Used 2018 Honda Ridgeline Black Edition Crew Cab Review
Consumer reviews
Read what other owners think about the 2018 Honda Ridgeline Black Edition Crew Cab.
Most helpful consumer reviews
2018 Black Edition
OlMnRvr, Baldwinsville, NY, 10/17/2017
2018 Honda Ridgeline Black Edition 4dr Crew Cab AWD SB (3.5L 6cyl 6A)
I drove Chevy, Ford, and Dodge pickups before the Honda. The Honda Ridgeline fit the needs of our family better than the others. The ride is better than any vehicle I've owned or test drove. The 6 cylinder offers great acceleration as well as a 5000 pound towing capacity which is more than I'll ever need. The heated leather seats adjust to any position I need and I can preset my own … adjustment as well as one for my wife. The rear seats will accommodate average sized people with no problem and if necessary a 6+ footer could fit. It would be nice if the rear doors would open wider however. The lockable waterproof trunk in the floor of the truck bed provides exceptional space and the dual action tailgate should be an industry standard. The tech stuff on this vehicle is fantastic and will help make me a safer driver. The biggest bonus with this truck is the MPG. Previous reviews I read said the gas mileage was in the low 20's but I've found that by driving the speed limit with the ECON button on I've averaging over 30 mpg on the highway (highest was 33.8) and about 26 mpg in town. I could not be more pleased with the Black Edition Honda Ridgeline and would recommend this truck to anyone.
Best Mid Size Pickup
Richard Wood, Suwanee, GA, 12/22/2017
2018 Honda Ridgeline Black Edition 4dr Crew Cab AWD SB (3.5L 6cyl 6A)
This is the best mid sized pickup on the market. It drives like a sedan and has superior finish (inside and out) to competitors. I compared to Nissan, Chevy, GMC, Ford (F150), Ram, and Jeep Cherokee / Grand Cherokee. This vehicle outperforms them all and has better features and creature comforts and gas mileage by far. If you are looking for a hardcore work truck consider a full size, … but if you want a very upscale vehicle with truck capabilities do yourself a favor and check out the Honda. I even comes with a trunk/cooler and stereo built into the truck bed for tailgating. This truck also has better visibility and a far smoother ride than the others. I got the top of the line Black Edition AWD and love it.
La Black Mamba knows how to dance
tonye, Irvine, CA, 08/03/2018
2018 Honda Ridgeline Black Edition 4dr Crew Cab AWD SB (3.5L 6cyl 6A)
This is my first truck, EVER.... and it's likely like my 30th car (no kidding) by now. I wanted something in which I could carry something tall, like a fridge, every so often ( as in never so far )... but I didn't want to be penalized with a truck. Now, for a while we had an Acura TLX V6 with SH-AWD and I love how torque steering in an AWD system handles.... so the Ridgeline and … Pilot both have it, except American Honda tunes it not as aggressively and won't tell you about. The MDX was too expensive, we'd had three RDXs AWD in a row... and besides only the Rigdeline could do the fridge loading. Anyhow, we've done two road trips with this baby... 1000 miles to the Bay Area and 3000 to the Puget Sound and both times we cruised at 80++ mph. This baby has some issues, sure, like the rear doors don't open wide enough and the tailgate won't lock (which means stealing the OEM hard tonneau is way too easy) but other than that, this is a clear winner. And, gotta tell ya, going through those cloverleaf freeway transition roads, with the loud pedal modulating the attitude of the truck (via rear torque vectoring) is an eye opener.... Like I wrote, this is La Black Mamba and she knows how to dance!
Well, after two years the lease was over. We put some 25K miles on it, half of that on three trips up the I5 from SoCal to the Puget Sound and trips to the Bay Area and Central California.
The truck was a delight to drive. In winter snow and rain it felt secure, in summer the AC kept up chilled. The AT6 worked infallibly and the suspension soaked the bumps on the highway easily. The only additional "complain" that I could add is that there is almost no difference in "feel" between cruising at 70 or 85.. so whenever I drove on the interstates without using cruise control, I'd find myself doing 85.
We got quite a few complements from pick up truck owners about the Ridge, it IS a very nice looking truck. Many were amazed at the workings of the tailgate. Heck, I don't think I ever used the tailgate by dropping it down, I only used it opening it sideways. Much more convenient.
