Honda worked hard to make the 2017 Ridgeline a fuel efficient vehicle. The front-wheel-drive version of this midsize pickup truck is rated at 19 MPG city and 26 MPG on the highway. The fully loaded Ridgeline AWD Black Edition you see here is rated at 25 MPG on the highway. This makes for a great road trip vehicle, but how efficient is it when towing near the limit? This is precisely what we wanted to find out.
This pickup is powered by a 3.5-liter V6 engine with 280 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque. A 6-speed automatic transmission sends the power to an all-wheel-drive system. The Ridgeline makes due without a fancy 9-speed automatic or a CVT.
We hitched a 4,800 lbs CM Trailers Stocker to it and ran our standard 100-mile highway MPG loop. This particular trailer weight basically maxes out the Ridgeline, considering that both Nathan and Andre are in the cab (extra weight). However, the trailer itself is narrow enough to see around in a midsize truck and reduces aerodynamic drag with a curved front section.
The best ever towing highway MPG we ever got was in a 2016 GMC Canyon Duramax at 12.3 MPG, and that was a larger and heavier trailer (5,600 lbs). Can the Ridgeline beat it with a smaller trailer?
Spoiler alert: the Ridgeline got 11.5 MPG at the pump, which is a very respectable result, considering that we run all of our highway towing tests at 70 MPH.
Get all the details in the video below.
