The 2010 Honda CRV priced at MSRP: $21,545 – $29,745 is one of the most popular compact crossover. It is an affordable SUV which offers perfect combination of safety and utility. The 2010 edition gets much better with more power, well designed exterior body style and increased fuel power.

What’s on offer?

The 2010 Honda CRV has received its first update from the time it has been redesigned four years ago. The exterior and interiors receive significant changes. The engine is more powerful and offers better fuel economy. The 2010 edition also includes Bluetooth and USB audio port as optional features.

Silhouette

The 2010 Honda CRV has a new impressive look with a cohesive front bumper design, new 10 spoke design for 17 inch alloy wheels, larger painted area on the rear bumper and a new two bar chrome grille offers a smooth shape to this edition.

Inside the cabin

The 2010 Honda CRV cabin is very attractive and at the same very practical. The interiors are designed with good quality materials. The gauges are also well placed to offer a maximum comfort to the driver.  The cabin also features a conversation mirror which is built into the overhead console enables front seat occupants t converse with the rear seat occupants without turning around. . The rear doors open wide and the rear seats also recline which makes an impressive 73 cubic feet of cargo.

Features of 2010 Honda CR-V

The 2010 Honda CRV is available in four trims viz. LX, EX, EX-L, and EX-L with navigation trim.

The LX trim is equipped with 17 inch wheels, cruise control, full power accessories, keyless entry, air conditioning, a tilt and telescoping steering wheel, and CD/ Mp3 player with auxiliary jack.

The EX trim adds 17 inch alloy wheels, a rear tinted glass,  dual level cargo area, steering wheel audio control and a six speaker stereo with six CD changer.

The EX-L trim further includes leather upholstery, dual zone automatic climate control, automatic headlights, heated front seats, heated side mirrors, eight way power driver seat, a seven speaker audio system with subwoofer, USB, audio jack, and satellite radio.

The EX-L with navigation adds Bluetooth, rear view camera and navigation system with voice control.

2010 Honda CR-V Powertrain

The 2010 Honda CRV is equipped with 2.4 liter four cylinder engine that generates 180 horsepower and 161 pounds feet of torque. It is teamed with five speed automatic transmission. Front wheel drive is standard on all CRV editions and AWD is optional.

The Honda CRV offers a fuel economy of 21/28/24 mpg on city/highway /combined for front wheel drive models and 21/27/23 with AWD.

2010 Honda CR-V Safety

The 2010 Honda CRV is equipped with front side airbags, side curtain airbags, antilock disc brakes, and stability control. The EX-L with navigation trim includes a back up camera.

During the various crash test conducted to check the efficiency of this edition ir scored a complete five stars for side protection and frontal protection.

Conclusion

The 2010 Honda CRV is one of the best compact SUV available in the market today. The main upshots of this edition are spacious passenger and cargo area, comfortable and high quality cabin, straight forward interior controls, and agile handling. The main drawbacks that can be noted are no optional engine upgrade available and no manual transmission option available.

The 2010 Honda Ridgeline priced at MSRP $28,450 – $34,430 is designed to cater to the needs of all those buyers who are looking at road friendly truck and need sporadic heavy hauling ability. Price is another feature in which this edition gains an edge as it is priced lower than other sports utility  trucks but expensive in comparison to a full size pick up truck.

What’s on offer?

The 2010 Honda Ridgeline does not offer any major changes in this edition except for the introduction of three new exterior shades Crystal Black pearl, Alabaster Silver Metallic and Polished metal metallic.

Silhouette

The 2010 Honda Ridgeline offers a very masculine styling which is impressive but not very new. Its front fascia enhances the overall look of this edition. The new headlights and tail lamps on its exterior along with a new grille make it a very appealing vehicle.  The rear end offers a very neatly designed layout.

This edition has a very tarnished styling with hardly any gap between the bed and the cab.

The 2010 Ridgeline edition offers a unibody frame. Its bed liner can accommodate 4×8 construction material. However this edition does not have slots to enable two tier loading or vertical dividers to enable cargo control. The main highlight of the 5 foot cargo bed are dual action tailgate that opens up and down to offer easier access to the cargo, lockable in bed trunk, and four  cargo area lights.

