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 San Antonio Auto & Truck Show has a big interest in trucks. After all, we’re talking Texas. Now ‘green’ is gaining even more emphasis at the show with Green Car Journal’s inaugural Green Truck of the Year™ award.

Green Car Journal has presented its coveted Green Car of the Year® award in Los Angeles for the past decade, recognizing the best and the brightest vehicles with improved environmental performance. The Green Truck of the Year™ award program in San Antonio is a natural complement. Trucks are a high-profile part of the San Antonio Auto & Truck Show and Texas is the largest truck market in the nation, making this an ideal venue for this new high-profile award.

In selecting the program’s five finalists, Green Car Journal editors consider all potential truck models in the U.S. market, weighing environmental attributes alongside traditional touchstones that define what makes a great pickup, such as functionality, versatility, safety, value, and style. The 2015 Green Truck of the Year™ winner is selected from these five finalists by a Green Truck of the Year™ jury comprised of automotive experts and Green Car Journal staff.

Trucks are no strangers to Green Car Journal. The magazine’s editors and writers have deep backgrounds with trucks, having served on staff at enthusiast truck publications during their careers. They have owned sport trucks, work trucks, custom trucks, and off-road trucks so they know what's important to truck buyers, just as they know the importance of 'green' features in the trucks of our future.

The 46th annual San Antonio Auto & Truck Show will take place on November 6-9, 2014 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas, with the 2015 Green Truck of the Year™ announced during the show's media day on November 6. Presented by the San Antonio Automobile Dealers Association, the show highlights the auto industry’s newest innovations and provides a ‘one-stop shop’ for evaluating the latest cars, trucks, and technologies. It is recognized as South Texas’ premier automotive event.