Most midsize pickups make you accept a punishing ride as the price of owning a bed. The 2026 Honda Ridgeline rejects that arrangement. Its unit-body construction and fully independent suspension smooth out the frost-heaved county roads around Aberdeen, SD, without giving up the 5,000-pound towing capacity that covers a fishing boat or a utility trailer.
The 2026 Honda Ridgeline powertrain comprises a 3.5-liter V6 rated at 280 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque at 4,700 rpm, paired with a nine-speed automatic. The Toyota Tacoma uses a 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder and the Chevy Colorado goes further with a 2.7-liter turbo four. An integrated Class III hitch with a seven-pin connector is standard equipment on all four 2026 Honda Ridgeline trims.
Every 2026 Honda Ridgeline leaves the factory with torque-vectoring i-VTM4 all-wheel drive. Rival trucks frequently reserve four-wheel drive for higher trims and charge thousands for the privilege. Intelligent Traction Management adds a dedicated snow setting on top of that. Drivers heading out to Lake Kampeska near Watertown, SD, in early spring will appreciate a system that routes power to the wheels with grip before a tire starts spinning.
The lockable In-Bed Trunk holds 7.3 cubic feet below the bed floor and includes drains, so it handles wet gear or works as an ice chest. The dual-action tailgate swings out like a door or folds down flat. Eight heavy-duty cleats rated at 350 pounds each anchor whatever you load into the 33.9 cubic feet above. Contractors hauling lumber down I-29 from Fargo, ND, get a bed measuring 64 inches with the tailgate up and 83 inches with it down. Payload reaches 1,583 pounds on the Sport trim.
The drive west to Bismarck, ND, on I-94 exposes the gap between a truck built on a ladder frame and one engineered for the road. Active Noise Cancellation keeps highway drone in check. Tri-zone automatic climate control is standard equipment, and the 60/40 rear seats lift up to open floor space for anything you'd rather not leave exposed in the bed. Heated front seats and a heated steering wheel are available on upper trims, which counts for something in February.
Active Noise Cancellation and tri-zone automatic climate control are standard on every 2026 Honda Ridgeline. The 60/40 rear seats lift up to open 2.9 cubic feet of covered storage inside the cabin, which beats leaving a toolbox exposed in the bed overnight in Sioux Falls, SD. Heated front seats arrive at the RTL trim, and TrailSport and Black Edition add a heated steering wheel. Payload still reaches 1,583 pounds on the Sport trim, so none of that comfort comes out of your working capacity.
Honda Sensing comes standard on every 2026 Honda Ridgeline, including Collision Mitigation Braking and Adaptive Cruise Control. Blind Spot Information and Cross Traffic Monitor are also standard across all four trims. Competitors often reserve those features for option packages that push the out-the-door number past what the window sticker suggested.
Body-on-frame rivals pull heavier trailers and crawl through rougher terrain. That matters if you tow a 7,000-pound gooseneck or spend weekends on serious trails. Most buyers in this region are hauling a boat, a snowmobile trailer, or a load of landscaping material, and the 2026 Honda Ridgeline covers that work while remaining pleasant to drive the other six days of the week.
Learn more about our new and used 2026 Honda Ridgeline inventory at Harr Honda.
Start your purchase from home and explore financing and leasing options online. Car buyers from northeastern South Dakota and southern North Dakota can also start a finance application before you make the drive. Browse our new Honda inventory online, or find additional pre-owned options if you're shopping on a budget.
Factory-trained technicians at our service center perform all routine and scheduled maintenance using only genuine parts and accessories, including bed extenders and all-season mats.
