For 2024, Honda significantly updated its Ridgeline pickup inside and out. They even made it more capable off-road by adding a TrailSport model to the lineup. The ClassicCars.com Journal recently had a chance to evaluate a 2024 Ridgeline TrailSport (which you can view on the ClassicCars TV YouTube channel) but, unfortunately, we weren’t able to take it off-road. That changed when we scored the keys to a 2025 Ridgeline TrailSport media loaner with an as-tested price of $47,230. Not only did we get some dirt under its tires, but we also used its bed to haul stuff.
THE NOT-SO-NEW NORMAL
The 2025 Ridgeline is a carryover model that comes equipped with a 280-horsepower 3.5-liter V6, nine-speed automatic, torque-vectoring i-VTM4 all-wheel drive, and the extensive updates added for 2024. For the exterior, those include new grille mesh and the name “RIDGELINE” stamped into the tailgate. Interior changes range from the seven-inch digital instrument panel to the larger nine-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to the redesigned center console. TrailSport models continue on with their off-road-tuned suspension, General Grabber all-terrain tires, oil pan skid plate, orange exterior badges and interior accents, and a unique optional color: Diffused Sky Blue Pearl, the same one on our test vehicle.
A LITTLE DIRT DON’T HURT
The TrailSport name implies a certain ruggedness, but it’s important to know what exactly the model itself is and isn’t. I call the Ridgeline TrailSport a “‘Tweener Truck.” On one hand, it’s a unibody pickup with all-wheel drive and the same off-road angles and 7.6 inches of ground clearance as a regular Ridgeline, so it’s not supposed to go wheeling right alongside Toyota Tacoma TRD Pros or Jeep Gladiator Rubicons. On the other hand, its suspension tuning and special tires mean the TrailSport is not purely a street truck. It falls in between those two extremes.
With those facts in mind, I headed out to some rocky desert paths in Peoria, Arizona. Given the TrailSport’s dimensions and hardware, I stayed away from the sections I would’ve taken more hardcore vehicles. The i-VTM4 system delivered the engine’s power effectively while the General Grabbers kept their grip on the terrain. Even on the roughest stretches, the tuned suspension kept its composure – and me comfortable. Steep grades made me wish the TrailSport had Hill Descent Control like the 2026 Passport. There is a work-around, though: I used the left paddle shifter behind the steering wheel to downshift into first, then kept my right foot on standby to brake so that I didn’t bang and crash my way to the bottom.
TAKE IT AWAY
My time with the Ridgeline TrailSport coincided with my family’s move into our new home, which gave me several opportunities to utilize the five-foot four-inch composite bed and learn how convenient the Dual-Action Tailgate can be. Opening the tailgate like a door gave me quicker, easier access to the load floor and the in-bed trunk, where I was able to stow small items without using any of the bed’s 33.9 cubic feet of space. Lowering the tailgate provided a closer, sturdy surface on which my family members and I could rest part of a heavy piece of furniture and take some of the load off ourselves before fully putting the item into the bed. The low-profile wheel well humps did little to complicate our games of Tetris with things such as an oversized leather chair, its matching ottoman, a cabinet, and several dining room chairs.
THE PATH AHEAD
The current generation of the Ridgeline has been around since the 2017 model year. Honda’s 2024 updates helped make the cabin a nicer place to be and the Ridgeline more adapted to unpaved roads, but it’s clear that the midsize pickup is in need of more fundamental modernization. And as the 2026 Passport has shown with its standard Hill Descent Control and available TrailWatch camera system, rock sliders, and Trail drive mode, the TrailSport model can climb even higher in terms of equipment and features.
