Honda’s Ridgeline has presented a departure from conventional pickups since its introduction just over a decade ago. Now, after a hiatus of several years, Honda has brought an all-new Ridgeline back into its lineup with features that make the model better than ever.

Available as a four-door crew cab with seating for five, the second generation Ridgeline delivers fresh new styling with a more traditional pickup appearance and loads of on-board tech. It shares its platform with the Honda Pilot SUV and thus continues to march to its own drummer by featuring unibody construction, rather than the body-on-frame underpinnings typical of pickups.

Why the departure from conventional pickup construction? Honda's aim is to provide all the functionality expected of a modern pickup with a very high-profile differentiator: a much more comfortable and car-like ride for the short and long haul.

Several innovations from the earlier Ridgeline are retained including a dual-action tailgate that folds down or swings open, conveniently meeting diverse loading needs. Tailgaters will appreciate the Ridgeline’s in-bed audio system that positions speakers behind bed liner sides, effectively making the bed liner a giant speaker baffle. A lockable trunk in the pickup bed floor can hold more gear securely or serve as a cooler for tailgating since it’s equipped with a bottom drain plug.

Ridgeline is powered by a direct-injected 3.5 liter i-VTEC V-6 with variable cylinder management. It makes 280 horsepower, 30 more than its predecessor. This offers both desired power and an EPA estimated 26 highway mpg. A six-speed automatic replaces the previous-generation’s 5-speed automatic. Buyers have a choice of front- or all-wheel-drive.

We’ve now put several thousand miles on the odometer of our long-term Honda Ridgeline Black Edition, already heading out on a few road trips and putting its user-friendly truck bed to work. With this pickup now in the long-term garage, it promises to be a good year indeed.

The Ram ProMaster City, a new model on U.S. highways made possible by the international depth of Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles, is distinguished in many ways. This was underscored at the 2015 San Antonio Auto Show with its win of Green Car Journal’s 2016 Commercial Green Car of the Year™ award. The model bested finalists that included the Chevrolet City Express, Ford Transit Connect, Mercedes-Benz Metris, and Nissan NV200.

Based on the successful and long-running Fiat Doblò model in Europe, the ProMaster City compact van is essentially the same vehicle but tailored for the American market with updates like a slightly higher ride height and heavier-duty suspension. It is available as a Tradesman Cargo Van or five-passenger Wagon to fit diverse needs, at starting MSRPs of $23,445 and $24,445, respectively.

 

Functionality and efficiency are what this vehicle is all about. Interior space is quite generous considering its compact exterior dimensions that aim at ease of operation in urban traffic. In fact, the ProMaster City features best-in-class payload and cargo capacity, allowing drivers to carry up to 1,883 pounds or 31 cubic feet of cargo.

Its floor area between the rear wheel wells is 48.4 inches wide. Driver convenience is enhanced with an available Uconnect 5.0 audio and multimedia system featuring a five-inch touchscreen, integrated voice command with Bluetooth, and steering wheel audio controls.

The ProMaster City’s class-exclusive front-wheel drive system utilizes a 2.4-liter Tigershark four-cylinder engine, an efficient Fiat-developed powerplant widely used in Chrysler models ranging from the Chrysler 200 and Dodge Dart to the Jeep Cherokee and Renegade. This rather sophisticated SOHC engine – at least by work truck standards – features variable valve timing, variable valve lift technology, and a 10.0:1 compression ratio, plus of course Fiat's efficiency-enhancing Multiair technology. The 178 horsepower engine is mated to a standard nine-speed automatic transmission.

This combination moves the ProMaster City from 0-30 mpg in about 3.7 seconds, more than adequate performance in city environs. The ProMaster City offers EPA estimated fuel economy of 21 mpg in the city and 29 mpg on the highway, very good numbers for a van of any kind.

 

 

There are two basic ways to maximum mpg – have a fuel efficient vehicle and drive your vehicle efficiently. Honda’s Eco Assist does both. Eco Assist, short for ‘Ecological Drive Assist System,’ performs two basic functions. First, there is a sophisticated feedback system that coaches drivers to drive more efficiently. In addition there’s an ECON button that optimizes the vehicle’s operation to maximize fuel efficiency. The system debuted on the Honda Insight hybrid in 2009 and Honda has expanded availability to other Honda models including the Civic, CR-V, and Accord.

