I respect the engineering.

If you look at the Honda Ridgeline, you'll notice that it's different right away.  The exterior design is bold and vastly different than anything else presetnly on the market.  Last week I went to my local Honda dealership for a test-drive and liked what it had to offer.

The power from the 3.5-liter (247-hp) engine was nice, but it was less than what I was used to.  The mileage is what really surprised me - only 16 city and 21 highway.  That was a shocker coming from Honda.  I would've thought they could do better than that!  However, I was impressed with some of the other features like the disappearing compartment in the center console and the dual-action tailgate.

The interior was roomy, but felt more like a cockpit to me.  It wasn't a bad thing - I just couldn't get used to it during my short trip around the block.  Again, the bold lines were brought into the interior giving it a contiguous feel.

Overall, I liked the Ridgeline enough to say that I'd buy one if I could afford $30,000 for a truck.  (What are they thinking?!)  Alas, I will just have to admire it from afar.