All in all it was a great experience. We used the truck bed only once and it was for stuff that fit under the tonneau closed, never used it to haul anything big, so this time around we've replaced it with a '19 Honda Passport Elite AWD, so we'll see how that goes... it has the AT9 and the same iVTM4 as the Ridge.
disappointment
Yarek Pol, Gurnee, IL, 12/28/2017
2018 Honda Ridgeline Black Edition 4dr Crew Cab AWD SB (3.5L 6cyl 6A)
After seeing for the first time the Ridgeline Black Edition I like it very much and since my Accord 2007 has started showing its age I went to the Honda Dealer in Elmhurst, IL basically to purchase the car. When there I asked for a test drive and after waiting for a couple of minutes I was invited to drive the car. The driving experience is very good, not great but good and this is a … quality I was looking for in a pick up truck, the brakes are responsive the car accelerates from the stop very decently, with authority and assurance of AWD, passing on the highway and merging into traffic creates no problem for 3.500 cc 280 HP engine. I like the interior, I like the two tone color seats I like how roomy the cabin is and how one can easily rearrange the back seats to accommodate even a mountain bike without the need of removing the front wheel. Unfortunately the good staff ends here, maybe I should blame my over usual height since I am 6'3", do not know but my Accord EX-L V6 accommodates me very well so I do not really know that. The Ridgeline offers the smallest legroom for the driver in the class by at least 1.5" to Frontier, 2" to Tacoma and even more to the twins by GMC 4.1" which for me creates the problem, the entertainment system is not only missing the volume and channel knobs but is very, very slow and need update badly, just to connect my phone to the Car Play took about a half of hour, the navigation is slow and the picture is not very sharp, the new Accord has this system much, much better. Another issue I have with the car is the missing ventilated seats, I live in Chicago when summer is very hot and sticky but people living is south part of the USA are in need of cooled seats even more and in this price range, around $40G it should be a standard, the Honda has it in the Accord which even in the best Touring trim is much cheaper than the Ridgeline, GMC offers this convenience but not Honda. The ventilated seats would be much more appreciated by the drivers over the speaker system in the side wall of the loading area. The one, and the last item I don't like on this good car is that if I get it I would not be able to secure my cargo, anybody can approach the car and open the tailgate, two ways! To put the lock in the tailgate, like everybody else should not be too expensive. There are four reasons why I did not buy the Honda Ridgeline and I mentioned all of them above, I am hoping that the Honda will implement the above improvements, it should not be too expensive to do so at least for the highest trims like RTL-E and Black Edition.
Edmunds Summary Review of the 2018 Honda Ridgeline Black Edition Crew Cab
What’s new
- The RTS trim level has been eliminated for 2018
- Part of the second Ridgeline generation introduced for 2017
Pros & Cons
- Pro:Superior ride and handling thanks to independent rear suspension
- Pro:Unique two-way tailgate and large lockable in-bed trunk
- Pro:Sophisticated all-wheel-drive system provides multisurface traction
- Pro:Spacious crew cab is comfortable and handsomely finished
- Con:Maddening touchscreen audio and navigation interface
- Con:Lacks the low-range gearing and underbody clearance of typical trucks
- Con:5,000-pound maximum tow rating drops to 3,500 pounds on front-drive version
- Con:Sensitive driver aids are frustrating to use
Which Ridgeline does Edmunds recommend?
Since it's relatively well-equipped but not completely over the top, we recommend the Honda Ridgeline RTL-T trim level. It's available in either front- or all-wheel drive and it has interior creature comforts such as heated and power-adjustable leather seats and a more visually pleasing 8-inch touchscreen audio and navigation system. The 8-inch touchscreen can be frustrating to use, though, so if you use your smartphone for navigation you could save money and choose the RTL or Sport trim level instead.
Full Edmunds Review: 2018 Honda Ridgeline Crew Cab
Driving
9.0Among pickups, the Honda Ridgeline stands apart because of its unibody chassis, fully independent suspension and torque-vectoring AWD system that improves stability on all surfaces. We like how the 3.5-liter V6 and the six-speed automatic work together. The catch: Off-road potential is limited.
Comfort
9.0The Ridgeline's ride comfort is second to none as far as pickups go, with a much more settled feel that comes from its crossover SUV underpinnings. These roots help with noise suppression, too. The seats and the climate control layout are comfortable and family-friendly.
Interior
9.0The Ridgeline is very friendly to the driver and passengers alike. It's easy to climb in and out of, the cab is roomier than that of any other midsize competitor, and it's easy to see out. The attractive interior is well-built from quality materials, and the controls are well thought out.
Utility
9.5The Ridgeline is a solid cargo hauler. Compared to rivals, it has a higher payload rating and is the only one that holds 4-foot-wide plywood sheets, and its crew cab's short bed is longer. It also has a lockable in-bed trunk and a two-way tailgate. Not a towing leader, but 5,000 pounds isn't shabby.
Technology
8.0The Ridgeline plays well with smartphones, with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto available on higher trims. However, we're not fans of the 8-inch touchscreen audio system because of the poor user-interface experience. A full selection of active driving safety features are available on top-grade models.
Edmunds Insurance Estimator
The Edmunds TCO® estimated monthly insurance payment for a 2018 Honda Ridgeline in Ohio is:
not availableLegal