Ford Ranger vs Honda Ridgeline

While Ford outsells all other brands with its full-size pickup trucks, it's dead last in the midsize class. The Ranger, once the king of small trucks, sold terribly after Ford relaunched it for the 2019 model year. The smaller Maverick outsold the Ranger by three to one in 2023. For 2024, the new Ranger brings more of everything—power, tech, refinement, space, and most importantly, choice. Is it too late for Ford to catch up? We tested a Ranger XLT to find out.

Verdict: With new V6 engines and a Raptor trim, the 2024 Ford Ranger offers greater choice and capability to finally match the Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon, Nissan Frontier, and Toyota Tacoma.

Honda isn’t known for pickup trucks, but that means it approaches them without any preconceived notions. The 2025 Honda Ridgeline takes a different approach than rivals like the Chevrolet Colorado, Ford Ranger, and Toyota Tacoma with crossover-like unibody construction and clever storage solutions. Having received a few updates for the 2024 model year, the 2025 Ridgeline carries over unchanged.

Verdict: It doesn’t offer the towing capacity or off-road capability of more traditional trucks, but the Ridgeline is much easier to live with.