It's pretty ugly. ;-)

Dan D
'07 Ody EX
Central NJ USA

any particular reason why you want a car that pretends to be a truck?

Basically it's a Honda Pilot with a bed in the back instead of covered
cargo area.  Of course, it's sort of ugly but does grow on you after a while
My wife bought a 2005 Pilot about 2 years ago, and has put over 60,000
miles on it with the only issue the damper motor (that moves the vent
controls between defroster, aircon and floor vents) which I had repaired
myself...

After driving it on rough ground, I wouldn't have any issue with the
Ridgeline, and probably will buy one as soon as I get the house finished
(building a new house).  The independent rear suspension definitely
makes a positive difference in handling, compared to the typical "live
axle" most "real pickups" have.  The gas mileage isn't stellar, about 17
MPG average with the crappy 10% methanol gas we get here, but my 95
Toyota Tacoma V-6 4wd gets about the same mileage, is a much lighter
vehicle, can't accelerate nearly as fast and is not nearly as
comfortable as the Pilot.  Before the local introduction of the
Methanol, the Pilot got 20+ MPG.  Typical use of the Pilot is short
commute when I drive it (8 miles round trip) or longer when my wife
drives it (27 miles downhill to town, about 50 miles town and rural
driving during the day and a 27 mile, 4000 foot climb back home).  On a
longer 250 mile round trip to the other side of the island and back it
typically gets around 19-20 mpg on the crappy gas, much better before.

If you're like the typical buyer, and don't haul large loads on a
regular basis and/or aren't a contractor, the Ridgeline will likely be a
good truck to have.  They are comfortable, have good acceleration and
decent handling, and once you get used to the boxy shape and odd rear
box (the sloping sides and a tailgate that isn't quite high enough at
first look) it's not a bad vehicle at all.  The full time all wheel
drive works great, and I've never had to use the locking function, it's
always crawled out of the muddiest places it's been...  So far as fit
and finish, longevity and comfort, there are no complaints.  It is,
after all, a Honda, and it's hard to find significant issues with most
of them.

On the other hand, if you drag around a bunch of tools, need to use a
standard lockbox or canopy to keep them from gaining "legs", or need a
good pipe rack to haul the long stuff, then a standard pickup with long
bed might be a better choice...

--Rick