Compare the2023 Honda RidgelineVS 2024 Ford Ranger

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 Ranger’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

Full-time four-wheel drive is standard on the Ridgeline. Full-time four-wheel drive gives added traction for safety in all conditions, not just off-road, like the only system available on the Ranger. Four-wheel drive of any type costs extra on the Ranger.

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 Ranger uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Ridgeline and the Ranger 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.

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. Ford doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Ranger.

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

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Ford vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Honda above average in initial quality. With 11 more problems per 100 vehicles, Ford is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Ford vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 17 places higher in reliability than Ford.

The Ridgeline’s 3.5 SOHC V6 produces 10 more horsepower (280 vs. 270) than the Ranger’s standard 2.3 turbo 4-cylinder.

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Ridgeline’s fuel efficiency. The Ranger doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Honda Ridgeline uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Ranger requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

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 Ranger. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

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

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 Ranger’s standard 70 series tires. The Ridgeline’s tires are lower profile than the Ranger’s optional 65 series tires.

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

The Ridgeline has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Ranger doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

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 Ford Ranger has a solid rear axle, with a non-independent rear suspension.

The Ridgeline has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Ridgeline flat and controlled during cornering. The Ranger’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The front and rear suspension of the Ridgeline uses coil springs for better ride, handling and control than the Ranger, 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.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Ridgeline is 3.1 inches wider in the front and 3 inches wider in the rear than on the Ranger.

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 Ranger 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 Ranger doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Ridgeline has 11.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Ranger (109.7 vs. 98.3).

The Ridgeline has 3.2 inches more front hip room, 4.9 inches more front shoulder room, 2.1 inches more rear legroom, 2.5 inches more rear hip room and 4.8 inches more rear shoulder room than the Ranger.

The Ridgeline’s front power windows open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Ranger’s passenger windows don’t open or close automatically.

The Ridgeline’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Ranger’s power mirror switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

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 Ranger’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 Ranger offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

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 Ranger and isn’t available on the Ranger XL.

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 Ranger XL doesn’t offer automatic air conditioning.

Both the Ridgeline and the Ranger 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 Ranger doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

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