post-river run clean up pretty easy, too.

The price ranges from $28,000 to $35,000, and the 4WD tester reported fuel efficiency of 16/21 average miles per gallon.

With three active retrievers who live to be muddy and the hot California climate to deal with, the Ridgeline isn’t going to be the dogcar for me. But I wouldn’t rule it out for others, and it’s well worth consideration for fewer or smaller dogs. You’ll enjoy it, and if Woody is any indication, so will your dog.

-- Gina Spadafori

Carguy Comments:The Honda Ridgeline comes in four model types with five configurations: The RL ($28,000), RTX ($28,500), RTS ($30,425), RTL with moonroof ($33,090) and the RTL ($35,090). The 3.5-liter, V-6 engine features the highly-efficient VTEC technology that produces 247 horsepower and is rated as an Ultra Low Emission Vehicle2 (ULEV2). Cargo capacity is 41 cubic feet inside the cab while the truck bed will carry 1,549 pounds. Towing capacity for the Ridgeline is 5,000 pounds.

-- Keith Turner, The Family Car

Happy Howling for Honda’s Ridgeline

Barking Lot Banter: One of the more dynamic-looking pickups on the road, the Honda Ridgeline, is the perfect dogcar . . . for some people. With a sedan-like ride and great power and handling, the Ridgeline is a favorite for many single dogs and their families. But owners of multiple dogs may yearn for more interior room to keep their pups clean and pristine.