2022 Nissan Titan vs 2021 Honda Ridgeline

The 2021 Honda Ridgeline was redesigned to appeal more to truck enthusiasts. It featured a long, flat hood, an aggressive front end, and bulging fenders. The new design included a rear bumper with exposed dual exhaust outlets and more aggressive tire treads. The Honda Performance Division (HPD) Package added bronze wheels, oversized fender trim, a unique grille, and bold stickers. The interior, modeled after the Honda Pilot SUV, emphasized functionality with generous storage and easy-to-clean hard plastic surfaces. The Sport trim came with cloth seats, which were durable but attracted pet hair.

The 2022 Nissan Titan maintained a rugged yet elegant exterior with strong lines and an expressive face. The interior continued this theme with clean lines, excellent material selection, and generous proportions. The test vehicle featured an optional moonroof package, enhancing the cabin's roominess. The Titan's interior was airy, with many cup and bottle holders. The Pro-4X model included a dual-panel panoramic moonroof and a power sliding rear window, further improving airflow and the overall driving experience.

The 2021 Honda Ridgeline came with a 280-horsepower V6 engine, producing 262 pound-feet of torque. It used a nine-speed automatic transmission with Normal and Sport modes to power all four wheels. The all-wheel-drive system with Intelligent Variable Torque Management (i-VTM4) was standard, providing torque-vectoring and up to 70% power to a single rear wheel. Intelligent Traction Management offered Snow, Sand, and Mud settings. The Ridgeline had a modest 7.64 inches of ground clearance and was not designed for rock-crawling. It had a maximum towing capacity of 5,000 pounds and a payload rating of 1,583 pounds. The Ridgeline excelled in flat terrain and was remarkably athletic and enjoyable to drive.

The 2022 Nissan Titan featured a 5.6-liter gasoline V8 engine with 400 horsepower and 413 pound-feet of torque, paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission. Rear-wheel drive was standard on the S, SV, and Platinum Reserve models, while four-wheel drive was standard on the Pro-4X model. The Titan's fuel economy was 16 mpg city/21 mpg highway/18 mpg combined for RWD models and 15 mpg city/21 mpg highway/18 mpg combined for 4WD models. The Pro-4X had a slightly lower fuel economy. The Titan's fully boxed, full-length ladder frame, independent double-wishbone front suspension, and leaf springs in the rear provided a smooth ride. The Pro-4X model included a two-speed transfer case, electronically locking rear differential, and Bilstein off-road shocks. The Titan had a maximum towing capacity of 9,310 pounds and a payload rating of 1,710 pounds.

The 2021 Honda Ridgeline offered a comfortable and functional interior. The Sport trim featured manually-adjustable front seats with inboard armrests and the roomiest rear seat in its class. Higher trims included leather seats, heated front seats, a power sunroof, and ambient cabin lighting. The Ridgeline's composite cargo bed was dent- and scratch-resistant, with tie-down hooks rated for 350 pounds each. The bed held 33.9 cubic feet of cargo and included a 7.3 cubic-foot weatherproof trunk. The dual-action tailgate could drop like a typical pickup's or swing from right to left for easier loading and unloading.

The 2022 Nissan Titan came in King Cab and Crew Cab body styles, both with two rows of seating. The Titan S base model featured a 40/20/40-split-folding front bench seat with manual adjustment. Higher trims had dual power-adjustable bucket seats separated by a center console. The King Cab's second row had 24.8 inches of legroom, while the Crew Cab offered 38.5 inches. The King Cab had a 78.7-inch bed, and the Crew Cab had a 67-inch bed. The Titan's bed included four fixed tie-down hooks and an available Utili-track Channel system. The tailgate was nicely damped and could be opened and closed with one hand.

The 2021 Honda Ridgeline came with an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. It included a seven-speaker sound system, text-messaging capability, basic HondaLink connected services, and USB charging ports. Higher trims added SiriusXM satellite radio, HD Radio, navigation, voice recognition, traffic information, a premium sound system, and wireless smartphone charging. The Sport trim test truck did not have these upgrades but included Apple CarPlay for streaming music and finding destinations.

The 2022 Nissan Titan featured an 8-inch center display screen, with a 9-inch touchscreen interface available as an upgrade. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto were standard, along with a WiFi hot spot for up to seven devices. NissanConnect, Bluetooth hands-free phone connectivity, audio streaming, and a hands-free text-messaging assistant were also standard. The standard audio system included SiriusXM satellite radio capability, AM/FM with RDS, MP3/WMA playback, speed-sensitive volume control, and six speakers. The upgrade system was a Fender-branded 12-speaker setup with a subwoofer. NissanConnect with navigation was available on SV models and standard on Pro-4X and Platinum Reserve trims.

The 2021 Honda Ridgeline came standard with Honda Sensing, a package of advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS) including adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assistance, and lane-centering assistance. The Ridgeline also featured a multi-angle reversing camera, blind-spot warning with rear cross-traffic warning (standard on all but the Sport trim), and automatic high-beam headlights on top trims. The Ridgeline was built to Honda's Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) crashworthiness standards, earning high safety ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

The 2022 Nissan Titan included Nissan Safety Shield 360 as standard, featuring automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-departure warning, high-beam assist, and rear automatic braking. The Titan also had intelligent forward collision warning and eight airbags. The Titan received top "Good" ratings from the IIHS in most crash tests and "Superior" ratings for front crash prevention tech. However, the standard halogen reflector headlights on the S and SV trims received a "Poor" rating. The NHTSA had not published crash-test ratings for the 2022 Titan, but the 2020 model received four out of five stars for overall safety.