2017 Honda Ridgeline vs. 2017 Nissan Frontier

Looking at the field of midsize pickup trucks available to buyers, the competition among them becomes tighter with each passing model year. The reintroduction of the all-new Honda Ridgeline simply adds another outstanding choice into the mix. Comparing the 2017 Honda Ridgeline vs. 2017 Nissan Frontier shows today's new way of designing and building midsize pickups and an aging theory. The new Ridgeline is built to be one of the best all-around trucks in the class. It has performance scores on par with the best in the class and it handles as well as any midsize pickup ever has. By comparison, the 2017 Ridgeline has been admonished in independent reviews for its aging platform that doesn't handle well on the pavement and struggles with fuel economy.

Honda engineers took a long and broad view of what midsize trucks are asked to do when building the all-new 2017 Ridgeline. First, the truck was built to provide as smooth of a ride as possible. This means forgoing the usual body-on-frame construction method with a more road-compliant unibody construction. For most drivers this means instead a experience rough on-pavement driving manners, the 2017 Ridgeline will be as comfortable drive as any of its sedans. When it's time to get dirty, the variable torque all-wheel drive system will provide plenty of confidence for off-road capability. All of these traits are on top of excellent in-class fuel economy scores for the 2017 Ridgeline.