While my Honda Civic was in for recall service, the dealership was kind enough to let me tool around town to get lunch/visit with wife/etc. in a new Honda Ridgeline.
Bear in mind that I've done no research whatsoever on the vehicle, I'm just reviewing it here as I drove it. I have no real intentions on purchasing a Ridgeline or any other new Sport Utility any time soon, so this is about as unbiased as it can get. (Although I am a honda fan, so that may bias things just a bit..
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I didn't look at the pricetag (intentionally) until I returned to the dealership.
I drove the ridgeline on a 60MPH highway, several city streets from recently paved to pothole infested, and on a few gravel parking lots that were in less-than-desirable condition.
On the highway, the truck is not nervous and doesn't feel tipsy. The ride is smooth and consistent, and the interior accomodations are adequate. I'm a fan of honda's thing of putting storage cubbys everywhere, and I instantly fell in love with the center console (neeato sliding storage setup) and the locking trunk underneath the bed.
It handled itself well on all conditions and generally felt like a rigid truck, just as much as any other SUV/Truck around. The ridgeline seemed generally more nimble and easy to control in 4WD mode than many others that I have owned/driven. I have no clue how capable this thing will be in true off road conditions, but it feels like it would do well on first impression.
The truck had leather, satellite radio, and all the other accomodations.. appeared to be fully loaded. Sticker price was $33,000 (and change). On a scale of one to ten, I'd give it a 7 on first impression.
On a personal note, 33k could be much better spent if you are on a budget. HOWEVER, if I had to pick between the ridgeline and the ford explorer sport-trac, I'd go with the Ridgeline... no doubt about it.
Personally, I think that Nissan's Frontier/XTerra line of trucks and SUV's are probably more off-road capable, and a better bang for your buck. I spotted a 2005 xterra loaded with a 6 speed manual at the same dealership for just over 23k brand new! Just seems like a better value to me, but I've spent a lot more time riding and driving nissan frontiers/xterras than the Ridgeline.. so that may be a personal bias.