Compare the2023 Ford RangerVS 2023 Honda Ridgeline

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Ranger’s optional Trail Control allows you to creep down safely. The Ridgeline doesn’t offer Trail Control.

The Ranger’s optional driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Ridgeline doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

The Ranger has standard 911 Assist, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to get turn-by-turn driving directions or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Ridgeline doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Ranger and the Ridgeline have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available four-wheel drive, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, front and rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Ford Ranger is safer than the Honda Ridgeline:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Ford Ranger is safer than the Honda Ridgeline:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

There are almost 3 times as many Ford dealers as there are Honda dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Ranger’s warranty.

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the Ranger’s engine. A rubber cam drive belt that needs periodic replacement drives the Ridgeline’s camshafts. If the Ridgeline’s belt breaks, the engine could be severely damaged when the pistons hit the opened valves.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Ranger has a standard 700-amp battery. The Ridgeline’s 650-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Ranger first among midsize pickups in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The Ridgeline isn’t in the top three.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Ford vehicles are better in initial quality than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Ford above average in initial quality. With 16 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Ford vehicles are more reliable than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Ford above average in long-term dependability. With 4 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Honda is rated below average.

The Ranger’s 2.3 turbo 4-cylinder produces 48 lbs.-ft. more torque (310 vs. 262) than the Ridgeline’s 3.5 SOHC V6.

As tested in Motor Trend the Ford Ranger is faster than the Honda Ridgeline:

On the EPA test cycle the Ranger gets better mileage than the Ridgeline:

A 10-speed automatic is standard on the Ford Ranger, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a nine-speed automatic is available for the Ridgeline.

The Ranger’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Ridgeline are solid, not vented.

The Ranger stops shorter than the Ridgeline:

For better traction, the Ranger has larger standard tires than the Ridgeline (255/70R16 vs. 245/60R18). The Ranger’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Ridgeline (265/65R17 vs. 245/60R18).

The Ford Ranger’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Honda Ridgeline only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The Ranger has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Ridgeline’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Ranger’s wheelbase is 1.6 inches longer than on the Ridgeline (126.8 inches vs. 125.2 inches).

The Ranger XLT SuperCrew 4x4 handles at .78 G’s, while the Ridgeline RTL-E pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Ranger’s turning circle is .9 feet tighter than the Ridgeline’s (42.5 feet vs. 43.4 feet). The Ranger Tremor’s turning circle is .3 feet tighter than the Ridgeline’s (43.1 feet vs. 43.4 feet).

The Ford Ranger may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs up to about 300 pounds less than the Honda Ridgeline.

The Ranger is 5.3 inches narrower than the Ridgeline, making the Ranger easier to handle and maneuver in traffic.

The Ranger SuperCrew has a much larger cargo box than the Ridgeline shortbed (43.3 vs. 33.9 cubic feet).

The Ranger’s cargo box is larger than the Ridgeline’s in almost every dimension:

The Ranger’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Ridgeline’s (7500 vs. 5000 pounds).

The Ranger 4WD can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Ranger can be unhitched and driven around locally. The Ridgeline can’t be towed flat on the ground.

The Ranger has a much higher maximum payload capacity than the Ridgeline (1905 vs. 1583 lbs.).

The Ranger uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Ridgeline uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The engine in the Ranger is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Ridgeline. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because there are no rear spark plugs and the accessory belts are in front.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Ranger’s available exterior PIN entry system. The Ridgeline doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

The Ranger Lariat’s optional wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The Ridgeline’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Consumer Reports rated the Ranger’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Ridgeline’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

The Ford Ranger comes in extended cab and crew cab bodystyles; the Honda Ridgeline isn’t available as an extended cab.

The Ranger is available in both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Ridgeline doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Ford Ranger will be $4613 to $9345 less than for the Honda Ridgeline.

The Ford Ranger outsold the Honda Ridgeline by 33% during 2022.