The main drawback that was noted in its body style is its wide body style limits the rear view clarity to the driver.

Inside the cabin

The 2010 Honda Ridgeline cabin has picked up styling cues from a mini van to design its interior cabin. The front seats are very comfortable and can seat five passengers.

There is ample of seating space and offers adequate headroom and leg space to seat taller passenger with comfort. However the interiors are designed using hard plastics.This edition offer abundant storage possibilities. The rear seats fold down to offer extra back seat cargo room and can easily store large items in the cab. The interiors have been designed to offer ample of storage inside the cabin.

Features of 2010 Honda Ridgeline

The 2010 Honda Ridgeline is available in three trims: RT, RTS and RTL. The base RT trim is well equipped when compared to other trucks from the same segment. The base trim is equipped with power sliding rear window, cruise control, tilt steering wheel, standard audio system with auxiliary input jacks. The midlevel trim or the RTS trim nets upgraded wheels and door handles, and 160 watt sound system.

The upper trim RTL includes power moon roof, leather upholstery, heated front seats and satellite radio. The RTL trim can optionally add 18 inch alloy wheels, a rear view camera, Bluetooth connectivity, and power lumbar support. Other options which are available with the Honda Ridgeline are back up camera with nav system and full size spare and cargo adapters.

2010 Honda Ridgeline Powertrain

The 2010 Honda Ridgeline is powered by 3.5 liter V6 engine which generates 250 horsepower and 247 pounds feet of torque. This powerful engine is teamed with five speed automatic transmission and is available in four wheel drive.

This robust engine offers a fuel economy of 15 mpg city level and 20 mpg on highway which is very disappointing for a full size pick up truck.

When fully equipped this edition offered a maximum towing capacity of 5000 pounds.

We noted that this edition offered a very refined and comfortable ride and handling. While riding the 2010 Ridgeline it gave a feeling of riding a luxury car which is quite remarkable.

2010 Honda Ridgeline Safety

The 2010 Honda Ridgeline is equipped with safety features such as front airbags, front side airbags, side curtain airbags, antilock disc brakes and electronic stability control. During the various crash tests that were conducted to check the efficiency of this edition it scored five stars for both driver and front passenger protection in frontal crash test and four stars for rollover tests.

The main drawback that was noted was that the rear roof design and thick roof pillars hinder the rear visibility to the driver. Hence a rear view camera which is available as optional feature is highly recommended.

Conclusion

The 2010 Honda Ridgeline is a masculine truck with various advantages like comfortable ride and refined handling. The main drawback that was noted are bed is too small and styling is not too novel.

The 2009 Honda Ridgeline priced at MSRP $28,200 – $34,180 is an American styled truck with car like features. The 2009 edition has been updated with more power, added features, and a mild facelift making this a worthwhile contemplation for all light duty truck buyers. The 2009 Honda Ridgeline edition dares to be different from the other trucks in the same segment.

What’s on offer?

The Honda Ridgeline receives quite a number of useful updates for the 2009 edition. The exteriors and the interiors have received styling tweaks. A trailer hitch and active front head restraint (safety trait) is now available as a standard feature on all models. The premium RTL trim adds features such as Blue tooth and back up camera.

Silhouette

The 2009 Honda Ridgeline is styled with a fresh look and is wide enough to accommodate 4×8 construction materials. The most impressive feature about this edition is lockable in bed trunk, four cargo lights and a dual action tailgate that opens up and down to assist long items, or from the side for easier approach to items at the bed’s front.

However we noted some problems with its design and styling. We noted that there is limited selection of tonneau cover, visibility is obstructed in some angles and a traditional bed cap or bed mounted crossover toolbox does not fit comfortably. It is also designed in such a way that it does not offer slots for two tier loading or vertical dividers for cargo control.

Inside the cabin

The 2009 Honda Ridgeline interiors has a very practical design and have borrowed many designing cues from the minivans. The front bucket seats are well shaped and supportive. The rear split bench offers more legroom than any other mid size pick up truck like Nissan Frontier or Toyota Tacoma. The rear seats folds up neatly to allow storage of large items in the cab. There is abundance of storage space and there is a lockage trunk space beneath the 5 foot bed which acts as a storage compartment for ice filled food or beverage cooler.