Eco Assist helps drivers develop driving habits that enhance fuel efficiency by providing feedback via color-changing displays, typically integrated in the speedometer, that indicate fuel efficiency in real time. Fuel-saving behaviors like smooth acceleration and braking cause the display to glow green. Somewhat less fuel-efficient driving habits glow blue-green. Aggressive starts and stops that consume extra fuel cause the display to glow blue. By striving to keep the display in the green, drivers receive help in developing driving habits that improve fuel economy.

Pressing the green dash-mounted ‘ECON’ button optimizes operation of the transmission, engine, and other powertrain components to help conserve additional fuel. For example, a gentler throttle pedal setting limits power and torque by a small amount. Also, air conditioning is set to consume less energy by operating more in the recirculation mode or reducing the speed of the automatic climate control blower. On hybrid vehicles, the Idle Stop feature might be engaged sooner, the CVT (continuously variable transmission) further optimized, and battery charging during regenerative braking increased.

Drivers of Honda hybrids are provided additional feedback about cumulative, long-term driving style via a Multi-Information Display (MID). This includes fuel economy figures for the past three trips, as well as instantaneous and average fuel economy statistics. The goal is to encourage drivers to take an interest in developing fuel efficient driving habits over the long term. Here, ‘green’ driving styles are rewarded by the number of leaves displayed in the instrument cluster, indicating the level of environmentally responsible driving performance. With the ignition switch on, the display scores driving practices in real time. When the ignition switch is turned off the leaves score driving in the just-completed cycle (startup to shutdown), while a horizontal bar in the lower part of the display scores cumulative lifetime driving performance.

Eco Assist combines multiple functions – the driver-activated ECON mode that optimizes control of the continuously variable transmission, engine, and related powertrain components to conserve fuel, plus the scoring function. The latter provides cumulative, long-term feedback through the graphic leaves that grow over time as drivers learn and implement driving practices that increase fuel economy.

Due to our rigorous vehicle test schedule here at Green Car Journal, we are very aware of the fluctuating pattern of gas prices. Fuel economy testing requires regular and sometimes daily fill-ups. This past week was telling. The price of leaded regular shot up more than 30 cents in a matter of five days. Premium fuel is once again over $4.00 per gallon.

Regardless of the price fluctuation’s root cause, the end effect is the numbing of consumer reaction and outcry. I remember the conversations across the gas island at my regular station when gas prices topped $3.00 per gallon. The reaction was even greater when gas first topped $4 per gallon.

When consumers cut back on driving and fuel consumption, the price generally retreats, but generally not quite to the same level it was at before the increase. The pattern repeats in a general upward trend until the average consumer now thinks that gasoline prices below a certain threshold like $4.00 seems like a bargain. Over time, consumers are desensitized to the price at the pump as it edges upward.

As fuel prices reach new highs, vehicle-buying habits certainly change. Fuel economy becomes a priority. Hybrids and fuel-efficient models move quickly. When the market can’t sustain higher prices, however, and prices slump, fuel economy lessons are often forgotten. Vehicle purchases tend to revert back to less efficient models. All the while, the long-term trend is that the price of transportation takes an ever-larger bite out of the household budget.

Some feel that higher fuel prices are a good thing, forcing consumers into more fuel-efficient transportation choices. I’ve never agreed with that stance because high gasoline prices hit lower income consumers the hardest. When the necessary work commute takes an extra twenty bucks each week, many simply must cut back on other essentials. Those living on a very tight budget often can’t afford to trade up to a more fuel-efficient vehicle.

As I’ve noted before, my biggest gripe with higher fuel prices is less apparent but has a widespread impact. When the price of fuel goes up, nearly all goods and services will cost more. Farmers rely on diesel tractors to cultivate and harvest the food we eat. Transporting food and products we use on a daily basis requires diesel fuel. Nearly every product you use each day is moved multiple times by a diesel truck. From moving raw materials to the manufacturer to finished products cycled through the distribution chain, everything becomes more expensive. These are hard costs of doing business that can’t be absorbed and must be passed along to the end consumer in the form of higher prices for the essentials of our modern life.

I am fortunate to test and evaluate some of the most fuel-efficient vehicles in the world on a regular basis. As a benchmark, our family go-to vehicle is a 2003 Honda Pilot. The seven-passenger Pilot has been a trusted all-mission transport that simply does everything well. From hauling a pack of home school kids through winter weather conditions to moving our youngest into a college dorm, the Pilot continues to deliver great performance. Now, with over 150,000 miles on the odometer, we continue to average 21 mpg. In the 10 years we’ve owned the Pilot, however, the price to fill the tank has more than doubled. The price of anything we rely on so heavily doubling in one decade is a reality check that can’t be ignored.

Todd Kaho is executive editor of Green Car Journal