Compare the2023 Jeep GladiatorVS 2023 Honda Ridgeline

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Gladiator Automatic’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Ridgeline doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

The Gladiator offers optional SOS Call, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen 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 Gladiator and the Ridgeline have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, rearview cameras, available crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, 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 Jeep Gladiator is safer than the Honda Ridgeline:

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

Jeep pays for scheduled maintenance (up to 3 oil changes) on the Gladiator for 1 year and -24,000 miles longer than Honda pays for maintenance for the Ridgeline (3/unlimited vs. 2/24,000).

There are over 2 times as many Jeep dealers as there are Honda dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Gladiator’s warranty.

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the Gladiator’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.

The Gladiator has a solid front axle with a floating power axle for durability that the Ridgeline’s independent front suspension and exposed front driveshafts don’t offer.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Gladiator has a standard 180-amp alternator (220-amp - Gladiator optional and 240 optional). The Ridgeline’s 150-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

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

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Jeep vehicles are more reliable than Honda With 29 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Jeep higher than Honda.

The Gladiator’s 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 5 more horsepower (285 vs. 280) than the Ridgeline’s 3.5 SOHC V6.

The Gladiator’s 3.0 turbo V6 diesel produces 180 lbs.-ft. more torque (442 vs. 262) than the Ridgeline’s 3.5 SOHC V6.

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

The Gladiator has 2.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the Ridgeline (22 vs. 19.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Gladiator offers a manual transmission for better acceleration, control and sportiness. The Ridgeline doesn’t offer a manual transmission.

For better stopping power the Gladiator’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Ridgeline:

The Gladiator’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 Gladiator stops much shorter than the Ridgeline:

For better traction, the Gladiator Rubicon/Mojave’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Ridgeline (285/70R17 vs. 245/60R18).

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

The Gladiator Rubicon has an active front sway bar, which helps keep it flat and controlled during cornering, but disconnects at lower speeds to smooth the ride and offer greater off-road suspension articulation. This helps keep the tires glued to the road on-road and off. The Ridgeline doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Gladiator’s wheelbase is 12.1 inches longer than on the Ridgeline (137.3 inches vs. 125.2 inches).

The Gladiator’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (53% to 47%) than the Ridgeline’s (57.1% to 42.9%). This gives the Gladiator more stable handling and braking.

The Gladiator has .7 inches more front headroom, .3 inches more front legroom, 2 inches more rear headroom and 1.6 inches more rear legroom than the Ridgeline.

The Gladiator has a much larger cargo box than the Ridgeline shortbed (35.5 vs. 33.9 cubic feet).

A low lift-over bed design makes loading and unloading the Gladiator easier. The Gladiator’s bed lift-over height is 29.7 inches, while the Ridgeline’s liftover is 35.3 inches.

The Gladiator has bed indentations that accommodate 2x4’s for two-tiered loading to help accommodate diverse loads; the Ridgeline doesn’t offer two-tiered loading. The Gladiator also has indentations to separate the cargo box into three different sections length-wise.

Maximum trailer towing in the Honda Ridgeline is limited to 5000 pounds. The Gladiator offers up to a 7700 lbs. towing capacity.

The Gladiator 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 Gladiator can be unhitched and driven around locally. The Ridgeline can’t be towed flat on the ground.

The Gladiator has a higher standard payload capacity than the Ridgeline (1700 vs. 1583 lbs.).

The engine in the Gladiator 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.

The Gladiator’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Ridgeline does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The power windows available on both the Gladiator and the Ridgeline have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Gladiator is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Ridgeline prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Gladiator’s speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Ridgeline’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Gladiator’s optional power mirror controls are mounted on the door for easy access. The Ridgeline’s power mirror controls are on the dash where they are possibly hidden by the steering wheel and are awkward to manipulate.

The Gladiator was chosen as one of Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” in 2020. The Ridgeline has never been a Car and Driver “Top Ten” pick.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Gladiator as the 2020 North American Truck of the Year. The Ridgeline was Truck of the Year in 2017.

The Jeep Gladiator outsold the Honda Ridgeline by 83% during the 2022 model year.