best "car" out of the class. I'd expect "consumer reports" to rank the Ridgeline as #1 as well, because they value MPG and "initial quality" over nearly all metrics. Car & Driver is a bit more complicated. As much as I love reading car & driver, their rankings are hit and miss (and I'm a Jeep guy). They almost always pick the newest car in pretty much every test. I remember back when they actually had a somewhat non-objective rating system and they pitted the brand new-redesigned Mustang vs. the somewhat Chevy Cavalier inspired styling of the Pontiac GTO.

The GTO crushed the Mustang in every measurable performance category, and so Car and Driver released a new category called the "gotta have it factor" and weighed the Mustang at like a 95 and the GTO really low, like a 60 (Even as a pontiac fan, I couldn't disagree, the Mustang LOOKED (and still looks) mighty fine, but the GTO had it where it counted: 6.2L LS2 V8, better interior quality, better handling (thanks to suspension tuning and IRS), better braking, better 0-60, better 1/4-mile, everything that mattered the GTO crushed the new 'stang.

The new category allowed the Mustang to have a mere 1 point victory. In hindsight, the Mustang WAS a much better vehicle, as it has now matured into the class leader and Pontiac is in the grave. I actually blame the styling of the excellent GTO and the G8 for part of this demise. But that's another story for even die-harder gear heads. Back to the topic:


With midsize trucks there is a reason the Toyota Tacoma, with arguably the weakest powerplant and some of the most dated tech, crushes the mid-size market in terms of sales (where it really matters to the manufactures): It is a well balanced truck in all facets: (from payload, to towing, to off roading), reliable, and cheap. This causes sacrifices to other parts of the truck which aren't a concern to the majority of truck buyers: Interior built quality and comfort, infotainment, and gas mileage all lag the competition for one. But to a guy who is going to use it as a hunting and camping rig, the $5-10k in savings while getting a rear locker and ATRAC mean much more.

The dark horse #2, IMO, isn't the Ridgeline, but actually the Colorado. You can get a fully loaded ZR2 Colorado for just above $40k and one with a diesel for under $50k. That's actually nuts for price/value. Interior build is arguably superior, although I actually prefer the Tacoma's dashboard design.

My personal favorite is the Gladiator, but it is too expensive to be taken seriously as "the best midsize truck", it's like saying the G-wagon is "the best SUV". It has kind of priced itself almost entirely out of the category when a fully loaded Rubicon/Mojave Gladiator is pushing $20k more than the MSRP of a Tacoma TRD Pro. It's a niche. But a cool Niche, and I wouldn't be shocked if it ends up being the #2 midsize truck in sales and starts threatening Toyota's dominance. At least for awhile, until everyone who wants a Jeep Truck has a Jeep truck, then Jeep is going to have to drop the price to a competitive level to keep the sales high.

I don't mind the ranger, but like the ridgeline haven't sat in one enough to judge it. I'm sure when the Raptor comes out to compete with the TRD-Pro and Rubicon we will know more about what the platform is capable of. But right now, they are behind the 8-ball as far as top-tier midsize trucks are concerned. I could never price one to a specific trim level where I'd say, "I'd take THAT over the Tacoma TRD-Off Road", while on the other hand a ZR2 is quite tempting.

The Ridgeline is an excellent crossover for someone who needs a truck bed for light duty projects. It maximizes comfort, ride quality, and MPG over everything else that the standard midsize truck buyer values. So it's no surprise it's not a hot seller. It's also no surprise that their owners are die-hard loyalists, because like the Rubicon and off-roading it's the ONLY truck on the market that fills the "home depot runner/daily commuter" niche 110%.

It's never going to rise to the ranks of the Tacoma, and not because "it looks feminine", but because it doesn't even have a transfer case. It's dead on arrival. No matter how much they tout their technological "dirt modes" and ABS-based traction control technology, it's not going to beat low-range and a rear diff-lock. It doesn't matter if they are never used, they are valued by 1st time owners and highly sought after by 2nd owners (who typically use those features). Ford, Chevy, Toyota, and Jeep all get that. And that's why they sell more. And why resale will continue to be high.