Recently, the Honda Ridgeline saw a complete makeover. It hasn’t performed well in the past, and it even took a two-year absence to undergo an extensive redesign, so we’re left wondering if it can live up to a popular truck like the Toyota Tacoma. It’s time to compare these two to see which you should purchase for 2022.
Price
How much are you willing to pay for a great vehicle? These two mid-sized trucks are notoriously inexpensive, but they’re two great options if you need to haul something from point “A” to point “B.” Of course, Toyota has always been one of the cheapest options on the market, so it’s no surprise it’s the most inexpensive of this comparison.
Toyota lists the Tacoma SR 4×2 with a starting MSRP of $31,500. This is a stark comparison to the 2024 Ridgeline Sport, which has a starting MSRP of $39,750. That’s over a $8K difference, but you do get a lot more features at the higher price point.
Towing
What’s the point of getting a truck if it can’t haul what you need? In this case, the Ridgeline outperforms the Tacoma—although the Tacoma is infamous for not being able to haul large loads. The Ridgeline can tow up to 5,000 pounds.
The Toyota Tacoma can only tow up to 3,500 pounds with the SR four-cylinder. However, if you want a little more power, you can upgrade to the SR V6 engine, which can tow a massive 6,800 pounds. Keep in mind that this will also increase the MSRP to $36K.
Fuel Economy
Trucks don’t get the best gas mileage. Everyone knows this, but if you had an option for a more fuel-efficient vehicle, you’d pick it, right? The Toyota gets 20 mpg in the city and 23 mpg on the highway with its four-cylinder engine, which is nearly comparable to a sedan. If you were to upgrade to the V6 engine, you’d get 19 mpg in the city and 24 mpg on the highway for the V6. Strangely enough, the V6 is better than the four-cylinder engine.
Regardless of if you choose the front-wheel drive or the all-wheel drive, the Ridgeline is surprisingly fuel-efficient. This truck is equipped with a V6 engine that gets 19 mpg in the city and 26 mpg on the highway with front-wheel-drive. If you were to purchase an all-wheel drive (which increases the MSRP), you’d get 18 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway.
Reliability
What killed the Ridgeline? Some people would argue that it wasn’t very reliable. According to CarComplaints.com, the Honda Ridgeline has a slew of issues that customers are more than happy to voice.
It seems like Honda took all the complaints and worked to make a better truck. Across an aggregate of review sites, consumers have given the Ridgeline a 4.5 out of five stars. J.D. Power and Associates have rated the new Ridgeline 80 out of 100.
The Toyota Tacoma has a similar score for this year’s model, with 4.5 stars. Since these cars are so new, it’s probably best to take consumer reviews with a grain of salt, but they can help give you a place to start when looking at reliability. Especially since J.D. Power and Associates have awarded the vehicle with a rating of 83 out of 100.
