Compare the2023 Honda RidgelineVS 2023 Chevrolet Colorado

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Ridgeline deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Ridgeline’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Colorado’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Ridgeline. But it costs extra on the Colorado.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Ridgeline uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The Colorado uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Ridgeline and the Colorado 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, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

The Ridgeline’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Colorado’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

Honda pays for scheduled maintenance on the Ridgeline for 2 years and 24,000 miles. Honda will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Chevrolet only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Colorado.

The engine in the Ridgeline has a single overhead cam for simplicity. The engines in the Colorado have dual overhead cams, which add to the number of moving parts and the complexity of the cylinder heads.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Ridgeline’s reliability 25 points higher than the Colorado.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Chevrolet vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 15 places higher in reliability than Chevrolet.

The Ridgeline’s 3.5 SOHC V6 produces 43 more horsepower (280 vs. 237) and 2 lbs.-ft. more torque (262 vs. 260) than the Colorado’s standard 2.7 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Honda Ridgeline is faster than the Colorado ZR2:

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

The Ridgeline has a standard locking fuel door with a power remote release convenient to the driver. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Colorado. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Honda Ridgeline, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Colorado.

The Ridgeline stops shorter than the Colorado:

The Ridgeline’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Colorado ZR2’s standard 70 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Ridgeline has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Colorado.

For superior ride and handling, the Honda Ridgeline has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Chevrolet Colorado has a solid rear axle, with a non-independent rear suspension.

The front and rear suspension of the Ridgeline uses coil springs for better ride, handling and control than the Colorado, which uses leaf springs in the rear. Coil springs compress more progressively and offer more suspension travel for a smoother ride with less bottoming out.

The Ridgeline has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Colorado doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Ridgeline is 3.4 inches wider in the front and 3.3 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Colorado.

The Ridgeline Sport handles at .80 G’s, while the Colorado ZR2 pulls only .72 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Ridgeline Black Edition executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.5 seconds quicker than the Colorado ZR2 (27.7 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 29.2 seconds @ .57 average G’s).

The Ridgeline is 3 inches shorter than the Colorado Trail Boss, making the Ridgeline easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Ridgeline 4x4 is 8 inches shorter in height than the Colorado, making the Ridgeline much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

Unibody construction lowers the Ridgeline’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The Colorado doesn’t use unibody construction, but a body-on-frame design.

The Ridgeline uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Colorado doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Ridgeline has 4.4 inches more front hip room, 4.6 inches more front shoulder room, 2 inches more rear legroom, 3.5 inches more rear hip room and 5.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Colorado.

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

The Ridgeline’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Colorado’s (5000 vs. 3500 pounds).

The Ridgeline has a higher standard payload capacity than the Colorado 4x4 (1583 vs. 1490 lbs.).

The Ridgeline’s front power windows open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Colorado’s standard power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully. The Colorado LT/Trail Boss/Z71/ZR2’s front passenger window doesn’t close automatically.

If the windows are left open on the Ridgeline the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Colorado can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Ridgeline’s LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the Colorado’s standard halogen headlights. LED lights also light instantly and last over twenty times longer than halogen.

When the Ridgeline RTL-E/Black Edition is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Colorado’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Ridgeline RTL/RTL-E/Black Edition’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Colorado offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The Ridgeline has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The Colorado WT/Trail Boss doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

The Ridgeline has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning costs extra on the Colorado and isn’t available on the Colorado WT/Trail Boss.

The Ridgeline’s standard automatic temperature control maintains the temperature you set, automatically controlling fan speed, vents and temperature to maintain a consistent, comfortable environment. The Colorado WT/Trail Boss doesn’t offer automatic air conditioning.

Both the Ridgeline and the Colorado offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Ridgeline has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Colorado doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Honda Ridgeline, based on reliability, safety and performance.