2023 Honda Ridgeline vs 2022 Ford Maverick

The 2022 Ford Maverick's design echoed the aesthetic of larger Ford trucks, featuring substantial wheel arches and taillights reminiscent of the F-150 and Ranger. Nonetheless, its front end diverged with large headlights and a distinctive grille crossbar, breaking away from the traditional Ford truck look without making a bold stylistic statement. Measuring 199.7 inches in length, the Maverick was almost a foot shorter than the Ford Ranger, with a height of 68.7 inches, 4.6 inches shorter than its mid-sized sibling. It was built on the C2 unibody platform, shared with the Ford Escape and Bronco Sport crossover SUVs, contrasting with Ford's larger, body-on-frame trucks.

The Maverick lineup started with the base XL model featuring 17-inch steel wheels, while higher trims offered 17- or 18-inch alloy wheels. The First Edition package, exclusive to the Lariat trim for the 2022 model year, introduced black graphics, a soft tonneau cover, and unique wheels and paint colors. Luxury packages available on XLT and Lariat trims included amenities like a leather-wrapped heated steering wheel and heated seats.

Inside, the Maverick made clever use of plastic, creating a colorful and appealing interior despite its budget-friendly design. The entry-level XL trim incorporated multicolored and speckled plastic, evoking a playful yet practical ambiance. Exposed fasteners and minimalistic door cards added to the character, while even the base seats sported a stylish weave pattern. Ford's approach successfully combined affordability with a touch of style, making the Maverick's interior a standout feature for entry-level vehicles.

In contrast, the 2023 Honda Ridgeline presented a rugged yet sophisticated appearance. A revision a few years earlier introduced a bolder front end, larger dual exhaust outlets, and wheels with aggressive treads. However, the optional Honda Performance Development (HPD) packages were considered excessive with oversized fender flares. The Ridgeline came in four trims: Sport, RTL, RTL-E, and Black Edition, all powered by a strong V6 engine paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission and a torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive (AWD) system. The Black Edition stood out with its premium features and upscale look.

While smaller than rugged pickups like the Toyota Tacoma, the Ridgeline's unibody platform, shared with the Honda Passport, contributed to its refined on-road demeanor. Inside, the Ridgeline's leather-lined interior offered superior comfort and quality, closely mirroring the Passport's design. It provided ample storage, excellent outward visibility, and a luxurious feel, though some elements dated back to the 2016 Honda Pilot, the interior remained modern and elegant compared to many rivals.

The 2022 Ford Maverick's standard powertrain was a hybrid setup centered around a 2.5-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder engine, delivering a modest 191 horsepower and 155 pound-feet of torque. Paired with a continuously variable transmission (CVT), the hybrid powertrain was limited to front-wheel drive (FWD). The optional turbocharged 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine ramped up the excitement with 250 horsepower and 277 pound-feet of torque, mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission with available all-wheel drive (AWD).

An FX4 off-road package enhanced the AWD XLT and Lariat trims with upgraded suspension, underbody protection, and specialized drive modes. Despite its unibody design, the Maverick demonstrated impressive ride quality akin to a small car or crossover, reducing the typical jitters experienced in body-on-frame trucks. It offered respectable off-road capabilities, maneuverability in tight spaces, and ease of parking, making it a practical choice for urban settings.

The hybrid powertrain stood out for its linear and refined power delivery, though the EcoBoost variant excelled in towing and acceleration. The Maverick's maximum towing capacity reached 4,000 pounds (2,000 pounds for the hybrid), adding practical utility to its feature set.

On the other hand, the 2023 Honda Ridgeline shared its core underpinnings with various Honda models, including the Pilot, Passport, and Odyssey. This crossover platform, reinforced for pickup operations, housed a robust 3.5-liter V6 engine, producing 280 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. The nine-speed automatic transmission and torque-vectoring AWD system enhanced its performance with a notable ability to allocate up to 70 percent of power to a single rear wheel.

The Ridgeline shone on paved roads, where it felt more like an SUV than a pickup, boasting a 1,583-pound payload capacity. However, its unibody construction and limited 5,000-pound towing capacity were constraints for heavy-duty tasks. The 7.6 inches of ground clearance further highlighted its limitations for serious off-roading, though the Ridgeline handled moderate off-road conditions competently.

During extensive road trips, the Ridgeline displayed admirable comfort, quietness, and agility, averaging 22.6 mpg, which placed it highly among V6-powered, AWD mid-size pickups. Its sophisticated drive was marred by slightly heavy steering at lower speeds but still positioned it as one of the more refined trucks for daily and long-distance driving.

The 2022 Ford Maverick was exclusively offered as a four-door crew-cab, providing ample legroom, surpassing even larger models like the Toyota Tacoma. It offered superior front legroom compared to the Hyundai Santa Cruz and boasted more rear legroom with the 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine. However, the Santa Cruz excelled in headroom and shoulder room.

The Maverick excelled in interior storage, with thoughtful placements behind and beside the touchscreen, on the center console, and even under the rear seats. The innovative Ford Integrated Tether System (FITS) included slots for various accessories, encouraging customer customization. Its 4.5-foot bed, while shorter than the Ranger’s, accommodated 1,500 pounds of payload and featured an in-bed power outlet, multi-position tailgate, and FlexBed system for versatile configurations. The Maverick's maximum towing capacity of 4,000 pounds was impressive for its class.

The 2023 Honda Ridgeline emphasized functionality with practical features throughout. Sharing the Passport's design, its interior offered comfort, ease of entry, and premium materials. Rear seats, although less spacious than in the Passport, provided adequate comfort with high seating positions and padded seatbacks. The rear seat cushion flipped up for additional cargo space, complemented by an available under-seat storage system.

The Ridgeline's 64-inch cargo bed, with a dual-action tailgate and a resilient composite floor, offered ample cargo space and a flat load area. At 33.9 cubic feet in volume, it was slightly shallow but highly functional, featuring tie-down cleats and optional accessories like bed extenders, tonneau covers, and in-bed power outlets. Crucially, its 7.3 cubic-foot in-bed trunk added secure storage for a variety of uses, making it unique among pickups.

The 2022 Ford Maverick featured the older Sync 3 infotainment system with standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (though not wireless), an 8-inch touchscreen, and an integrated WiFi hotspot. The system, although basic, was user-friendly and provided essential connectivity. The hybrid model included a brake-coaching feature to optimize regenerative braking, though its practical utility was debatable.

For the 2023 Honda Ridgeline, its mid-2010s engineering reflected in an outdated infotainment system. It featured wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, basic HondaLink services, and satellite radio options. Higher trims included navigation, a premium sound system, and wireless smartphone charging, though these features were less user-friendly. The system's slow loading times, dated graphics, and unresponsive voice recognition were drawbacks, though users could adapt to these limitations over time. The in-bed audio system was an innovative feature unique to the truck.

The 2022 Ford Maverick came with Ford Co-Pilot360, which included forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and automatic high beams as standard. Optional features included adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane centering, and evasive steering assist. However, crash-test ratings from IIHS and NHTSA were not yet available.

The 2023 Honda Ridgeline's safety systems, primarily under the Honda Sensing umbrella, were somewhat outdated but still effective. Standard features included adaptive cruise control, forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, and automatic high beams. Blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert were available only on higher trims, with some design aspects feeling retrofitted. The Ridgeline earned favorable ratings from IIHS and NHTSA, although its headlights were rated merely acceptable.