2026 Honda Ridgeline: Staten Island Buyers Guide

A truck built like a car, on purpose

The Ridgeline has always argued with the rest of the midsize truck class, and it does it from a unibody platform borrowed from the Pilot rather than a body-on-frame chassis. That single decision explains almost everything else about it: a car-like ride over the same broken pavement that beats up a body-on-frame truck's frame-mounted cab, a fully independent rear suspension instead of a leaf-sprung live axle, and a trunk built into the bed floor that a traditional pickup simply has nowhere to put. The tradeoff is a 5,000-lb max tow rating, lower than a Tacoma or Ranger at their ceiling, and Honda doesn't pretend otherwise — this is a truck sized for a boat, a small trailer, or a load of mulch, not for hauling a fifth-wheel to Montana.

For 2026 the changes are additive rather than a redesign: the 9-inch touchscreen finally drops its USB cable requirement for CarPlay and Android Auto, higher trims pick up a 10.2-inch configurable digital instrument cluster, the Black Edition gains a black-painted Two-Tone roof option, and the TrailSport gets an exclusive Ash Green Metallic color. The four-trim structure itself, Sport, RTL, TrailSport, Black Edition, carries over unchanged.

One engine, one drivetrain — the decision is comfort vs. capability

Because every 2026 Ridgeline shares the same 280-hp V-6 and i-VTM4 AWD, this trim ladder isn't a powertrain decision the way a hybrid crossover's is. It's a lifestyle decision. Sport and RTL climb a comfort ladder, leather, heated seats, remote start, better audio. TrailSport branches off into an off-road-tuned suspension, all-terrain tires, and hill descent control, useful for a weekend at the shore or a gravel boat ramp more than technical rock crawling. Black Edition tops the range with gloss-black trim, red-accented black leather, and the loudest factory stereo Honda puts in this truck. Payload varies by trim, from 1,509 lb on Black Edition (heaviest curb weight) up to 1,583 lb on Sport, while every trim shares the flat 5,000-lb tow rating, worth knowing before assuming a stripped-down Sport tows less than a loaded Black Edition. It doesn't.

The bed itself is identical across the range: 5.3 feet long, 5 feet wide (4.2 feet between the wheel wells, wide enough for a 4x8 sheet flat on the floor with the tailgate down), 1.4 feet deep, plus the lockable in-bed trunk that adds real weatherproof storage no competitor offers in the same place. Total cargo volume including that trunk runs 33.9 cubic feet.

Pick your 2026 Ridgeline

What Ridgeline buyers say about this store

Honda of Staten Island holds a 4.4-star Google rating across more than 2,700 reviews, and Ridgeline buyers show up repeatedly, sometimes across their second or third truck from the same store. One buyer who took delivery of a new Black Edition wrote of his sales consultant, Tariq Mahmood, and sales manager, Mansour Moustafa: "The transaction with fast... his manager delivered it to us all the way in Massachusetts due to my job and I'm a caregiver for my special need son... he made buying a car so easy no stress in less than 24 hours. I was driving my new car." Another buyer summed up a straightforward purchase: "The best experience I've ever had purchasing a new vehicle. Hands down!... great people, great team. Cannot stress enough how impressive the entire team was at [Honda of Staten Island]."

The theme in the Ridgeline reviews specifically is delivery and paperwork done without drama, worth noting for a truck that's often a family's second or third vehicle and doesn't get the leisurely shopping process a first car gets.

Owning one here

Ownership continues two blocks from the showroom, where the Ridgeline service & repair guide covers the Maintenance Minder schedule, the timing belt interval that catches long-term owners off guard, and what Staten Island's roads and salt air do to a unibody truck. Money questions, the $1,495 destination charge, the city's 8.875% sales tax, and how lease and finance offers stack, live in the pricing & leasing guide.

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2026 Honda Ridgeline any good?

It remains one of the more comfortable trucks in its class to actually live with day to day, the unibody platform trades some maximum tow capacity for a smoother ride and better on-road manners than body-on-frame rivals. For buyers who tow occasionally rather than constantly and want a bed that locks, it's a strong pick; for buyers who need to tow near the segment ceiling regularly, a body-on-frame truck is the better tool.

Will the Honda Ridgeline be redesigned?

The 2026 model is a running update to the current second-generation platform (on sale since 2017), not a ground-up redesign. Honda's changes for 2026, wireless phone connectivity, the larger digital cluster on upper trims, new colors, are meaningful but incremental. Anyone waiting on a full redesign should ask their sales consultant for the latest on Honda's model-year plans rather than relying on a fixed timeline.

Honda Ridgeline or Toyota Tacoma?

Different tools for different jobs. The Tacoma's body-on-frame design and available V-6 or turbo powertrains give it a higher max tow rating and more serious off-road hardware at the top of its range. The Ridgeline counters with a smoother unibody ride, a lockable in-bed trunk, standard AWD on every trim (no low-end, FWD-only Tacoma to cross-shop against), and a dual-action tailgate. A back-to-back test drive settles it faster than any spec sheet, and both are available within a short drive of the Island.

How much is a 2026 Honda Ridgeline?

MSRPs run $40,795 to $47,395 across the four trims, before the $1,495 destination charge, taxes, and any options. The pricing guide breaks down every trim and what New York adds on top.

Which Ridgeline trim is best?

There's no universal answer because the trims split by priority, not by powertrain. Buyers who want the most standard feature per dollar tend to land on RTL; buyers who spend weekends on gravel or sand lean TrailSport; buyers who want the loudest audio and the darkest look go Black Edition. Each trim's guide here makes the case for its own buyer.

Where can I see all four trims?

Search new Ridgeline inventory at Honda of Staten Island, or visit the showroom at 250 Parkinson Avenue, open seven days a week including Sunday afternoons.

Four trims, one test drive

Every 2026 Ridgeline shares the mechanical basics, so the fastest way to pick a trim is sitting in a Sport and a Black Edition back to back and deciding how much leather and gloss-black trim actually matters to your daily drive. Honda of Staten Island stocks the range alongside its Certified Pre-Owned Ridgelines, so cross-shopping new against a 182-point-inspected used truck happens under the same roof.