Consumers exploring the move from SUVs to pickup trucks will find a wide range of options. To illustrate, we compare the Ram 1500 Sublime Sport with the Honda Ridgeline, sitting near opposite ends of the non-industrial spectrum.
2017 Ram 1500 Sublime Sport Crew Cab 4X4
Around 3,000 ‘Sublime Green’ models were manufactured, inspired by 1970s Mopar muscle cars.
TOM MALONEY/THE GLOBE AND MAIL
Tech specs
- Base price: $54,195; as tested, $67,485
- Engine: 5.7-litre HEMI V8
- Transmission/Drive: Eight-speed automatic/Four-wheel
- Fuel consumption (litres/100 km): 16.1 city, 11.5 highway
- Alternatives: Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra 1500, Nissan Titan, Toyota Tundra
Looks
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles manufactured 3,000 "Sublime Green" models, inspired by 1970s Mopar muscle cars. We found a 1970 Dodge Dart for sale ($23,000) along Highway 10 in Ontario and pulled the truck alongside; the paint jobs looked identical. In contrast to the relatively tepid colours of other manufacturers' pickups, the 1500 drew you-name-it-reaction from people we met along the road during a week-long experience: wonder, guffaws, praise, awe, nostalgia, you-gotta-be-kidding-me. Twenty-inch black wheels and broad black stripes on the raised performance-hood panel complete the package, along with green accents on the black interior.
The paint job on this 1970 Dodge Dart looks almost identical to the Ram’s.
TOM MALONEY/THE GLOBE AND MAIL
Interior
This will sound strange given a) the truck's brash paint job, b) the rumble emanating from its twin tailpipes, c) the big step-up to a high ride in the cabin, but one of the first things we noticed was the high quality of the Alpine sound system. Listening to country-folk rocker Jimmy Buffett on Sirius while stopped at one of Mississauga's interminable red lights, the distinct sound of the acoustic guitar separated itself from the other instruments as distinctly as the truck's green looks from Honda's grey. The system includes a subwoofer and six speakers, controlled from a super-clear 8.4-inch touchscreen or the steering wheel. The cabin is rec-room comfortable with plenty of leg- and headroom space for XL-sized adults. The mesh-cloth driver's seat comes with 10 power settings and two lumbar adjustments, and there's a $1,400 wide-gapped power sunroof.
The Ram’s mesh-cloth driver’s seat comes with lumbar adjustments.
FCA
Performance
For a big pickup, the HEMI-powered Ram drove as smoothly as a prissy sedan on the highway. When we got tossed around in a rutted dirt parking lot before shooting a video though, Drive contributor Matt Bubbers pronounced with a hint of derision, "This is a truck." And that's with it being outfitted with the optional $1,700 four-corner air suspension. Fuel mileage on highways with an 80 km/h speed limit actually came in better than advertised with determined gas-pedal feathering, 11.1 litres/100 km on average during a test of almost 1,000 kilometres. With 395 horsepower in the V8, pulling a U-Haul stuffed with furniture, firewood and stuffed boxes, you wouldn't have known the trailer was hitched without looking in the rear-view. Hauling capacity is 10,160 lbs (4,608kg).
Technology
A tire-pressure monitor, something you'd expect to be on a huge mine truck, is comforting and, for safety, there are air bags galore in the cabin. Park assist comes as an option, still shy of the enviable standard set by the Ford-150 with trailer backup assist tech, complete with overhead graphic. The lack of a blind-spot warning device, either via a beep inside the cab or a flash on the side mirror, can be alarming, as the driver of a compact car that nearly got smushed on the highway can testify.
Cargo
The 5-foot-7 bed seemed oddly disproportionate relative to the monstrous appearance of the truck, but the 60/40-split rear seat helped with hauling, easily fitting a trio of 5-cubic-feet moving boxes on the fold-down seat with more room yet to the back of the front seat for other stuff. Tailbox lighting is a helpful touch.
The verdict
8.5
A smooth and powerful ride in its class – bonus points for the nostalgic paint job.
2017 Honda Ridgeline Touring
Unlike most pickups, which are built body-on-frame, Honda uses a unibody method.
Tom Maloney/The Globe and Mail
Tech Specs
- Base price: $48,790
- Engine: 3.5-litre V6
- Transmission/Drive: Six-speed automatic/All-wheel
- Fuel consumption (litres/100 km): 12.8 city, 9.5 highway
- Alternatives: Toyota Tacoma, Nissan Frontier, Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Sierra
Looks
Most pickups are constructed body-on-frame; in contrast, Honda uses a unibody method which results in some sniffy comparisons to the company's Pilot, as in, it's not a real truck. The front is unmistakably Honda-SUV in style, though modifications for the 2017 model year gave the rear end a more traditional pickup look. The mundane grey paint on the test vehicle, classic Honda.
Inside the cabin of the 2018 Honda Ridgeline Black Edition, which features ample room for tall adults.
Honda
Interior
Comfortable, with room for XL-sized adults front and rear. There's a 3-cubic-foot storage area underneath the folding rear seats. Climate zone controls are three-way versus the Ram's two-way. An AC outlet in the bed sidewall can power an HD television with the engine running. The eight-inch display is adequate, touch-screen controls a mite frustrating, the audio quality not nearly able to distinguish the guitar-string acoustics of Buffet's Margaritaville.
Performance
Unlike a full-size pickup, not least the HEMI-powered Ram 1500, the Ridgeline's hauling capacity is limited to 5,000 pounds (2,268 kg) – less than some mid-size competitors, less than half the Ram's. The question is, what will you be using the truck for – hauling a massive trailer or lumber from the yard? Its 280-horsepower engine, upgraded from the prior model, will get you to a class-leading 0-to-100 km/h in 6.7 seconds. If you really want to zip in and out of lanes, as Montreal and increasingly Toronto drivers are wont to do, this has the giddy-up to do the trick. Moreover, having been tested for upwards of 1,000 kilometres, many of those admittedly on 80 km/h speed-limit roads, the Ridgeline delivered astounding average fuel economy of 9.1 litres per 100 km – better than rated, and better than achieved by the family-friendly Subaru Impreza. The ride, almost indiscernible from the Honda CR-V's, is tailored for commutes and drives to the cottage.
Technology
The suite includes emergency braking, lane-keeping, blind-spot detection, forward collision warning, active cruise control, hill-start assist, plus Apple CarPlay – everything you might expect in a modern SUV, except it's a pickup.
The Ridgeline features the same tech features you’d expect in a modern SUV.
Honda
Cargo
Lengthened for the 2017 model to 5-feet-4, the bed can carry a piece of standard drywall, unlike many of the competitor's trim models in this class. While others in the mid-size segment offer different configurations, the Ridgeline has single dimensions for the cab, bed and wheelbase. The two-way tailgate is convenient. Being football (read: tailgate) season, it's obligatory to cite the Ridgeline's in-bed trunk capacity for approximately 75 tall boys and an equal volume of ice.
The Verdict
9.0
In its class, may well be the perfect choice for suburban families looking to switch from the SUV for cargo convenience, without losing the feel of the SUV.
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