THE THOUGHTFUL TRUCK

Why the 2026 Ridgeline TrailSport Isn’t an Impostor, But a Quiet Revolution

In the mid-size truck arena, where brawn often overshadows brains, the 2026 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport stands apart. Compared to the hardcore Ford Ranger Raptor or the heritage-rich Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro, it’s easy to label the Ridgeline an outsider. But with its arrival at Canadian dealerships this fall, starting at $56,158 (selling price) for the TrailSport trim, it’s time to recognize it for what it truly is: a deeply pragmatic, innovatively engineered alternative for the driver who values intelligent design over raw intimidation.

The contrast with its American rival, the Ford Ranger Raptor, is a study in philosophy. The Raptor is a desert-chasing specialist, built on a body-on-frame chassis with a focus on extreme suspension travel and high-speed off-road performance. The Ridgeline TrailSport, celebrating 20 years of Honda pickup innovation, takes a fundamentally different path. Its defining feature is its unitized body construction—a segment-exclusive that provides the foundation for its car-like ride and packaging efficiency. Paired with a fully independent suspension (another North American truck first from Honda), the Ridgeline delivers unparalleled on-road comfort and handling. Its TrailSport enhancements—including exclusive Ash Green Metallic paint, all-terrain tires, and revised i-VTM4® AWD tuning—are thoughtful upgrades for light-duty adventure, not Baja racing. This is capability engineered for the real world. Against its Japanese competitor, the Toyota Tacoma, the divergence is just as clear. The Tacoma TRD Pro leans into a traditional, rugged identity with aggressive off-road geometry and a purpose-built interior. The Ridgeline, a two-time North American Truck of the Year winner, pursues multifaceted utility. Its 3.5L V6 provides smooth, confident power, while its legendary exclusive features solve practical problems. The industry-first Dual-Action Tailgate opens down or to the side, and the lockable, drainable In-Bed Trunk® (a 206-litre secure vault) highlights Honda's focus on clever, usable innovation.

This is a truck built by engineers who asked, "How can we make this more useful?"

The interior continues this theme of thoughtful execution. The cabin is spacious, with a flat rear floor and foldaway seats, prioritizing passenger comfort and interior cargo flexibility. It forgoes overly complex controls for an intuitive, driver-focused layout built with durable materials. This is a space designed for long-haul comfort and everyday simplicity.

Finally, the Ridgeline makes a compelling case for sensible ownership. While competitors often see efficiency drop with off-road packages, the 2026 Ridgeline TrailSport maintains a combined fuel economy rating of 11.5 L/100km, identical to the base Sport trim. In an era of high costs, this predictability is a virtue. Its unibody construction also contributes to top-tier safety performance, a factor often overlooked in the segment.

The 2026 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport isn’t an impostor. It’s the result of two decades of focused innovation, built on a philosophy that rejects traditional truck trade-offs. It’s for the active Canadian who needs a versatile partner—to haul plywood flat in its composite bed, tow a 5,000-pound camper, host a tailgate from its in-bed cooler, and commute in refined comfort—all without the fuel, ride, or complexity penalties of more extreme trucks. It doesn’t shout; it simply works brilliantly.