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www.ADandP.media nonferrous material. The steering hanger beam is cast magnesium. The bed is a glass-fber reinforced SMC composite.) This results in a vehicle that is as much as 73 pounds lighter than its predecessor (the curb weight of the 2017 Ridgeline ranges from a base model with 2WD at 4,242 pounds to the top-of-the-line 4WD model at 4,515 pounds) even though it is dimensionally bigger (length: 210 inches vs. 206.9 inches; height: 70.8 inches vs. 70.3 inches; width: 78.6 inches vs. 77.8 inches; bed length: 64 inches vs. 60 inches). From the point of view of midsize truck capability, it ofers a maximum payload capacity of up to 1,584 pounds and towing up to 5,000 pounds. The overall execution of the vehicle was done such that it not only met the attributes of competitors like the Chevrolet Colorado and the Toyota Tacoma, but bested them. For example, the Ridgeline ofers 109-ft3 of passenger space compared with the Colorado's 107-ft 3 and the Tacoma's 100-ft 3 . It ofers a width of 50 inches between the wheelhouses in the bed, compared with 44 inches for the Colorado and 42.5 inches for the Tacoma. With the tailgate up, the bed length is 63.3 inches compared with 61.3 inches for the Colorado and 59.9 inches for the Tacoma. (And like its predecessor, it still ofers the "trunk" in the bed, this time a storage space that can swallow an 82-quart cooler.) (Speaking of the bed: way back in the opening paragraph Jef Conrad mentions "Truck Bed Audio." This system, thought to be the frst in a production vehicle, uses six weatherproof (i.e., they're inside the sheet metal) transducers, two each in the bed side walls and the bed rear wall, that transmit vibrations into those walls, turning them into resonant speakers. This is some- thing that is truly engineered for purposes of tailgating, as it doesn't work at speeds of 10 mph or more. And while speaking of audio—this bed-as-speaker system is part of a 540-watt audio setup—know that Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are available for the Ridgeline.) The 2017 Ridgeline is powered by a 3.5-liter, direct injection V6 engine that provides 280 hp @ 6,000 rpm and 262 lb-ft of torque at 4,700 rpm. The engine is mated to a six-speed auto- matic transmission. In an AWD vehicle, the estimated EPA fuel economy is 18/25/21 mpg city/highway/combined; it is 19/26/22 mpg for the 2WD version. It is worth noting that another change between the last generation and the new one is that before all Ridgelines were 4WD. The all-wheel-drive system used for the Ridgeline, an electro-hydraulic system, provides torque vectoring: it auto- matically distributes torque between the front and rear axles as well as between the left and right rear wheels, depending on conditions. There is an "Intelligent Traction Management" system that provides pushbutton selection of Normal, Snow, Mud and Sand for the AWD models (Normal and Snow for 2WD) that adjusts the drive-by-wire map, the transmission shift map, vehicle stability control and the torque distribution based on the surface conditions. While things like the torsional rigidity and the size of the box and the ability to deal with snow, mud and rocks are all things that various truck manufacturers can throw numbers at one another regarding, there is something at which the fundamental unibody construction of the Ridgeline makes it absolutely remarkable: the ride and handling. The Ridgeline features fully independent front and rear suspension systems (MacPherson struts in the front; multi- link in the back). It also has amplitude reactive dampers that are based on two separate damping pistons, with one piston reacting in response to the small inputs characteristic of normal driving conditions and the other to provide the additional damping required when on rough surfaces or during aggressive driving. Not only is the interior of the Ridgeline car-like in its execution and refnement, but the vehicle is engineered so that whether or not there is a load in the bed, the suspension provides sedan-like driving characteristics. In other words, with the capabilities of the bed, the NVH of the overall vehicle and the amenities on the inside, the Honda Ridgeline is, again, an outlier, but this time it is for all the right things. The Ridgeline is the kind of product people expect of Honda, something challenging and innovative in how it seeks to create new value for the customer. 57 AD&P; ∕ JULY 2016 RIDGELINE