Perspective: The 2025 Honda Ridgeline Trailsport

What do you see? At least some of you will say they see a "baby truck". Or "not really a truck." "Too small", some will say.

Oh, yeah?

Would you say that about the 1975 Chevy full-size C10 pickups?

Of course not.

But the Chevy C10 was 191 inches long, riding on a 117-inch wheelbase and was 72 inches wide. The Gross Vehicle Weight rating (GVWR) ranged between 4,900 and 6,000 pounds.

The 2025 Honda Ridgeline is 210.2 inches long, rides on a 125.2-inch wheelbase and is 78.6 inches wide. Its GVWR is 6,019 pounds. That makes the Ridgeline more than a foot and a half longer than the '75 Chevy, six and a half inches wider, with an 8.2-inch longer wheelbase and a GVWR just above the top of the C10's range.

Unless you're heavily into cosplay and telegraphing the testosterone you want people to think you possess, the Ridgeline is every bit the truck the '75 Chevy C10 was. And more.

The Ridgeline's 3.5-liter VTEC V6 engine puts out 280 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque. With a nine-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive, it gets an EPA-estimated 18 miles per gallon city/23 highway (20 combined). It has a towing capacity of 5,000 pounds. There's a heavy-duty automatic transmission cooler as part of the deal, along with intelligent traction management and a four-wheel independent suspension.

There's 33.9 cubic feet of cargo space in the bed, plus another 7.3 cubic feet in the hidden trunk under the bed. Payload capacity is 1,583 pounds.

Rear seat legroom is a solid 36.7 inches.

The base price of the 2025 Honda Ridgeline AWD Trailsport is $45,380 ($46,775 including destination). The Ridgeline is assembled in Lincoln, Alabama and 75% of its parts come from North America, so if there are any tariffs to be levied, they'd be minimal.

Standard at that price, in addition to what I've already mentioned are a comprehensive suite of active safety features, a leather-trimmed interior with a leather-wrapped heated steering wheel, a seven-speaker audio system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, SiriusXM satellite radio, navigation, voice recognition, pushbutton start, a three-zone automatic climate control, driver's 10-way power seat with memory, front passenger's four-way power seat, heated front seats, split fold-up rear seat, a fold-down rear seat center armrest, power sliding rear cabin window, auto-dimming rearview mirror, front automatic up/down mirrors, illuminated visor vanity mirrors, HomeLink, floormats, a power moonroof with tilt feature, 18-inch alloy wheels, a heated windshield, LED headlights with auto high-beams, LED foglights, a dual-action tailgate, heated power door mirrors with turn indicators, power-folding door mirrors, rear privacy glass, remote engine start, security system, walk-away locking, an integrated class III trailer hitch with harness, ambient interior lighting and an oil pan protector.

The only extra-cost option on our tester was $455 for the Diffused Sky paint, so the bottom line on the window sticker reads $47,230.

Easy to drive, easy to park, easy to live with---and every bit the truck all American full-size half-tons were before we got stupid. If you're sane, secure and in the market for a pickup, you owe yourself a test drive.