First Pickup Truck to Offer a Trunk Under the Cargo Bed is also Least Likely to Roll Honda's new Ridgeline pickup truck, produced in Alliston, Ontario, just earned the best rollover resistance rating of any vehicle in its class when tested by
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| Honda's Ridgeline just earned the best rollover resistance rating of any vehicle in its class when tested by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA). (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA). The Ridgeline achieved industry-best ratings for both theNHTSA's Static Stability Factor (SSF), in which it earned a rating of1.29, as well as the Dynamic Rollover test, and in so doing factored abetter calculated result than every rival pickup tested. Honda's pickupdidn't experience any "tip-up" during the dynamic test either. This result comes after a previous acheivement, when it became the first four-door pickup to ever receive the NHTSA's five-star crash test rating, the highest safety rating possible, for both frontal and side impact crash tests. This news comes on the heels of a model that is already making waves in the segment for its innovative 240-litre (8.5 cu-ft) car-like trunk. But the trunk isn't
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| The Ridgeline can do more than light-duty hauling, it can manage more than half-ton payloads (actually 500 kilos or 1,100 pounds) and 2,268 kilos (5,000 pounds) of trailer weight. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
all that separates it from the conventional pickup truck crowd, it also features something Honda calls a Dual Action tailgate, a truly unique feature that integrates a high-strength steel frame and has the ability to flip down or swing out. While it might look to be derived from the brand's midsize Pilot SUV, which rides on a modified Odyssey architecture that itself is developed off of the Accord chassis, the Ridgeline can do more than light-duty hauling. Actually, it can manage more than half-ton payloads (actually 500 kilos or 1,100 pounds) and 2,268 kilos (5,000 pounds) of trailer weight thanks to a steel reinforced composite bed hooked up to a fully integrated, closed-box frame. This unique undercarriage gives it much greater body rigidity than conventional compact or midsize pickup trucks, while still featuring a functional 5-foot bed.