The interiors also feature improved control switches for the sunroof, cruise control, climate control and headlights.

Features of 2009 Honda Ridgeline

The 2009 Honda Ridgeline is available in three trim levels viz.RT (base level), RTS (mid level), and RTL (premium level). The RT trim is equipped with 17 inch steel wheels, remote keyless entry, air conditioning, power sliding window, a tilt steering wheel, cruise control, an integrated trailer hitch and a six speaker CD stereo with MP3 playback capability.

The mid level RTS trim adds 17 inch alloy wheels, dual-zone automatic climate control, privacy glass, eight way power driver seat, and an upgraded seven-speaker audio system with a six-CD changer, an audio input jack and steering-wheel-mounted controls.

The luxurious RTL trim gains 18 inch alloy wheels, a moon roof, leather upholstery, heated front seats, fog lights, a 115-volt power outlet and satellite radio. It additionally includes a navigation system with Bluetooth and an integrated back up camera.

2009 Honda Ridgeline Powertrain

The 2009 Honda Ridgeline is equipped with 3.5 liter V6 engine which produces 250 horsepower and 247 pounds feet of torque. It is teamed through a five speed automatic transmission to a AWD system called VTM-4(Variable Torque Management four wheel drive).

When fully equipped this mid size crew cab pick up truck can tow up to 5000 pounds and handle payloads of up to 1,550 pounds which is sub par in comparison to other V6-powered compact, midsize pickup truck.

This edition offers a fuel economy of 15 mpg city levels, 20 mpg highways and 17 mpg combined.

We noted that this edition offers a smooth and refined ride, though the off road trails are not as exemplary in comparison to other pick up trucks.

2009 Honda Ridgeline Safety

The 2009 Honda Ridgeline is equipped with antilock disc brakes with brake assists, stability control, front-seat-mounted side airbags and full-length side curtain airbag and active front head restraints.

During the various crash tests that were conducted the Honda ridgeline scored a perfect five star rating for passenger protection in both frontal and side impact crashes.

Conclusion

The 2009 Honda Ridgeline is a mid size crew cab truck with various advantages like functional and comfortable cabin, high safety ratings, and innovative cargo management system. The main disadvantages that were noted are only one engine type, and limited off road capability.

Now, forget about what a ‘true trucker’ thinks, we’ll try to cook up an unbiased review.

Let’s start first with the looks, the Ridgeline looks like a pick up truck, I’ll give it that, but when you  put it up against the other pick-ups in its category, it fails miserably. It fails to grab any ones attention, the tiny wheels  are lost in the wheel-arcs and the front end is styled to ‘look like’ a pick up truck, but that fails badly. The rear-end looks like sleek, but boring and would only give competition to a cat’s litter box. the trunk and  tailgate that open can open in two different ways, which is really unnecessary.

Under the hood is where Honda shines with the 3.5Liter, SOHC 24-valve, V-6 giving out 250bhp @247lb-ft of torque. This front-engine four-wheel-drive, four-door, five passenger pickup is mated to a 5-speed automatic. The new ridgeline produces 3 horses more than its older version and can do a 0-60 mph in 7.7 second which is two tenths, of the ford F150s time, all thanks to the revised camshafts and larger intake valves and better intake manifold.

The handling and braking of the ridgeline hasn’t been any different from the older version. The interiors were looking quite drab and had some additions  like the auxiliary input jack, a rearview camera, and Bluetooth on the top-line RTL/Navigational trim.

So it boils down to this, why would Honda repeat the mistakes of the previous version, are they mad?….No. Honda are not looking to please the true trucker, as a matter of fact they don’t give a damn about what he thinks, because in spite of the glaring errors, they’ve managed to sell 40,000 units or more of these . call it brand value or anything you like, but they were aiming for that sect who find it comfortable on a daily basis, like navigating through a mall parking lot. Because frankly speaking this ‘truck’ cannot pull a boat or carry one and neither can it dance in the sand.   An avid trucking fan would be disappointed, thoroughly, while anyone else (who has no idea about trucks or cars for that matter),wouldn’t find a lot to complain about. The Ridgeline is priced at $28,670- $ 37,189.